37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

ISABEL

One, two, three, four. Five, six, seven, eight. One, two…

I counted off the rhythm in my head, like second nature, it could just flow in the background as I went over the moves to my dance. My fingers tapped with the beat against my thumb at my side as I worked on breathing, doing my best to stave off the swarm of butterflies in my middle.

This was it. Today was the day. The next step for my future all depended on the next twenty minutes.

Oh, God. A swoop of nausea swept over me, pulling at my features, and a few seconds later, I felt hands rest on my shoulders, prompting me to open my eyes.

“You. Are. Going. To. Nail. This.” Leo’s look was so sure that I was almost ready to believe him. “Uh-uh, I see that doubt still lurking in that head of yours. Now, stop it. This is just another day in a studio where the second that music plays, that rush we get will hit, and that phenomenal talent of yours is going to take over and steal the fucking show. Come here. ”

Turning me, he steered me by my shoulders from behind and walked me over to a floor-length mirror propped against a wall. “Look at this girl in here. She has been through so much, but she never stopped fighting, and instead of letting her trauma swallow her whole, she used it to fuel her passion. She is a warrior. One that I’m damn proud to know. One that is going to kick ass today when she gets out of her head.”

I stared in the mirror like he asked, at myself , trying to see what he saw, and the longer I looked, the more I saw it. From the broken bones and the scars—the emotional and the physical ones—to every bit of heartache and bruising it had endured, my body had survived so much. I had survived so much.

Dance had been my safe space. My escape when everything was unraveling that had helped me hold the pieces together. Music and dance had saved me. It was a part of me.

I could do this.

Leo beamed when he saw my expression shift, confidence taking over me again. “There’s my awesome dance partner.” He squeezed my shoulders and left me to my thoughts, but I was glad he couldn’t hear the wince I held back.

I looked at my upper arms in the mirror where I knew my latest bruises still were. They were a dark, yellowish purple color now even weeks after what Zane had done, but I had them well covered with makeup today, hiding them from myself and for my audition. But as much as they bothered me, they would heal, too. Just like the rest of me.

And he can’t hurt me anymore .

A certain sense of victory filled me in that. The restraining order had gone into place a few days ago.

And I was free .

“Isabel Donovan!”

I smiled as my name was called for my turn. This was my fresh start, my chance to shape the future I wanted, and Zane no longer had a place in it.

Leo took my hand when I walked over to the edge of the curtain, and he gave it a squeeze. “You’ve got this, Donovan.”

I walked out, my head held high as I took my place on the stage. The music started, and I sucked in air, that familiar rush filling my veins.

Hell yes I did.

ANNIE

I grinned at Tucker from where we sat in the theater. His legs kept fidgeting, and his knees bounced as his feet tapped the floor. His hands gripped the armrests on either side of his seat, clenching and unclenching.

“You okay?”

He looked down at me. “Yeah. Why?”

“Because you look like you’re either more nervous than my sister or like you really need a bathroom break.”

His eyes narrowed. “Funny.”

“Truth.” I popped a shoulder and saw him shift in his seat, as well as he could considering his size, his hands splaying out flat to try and relax .

“I guess I am a little nervous for her.”

“Please, Tucker, she’s got this. My sister is phenomenal.”

A slow, wide smile spread across his face. “Yes. She is.”

“Isabel Donovan.”

My own stomach swooped, though I figured it was partly from my sister. Or maybe not. I was so excited for her right now. We had a whole crew here today to support her. Mom, Jenna, and Helen along with Tucker, Jet, and I. Even Harper and Nic had come, and we were clustered into a group together between two rows.

Mom looked over her shoulder with a smile, crossing her fingers, and I held mine up to match hers, smiling back. It felt good to have her here, and I knew Izzy would be happy she came.

Things were getting better between us. After Jet’s talk with me on graduation night last weekend, I’d gone to Izzy, and we’d talked to Mom together, asking if we could start counseling. Not for just ourselves but for our family, too. The tears that followed that day had been needed, and Mom already had an appointment booked for us to start with a counselor next week, slipping us in faster with her connections through work.

Jet squeezed my hand from my other side as Izzy walked out, taking her place on the stage, and Nic shushed Harper who’d been whisper-chatting his ear off. That …things with him …had surprisingly been okay, too.

When the music started, a few measures passed before Izzy moved into her first steps, and just like every other time I watched my sister dance, I was blown away.

But today was different. Pure emotion filled her moves, like she was leaving a piece of her soul on that stage. She wasn’t just dancing for an audition. She was dancing for Zoey , for her life and everything she’d been through. I grabbed Tucker’s arm, lost in the emotion of watching her. Just like I’d said before, my sister was phenomenal.

