Breaking Away

by Toni Aleo

  “Thanks,” Brian gasped.

  Mallory struggled for breath. “You weren’t holding back on this one, huh?”

  Reese laughed. “Do I ever hold back?”

  They both chuckled as they shook their heads, getting in position to go through the dance again. Reese smiled as she pushed play and watched them do the dance once more, yelling out corrections as they moved along the floor. She was ruthless, but it only made them better. It was how she operated. She couldn’t be soft and expect the kids to push themselves. No, she needed to be a hard ass, show them that they could be the best. Reese only chose the greatest. Even if it pissed parents off and lost business, she stood by her guns. Once a dancer reached the age of seven, either they would be let go or they would move on to training with Reese. It broke her heart most of the time, because the little girls that came into her studio were dolls, but if they couldn’t dance or didn’t have the focus they needed, they were gone. It was that simple.

  Mallory and Brian were well into the seventh go round, when Reese felt someone watching her. Looking to the side, she saw Harper staring at her with a big smile on her face. Reese wasn’t sure what she was doing there, but since she didn’t see her beautiful niece, Ally, with her, she figured Harper was there to see her. Putting a finger up to let her know it would be another minute or so, she turned back to their dance. She found it odd that Harper was there. Usually, she would call before coming out, and that had Reese worried. Hopefully, everything was okay.

  They had the whole thing down before the hour was up, and Reese was beaming with pride. These two were going to be something great someday, and she couldn’t wait to see what it would be. Walking out with them, she wished them goodnight before heading back in. Her studio was a thing of beauty. Bright yellow walls with black, vintage accents, which gave off such a regal appearance. As she walked down the hall that featured pictures of her dancing throughout her life, she smiled. She loved her studio and her dancers, so why wasn’t life here enough? What was she missing?

  After locking up, Reese made her way to the back of the studio to the stairs that led up to her apartment. When she was looking for a building in an ideal location in the heart of Nashville, she knew the next step would be finding an apartment that was close. To her surprise, she found the whole package. It was a building a block away from the convention center, where most of the dance competitions were, and had a huge studio apartment at the top. Her apartment was everything she wanted; it had an amazing view of the Red River and was light and roomy. She didn’t need much, just a bed, bath, and kitchen, and the apartment had it all. She worked hard on it, putting new floors in and painting it a girlie lilac with white furniture. Her kitchen took up most of the north wall and was top of the line, since she loved to cook when she was done for the day. Her king-sized bed took up most of the apartment, but her love of comfort ruled out her need for space. Her bathroom was small, but she didn’t care.

  Opening the door to the apartment, she found her older sister sitting at the kitchen table, her phone in her hand. Her sister had aged a lot over the last couple of years. She was still beautiful, with dark brown hair in a cute pixie cut, big green eyes, and pouty lips, but Reese could see that she was tired. She ran a successful photography studio only minutes from the studio that was doing quite well. Reese knew that the stress lines on her sister’s face weren’t from the studio, or even from the daughter or husband she had at home. No, those lines were from the fact that she couldn’t have another baby.

  Reese never thought Harper would care about that stuff, but when she met the man of her dreams, her ways changed. Reese always enjoyed the fact that she was more like Harper than her twin. She loved her twin, but Piper wanted rainbows and sunshine with a prince that would love her until her dying day. Piper was blessed with that, but it wasn’t what Reese wanted. She had tried that life. After it went to shit, she decided to go back to the life she learned from Harper. Harper used to be the most independent woman Reese had ever known. She slept with who she wanted, dumped them afterwards, and went on to the next guy. She never let her feelings get in the way and never looked for Mr. Perfect. She only wanted Mr. Right Now. Then, she met Jakob Titov, and all that changed. Within months, Harper was married and pregnant. Reese still couldn’t believe it.

