by A. K. Evans
I moved across the stage, using a mix of technical dance and my own style to express what I was feeling. What I thought Stone had felt for much of his life.
The music eventually came to an end and so did my performance.
Noise.
All I heard was noise.
Screaming and cheering filled the auditorium. I let out a breath and relaxed only a bit. I brought my eyes to where all of my favorite people were sitting to see they were no longer sitting. Every single person was standing and cheering for me. The girls had taken it to the extreme. Looking at them, though, I realized Stone was no longer there.
My heart sank.
Not again.
He walked out again.
And this time was worse than that time at Lou’s when he walked out.
I thought telling his story was a good thing.
Clearly, I was wrong.
I felt my nose beginning to sting.
I dropped my head, feeling defeated.
Just as I was about to turn and run off the stage, I saw boots standing in front of me. My eyes traveled from the boots up the legs, abdomen, and chest to the eyes staring back at me.
Stone’s eyes.
Eyes that were filled with unshed tears.
I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat.
Stone took my hands in his and squeezed them.
“Baby…” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Stone…I,” I got out before he cut me off.
He dropped his mouth to mine and lifted me. I instantly wrapped my legs around his waist and heard the cheering grow louder. Somehow, though, the audience didn’t matter. I kissed Stone back with every emotion in me.
When he pulled back from me he said, “Loved it, Monroe. Thank you, my angel. Thank you for giving me that.”
“You’re welcome.”
He stood there holding me, staring at me, searching my face. After a while I pointed out, “Stone, we have an audience. Maybe we should get off the stage.”
“Don’t give a fuck about the audience. I’m memorizing this moment. Keep these legs wrapped tightly around me and let me have the beauty you gave me for just another minute.”
“Okay, handsome,” I whispered.
People continued to cheer for me as Stone finally walked me off the stage a minute later.
When we made it backstage, Stone set me down and I was immediately approached by tons of dancers who had seen my performance. They all loved it and wanted to see more. Stone told them about my studio and many of them expressed interest. Some said they’d be stopping in during the upcoming week.
Stone and I made it through the crowd backstage and went in search of our people. As we reentered the auditorium and approached them, my girls ran over to us.
“Honey, you were amazing! Wow, that was so beautiful,” Charley exclaimed, pulling me in for a hug.
“You know I try to be the tough one, but that moved me to tears, babe,” Nikki added, as she shimmied herself between me and Charley. “You totally rocked it.”
Emme put her hand on my forearm next and brought my attention to her. Tears had filled her eyes. “Mama, I’m blown away by you,” she said, before she turned her attention to Stone. Then, she said to him, “I’m so sorry to hear about your parents, Stone. I know one thing is true, though. A couple weeks back I told you that Zane brought down my walls and loved me harder than I could have ever imagined possible. He healed me and I can see it already happening for you. Monroe is going to take away your pain and letting her do it will be the best thing you ever did for yourself. I’m so happy you opened yourself up to her love.”
Stone gave Emme a hug and responded, “Thanks, Em. I should have listened to you back then.”
She shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’s okay. You figured it out and that’s all that matters.”
I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned to see Luke standing there. “You killed it, babe. I know zilch about dance, but that was awesome.” Luke leaned down toward me, wrapped an arm around me, and pulled me close to him. With his mouth at my ear he whispered, “Couldn’t be any fucking happier about what you just did for him. He needed that.”
“Thanks, Luke,” I rasped, my throat tight.
Wes came over and put his hand on top of my head. “That was unbelievable, Monroe. I’d imagine you’re going to be getting a lot of new clients after what you just did.”
“A group of dancers already attacked her backstage and said they’d be stopping in this week,” Stone shared.
“I’m not surprised,” Wes said, giving me a wink.
Zane gave me a quick hug and pointed out, “Congratulations, darlin’. Stone’s a lucky man that has thankfully gotten his head out of his ass. What you did just now was nothing short of amazing.”
“Thank you.”
My dad’s voice bellowed over everyone.
“My baby girl deserves a celebration. I’d like to take you all out for lunch before we have to head back to California tonight. Can one of you tell us a great place to go and then join us?”
I looked to my girls and we all shouted in unison, “Lou’s!”
“Sounds great to me. Stone, we can follow you and Monroe if that’s alright?”
“No problem,” he answered.
Emme, Zane, Nikki, Luke, Charley, and Wes started walking toward the door. My family surrounded Stone and me.
“Darling, you were incredible,” my mom said. “Not that I had any doubts.”
“Thanks, Mama.”
Vaughn came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek next and said, “So proud of you, kid. For what you did last night and what you did today.”
“Thank you, Vaughn.”
Remi took a step forward and looked to Stone.
“She’s wanted the fairy-tale since she was a little girl. I think you can give that to her, but more importantly, I think you want to give it to her. Please, whatever you do, always treat her like the princess she is.”
Stone nodded and offered, “You have my word. Thank you for your blessing. It means a lot to me.”