She had two solo numbers and a partner dance with Leo, each as breathtaking as the first, and the second they dropped into their final pose and the music stopped, Tucker shot up from his seat, pride exploding from him, as every one of us cheered. Even one of the judges stood up to applaud, and when I peeked over, the other two were dabbing at tears.

I beamed. There was no doubt in my mind that Izzy had this audition in the bag, and I was so fucking proud.

JET

“Don’t you dare shut down on me while you’re gone.” Izzy gave her best stern face as she stood in front of Nic in the airport lobby a week later.

“I’ll do my best.” He opened his arms, and Izzy didn’t even hesitate to throw herself against him, wrapping him in a powerful hug that nearly made him stagger back.

Tucker grinned and rolled his eyes behind her while Annie and I smiled and shook our heads. I looked around at my family and best friends that had come with us to the airport to tell my uncle and cousin goodbye. Mom and Dad were talking with Uncle Dimitris while Colton and Harper just looked bored and ready to leave .

“It was good getting to know you more, Jet.” Uncle Dimitris came up after my mom had snatched him up in a hug nearly as big as Izzy’s.

“It was. I’m glad you got to come.”

“Me, too. I also wanted to thank you for being so patient with Nic. And for giving him a second chance.”

“Everyone deserves one.” Mostly. Usually.

We looked over where Izzy was still fussing at him to take care of himself, and my uncle grinned. “I’m even more thankful he met her .”

“They were both in a dark place when they met. I think it helped them bond.”

“She’s good for him. She reminds me of my Sophia. She had a way of knowing when and how to push people.”

“Sophia sounds like Jet.” Tucker walked up with a grin, and he fell into conversation with my uncle, giving me the chance to approach Nic before we were out of time.

“Mind if I get a second to tell my cousin goodbye?”

Izzy looked surprised for a second before she smiled. “Of course. I still need to say goodbye to your uncle.” She gave Nic one more quick hug before walking away, and I was left there with both awkward silence and my cousin.

Talking to him on graduation night had been harder to do than I’d first wanted to admit, but once I’d given Nic the chance to explain like the others had pushed, it had been easier to see his side. He finally filled me in about everything with Anna and Enzo, and I could see how it would be hard if someone kept reminding you about your ex. I’d have preferred if he’d just pushed Annie away when she’d kissed him, but I knew how shock from being on that receiving end could make your response delayed. He’d sworn up and down and sideways that the kiss was just about Anna for him, and now that I finally understood everything he was going through, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Well, you’re getting your room back,” Nic started, breaking the lingering tension we hadn’t quite worked all the way through yet. “I’ll bet Annie will love that.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

Silence fell between us again, and after a few seconds, Nic’s brow furrowed. “We’re good right? Or we will be?”

“Yeah. We will be.” Wanting to extend an olive branch to prove it, I said, “Still game for getting that place with Tucker and me?”

Surprise hit his expression. “Absolutely.”

“Good. It’s gonna be good.” I clapped his back.

The next few minutes were filled with the last of everyone’s goodbyes, and when Nic and Uncle Dimitris disappeared from our view down the corridor, we left for the parking lot. My parents and younger siblings went past us to my dad’s car, but the rest of us had come in Tucker’s truck.

I leaned against it as I waited for Tucker to unlock the door, and Annie took my hand.

“You okay?”

“Perfect, sweetheart. I’ve got you .” I leaned in, wrapping her up in a kiss that had my heart speeding in my chest.

“Hey, save that shit for later.” Tucker whacked his palm on the window beside my head, and I scowled at my best friend.

“Didn’t see you eager to stop sucking Izzy’s face before we left this morning.”

Tucker shrugged, opening the front passenger side for Izzy, his hand at the small of her back as she climbed up .

“Y’all get in. I’ve got a surprise.”

TUCKER

“Tucker, seriously, what is it?” Annie asked for about the fifteenth time in the backseat. “Just give us a hint.”

“Nope.”

“Is it like a double date thing?”

I scrunched my lips to the side, pretending to humor her like I was considering spilling, and ended up throwing her a small bone. “ Kind of. We can sort of turn it into one.”

“Well, that’s not more confusing.” She sat back, and I grinned, meeting Jet’s smirk in my rearview mirror. He was trying to hide it, but he was getting a small kick out of Annie’s torture, too.

“All I have to say is it better be worth making her wait,” he said from behind me.

“Definitely is.”

I looked over at Izzy. She had her feet pulled up to the seat and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her head was resting on her knees as she looked out the side window. As always, she was breathtaking, and ever since the hearing with Zane had wrapped up, she finally looked at peace.

My uncle had represented her as promised, and with all the evidence, Zane hadn’t stood a chance. Not even with his douche of a father lawyer. The only thing that had made that day stressful after the hearing was over was my dad finally sitting down with Uncle Drew to fill him in about what had gone down with his sons and Izzy.

