Page 104 of In Step

I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the pictures Judah had sent of Kane and me dancing on the recital night. The first time I’d seen them, I could scarcely breathe. Two months later, I hardly recognised the Abe I saw in those photos as the same one staring back at me from the mirror each morning. In the photo, Kane and I were looking into each other’s eyes, laughing at something, and I looked so fucking happy, so in love.

Judah’s words spun in my head.There are always options. You just have to want them enough to fight for them.

I fell onto the couch, opened my laptop, and began to write.

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Two weeks later

Kane

I parkedthe Accord alongside the carport and winced at the engine rattle that had been slowly getting worse over the holiday season. Still, I was lucky the thing was running at all considering the condition it was in, and I addedreplacement carto my burgeoning to-do list. If I got into the vet tech course, reliable transport was a must.

Maybe if the farm sold quick enough, I’d be able to treat myself to a newer model. There’d certainly been enough buyers sniffing around, the organic tag drawing lots of interest. I hadn’t been back there since the whole cat saga, but my lawyer had a farm adviser keeping a close eye, ensuring Dad didn’t follow through on any of his sabotage threats. The sooner it sold, the better as far as I was concerned, not least of all so I could get the money to Jacklyn and Bobby.

We’d spoken several times over Christmas and New Year, and I was still pinching myself. I felt like I had a family again. My life had done a one-eighty from the year before. In our first conversation, Jacklyn had been wary and sceptical, to say the least, but things between us had thawed a lot since then, and she was even getting excited at the idea of being able to afford a home of their own and moving Bobby to a better school.

I dragged my weary body up the bedsit stairs and briefly wondered if Leroy would mind me borrowing their bath for a soak. It had been the weekly farm-visit day for the veterinary clinic, which meant lots of hauling around large animals and the sticking of forearms up plenty of bovine butts, under close instruction. It was part of myeducation,as Gavin laughingly called it. I preferred the domestic pet angle, but Gavin’s was a mixed practice, and if nothing else, it was great for my training.

At the top of the stairs, I found Bossy and Possum stretched out in the sun. “Come on, you two.” I opened the door and shoved a doorstop in place to let the breeze through. The cats ran straight to their food bowls while I threw open the windows and stripped out of my smelly scrubs. I laid my stethoscope carefully on the countertop, staring at it for a moment like I always did, remembering, wishing. It wasn’t like I even knew how to use the thing properly, but I never left it behind.

I weighed up the merit of a bath once again but decided I didn’t have the energy to walk down the stairs and opted for a quick shower instead. Then I dressed for the heat in board shorts and nothing else, and with the cat’s fed, arms well-scrubbed... again, and a mug of tea in hand, I stepped out onto the fire escape landing and sank into the shaded chair with a lingering groan and a mental promise that I wasn’t going to think abouthimor the fact we hadn’t Skyped since New Year’s Day the week before. Abe was cramming extra rehearsals with the principal dancers before his contract ended, and our communication had amounted to little more than a few rubbishy texts each day.

Stop thinking about him. Just enjoy the view and the peace and quiet.

It had been a scorcher of a day and a pink shimmer still lay above the flat skin of the bay. Children’s laughter carried up the hill and I leaned forward to peer over the railing. A young family with three children waded in the calm water not far from where Abe and I had made love in the sand not that long ago. I smiled to myself. If only they knew.

The familiar low thrum of an engine caught my attention and I looked up to find the Cee Dee rounding the point and heading for the wharf. I grabbed my phone and fired off a welcome home text. A few seconds later, Fox walked to the bow and waved up at me, and my phone beeped with an invitation to dinner. I was sorely tempted but asked him for a rain check, saying I was in for an early night. He returned a thumbs-up and I sat back to watch them berth and unload the boat, which had been such a big part of my life.

I finished my tea while watching them unload and then put the empty cup on the deck and slid down in my seat to enjoy the cool turn to the breeze and the soft sounds of a summer evening. That was until Bossy’s yowl broke the peace and I blew an irritated sigh. Mother and son didn’t always get along.

“Possum, leave the poor boy alone.”

“I think that was me.”

I jolted and spun around, taking a second to register what I was seeing.WhoI was seeing.

“Abe?” I blinked and shook my head, scrambling to my feet. “Abe! What the... where did you...?”

My words disappeared, leaving me staring like a complete idiot as I drank in the sweet sight of him. Dressed in loose travel pants and a plain black Henley, hair mussed and eyes creased with exhaustion, his scruff needing a trim, he was so fucking sexy, I could scarcely breathe. And he was here, standing in my bedsit in Painted Bay.

“Abe? What the hell? Is it your mum?” I couldn’t risk hoping for more than that.

He stared at my shirtless chest, heat flashing in those grey and blue eyes. “Is your door still open?”

I frowned, confused for a second before my heart caught in my throat as his words sank in—our only promise to each other. To leave the door open.

“I... yes, it is.” I swallowed hard, my words breaking with emotion and way too much hope. “For the right person.” God, he looked so good. “But I wasn’t sure he was coming back. Maybe you know him?”

Abe stepped through the opening and onto the deck, then paused, hesitant, his gaze nervous on mine.

I stood to meet him, but my feet refused to move, my legs jelly, my heart thundering in my chest while warning bells rang in my head. This needed to be more than a visit. I’d learned one very important thing in the last two weeks. When it came to Abe, I was done with floating around the edges. It had to be all or nothing or my heart wouldn’t survive.

The frown deepened on Abe’s brow, his gaze intent. “I do know him. I know he took a while to get his shit together and see what was right in front of him. I know he didn’t think we’d known each other long enough. I know he thought that dance was the most important thing he couldn’t live without. I know he thought he’d suffocate in a small town and that he didn’t need his family close. And I know he was wrong.”

Holy shit.My breath caught in my throat. This was really happening.

Abe took half another step forward. “Youare the most important thing I can’t live without, Kane. You.” His voice broke. “When I told you about that second offer from Berlin and felt you slipping away, I knew I couldn’t let that happen. It was so fucking clear, and I’m so sorry it took me that long to see it.”

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