Remi nodded and said, “I’m sorry about your parents. I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”
“Thanks. I’ve had good people around me, so I managed to get through it alright.”
Remi’s eyes came to me and he said, “Spectacular as always, Monroe. Happy to have been here to see that today. Love you.”
I gave him a hug and murmured, “Thanks, Remi. I love you, too.”
I pulled out of Remi’s arms and looked to Deacon.
Guilt was all I saw on his handsome face.
“I’m so sorry, Monroe,” he rasped. “I want to protect you from everything and always keep you safe. I feel like dad does. You’re always going to be my baby sister and it’s hard to see you as a grown woman now. As long as there weren’t any guys around, we all felt like you’d still call us when you needed something. Now there’s a guy around you and he’ll be the one you call. My tactics in trying to get him to move on didn’t work because he doesn’t scare so easily. That’s what you need, though. Someone who will stand up for you, protect you, and always do right by you. I acted like an ass yesterday. You deserved better from me, kid.”
Then, Deacon’s eyes drifted to Stone. “You both did. All I can say is, I’m glad my sister found you because I believe now that you’ll always put her first. That’s all I want for her. I’m sorry, Stone. I’m sorry for how I treated you and I’m sorry about your parents. Like Remi said…I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through. I want you to know that you don’t just have Monroe. You take care of her and I promise you that if you ever need us, we’ve got your back, bro.”
“Deac…” I trailed off, tears streaming down my face.
Stone immediately pulled me into his side and held his other hand out to Deacon. They shook hands and all was forgotten.
It was then Stone announced, “Don’t want to rush anyone, but she hasn’t eaten since I made her breakfast
at the crack of dawn this morning. Would like to head over to Lou’s now so I can make sure she gets some food in her stomach.”
“I’m fine, Stone.”
His eyes softened and filled with love when he claimed, “Love you, baby, but when it comes to taking care of yourself, you’re shit at it. You need to eat now.”
I rolled my eyes.
Vaughn said, “I told you he was good for her.”
The rest of my family laughed and we walked out of the auditorium together.
Not much later, the seven of us joined my girls and their men at Lou’s, where Stone made certain that I ate. He also made certain that I had an incredible afternoon with him, my family, my girls, and their men before my parents and brothers had to leave. I loved him even more for it.
After a late lunch that last several hours because we were all having such a great time, my family had to get going so they wouldn’t miss their flight back to California. I gave them all hugs and wished them a safe trip back. Of course, I cried a lot. They all promised to come and visit me again as soon as they could. Stone said that since the season was over we’d make a trip or two out over the summer to visit with them in California.
Just before they walked out of Lou’s, Vaughn walked up to Stone.
“This is my third time going home after coming to visit her. I never felt good about leaving her here the first two times. She’s my sister, but she’s also my best friend. I’ll always worry about her; I know that’s not ever going to change. You should know, though, that I feel good leaving this time because I’m confident she’s in good hands with you. Protect her and love her, and I promise you she’ll be the greatest thing that ever happened in your life.”
Vaughn and Stone did the manly, slap-on-the-back hug that guys always did and I cried again. Vaughn hugged me once more and said, “So happy for you, Monroe. Love you, kid.”
“I love you, Vaughn. Thank you for everything.”
With that, my family left and Stone held on to me.
I thanked our friends for coming out to support me earlier in the day and then Stone took me back to his place. We spent the rest of the night with each other. Much later, well after dinner, I made good on my promise from that morning and made sure Stone ate dessert.
Chapter 27
Monroe
Life had returned to normal. Or, the normal that I had grown accustomed to in the last few months.
My family returned to California, but they continued to call and check in with me weekly.
The studio was busier than ever. Following the exhibition routines my dancers, Jenna, and I did a few weeks ago, business had increased tremendously. I was actively searching for another instructor because Jenna and I wouldn’t last long teaching at the levels that we were. Lexi was constantly on the phone fielding calls from new students or their parents. When she wasn’t doing that, she was putting the word out about our need to hire an instructor.
Stone and I were very much in love and living in the moment. We saw each other nearly every day. Since snowboarding season had ended for him, he insisted on making dinner for me all the time.
It was now June first and three days before Stone’s birthday. I managed to come up with what I thought was going to be a great birthday gift for Stone. After talking to Charley and Emme, I learned that Wes and Zane both immensely enjoyed the photos they received from the girls’ boudoir photo sessions. Stone, I thought, would be just as appreciative.
Today was the day. I told Stone that I wasn’t going to be able to see him today because after a full day at the studio I had plans with the girls. He was bummed, but ended up planning a night out with the guys. When I learned that he and the guys were going to be hanging at Zane and Emme’s house, I asked him if he’d mind if the girls and I stayed in at his place. He had no problem with that. In fact, he preferred it because he knew that once he got back home I’d be there.
I just finished my day at the studio, sent text messages to the girls letting them know I was heading to Stone’s, locked up the studio, and made my way over to see my man. I was hopeful I’d get a few minutes alone with him before the girls arrived and he needed to leave.
