Page 19

Edwin

I was in awe of Oliver Creek before. It was everything a person could want from a small-town atmosphere. The clean streets. The pristine lampposts. The warm residents. The variety of shops and food.

But as Micah and I set up his display and table for the spring festival, this perfect place blew me away. There was no shortage of pastel colors everywhere. The town square had streamers and every animal represented. Bunting hung between light posts flapped in the light breeze. The sun shone onto each and every person.

What a perfect spring day.

“Where do you want these?” I asked, holding up two baskets. One was for a child and the other for an adult. Micah was holding a giveaway for them. All they had to do was write their names on a piece of paper and put it into the large plastic egg he’d bought. The baskets were bursting with all of his chocolates, of course but also some hand-painted ceramic eggs and Easter bread. The adult one had some jams from the peanut-butter-and-jelly shop, and the kid one had a few toys in it. Micah painted the eggs himself and they were extra special. He even did some extras for our table at home.

“Over there in the corner,” he said. I could tell how tired he was. The first trimester was worse in a lot of ways, including the constant lack of energy and nausea. My omega had a good bit of both.

“Why don’t you sit down for a moment, omega? You’ve been working so hard.”

“I have to get the rest set up and then I’ll sit. I promise. Tonight, I’m going to sleep like the dead, I can guarantee you that.” He came over and laced his fingers through mine. “Are you nervous?”

I let out a giggle, telling him the answer. “You have no idea, but nerves are normal. Hopefully I’ll be able to channel it right into the dance.”

“You’re going to be great. James came in yesterday with his report card and showed me another one of your videos.”

Micah had set up a system where kids could bring in their report cards for chocolate. One chocolate for an A. One chocolate for two Bs and so on. The candy was shaped as apples and books and was just about the cutest thing in the world. He came up with the most amazing ideas. The other food trucks and shops in town got involved as well, and now the parents said their kids were studying harder, trying to get all the report card treats from around the town. Like a good-grade scavenger hunt.

As Micah finished up his display and covered everything up, the mayor delivered his announcements. My dance was right after that. Shoot. I’d managed my time unwisely, trying to help my mate.

“I’ve got to go get dressed and get up there.”

Micah chuckled. “It’s okay. The mayor is long-winded.”

I zoned out through the rest of the speech, and soon, the music began to play. I took the stage. My insides shook even though I’d practiced and knew the steps by heart.

When I looked out on the crowd and saw Micah, everything clicked into place.

And I danced. Danced my heart out. Not because I was being paid to or to impress my partner to no end. No, today, I danced for myself and for my mate and for the babe inside him. I danced for the joy of dancing, maybe for the first time.

Once the song ended, I remained in the last pose and then bowed. The crowd clapped and cheered, but all I could see was Micah, tears streaming down his face.

Smiling. I didn’t pack the theater or bring in company donors. There were no sold-out tickets or career riding on my performance.

There was only Micah and his heart-melting smile.

Once the dance was over, I changed and helped Micah with his chocolate stand. I all but forced him to sit down while I took the money and processed the sales digitally. By the time the festival was over, we’d given away the baskets and sold out of nearly everything.

What a day.

“I can pack this all up myself. Please, keep resting,” I said as Micah got up and began shuffling things into boxes.

“I can help. I’m okay. I promise.” I saw him look over my shoulder. “Can we help you? We don’t have a lot left.”

“I’m here to speak to Edwin.”

I whirled around to see an older man with a cane. I hadn’t seen him around town before. “I’m Edwin.”

“Yes, I know. I saw your performance. It was beautiful. Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m Connor. I am the owner of the dance studio. I heard you made an offer.”

“I did. Thanks for coming to talk to me.”

He nodded and gave both of us a soft smile. “I wanted to do more than talk, actually. I came over here with something on my heart. I’m not doing anything with the studio, and you’re the first person who has shown interest who doesn’t want to bulldoze it to the ground.”

“I would never do that. I want to teach dance. All kinds of dance. There are kids in town who need and want a creative outlet like that.”

Connor sighed. “I believe you. Here’s the thing. I don’t need the money from the sale, and I want it to be used for its intended purpose, like you said. After seeing you dance up there with such passion…I want to gift you the studio.”

I gripped the edge of one of the tables to stop myself from stumbling. “Gift it to me?”

“Yes. Teach the ones hungry to learn. This way, you can do that without having bills over your head. You can keep the costs low enough for everyone in town to be able to come. It will do my soul good to see it up and running again.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, not believing how abundantly Fate had blessed me. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Never been so sure of anything in my life. Come to see me this week and we’ll get everything signed over. Congratulations, Edwin. You’re the owner of a dance studio.” Connor walked away whistling.

I turned to Micah. “Did you hear that?”

“I did. I can’t believe it. Did that just happen?”