I Choose You (14 page)

             
When the music ended, Nicole eyes filled. She was so moved that she sniffed, as her nose began to run, causing Roni to turn to where she stood.

             
“Hey,” Roni said, breathless. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

             
“My gosh, Roni, you’re amazing,” Nicole gushed. “How come you never mentioned that you were a dancer?”

             
Roni picked up a towel from the table and wiped her brow as she walked past Nicole to shut the front door.

             
“I haven’t danced in a few years,” Roni admitted. “Hank wanted me to stop, so I did. I realized how much I missed it, and decided to give it another try.”

             
Roni sat on one of their chairs at the table, drawing her knees up against her chest, and looked at Nicole with a smile of pure pleasure.

             
“It was even better than I remembered!”

             
Nicole pulled out a chair and sat down facing Roni.

             
“You’re very talented.”

             
“Thanks,” Roni replied as she took a drink from her water bottle. “I’d always dreamed of become a professional dancer, but then I met Hank in high school.”

             
“What happened?” Nicole asked encouragingly.

             
“I fell in love,” Roni said mockingly. “I was stupid… I don’t know what Kent has told you about our childhood, but it wasn’t ideal. When Hank started talking to me in high school, I was swept away. I couldn’t believe that he actually liked me.”

             
Roni paused and took another drink, as if she needed a moment before she could finish her story.

             
“Kent has always been there for me, but I knew he was leaving right after graduation. He wanted me to go with him, but once I met Hank, I couldn’t imagine leaving him behind. Kent wasn’t happy about it, but he respected my decision, so he went off to school, and I stayed back with Hank. Once I graduated, my parents said I had to get out of the house, so Hank and I got married and moved into a little trailer in Detroit.

Just a JP deal. He made me quit dancing almost immediately. He said it was too much money and it took me away from him and the house, so I quit. I really wish I hadn’t.” Some of the joy left Roni’s face, and she started to peel the label off of her water bottle.

              “What happened?” Nicole asked, curious, but reluctant to pry.

             
“Let’s just say he wasn’t the man that I thought he was. We were together for about three years, then I finally worked up the courage to call Kent and tell him what was going on. He came to get me right away. I thought he was going to kill Hank when he got there, but I didn’t want them to fight, I just wanted to leave.”

             
“Oh my gosh, Roni. I’m so sorry that you had to deal with that. I’m happy that you were able to get out when you did.”

             
Roni looked down, then shook her head as if trying to regain her composure. She looked back up and looked Nicole in the eyes.

             
“I’ll never let a man control me like that again. When we were dating, Hank said all the right things and I was sure he was the love of my life… I won’t make the same mistake again.”

             
Nicole nodded and stood up to walk around the table and give Roni a hug.

             
“You’re amazing,” Nicole said as she held Roni tightly. “Please, never stop dancing again. You have a gift.”

             
“Thanks,” Roni replied, looking up over her shoulder with a sheepish smile.

             
“What are you thinking of doing?” Nicole asked as she sat back down across from Roni. “Are there any dance studios in town?”

             
“No, I looked,” Roni replied. “That’s why I rearranged our living room. I looked online and was hoping there would be a place nearby that I could join, but there isn’t anything in town. The closest studio is in Austin.”

             
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Nicole responded thoughtfully. “Well, feel free to rearrange the living room however you’d like. We’ll have to be on the lookout and see if there is a better place in town for you to get back into it full time, if that’s what you want.”

             
Roni smiled at that and replied, “Well, I’m a little old now to have a professional career, but I definitely want to train again.”

             
“Whatever you decide to do, I’ll help in any way I can.”

             
Roni smiled, then looked unsure before asking, “So, what’s up with you and my brother? Please, no details or anything, because that would be gross, but… Are you happy?”

             
Nicole couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face at the mention of Kent.

             
“Yes, I’m very happy. Your brother is wonderful and I can’t believe he hasn’t been scooped up by someone by now.”

             
“Kent has been very wary of any girl that looked like she wanted something serious, other than you and Bree, of course.”

             
When Nicole’s smile fell a bit at the mention of Kent and Briana’s relationship, Roni bit her lip and apologized. “Shit, I’m sorry, Nic. I shouldn’t have said anything about him and Bree. You know their relationship was never serious.”

             
Nicole tried to smile back at Roni, but didn’t quite pull it off. “That’s okay. I was there; I know he really liked her, even if she didn’t feel the same way. I just have to believe that our relationship is different. He agreed to go home with me for my mother’s birthday party next weekend.”

             
Roni’s feet hit the floor with a thump, and she leaned across the table, an incredulous look on her face.

