Jenna and I traded identical looks before dissolving into silent giggles that caused our shoulders to shake. Dad sent us a chiding glance. The kind that all parents had perfected on their children. He lifted a finger to his mouth to shush us.
Jenna and I nodded quickly, the occasional snort giggle breaking through our attempt at seriousness. We were careful not to look at each other. The moment we did, the jig would be up. There’d be no fighting back our laughter then.
I bit my lip, rolling it between my teeth to keep my snickers to myself as I stared at the stage.
Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. Don’t you do it. Otherwise, Vicky might turn around and fuss at us again.
The thought nearly set off another chain of giggles. Only catching Connor staring at me brought me back to reality.
“What?” I mouthed.
“You and your father are similar.”
Connor’s voice was a bare thread of sound that was undetectable to human ears.
“Of course,” I responded, using the same volume. “He’s the one who raised me, after all. He taught me everything I know.”
We might not have shared DNA, but there was more to a parent/child relationship than just genetics. He’d been there every step of the way during my transition from childhood to adulthood. Guiding me where I needed it. Providing a safe harbor in those moments when I found myself lost and unsure.
He was my hero. He was the reason I had a habit of rescuing misfits. He never could stand when people were bullies. I couldn’t either. Our temperaments were similar. Dad seemed mild mannered until he wasn’t. Particularly when the people he loved the most were in jeopardy of being trampled on.
Connor’s face was thoughtful as he studied my father.
I left him to it, settling in to watch the recital. It was every bit as painful as I’d thought it would be. A good number of the ballerinas seemed to have forgotten the steps. They looked to the others, following along a beat behind everyone else.
There was one particular cutie who got bored halfway through and found something interesting on the side of the stage to examine. The teacher motioned at her to return to the line, but the child remained intent on her new toy.
It was adorable. A few in the crowd laughed as one of the parents got up and approached the edge of the stage to try to help the teacher.
In the middle of the group, my niece twirled. She was one of the few who’d actually remembered the steps. Although her movements contained more enthusiasm than skill, she was having fun. Her smile was as big as her face.
My phone vibrated three more times during the course of the rest of the performance. I ignored it each time, intent on not letting my sire ruin this rare evening out.
“You should answer that,” Connor advised. “The longer you wait, the pushier he’ll get.”
At that moment, his phone let out a merry jingle, causing those nearby to give us more dirty looks.
I refrained from laughing, raising my eyebrows at him instead. “What’s that you were saying?”
Connor’s expression was grumpy as he stared straight ahead.
“I think that’s you,” Jenna whispered when he didn’t move to answer the phone.
Reluctantly, Connor reached into his pocket. I caught the word “Sire” on the screen before he hit the button to silence his ringer.
“Come now, avoiding him will only make him pushier,” I teased, a little too happy that the shoe was on the other foot.
Connor pretended not to hear my dig as applause broke out around us. I grinned, rising with the rest and clapping to the end of the performance. My niece beamed from her place in the middle of the pack. It might have been bias on my part, but I thought she was the best one out there.
I let out a sharp whistle of appreciation.
The sound attracted Linda’s attention. If possible, she beamed even harder. Her smile so wide it nearly split her face.
If I needed a reminder of why I’d sat through an hour of torture surrounded by snotty parents, this was it. She looked like I’d handed her the sun, the stars and everything in between.
Moments like this were why I’d never be able to fully walk away from my family. It was true they drove me crazy. Feelings on both sides had been hurt. Some of it was my fault. Some of it theirs. But they were worth the effort.
One day these moments and these people would be gone. I needed to make the time we still had together count.
