Page 92

Even in her wildest imaginings, she couldn’t have dreamed up this kind of happiness, of fulfillment, of pride. She said she would do it, and she did it, even when they told her she couldn’t.

Sure, there was a slight limp in her step once she got offstage, but there was only one week of shows left. Even if she took the stage again between now and then, she’d likely have time to recuperate and ice her ankle before and after.

For now, since Beth wasn’t in the finale and it was the holiday, she wanted nothing more than to be with family. So she scrambled out of her costume and into her purple hoodie, matching purple leggings, and her warm gray fuzzy boots. Then she snuck out the stage door and was immediately greeted by a huge group hug from her mom, dad, and visibly pregnant sister.

“Bethy!” Delaney squealed. “You did it! We’re so proud of you!”

“So proud!” her mom echoed through sniffles and tears.

Her father, the strong silent type who didn’t often wear his heart on his sleeve, simply swiped at the dampness under his eyes and kissed her on the forehead.

Sam swooped in for a hug after everyone else had their fill.

“Nice job out there, kiddo,” he told her, then shivered despite his puffy down jacket. “But I’m ready to get inside again if that’s okay with you.”

Beth laughed. “I am with you there. My Vegas blood isn’t warm enough to compensate for winters like this.” She zipped her own long puffy coat even higher. “Do you guys really have to go?” Beth asked, turning back to her parents.

Her mom stroked Beth’s overly lacquered hair that was held into a tight bun not only from an excessive amount of hair spray but also bobby pins that felt like they’d embedded themselves into her scalp. But Beth didn’t care. She was a Radio City Rockette on Christmas Eve.

“We wish we could stay. But a twenty-four-hour business is a twenty-four-hour business,” her mom replied. “I promise, though, that if we can plan ahead for the next one, we’ll make it a longer trip, and you take us to that place with the cheesecake you love.”

“Junior’s!” Beth exclaimed. The restaurant was a Times Square tourist trap, but Beth didn’t care. Not when they had a banana cheesecake that reminded her of the banana bread pancakes someone made for her once upon a time.

“Junior’s,” her dad replied. “It’s a date, Bethy.”

And then after another group hug, her parents piled into a taxi to head to the airport, leaving as quickly as they’d come.

“You okay?” Delaney asked once they were gone.

Beth had been running on adrenaline for the past two days as she prepared for her numbers. Now that she’d finally done it and done it well… Oh, who was she kidding? Beth kicked some major lifelong-dream ass tonight, and she wasn’t about to downplay it, even in her head. But the adrenaline was beginning to wane, which meant real life was creeping its way back in.

“Actually,” her sister continued before Beth had a chance to respond, “I’m beat. This whole being a mom while also being pregnant is a tougher gig than I thought. Catch you in the morning for brunch?”

“What?” Beth asked, incredulous. “You’re ditching me?”

Sam, the brother-in-law she counted on to be the levelheaded one in the relationship when Delaney got all flighty, shrugged and put his arm over his wife’s shoulders.

“Guess I have to get this one back to the hotel for bedtime. We’ll call you in the morning. You were great, Beth.”

“The best, Bethy!” Delaney added, and then they both pivoted in the other direction and strode off toward their hotel.

“What the hell just happened?” Beth asked, each word forming a small cloud of condensation as she spoke into the frigid air.

A throat cleared behind her, and Beth froze where she stood.

“I think they maybe wanted to give us some time to talk alone.”

Beth’s whole heart caught in her throat, every single emotion sweeping over her like a wave.

Fear… Was this closure? A final goodbye?

Joy… How good would it feel to see him in the flesh again, even if it was just this one last time?

Anger… How dare anyone surprise her when that either meant pepper-spraying both the surpriser and the surprise-ee, or Beth bent at ninety degrees over an outdoor trash can, tossing all her cookies?

Love… Everything Beth felt for Eli was still there. If she turned around and saw him, she might burst into a million pieces.

Heartbreak… Ditto her thoughts on love.