giddy. “Although, it’s going to be hard to do anything else,” he said, before picking me up and walking around with me dangling from his embrace. “Yeah, I don’t know. Does this work for you?” he said, comically demonstrating what life would be like if we were bonded chest to chest. I was giggling right along with Dash as he spun us around.
Finally, Dash said, “Okay. I guess you can let her go.”
Auggie made a show of that too, peeling himself away from me like we had been glued together. “Whew,” he said to Dash. “Thanks. That would have made performing at my shows a lot harder.”
Dash bowed for him. “At your service, my liege,” he said.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Where did he come up with this stuff? He must have been watching every medieval-themed movie Mom knew.
I blew him a kiss and promised I’d call him later. The phone battery was about to die, so we said our goodbyes. I handed the phone back to Auggie as we walked over to the table to help clean up.
“For the record, I like your younger brother more than your older brother.”
I laughed. “It’s a prevailing sentiment,” I acknowledged. “But Archer means well.”
He nodded as he helped gather the trash. “He’s right to be worried.”
I sent him a sideways glance. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “This is a difficult world. Only the strong survive.”
I turned to face him. “You don’t think I’m strong?”
He turned to me. “I know you’re strong. Otherwise you’d be in my bed by now.”
I choked on any response. He finished clearing the table before taking me by the hand and walking me out to the car. His fingers around mine sent my whole body ablaze. I had to change the subject, or all willpower would have evaporated in an instant.
“Thank goodness PING isn’t here,” I said.
“They don’t care about this stuff,” he shrugged. “It doesn’t fit their narrative.”
“Is that why you do it?” I asked, hoping not.
“I do it for my mom,” he stated simply. “She started the school upon her return to Aldayne. It kept her busy and out of Old Mother’s hair, so she allowed it. It was a tradition that she started around the time Old Father fell ill and was in and out of hospitals. She just wanted to bring joy to the children.”
His voice filled with emotion. I clasped his hand tighter as a result. “It was beautiful,” I said. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever been a part of. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Thank you for coming,” he said softly.
I could tell by his eyes he wanted to kiss me, but he held back. So, I reached up and I kissed his cheek in a soft, long peck. “See you on Friday,” I said.
He nodded, releasing my hand so I could climb into the car. He stood staring after me for a long time, and I sat waving at him until I could see him no longer.
It didn’t even dawn on me that Fern hadn’t come to the car at all. I lost sight of her somewhere in the middle of the festivities when she and Gavin were teaching their child students to dance. I leaned up to tap on the glass. Sean rolled the window down. “Yes, miss?”
“Did you see my sister before we left?”
He nodded. “She said she texted you.”
I mirrored his nod before checking my phone. “I’m going with Gav and the gang for dinner. I saw that you were in good hands with Auggie—literally. LOL. Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do, Captain Barfsalot!”
I laughed. I sent back a superhero emoji and a smile. I cradled my stomach and rested my head against the seat. I was asleep by the time we hit the freeway back to the hotel.
Like I had encouraged her to do, Fern began integrating herself into the dance troupe. She joined them for rehearsals the rest of the week, which gave me plenty of time to sleep uninterrupted. By showtime on Friday, I was well-rested and felt a lot more in control of my morning sickness.
This was a mixed blessing. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Auggie. I dreamed about him. I jumped every time the phone rang with a text alert or a phone call, hoping it was him reaching out to me. He didn’t keep much contact during the rest of the week, likely because he was working hard rehearsing for the next show. But late at night, he’d “like” my old