of our secret. Her face is Raven, but her eyes are Iris, and I hold her gaze as we nail the Two-Step a second time.
Jonathan doesn’t stop us, and the band makes the quick transition to the Cajun Jitterbug, and we fly. Underarm Turn. Inside Turn. Cuddle Step. This is the scene. The moment of my greatest happiness. Like every moment, I know this will end. Our declarations change nothing.
But they also change everything.
I know in my bones our dance will make it into Iris’s movie, and even if no one else sees it for what it is—two people risking their whole hearts—we’ll know.
All too soon, the song ends. As rehearsed, the crowd breaks out into applause, which is Iris’s cue to break away and chase after her villains. She tears through the crowd.
“And scene!” Jonathan calls. “Great job, everybody.” The applause grows, and Iris runs back to me. I rock back on one heel when she leaps into my arms, laughing with triumph.
“I did it!”
“You did it, baby.” And I don’t care if the makeup artist demands a pound of flesh, I kiss Iris like the fate of the world rests on the communion of our lips. Hoots and hollers join the applause along with some laughter.
“Wow. Okay,” Jonathan says a moment later. “Yeah, why don’t we all take fifteen and give everybody a chance to cool off.”
Iris jolts in my arms and pulls back, a blush rushing to her cheeks.
“Oh God,” she mutters, taking in all the eyes on us. But then she looks back at me and giggles.
I can’t help it. It’s like there’s no room left in my chest to keep the laughter in. My heart is a crowded house.
Hand in hand, we walk off set and grab two water bottles from the cooler topped with ice. I crack mine open and manage to tame my smile just enough so I can drink without dribbling like an idiot.
“That was…” Iris looks transfixed with joy. Lit up from the inside. She shakes her head, unable to put words to it. I know just how she feels.
“Incroyable,” I say because this can’t be captured with just one tongue.
Iris blushes deeper, dips her chin and looks up at me from under her lashes. God, she’s so beautiful.
“I know it’s fast. I know it might be crazy, but I can’t help it.” I think she’s talking about those three perfect words, so I shake my head.
“No, I’ve been wanting to say it for a while,” I admit readily, easily.
She blinks in surprise. “Really?” Her hand comes to my chest, and I wrap one arm around her.
“You had to know.” My appetite for her alone should have clued her in to the fact that I’m hers, body and soul.
Her chest rises and falls. “I hoped,” she says, sounding hopeful now. “I want this to last, Beau.”
I cinch her tighter against me, the pain of our rapidly approaching separation tearing me up inside.
“I do too.”
“Then come with me,” she says, the hope in her eyes reaching inside me and pulling down my every defense.
“Iris…” Her face is so open, so vulnerable. I know my next words are going to cause her pain, and I hate that I have to say them. “I wish I could.”
She grips the ridiculous cowboy shirt in her fist. “You can. I know it’s sudden,” she says quickly. “I know people might think it’s crazy, but we should be together. Tell me I’m not the only one who believes that.”
I shake my head. “You’re not.” The words come out choked. I’m glad we’re standing outside of the spotlights, tucked in the shadows, but I wish we had more privacy. I wish we were in her house. In her room where we could comfort each other against the truth of our reality.
“You’re not the only one,” I say again. “I’ve known it for weeks. You’re it for me, Iris. You’re the love of my life.”
Her stance eases, but she still holds tight to my shirt. “Then share your life with me. We could make it work in California. We could find you a teaching job or if you want to take some time off, that’s—”
“I can’t.” My throat is so tight now the words come out in a rough rasp. “I can’t leave, Iris.”
Her brows draw together, and she searches my face with a kind of desperation that physically hurts me to see. “Why not?”
“My mom,” I say, not looking away. “I can’t disappear on her. She wouldn’t understand.”