“So are you!” I shoot back, deliberately stomping on his foot.
He laughs even harder.
We spin and jump through the frantic rhythm of the music. Around us, other couples do the same. I spot Lachlan and Emma dancing in perfect synchronization. Callum and Jane whirl around laughing together. Even Maggie watches with a satisfied smile, tapping her foot to the beat.
I let myself get swept away by the music, the laughter, the heat from the fire.
For a few precious minutes, I forget how exhausted I am.
I forget my worries.
I forget everything except this collective joy and the energy surging through me.
I’m having fun.
Real fun.
No hidden thoughts. No overthinking.
“You look happy,” Jamie says suddenly during a brief pause in the choreography.
“I am! It’s so good seeing you again. Being back in all this.”
That strange intensity returns to his expression.
“Mary… I need to tell you something.”
I frown curiously.
“What?”
He hesitates.
Then shakes his head.
“You haven’t changed. You’re still so… you.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s definitely a compliment.”
The music sweeps us back into motion before I can respond.
And in the middle of one of those turns, I see him.
Or at least I think I do.
At the edge of the firelight.
Back turned toward the flames, standing in a posture I’d recognize anywhere: slightly hunched shoulders, hands shoved into pockets, head lowered.
My heart jumps.
Finn.
He came after all.
A smile spreads instinctively across my face, ready to wave him over, call his name.