             
“Seriously??? Kent is going to meet your parents? This is HUGE!”

             
“No, it’s not a big deal. I don’t want to face everyone alone, and he said he would come with me as back-up.” Nicole explained, trying to play off the situation.

             
“It’s
a big deal,” Roni argued. “Kent never meets the parents. Like, ever! Did he really say he would go with you?”

             
Nicole laughed at Roni’s expression of disbelief. “Yes, he did.”

             
“Wow,” Roni leaned back with a baffled smile. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that party.”

Chapter Seventeen

             
Kent took his time getting ready the morning of Nicole’s mother’s birthday party.

             
He laid out his favorite suit and spent extra time grooming. He paired a pale blue tie with the charcoal grey suit and white dress shirt.

             
He hated the nerves that were plaguing him and wished like hell that he’d never agreed to go with Nicole.

             
He grimaced at himself in the mirror as he finished styling his hair, then he recalled how excited Nicole had been when he’d agreed to go, and how grateful she’d been since, and he vowed to be on his best behavior.

             
When he couldn’t delay any further, he headed out to pick Nicole up at her apartment.

             
He knew he’d waited too long when he pulled up and saw her waiting outside.

             
She was breathtaking.

             
Her blonde hair flowed freely in waves around her shoulders, and the form-fitting black dress was deceptively simple. His body tightened at the way her curves were showcased in the material.

             
He hopped out and kissed her on the cheek.

             
“You look amazing.”

             
Nicole flushed with pleasure.

             
“Thank you. My mother gave me this dress for graduation, so I figured it would start us off on the right foot if I wore it.”

             
“She has perfect taste.”

             
“That she does,” Nicole said with a nervous giggle, as she followed him around to the passenger door. She thanked him again when he opened the door for her, and waited for her to be settled inside before closing it.

             
Kent looked up and saw Roni peering out the window. They waved at each other, and Kent knew by the look on Roni’s face, that she understood the turmoil that was building in him.

             
As they headed towards Dallas, Nicole placed her hand softly on Kent’s knee.

             
“Are you okay?”

             
Kent looked briefly at her, then back at the road. “Yeah, I’m fine. How about you? Nervous? Excited?”

             
“I’m a little nervous.” Nicole admitted. “It’s been a while and they weren’t pleased with me last time I saw them, so I’m not quite sure what to expect.”

             
Kent just nodded as he wondered what her parents would think of the newest development in her life.

             
Him.

             
Nicole pulled him from his thoughts when she said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, I saw Roni dance the other day. She’s so amazing.”

             
Kent couldn’t help the smile that formed at her words. He’d been hoping that Roni would start dancing again.

             
“She is, isn’t she? She has loved to dance for as long as I can remember. Becoming a professional dancer was always the only thing she wanted to do, then she met that Asshole, Hank, and she totally lost her focus. I’m so happy to hear that she’s getting back into it.”

             
They rode in silence for a while, as memories of Roni as a little girl flashed through his mind.

             
When he was eight years old, he’d started mowing lawns in the neighborhood to pay for her dance classes. He remembered the look of pure joy on her face when he’d come home with a well-worn tutu that he’d found at the Goodwill. She wore that thing to every lesson.

             
His heart ached when he thought of the way she’d always scanned the crowd before a performance, hoping to see their parents, and smiling bravely at him when she realized that once again, they hadn’t showed.

             
He felt the familiar stirrings of anger and despair, that occurred anytime he thought about his parents, and knew it stemmed from the impending introduction to Nicole’s.

             
He tried to shake it off as the city came in to view, but he couldn’t quite let go of the bitterness in his gut.

             
Nicole gave him directions, and his trepidation grew at the site of the mansion that she led him to.

             
He pulled up to the gate and entered the code Nicole gave him. The gates opened slowly, and the massive house seemed to grow larger as they inched along the circular drive.

             
He parked behind a silver Bentley and exhaled slowly as he pulled the key out of the ignition.

             
He turned slightly and noticed that Nicole was wringing her hands nervously as she looked out the window at her parents’ house.

             
“That’s quite a place,” Kent said teasingly, trying to ease the tension in the car.

             
Nicole turned to him with a small smile, but her eyes were filled with worry.

             
“Are you ready?” He asked.

             
She nodded slowly, so he got out of the car and walked around to let her out.

             
As he rounded the car, the front door opened and a tall grey haired gentleman stepped outside and waited on the top of the stairs, watching Kent but not saying anything.

             
Nicole took his hand and he helped her up. She stood and smoothed her dressed, then stilled when she noticed the man at the door.