Amelia nodded. “I remember.”
“I gave them our music,” Connor said.
The tiny tappers exited the stage—and not quietly. Cole glanced up and saw his football players taking their places. “So, wait. I’m off the hook?”
Amelia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Not a chance.”
“Well, I’m down a partner,” he said. “Doesn’t make much sense for me to stand in when your dad is here.”
“The deal was that if I danced, you would dance,” Amelia said. She should be a lawyer when she grew up. She sure liked to argue. “You can dance with Miss Charlotte.”
At that moment, Charlotte walked up. “Connor, hey. What are you doing back here?”
“He’s dancing with me,” Amelia said. “And you’re dancing with Uncle Cole.”
Charlotte looked at Cole as the familiar intro to “Uptown Funk” came through the speakers.
One of the stagehands moved toward them. “Just heard about the change. Coach, you and Miss Page will go next. Then we’ll slide in Connor and Amelia later. Sound good?”
They all nodded, and Cole tried to ignore the knot of nerves in his stomach.
“Come on, Dad,” Amelia said. “We need to be on stage right.”
Connor smiled down at her, then looked at Charlotte. “Thanks for doing this.”
Charlotte’s expression changed. He knew she was hoping to buy the dance studio. He knew it meant more to her than just about anything else. And while Connor was putting on a brave face at the moment, it was pretty clear to Cole that it was an act.
Being here had to be killing him.
“It was my pleasure,” Charlotte said.
Amelia tugged on her dad’s hand and pulled him out the door, leaving him and Charlotte standing in the wings.
“So, you and me,” Cole said. “You okay with that?”
She smiled up at him. “More than okay.”
They moved closer to the stage for a better view of the football team, and Cole marveled at how far the boys had come. Not only in preparing this number, but as a team. They were friends now, and thanks to Charlotte, he’d found ways to make practices more fun.
The boys had responded. Asher had stepped up. They wouldn’t win state, but Cole was pretty sure they’d have an impressive season.
He took Charlotte’s hand and they watched the boys, who were met with whistles and applause from a thoroughly entertained audience. Of course, the boys ate up the attention, going more full-out than he’d ever seen them go in practice.
When the song was over, the crowd sprang to their feet and the boys strutted off the stage. He slapped shoulders and backs and gave high-fives all around, almost forgetting it was nearly his turn to take the stage.
“Finally we get to see your moves, Coach,” Asher said.
Cole turned back toward Charlotte, who stared at him with wide, full eyes.
“You ready?” she asked.
He nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
In the darkness, the two of them took the stage. They’d given Amelia a seat of honor in the wings to watch her uncle, and the little girl beamed so brightly he could see her smile in the dark.
Behind him, one of the football players whistled, followed by the low murmur of the crowd.
He reached a hand toward Charlotte, their opening pose, and she took it, then smiled up at him. “Just pretend we’re alone.”
He grinned. “But there are children watching.”
She stifled a giggle, confirming what he already knew—this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
The lights slowly came up as the music for “Perfect” began, and Cole glanced at his niece and winked.
All for you, Amelia.
He should probably thank her, actually. Without this little deal he’d made with his niece, would he have ever gotten past himself long enough to discover what a treasure Charlotte was?
A cheer from the back pulled him to reality, and Charlotte stepped into his arms. They moved exactly the way they’d practiced, gliding around the stage in perfect unison. He watched as she became someone else but still remained uniquely Charlotte, turning herself over to the music, to his leading, to the performance, in a way he would never master.
That simple box step she’d taught him during their first rehearsal had been transformed into so much more, and now, as he spun her, a strong hand on her waist, he almost didn’t have to think about the moves.
She circled around him, her blue dress flowing behind her as she did. Then, she was back in his arms, and they swayed in perfect unison. The dance gave him a moment to hold her body to his, then she backed away as the music swelled, and he lifted her with such ease that it was as if he’d been made to help her soar.
The audience cheered.
He set her down and the dance ended, and without thinking he leaned in and kissed her so fully the cheers turned rowdy. Hotchke.
He’d forgotten where they were.
He pulled away to find her face lit in a bright smile. “That wasn’t what we rehearsed.”
He laughed as they left the stage. “Sorry. I got carried away.”
She threw herself in his arms and he caught her, held her, inhaled her.
“I have another dance,” she said. “I’ll talk to you after.”
She raced off, leaving him standing dumbly as another dance class lined up for their entrance.
After a few more numbers, it was time for Connor and Amelia’s dance.
Now it was his turn to watch.
The pair took the stage, and Cole found a spot in the wings where he could watch without disturbing anyone. Before the lights came up, Amelia glanced at him and winked.
He smiled back at her.
He knew he couldn’t take all the credit for getting her out there, but it made him feel good to think he’d done a little something to help.
Michael Bublé’s smooth voice rang out through the auditorium as a song called “Daddy’s Little Girl” began.
This town knew Connor, and they knew what he and Amelia had been through. Cole was pretty sure that as the dance went on there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Even he had trouble keeping it together. What the audience didn’t know, however, was that this was most likely the first moment of connection Amelia had had with her dad since her mother died.
And that made the whole thing more than special—it made it powerful.
Cole never knew a dance could do that.
Connor moved well, but the number was meant to highlight his daughter—and that he did flawlessly.
The little girl shone up there, beaming as she performed her little heart out, and Cole knew that both of them were doing this for Julianna.
She would be so proud of them.
The song ended and the stage went dark. Cole watched as Connor picked up Amelia and hugged her, his shoulders moving as soft sobs overtook him. Amelia clung to him like she was afraid to let go, like this moment would disappear and she would lose her dad all over again.
When they didn’t exit the stage, Cole walked out in the darkness and ushered them into the wings on the opposite side, where Charlotte stood, her brow laced with concern.
“You okay?” Cole asked.
Connor glanced at Amelia. “Thanks, Bug. For letting me dance with you.” His voice broke and Cole had to look away.