  Well, she could, because it had happened to her when she met Kevin Edds. Reese found herself completely entranced with him, hearing wedding bells and the pitter-patter of little feet. Out of nowhere though, it all came to a crashing halt. Reese was left heartbroken. She packed her bags and came home to go back to the life she never wanted. Afterwards, Reese decided that she would never get married or have kids. No, there were too many men and too little time. Plus, her sisters had children of their own, and she had a studio full of kids. She would be the awesome aunt, and then give the little kiddos back, before going to find someone to share her big bed with.

  That was her plan, and she was completely fine with it. She even planned to go out that night but, with one look at her sister, she knew her night of tangled sheets and orgasms weren’t in reach. Instead, a big tub of Ben and Jerry’s Funky Monkey with her sister was, and that was just as good.

  With a caring smile, Reese said, “Hey, what’s up? I wasn’t expecting you.”

  Harper smiled, putting her phone down before looking over at her.

  “Yeah, sorry. I needed to talk to you. I’ve had a tough day.”

  Reese tilted her head to the side before crossing the apartment and falling into the chair beside Harper.

  “What happened?”

  “I had three newborn shoots and, after each one, I cried until the next one came.”

  Reese’s heart broke. After having Ally, Harper had a long string of miscarriages before the doctors finally said she would never carry another child to term. Jakob was extremely supportive, but even he knew that Harper couldn’t take anymore and pushed for the tubal. She finally caved and got her tubes tied a couple of months ago. It was for the best. Each miscarriage took a little piece of Harper with it, and Reese hated seeing her sister so heartbroken.

  Reaching across the table, Reese took Harper’s hand in hers and smiled.

  “It’s tough, I know, but you have Ally and Jakob, and now we have Dimitri,” she said, speaking of Piper’s son. Dimitri was almost three months now, and the cutest little boy in the world. He had Reese’s heart from the beginning, just like Ally did, and Reese never knew she could love two little people so much.

  “I know,” she said, wiping her cheek free of the tears that were escaping, “But I want a baby so bad. Jakob said that it isn’t a big deal, but he doesn’t understand, Reese. I feel like I’m failing him. He wanted a houseful of kids after Ally, and I can’t give him that.”

  “But Harper, he’d rather have you than anything else. He loves you, no matter what. You know that,” Reese stressed.

  She shrugged her shoulders, a sad look on her beautiful face. “I know, but I just want another baby. We’ve been looking into surrogate mothers, but I just can’t do it. I’m so scared they won’t take care of themselves, or what if they decide to keep my baby?”

  Reese shook her head. “Jakob told me they can’t as long as it’s your egg and his sperm. You have nothing to worry about; they sign contracts. They want the money; they aren’t going to jeopardize that.”

  “I just can’t trust it. I want my baby to be safe. I want to grow my baby, and feel it kick. I want to do it, not some stranger,” she cried.

  Reese wrapped her sister in her arms, hugging her tightly. Harper cried long and hard, and Reese never let go. She never would either, not until Harper was ready. When Reese came home from New York, she broke down. Who was there to hold her and wipe her tears away?

  Harper.

  “I wish there was something I could do to make this better,” Reese whispered. She hated how bad this hurt her sister, but she was coming up blank. Maybe she could help select someone. Piper had helped a lot, but she was busy being a mommy no
w. Between that and being crazy in love with her husband, Erik, Piper was running low on time. It was time for Reese to step up and help.

  Harper pulled back, her eyes watery as she held Reese’s gaze.

  “Do you mean that?”

  Reese scoffed as she smiled. “Of course I do. I want to help. Piper has done a lot with helping you decide on someone. It’s time for me to step up.”

  Harper’s face broke into a smile as she said, “So you’ll have the baby for me?”

  Reese was speechless as she blinked dumbly at her sister.

  “Whoa, what?”

  Harper kept grinning.

  “You can have the baby for me. We can pay you good money, Reese. I know you’ll take care of yourself.”

  Reese started to shake her head, even though Harper kept talking.

  “No way, Harper. I have a business. I can’t get pregnant. No.”

  Harper’s smile fell.

  “But you said you wanted to help. What are you going to do to help then?”

