Page 40 of Dare to Dance
My chest tightened. “I’m sorry. I know the feeling.” Tears burned behind my eyelids, not only for Norma’s pain, but for mine.
“What do you mean?”
I grabbed hold of her hands. “I was pregnant with twins. Raven had a sister. But she didn’t make it. Riley was stillborn from a genetic defect, according to the doctors.”
She reached out and hugged me, practically tackling me to the ground. “If I hadn’t run away from home, if only I’d been brave enough to tell my parents, then the baby would still be alive.” She sobbed in my ear, drowning out the sounds of a passing car.
I focused on the closed sign in the window of the pawnshop and rubbed her back, much like my mom had done after the doctor took Riley away. “I’m here for you.” The pain of losing a baby, whether from a miscarriage or stillbirth, hurt. But when compounded with thewhat-ifs,it made healing an uphill battle. Sometimes, I thought God had punished me for not trying harder to find Kross and tell him I was pregnant. “I go through all the scenarios of what would’ve happened if Kross would’ve returned my calls, or if he would’ve been with me when Raven was born. I’m not sure my life would’ve turned out differently.”
Her sobs became sniffles. I eased back and wiped away a tear from her face.
“I love that you’re worried about Raven. I am too. But she’s with a good family.” I’d met them briefly on my last supervised visit two weeks before. The couple had smiled and waved at me. Sure, outward appearances could be deceiving, but Raven had seemed happy, talking about the dolls her foster mom had bought her, and the books they’d read to her before bed. Tears stung. I wanted to be the one reading to my daughter.Damn it.I squeezed my eyes shut, collecting my emotions. I couldn’t go into the gym with red eyes and a splotchy face. Kross would probably think Tommy had done something to hurt me, then Tommy and Kross would scuffle. Then Tommy would fire me for sure. “You’re right. I shouldn’t fight. But Tommy thinks I’m good. Maybe Kross can help me get better. Maybe I can make fighting a career.”
She scrunched her red nose. “Do you like getting hit?”
“I like the adrenaline rush.” I would rather dance, but that door had closed a long time ago. Ballet dancers usually peaked somewhere in their mid-twenties, and those were the ones who had been practicing consistently since they were kids. If I couldn’t be a dancer, I would love to maybe teach ballet someday.
“Ruby, I regret what I did. I don’t want you—”
“Nothing is going to happen to me. Except some cuts and bruises.”
“If something did, then Raven would be without a mom, and Kross wouldn’t know his daughter.”
I cocked my head and grinned. “I’m sure you’ll be the first one to tell him.” I had no doubt that Norma wouldn’t hesitate to introduce Kross to Raven.
She gave me a tentative smile and a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry for getting all emotional. I’ve kept that secret to myself all these years.”
“I’m glad you told me. But maybe it’s time your parents knew.”
She shook her head vigorously. “No effing way. I don’t want to see the pity on their faces or take the chance they don’t want to see me. They probably hate me.”
I lifted my eyebrows. If that was how she felt, then I wanted to tell her not to be so insistent on telling me to inform Kross about Raven. Instead, I said, “I bet they would love to see you. Maybe it’s time to put the past to rest.”
She wiped her hand underneath her nose. “Tell you what. You come clean with Kross, then I’ll reach out to my parents.”
I looked at her for a long moment. “I’m late. I should get inside.” I dashed across the quiet street.
“You’re avoiding me,” she said, following closely on my heels.
I opened the door to the gym and smacked right into a Kross look-a-like. He wasn’t Kross because he didn’t have the large muscular arms. Sure, he was buff with a gray Harvard T-shirt stretched across his toned chest, but he didn’t have a snake inked on his forearm like his brother.
His blue gaze sized me up as he moved out of the way to let me enter. “Ruby, right?”
Okay, so he wasn’t Kody either since Kody and I had met at Firefly, and he would’ve remembered me.
The man in front of me sported a cocky grin as he eyed Norma, who glided in and stood beside me. “I’m Kelton. Do you remember me?”
I wanted to laugh hysterically. Their unabashed attitudes and their arrogance at the academy were hard to forget. Girls had followed them around school, trying to get their attention. They had made a name for themselves, not only because of their good looks, but they’d been in the principal’s office on a daily basis for acting out in class, telling a teacher off, or getting into fights.
“Norma, this is Kelton Maxwell. The other triplet.” I punctuated the last three words in a snooty tone. Kelton and I didn’t get along back then. He’d sat behind me in two of my classes and tried to play with my hair every chance he had. But when he’d outright sniffed my hair, I’d whirled around in my seat and slapped him. He’d laughed. I’d gotten detention.
“You still hate me. It’s been four years, Ruby.” His grin screamed arrogance. “I see you still have long hair.”
I clenched my fists.
“Hi,” Norma said.
Kelton laughed. I walked away.
