Page 84 of The Keeper and I
Yuri replied with an absentminded “awoo” and stared at the athletes doing their warm-ups.
“Remind me, what did you do for work before?” Laci asked. “I’m sure you told me at some point.”
Larysa nodded with understanding. “I can hardly remember if I’ve eaten most days, keeping up with this guy. But, to answer your question, I was a ballroom dancer.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! Did you compete?”
“Yes, my partner and I were doing very well and winning championships before I met Artem. When he got a contract in England, he asked me to come with him.”
“And you did?”
“I didn’t agree initially. I told him it was too far to go for a boyfriend, so he asked me if it was too far for a husband. I asked if that was a proposal. He said yes…and I did too.”
Laci’s heart softened. “That’s actually so cute. Did he have a ring?”
Larysa shook her head, but the smirk on her face was amused. “No, but he said he’d get me the ring I deserved when he had more money from playing in this league.” She lifted her left hand and wiggled the fat diamond on her finger. “He followed through.”
“I’ll say,” Laci replied. “Can you even go swimming with that thing or will it drown you?”
Larysa laughed. “I’ve never tested it.”
“I don’t blame you.” Laci paused for a beat. “Did you keep dancing after you came to England?”
“Yes, but not like before,” Larysa answered. “I started teaching lessons at a studio in Manchester—Artem played for City before Stanmore—so I was able to keep dancing, and competing, just differently. I did the same when we moved to London, for a bigger studio, and when I started thinking of competing professionally again, we got pregnant.”
“Aw, bad timing, Yuri,” Laci fake scolded. “When will you go back, d’you think?”
Larysa chewed her lip. “I…I don’t know if I will.”
“Really? But don’t you miss it?”
“I do, but sometimes, things happen, and what you always dreamed of becomes less important than the life in front of you.”
Laci turned curious eyes on her. “How d’you mean?”
“As a girl, I never thought anything would be more important to me than dance,” she said. “Winning trophies and ribbons felt like the most rewarding part of my life. But no trophy can make you feel the way you do when you first meet your baby’s eyes. Or the first time they smile at you. There are so many moments that I don’t want to miss for dance. My dreams look different now.”
“I sort of know what you mean.”
Laci looked out at the pitch, and her eyes found Jordan standing in goal with his back turned out. The drill was that he could only turn around when he heard his teammate’s boot strike the ball, then he’d have to block it at the last second. So far, no one had gotten a shot past him, which was made more impressive as he was running on no sleep.
The more she watched him, the more her enthusiasm for the job in the States diminished. It was months away, but she and Jordan would only get closer in that time. If she wasn’t prepared to leave him now, she would be even less ready come summer.
“There’s a job for me in America,” she blurted out, and Larysa looked at her. “And I was really excited about it before. Well, before things with Jordan got real. Now, I’m not so sure.”
Larysa tucked her hair behind her ear. “You pursued modeling because you loved it, yes?”
“Yeah,” Laci said with a nod.
“Same as me with dance. And there’s nothing wrong with pursuing what you love. But—there is also nothing wrong with pursuingwhoyou love.”
Laci looked down at Jordan again. The wordlovehovered in the air. Was that what she felt for him? Her heart leaped inside her chest every time she saw him. Lying beside him at night, knowing he was there for her was the only thing getting her through this ordeal with Dane. Plus, she admired him. His thoughtfulness, his dedication, his sense of humor, and his tenderness. She shook her head and cleared her throat.
“It’s certainly something to think about,” she said.
“Do,” Larysa replied. “It may turn out better than you thought.”
Before Laci could say anymore, Yuri started to fuss.