The girls giggled, but Rose’s expression grew worried.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I smoothed her soft blonde bangs out of her eyes.
“What if I forget the steps? What if I trip? What if...”
Finn crouched down in front of her, taking her hands in both of his as he spoke tenderly but matter-of-factly. “Rose, look at me. You know this routine, right? You’ve practiced it how many times?”
“A million,” she whispered, nodding.
“Your body remembers, even when your brain gets scared. And you know what? Even if you mess up a step, you can keep going. Everyone wants you to succeed. They’re not looking for mistakes. They’re looking for you to love dancing,” he touched her shoulder lightly. “You’ve got this, kiddo. Trust yourself.”
“Okay,” Rose’s shoulders dropped, some of the tension leaving her small frame. “Okay. I can do it.”
“You absolutely can,” Finn stood, offering his hand to help me up. “And if you forget a step, just make up a new one. No one will know the difference.”
My mom appeared at my elbow. “Sasha, sweetheart! And Finn!” She pulled us both into an enthusiastic hug. “You should have heard the girls when they saw you walking up. Sadie asked if Uncle Finn was coming to every dance recital from now on.”
My ears grew hot.
Holly rescued us by herding everyone toward the building. “We should get seats before all the good ones are taken. The twins’ group performs second. Madison’s is after the intermission.”
We found seats near the middle of the auditorium. Carter immediately climbed into Finn’s lap like he belonged there, leaning back against his chest.
“He likes you,” Holly observed, settling beside us with Marcus.
“The feeling’s mutual,” Finn adjusted his hold on Carter, who was watching the crowd from his new VIP spot.
The lights dimmed and the first group took the stage. Tiny three and four-year-olds who mostly just wandered around in tutus while their teacher tried to guide them through basic positions, earning plenty of “awes” and soft laughter from the audience.
Finn’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then set it on silent and put it away without reading whatever had come through.
“Next up, our beginner ballet students,” the announcer called.
Rose and Sadie appeared with their group, eight little girls in matching pink. I found them immediately. Rose was in the second row and Sadie was on the far left. The music started, a simple classical piece, and they began their routine.
I pulled out my phone to record, capturing the moment when both girls spotted us in the audience and beamed.
When the song ended and they curtsied and ran off stage. Iwas certain Rose remembered every step.
“Intermission,” the announcer called after one more ballet group. “We’ll resume in fifteen minutes with our intermediate jazz group.”
“Potty time,” Holly lifted Carter off Finn’s lap and shimmied past us, dropping his stuffed panda onto my lap.
Finn stood, pulling his phone out to check his messages. His brows pinched together as he scrolled.
“Everything okay?” I watched him as my mom stood and stretched, turning to chat with the family sitting behind her.
“My dad. He wants Dom and me to come up to talk about ranch succession,” he swiped back and forth a couple of times before beginning to type.
“Do you need to go?” I kept my voice neutral, supportive. The same tone I’d use if Tabitha needed time off for family obligations.
“Yeah. Dom’s got Paulie making arrangements. I need to change my ticket out of Salt Lake.” He studied my face a moment. “You okay with that? I know we talked about me staying a few more days.”
I was. Maybe even relieved. Last night had shifted something between us, and some space sounded good. I was a coward.
“Of course. Family’s important,” I smiled up at him. “Besides, Lou will probably be thrilled.”
Finn’s expression went carefully neutral. “Lou’s not why I’m going home.”