I got lucky.
I arrived at Stone’s and had several minutes of hugging, kissing, and touching with him before Wes arrived with Charley and Emme. He was dropping them off and then Stone was riding with him to Zane and Emme’s place. Just as Stone and Wes were leaving, Nikki arrived.
The girls wasted no time with me. Nikki immediately ushered me off to the bathroom where she started on my hair and makeup. Emme got her camera equipment ready and Charley cranked up some tunes for me. She knew the way to my heart. Of course, then she went a step further and brought everyone a glass of wine thinking it’d help me get loose for the shoot. The fact is, I was a determined girl and I had no issues with doing whatever I needed to do just to be certain that Stone would love this part of his birthday gift.
Yes, I had other parts to his gift.
I hated, more than anything, that Stone felt like he didn’t have anyone but me to take his back. I knew that this wasn’t the case. Wes, Zane, and Luke would have been there for him in a heartbeat if he ever needed them. To that end, I knew my girls would also always be there to help him in any way that they could. On those thoughts, I decided to have a birthday party for him. I assumed after his parents died that birthdays were no longer a big deal. I managed to chat with Nikki about it one day while she was at the salon and she ended up doing some research by talking to Luke about it. He confirmed what I already knew. Stone never celebrated special occasions because he felt like he had nobody there with whom to celebrate. It broke my heart to hear this so I knew that all of that was changing now.
He was getting a birthday party.
A goofy, cheesy birthday party.
The kind you have when you’re a little kid.
One with cake and ice cream.
One with balloons and streamers.
One with lots of presents.
One with family and friends.
Those friends, the ones who had become his family, were going to help me pull it off.
One other part to his gift was going to be the redecorating I was going to do for him. It wasn’t going to be anything too crazy, but I managed to have Emme send me all of the photos she had ever taken of Stone while he was snowboarding. I also had her send me the ones she snapped of Stone and me at the event he won at Parks Ridge. I ended up getting several of the shots blown up and framed. My plan was to hang them for him all over his house while he slept so that he’d wake up to the surprise.
For now, though, the focus was on preparing the gift he was going to receive from me the moment he woke up on his birthday. Nikki gave me great hair. It was super sexy and matched the ultra-sexy makeup that she gave me.
“Pretty soon you’ll be the one sitting here while we fuss over getting you prepared to have your picture taken,” I informed her.
“Not happening, babe.”
“Why not, Nikki?” Emme asked. “Luke is so totally into you. You really don’t think you’d ever settle down with him.”
“Things are good between us just the way they are. We get along great and, behind closed doors, we can fulfill each other’s physical needs. There’s no need to complicate that. Look at us now. We can be in the presence of our friends together and there’s never any tension or drama. We don’t have to worry about anyone’s heart getting broken.”
“Honey, I have a feeling that one day your heart is going to get broken if you keep this up,” Charley admitted.
“I’m the one who wants it like this; I’m not going to end up heartbroken. A broken heart is precisely the reason I’m not even considering the possibility of a romantic relationship.”
Charley, Emme, and I all gave each other worried looks. We knew she was setting herself up for disaster and heartbreak. It was only a matter of time.
“I see the looks you’re giving each other,” she announced. “Stop. I’m f
ine. Today is about our little mama getting sexy for her man. Hair and makeup are finished. Let’s get you dressed or, more accurately, undressed for your photos.”
I got undressed and put on some sexy lingerie. I made several changes to my attire throughout the process and even suggested a little creativity. I wanted Stone to have good thoughts or, more precisely, naughty thoughts of me no matter what room he was in in the house. So, we started in the bedroom and Emme took tons of shots of me in his bed. I moved from the bed to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom with the amazing mountain view. Emme got a bunch of silhouette shots there. Then, we left the bedroom and I took shots in the kitchen, the family room, the dining room, and every other extra room in the house. We ended in the bathroom. We decided on that last because I planned on using the water and didn’t want to ruin my hair and makeup before I knew we were done with all the other shots. Emme showed us a few of the pictures she got and I knew that this was going to be it. Sexy and seductive images would now be present in Stone’s mind regardless of where he was in his house. I couldn’t wait for him to see them.
With the boudoir photo session out of the way, the girls and I spent the rest of the night having one of our girls’ nights like we used to have back when we were in California. We ordered pizza for dinner. Then, we spent the rest of the night drinking wine, eating chocolate, and talking about hot guys. Of course, this time was so much better for me because I was able to participate on a level that I never used to be able. To top it off, the hot guys in this conversation were far better than the hot guys in any of our previous conversations.
It was getting late and I was feeling good. All four of us were. We drank a lot of wine. Copious amounts of wine.
I decided to get frisky.
I grabbed my phone and called Stone. It rang twice before he answered.
“Hey, angel. Everything okay?”
“Helllooooo, handsome.”
“Oh, that’s the perfect name for him,” Charley said. “He’s so handsome.”
“I think I should change your name,” I told him. Then, I looked to the girls and said, “I should change his name, don’t you think?”
