Page 20 of Love You Still
Connor and Lydia planned to grow old together, but because of some unexplained medical anomaly, she was taken from us. He’s dedicated his life to raising their daughter, Jade, and this business. But he needs someone in his corner. Sure, he has me, his parents, and all our friends, but he needs someone for himself. A woman who will love him and his daughter unconditionally, the same way Lydia would have.
“We’ll see,” he answers as I turn and walk out the door.
As I climb into my truck and point it toward downtown, I try to imagine how this meeting with Selina will go. For years, I hoped Selina would come home, and things could go back to how they were before she left, but as the years passed, I knew it wasn’t possible. I’m not the same almost eighteen-year-old boy I was when she left, and I’m sure she isn’t the same either, but that doesn’t mean our love is going to rekindle on its own.
Now I’m faced with the scenario I waited all these years to happen, and I have no clue what to do next. I spent a year imagining how our first meeting again was going to go and what I wanted to say to her. I rehearsed it, ready to demand toknow why our love wasn’t enough and why she left without a word. However, when the time came, I had nothing to say. All the words I rehearsed disappeared, and the brokenhearted boy came back to the surface, reminding me I was just as much at fault for what happened to us as Selina was.
I always knew it wasn’t completely her fault, but for a while, I still wanted to blame her. I want to be angry that she chose to put us through the pain of separation. But as I got older, I realized I could’ve just as easily told her I was moving to New York with her instead of waiting for her to ask. I could have chased after her when she slipped out of Lydia’s funeral without saying a word to anyone. There are so many things that I could have done and didn’t. But now, fate has given me another chance, and I won’t waste it.
My grip tightens on the steering wheel as I get closer to the dance studio, hanging on to the small hope that Selina truly still loves me. I haven’t been with anyone since Selina left. I’ve dated, but it was mostly to help Connor. I refused to let him close his heart off to the chance of finding love again. I wanted someone to love me the same way I loved Selina, but I knew that I’d never be able to give my heart to them. Even after all these years, my feelings for her are still as strong as they have always been. I’d do anything, give up anything, to be with Selina, but I can’t help but wonder if she ever felt the same way about me.
“Now is my chance to find out,” I mutter to myself as I pull into a parking spot in front of the dance studio and take a deep breath, centering myself.
My heart beats loudly in my chest as I climb out of the car and walks to the door. I can’t help but feel as if this moment will change everything. It will either set the course for the long-awaited reunion with Selina or shatter all my chances of getting her back. I don’t know how things are going to play out once I open the door, but I need to try. For both our sakes.
As I pull open the door, a familiar melody filters through. “Some things never change.” I chuckle, noticing the soft piano sounds of “Sweet Child of Mine” filling the room. As I come around the corner, I glimpse Selina’s reflection in the mirror. Her eyes are closed, a soft smile spreading across her face as she moves to the music. Her arms move gracefully through the air as she raises onto her toes, her feet dancing across the floor as she spins.
I freeze in place, mesmerized, as I watch her move across the room. I’ve always enjoyed watching her dance. The way all the tension in her body disappears as she moves to the music, as if she doesn’t have a care in the world, feeling this music as if it was a part of her soul. I continue to watch in silence as she glides across the floor before she leaps into the air. Her legs are outstretched in an almost straight line parallel to the floor, making her look more like a graceful bird than a human being, but the moment her foot hits the floor, everything changes. A grimace of pain crosses her face as she stumbles forward, her ankle immediately buckling under the weight. I rush forward, dropping everything in my hands, my arms outstretched as I grip her arm in my hand and pull her toward me, stopping her body from collapsing onto the floor.
“Are you all right?”
“Fine,” she retorts quickly, her eyes wide with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re supposed to start work on refinishing the floors this morning.” I chuckle, my hand sliding down her arm and resting on her small waist. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when I came in, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Oh.” Her tongue peeks out as she licks her bottom lip.
“I’ve always loved watching you dance,” I whisper into her ear, inhaling her floral scent as she steps out of my embrace.
“I thought Connor was sending some guys to do the job,” she whispers, spinning on her heels and striding to the front of the studio.
“He is. I’m just here to make sure everything goes smoothly.” I follow behind her, my eyes tracking her movements as she stops behind the receptionist-type desk in the front.
“You didn’t need to come all the way down here for that.” Her eyes remain downcast, focused on the few papers she continues to shuffle around to make herself appear busy.
I step behind the desk and place my hand on top of hers, halting her movements. “I know, but I wanted to see you, Seli.”
“Don’t call me that.” Her voice cracks as I grip her chin, forcing her to look at me.
Her eyes are full of so many different emotions that I can’t make sense of what’s happening. She looks anywhere but at me.
“Look at me, Selina,” I command, her eyes snapping to mine. Maybe she isn’t the same person who left me all those years ago, but that doesn’t make me love her any less.
There are two things I know at this very moment. First, any chance of me ever getting over Selina Grymes and moving on with my life is out the window. She is and always will be the woman who holds the key to my heart. Second, there is no chance in hell that Selina doesn’t still love me. I feel in my heart that they’re true. The other half of my soul has finally returned, reuniting with its other half.
I scan her face, trying to commit every detail to memory: the color of her eyes, the way a few strands of her hair fall into her face. But neither of us makes a move. It’s as if we’re in our own world and nothing else exists but the two of us.
“Welcome home,” I grunt, brushing my thumb across her bottom lip as I lean forward, my eyes focused on hers. The need to claim her lips is almost overwhelming as I lean forward, brushing my lips softly against hers.
“Vance,” she mumbles against my mouth before nibbling on my bottom lip and running her tongue along it, begging for entrance. “Please.”
“Hey, boss.” The sound of Easton’s booming voice breaks the spell between us as Selina places both her hands on my chest and shoves me away from her. I stumble slightly, catching myself on the end of the desk before scowling at the two men coming into the tiny waiting area.
“Connor told us we could wait an hour, but I know how much you hate wasting time.” He smiles at me before his eyebrows pull down in confusion. His eyes flick between Selina and me before he shifts his attention toward me. “Are we interrupting something?”
“Yes.”
“No.”