Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
And then he’d fucked it all up.
Today, he hoped he could fix it.
He would fix it.
Sighing, he slipped through the open door and strolled down the hallway toward the noise. Liam had three practice rooms in total, but the party was in the main studio, the one visible from the parking lot. Mostly women, but a few men mingled, chatting as they snacked from a large, decorated table full of everything from one of those charcuterie things Whitney was always talking about to a fancy cupcake tower.
The place was packed and hot as hell. Tate leaned against the wall in the mouth of the hallway. Kids danced around in pink, frilly ballet outfits and some in street clothes, giggling and having a blast.
And there, in the middle of it all, was Liam.
Tate’s breath caught in his lungs. How had he managed forty-eight whole hours without seeing the beautiful man?
Liam looked radiant in a black, sleeveless, fitted top and navy dance tights. He was completely in his element, beaming as he demonstrated some choreography. He executed a dance move—Tate had no idea what the hell it was called—and all the children tried to copy him. Some were perfect and others were a hot mess. Smiling the entire time, Liam went around to each child, heaping praise and correcting form in a way that built the kids’ confidence, even the ones who sucked. Not only was he a natural on the dance floor, but he also had a gift when it came to teaching. The children hung on his every word, practically floating off the floor when he complimented them.
A lump lodged in his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but it held firm. He did not deserve a man half as good as Liam in his life, but he was too damn selfish to walk away now. Liam would be his, and today started the journey to making that happen.
Who knew how long he stood there, propped against the wall with his arms folded, staring at Liam in his element? Interested dancers came and went, registering for classes on the iPad Liam set up at the front desk. If this crowd was any indication of how business would go, Liam would need to hire additional teachers before long.
Pride filled Tate’s chest. Liam had come here with a lofty goal and made it happen. Now that he understood why Liam chose Swan, his admiration grew exponentially.
Liam approached a tiny little girl in a pink tutu who stood a bit away from the rest of the kids. She had a thumb in her mouth and watery eyes. “Hey,” he said as he crouched down. “I’m Liam. What’s your name?”
“Tammy,” she said, mouth full of thumb.
“Hi, Tammy. You look so pretty in your leotard. Do you know how to twirl?”
The little girl's eyes widened, and she nodded, making her riot of blonde curls bounce all around.
“Can you show me?”
She shook her head, which made Liam chuckle.
“What if we do it at the same time?”
She tilted her little head and stared at him for a moment before finally nodding.
“Yay!” Liam clapped his hands as he stood. “Ready?”
Out popped the thumb. The little girl spun and spun until she stumbled and nearly fell. Liam, who only twirled once, laughed and clapped for her. After steadying her, he crouched again to tell her how wonderful she’d done.
She beamed, and Tate rubbed at his chest.
As if he finally sensed hungry eyes on him, Liam lifted his gaze and met Tate’s stare. His eyes widened with surprise.
They stayed that way, focus locked on each other for long seconds until Liam finally smiled. He waved and pressed a hand to his heart. “Thank you for coming,” he mouthed.
Tate felt like a balloon someone had forgotten to tie off. Immense tension he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding rushed out of him with a nearly audible whoosh.
Liam didn’t hate him. There was still so much work to be done to repair their fragile connection, but it didn’t seem nearly as hopeless as it had earlier in the day.
“Wait upstairs?” Liam mouthed, pointing at the ceiling.
Tate nodded. No one paid him any mind, so he did something he never imagined himself doing in a million years. He kissed the tips of his fingers and inclined them subtly in Liam’s direction.
The dancer’s eyes nearly fell from his head. He blinked quickly as though fighting tears before nodding. The little twirling girl grabbed his hand and tugged, breaking the spell. When Liam turned to face her, Tate took the opportunity to head up the stairs and wait in Liam’s apartment for him to finish up the successful open house.
HE SHOWED UP. Tate showed up.
The open house had put Liam in the best mood he’d been in for days, but the second he spotted Tate, he nearly exploded with glee.