  Reese threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know! Look at pictures of chicks and separate the crackheads from the good folks! Shit, Harper, what the hell?”

  Harper shook her head. “You’re my sister, and you are supposed to want to help me.”

  “I understand that, and I understand that it is your dream for more kids, but Harper, this is my livelihood, my dreams. I can’t jeopardize that.”

  “Women dance through their whole pregnancy all the time,” Harper pointed out.

  “I get that, but I’m sorry. I’m not one of those women. I am just starting out, and I can’t chance it.”

  Harper looked defeated as she asked, “So it’s a no?”

  “Yes, a big no. I’m sorry, Harper. Don’t worry, I’ll help you find someone that is worthy to have your baby. It will all work out. I promise.”

  Harper didn’t look convinced, but at least she wasn’t crying when she left. Reese’s mind was still reeling as she moved through her apartment. Was she wrong for saying no? Should she have done it? No. Harper was being a little selfish. Or maybe Reese was being selfish?

  Blah, she needed a drink.

  Pausing in front of the refrigerator, she decided that a drink was a great idea. Except, a man could buy it for her and then, hopefully, he’d want to come home with her.

  Yes, that was a very good idea.

  3 months later…

  “DIMITRI…”

  REESE sat with her hands covering her eyes, a big smile on her face. Dimitri lay in her lap, reaching for her hands.

  Dropping her hands, she yelled out, “I see you!”

  Dimitri’s eyes went wide before he started to laugh hysterically. His laughter was intoxicating. Soon, she was laughing just as hard. He reached up for Reese’s face, and she smiled as he cooed and smiled up at her. He was honestly the most gorgeous baby boy Reese had ever seen, and she had seen some pretty babies lately. It seemed that all her friends were having babies. They were everywhere, but Dimitri blew them all out of the water. He was beautiful, with big blue eyes like his mother’s, dark hair, and a bone structure like his father. He was so happy and so sweet. Reese swore that Ally wasn’t like that at six months. She had cried all the darn time.

  Repeating their little game of ‘where did Reese Pieces go,’ their laughter filled the room. Piper was in the kitchen, cooking, while Erik, her husband, sat in front of his TV, playing on his Xbox. She used to think Erik Titov was the scum off the bottom of the earth, but he had proved her completely wrong. He loved her twin with all his heart, and Reese truly believed that Piper and Erik were made for each other. It hadn’t been an easy road for them, but they worked. Piper complemented him, and he did the same for her. Seeing them together was pretty special. Add Dimitri in there, and they were a perfect family.

  “Dinner is ready,” Piper called from the kitchen. “Erik, babe, dinner,” she yelled extra loud.

  Erik pulled the headphones off, throwing them on the ground before getting up.

  “I’m coming, sweetheart,” he said before coming over and taking Dimitri from Reese.

  Reese smiled as he kissed Dimitri’s fat little cheeks, making him giggle louder as they headed to the kitchen. Standing up, Reese wobbled a little in her fuchsia Jimmy Choo heels, cursing herself for wearing them. She hadn’t worn heels in months, and why she chose tonight to wear them was beyond her. She guessed it was because they went great with the black, skintight dress she was wearing. She should have waited and gotten dressed back at her apartment since she was a little overdressed for a family dinner, but she wanted to hit the bar right after she left Sweetbriar. Since it was a forty-five minute drive back into the city, Reese thought this was the best solution to saving time.

  Making her way to the dining room, Reese sat down in the chair beside Dimitri’s highchair and smiled over at her nephew. Piper laid the last dish down, and Reese smiled up at her as Erik’s arm snaked around Piper’s waist.

  “Looks great.”

  She smiled down at him before leaning down for a sweet kiss. Reese looked away, looking at the spread of potatoes, corn, and thick steaks that Piper had prepared. It made Reese’s mouth water, and she couldn’t wait to dig in. After saying grace, Reese began to eat. She had always been an eater and never skipped a meal. Thankfully, because she danced, her waist stayed somewhat trim.

