Page 72 of One More Kiss

Axel

Six MonthsLater

“I can’t believethis day is really here,” Bella exclaimed as she squeezed my arm tight. Standing on her tiptoes, she leaned over and placed a quick kiss on my lips.

“That’s it?” I teased as she bent down to straighten out the mats on the floor.

“Oh no, there is a lot more where that came from. You just have to wait until tonight,” she sassed with a wink.

“This place looks amazing,” Sabrina said as she walked into the studio with a bouquet of red roses.

“Bella did all the heavy lifting,” I said as I took the flowers from Sabrina. Walking them over to the back of the room, I laid them down on Bella’s bag. There would be time later to put these in water.

Spinning around in place to get a final look at her new studio, Bella took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Looking between me and Sabrina, “Do you think anyone will show up for the grand opening?” Her nerves were getting the best of her and I wished that there was something I could do to help her calm down.

“They will come and sign up for classes under the amazing Bella Armstrong,” I informed her.

“He’s right, you know. There are going to be so many kids here today, you are going to have to turn some of them away.” Sabrina’s confidence was contagious. She knew exactly what Bella needed to hear to calm down.

“It’s almost time,” Callie called out from the doorway with a huge smile on her face. She looked amazing in a light summer dress and strappy sandals. Her long hair was pulled up in a tight bun and her make-up was minimal. She was stunning but not nearly as beautiful as Bella. I was truly a lucky man to have her heart again and I wasn’t going to let anyone mess it up for me this time.

“How much time do I have left before we open the doors?” Bella asked as she nervously pulled at the dress she was wearing.

“About fifteen minutes,” Callie responded.

“Can y’all give me a minute of privacy?” Bella asked quickly.

“Of course,” Sabrina said as she wrapped her best friend up in a hug. “We’ll be at the front door when you are ready.”

“Thank you,” Bella said as her two best friends left the studio. “Can you shut the door behind you?”

“Are you sure?” Sabrina asked as she paused in the doorway and turned to face Bella.

“Yup,” Bella said with a smile. “I need one last dance before this place is officially open.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” I said as I started to follow Sabrina and Callie out of the studio.

“Axel! Wait!” Bella called out after me.

Turning to look at her, she gazed back at me with a smile gracing her beautiful face. “Are you sure?” I asked as I took a step in her direction.

“Have a seat,” she said with a wink as she pointed towards a single chair in the corner of the studio.

“What’s going on?” I asked, not sure what Bella was up to.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Bella said as her head tilted towards the chair. “I have something I want to give you before all the craziness of today ensues.”

“What?” I asked as followed her instructions and made my way to the chair.

Turning her back to me, Bella reached up and unclasped the clip that was holding her hair up. Her long brown locks fell down her back as she shook her head from side to side. A familiar song started to flow from the speakers in the wall and I couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at my lips. Bella started to slowly move her body to the music before spinning around to face me. Her eyes locked on mine as she slowly made her way towards me.

“What is all this?” I asked as I watched her gracefully move along with the music.

“A private dance just for you,” she informed me as her eyes fell closed and she got lost in the music.

“How did I get so lucky?” I moaned as Bella danced around my chair in time to my newest release.

Placing her hands on my shoulders and leaning in, she placed her lips against mine. “I’m the lucky one,” she whispered before pushing away from me and continuing her dance.

---