It had gone better than I’d anticipated, and with all of it finally out in the open, not even Ryder should be an issue anymore.

I looked over when I heard a phone buzz, but my screen was still dark.

“Mine.” Izzy pulled hers from her purse, and she froze, her face going pale.

“What?” I started slowing down, ready to pull over.

“I got it.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“What?”

She looked up, excitement now bursting from her features. “I got it!”

We all looked around at each other, confused.

“You got what, sis?”

“My Baste Academy audition! They just offered me a spot and a scholarship for next year!”

“Really?!”

“Awesome, Izzy!”

“Knew you could, princess.”

I beamed, dragging her face to mine for a kiss at the next light, and she sat back, practically bouncing in her seat the rest of the drive.

The whole mood had shifted. Everything in our lives was falling into place, but I was still pretty damn sure I could top her news, and we were getting closer and closer to my reveal. I was waiting for Izzy, for any of them really, to catch on.

Or maybe that was me being hopeful. I was just seriously fucking excited .

It took two more turns and us reaching the familiar stretch of road before Izzy clued in. “Tucker…you didn’t…”

Excitement filled her voice, light dancing in her eyes, and my grin officially split my face.

“Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Okay, I’m lost. What?” Annie clamped her hands on the seat behind Izzy as she leaned forward.

“He rented the beach house again. I think.” Izzy gave me a curious glance, and I knew she was reading more in my expression. I was getting way too fidgety. It was taking for-fucking-ever to get there.

“Really?” Annie looked at me, her own excitement hitting.

“Just wait.” I grinned, but it was killing me to hold in the surprise.

We finally pulled up into the familiar driveway a few minutes later, and I caught Jet’s gaze in the rearview again. “Do me a favor? Cover her eyes?” I motioned with my head to Annie. I got a curious look at that, but he pulled Annie over when she clicked her buckle free and wrapped her fingers over her eyes.

I chuckled at the ensuing protests in the backseat and looked at Izzy.

“You’re covering my eyes, too, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am. Now, get your pretty ass over here, princess.”

Grinning, she slid over to me, and I lifted her from my truck after I got out just as Jet was setting Annie down.

“Don’t say anything when you see it, okay?”

“Got it. ”

We shut the doors, keeping a hand over the twins’ eyes, and I led the way across the yard, stopping in front of the sign that had been posted a couple of weeks ago, right after our stay. Jet’s eyes bugged when he saw it, and his gaze snapped up to mine.

I smiled proudly.

“Okay. One. Two. Three.” Jet and I lifted away our hands, and the girls blinked, readjusting to the light before they noticed the sign.

Annie frowned. “They sold it?”

Izzy slowly raised a shaking hand to her mouth, and she shook her head, emotion flooding her voice as she looked up at me. “Did your grandpa buy it back?”

“Nope.”

Her brow furrowed, confused, and I’m sure my excitement was throwing her off with that answer. I brushed a few strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear.

“I bought it.”

Annie gaped. “You bought it?”

“Yep. With my trust fund money. Closed on it first thing this morning. It’s all ours. Happy early anniversary slash wedding present, princess.”

A whole array of emotions played over my fiancée’s features, and an enormous smile split her face, her eyes filling with tears. “You didn’t.”

“I did.” I pulled the keys from my pocket to hold them up. “It’s all ours. We can move in this summer. Hell, we can move in today, if we want. Do summer right. Well, alongside Jet and I starting the sports thing at Ridgeside. ”

“Holy shit,” Annie muttered, about as close to speechless as I’d ever seen her. She snatched the keys and grabbed Jet’s hand, tugging him to the house.

“Oh, my God,” Izzy breathed, still in shock. Then she laughed. “Oh, my God.” She scrambled up my body, and I wrapped my arms around her to hold her up. “You are seriously amazing.” The look on her face had my heart falling for her all over again, and she pressed her mouth to mine in a searing kiss.

“I love you,” she said when we came up for air.

“With everything.”

I slid her down my body. “Let’s go explore with our friends.”

She bolted off the second her toes touched the grass, and I followed her inside. The four of us were darting from room to room, the girls gushing over plans and furniture while Jet and I followed with shit-eating grins. Happy to see them happy. Happy for us and the amazing summer ahead. For our lives ahead. Even next year with Izzy going to Baste Academy and the rest of us at Ridgeside U, our lives had finally been put back together, and it was an adventure I couldn’t wait to start.

Keep reading with a Breaker Ridge spin off Duet: Vicious Hearts: Book 1, Vicious King .

To follow the Breaker Ridge Crew into the college years, Preorder Ridgeside U Book 1: Reckless Hearts .

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