  “You never did tell me where you’re going tonight,” Piper said, leaning over to give Dimitri a spoonful of something disgusting looking.

  “Out to Wanna B’s,” Reese answered.

  “Are you meeting someone?”

  Reese smiled before shaking her head.

  “No one specific, but I don’t plan on leaving alone,” she said with a wink.

  Piper laughed. “Of course you don’t.”

  “Reese, if you’re looking for a guy, I can hook you up with someone from the team,” Erik said, speaking of the National Hockey Team he played for, the Nashville Assassins. She knew that the team was loaded with mouthwatering men, but she refused to be set up with someone that she was more than likely just going to use for sex.

  “No, thanks bro,” Reese said, shaking her head.

  Erik scoffed. “Why not? Not good enough for you?”

  Reese rolled her eyes. For some reason, everyone thought she was stuck up, but she wasn’t at all. She just had standards that she put in place to make sure she never had to date anyone that mattered. No one that could steal her heart.

  “That’s not it at all. I just don’t want to use your friends for sex and then dump them, but thanks anyway.”

  That had Erik choking on his steak. Piper reached over, patting his back with one hand as she fed Dimitri with the other.

  Her sister, the multi-tasker.

  It really did amaze Reese the way Piper was. She changed what she wanted to be often, and always succeed at whatever she decided to do. Like now, she was a mural artist, and Reese knew that business was great. How she painted gorgeous murals for people while being the best mom ever to Dimitri was mind blowing, but she did it, and did it to the satisfaction of Nashville’s rich and famous.

  “Reese, please don’t kill my husband,” Piper said with a smile on her face.

  Reese returned the smile as she cut up some of her steak. When Erik recovered, he shook his head before draining his milk.

  “Actually, I don’t think Phillip would mind you using him,” Erik said midway through dinner.

  Reese looked up. “Phillip?”

  “Yeah, my best friend, Phillip Anderson.”

  The name sounded familiar, and she was pretty sure she could see his face. He was hottie, with blue eyes, blond hair, and a strong bone structure. He was actually someone that she could be attracted to, but there was no way she was going to chance sleeping with him if he was Erik’s best friend. That would cause awkwardness, and Reese couldn’t handle that.

  “Phillip has enough to worry about. He doesn’t have time to have his heart broken by my man-eating twin,” Piper t
eased.

  Reese faked a hurt look as she said, “Hey, I make sure they are satisfied before I feed!”

  “You two are nuts,” Erik said with a shake of his head before looking over at Dimitri. “Nuts, I tell you. They cray cray, bud.”

  Dimitri rewarded him with a sloppy grin before Piper put a spoon in his mouth.

  “We are not crazy at all. Well, at least I’m not,” Piper said with a smile before scooping some more gunk out of the jar for Dimitri.

  “Whatever you say, sister dear. We shared a home, remember? I’m pretty sure we are just alike,” Reese joked as Piper shook her head.

  “Nope, I’m the normal one.”

  Erik laughed. “If I do remember correctly, you are the one that smashed thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics not eight months ago.”

  Piper pinned him with a look that had Reese trying to hold in her laughter.

  “And if I do remember correctly, a certain someone deserved that because they missed their son’s ultrasound.”

  Erik glared back at her, but not for long. A smile came across his face before he leaned over, kissing her lips.

  “Blah, get a room—innocent eyes in here,” Reese complained as she guarded her eyes.

  Piper laughed. “Dimitri watches us kiss all the time!”

  “I was talking about me!”

  “You, my dear, are far from innocent,” Piper teased with a grin.

  That had them all laughing, while Dimitri looked at them like they were crazy.

  After dinner, Reese leaned against the counter as Piper washed the plates before handing them to Reese to dry. Erik was putting Dimitri to bed, and Reese knew it was about time for her to head out.

  “Erik is leaving tomorrow morning,” Piper said. Reese could tell it bothered her. She wasn’t used to the whole hockey wife thing, but Reese had no doubt she’d catch on.