“You and I have more in common than either of us probably cares to admit.” He spun her in a wide circle. “We’re both living our lives for other people at the moment.”

The words hit her like a sledgehammer, and she nearly tripped as they pummeled into her. Gabe’s arms tightened around her as he steadied them both.

Gabe will take care of you.

Iris’s words fluttered through her mind. Angi didn’t want anyone to take care of her. Since returning to Magnolia, pregnant and out of options, she’d been trying to prove that she could manage her own life. Yes, she’d made a colossal mistake in falling for a man who loved his career more than he could ever care for her, and she’d vowed not to repeat it.

But that mistake had resulted in Andrew, the best part of her life. There were no regrets on that front.

Others, yes, but better not to focus on what she couldn’t change.

“That’s not true,” she argued when she felt steady enough to say the words without her voice cracking.

Gabe lifted a thick brow. “You’re at a dance class in a retirement home, surrounded by people who think a rousing game of bingo is the highlight of their week.”

“Don’t underestimate the lure of bingo,” she said. “Both for improving cognitive function and the fun of covering that last square.”

Gabe stared at her.

“I’m here because I want to be,” she murmured.

“Me, too,” he agreed. “Because it makes my grandmother happy. Your mom depends on you for her happiness.”

“I’m fine with that.”

“It’s not what you’d choose for yourself if you didn’t have to.”

His voice was soft, but the words chafed like sandpaper across her skin.

“You can’t always get what you want,” she said, letting sarcasm drip from her tone.

One side of Gabe’s full mouth curved as he led her in an elaborate spin that ended with her facing away from him, her back pressed to his chest. “But what do you need, Ang?” he asked into her ear.

She was saved from answering by the end of the song. “Next we’re going to move to the Electric Slide,” Josie told the dozen participants. “It’s a wedding reception staple, and now that the Wildflower Inn is putting Magnolia on the map for discerning brides everywhere—” she winked at Angi “—we need to make sure you can cut a rug with the best of them.”

Bianca, who was standing a few feet away with her partner, dropped Stuart’s hand and stiffened. “I’m feeling slightly light-headed,” she said with just the right amount of breathiness. “I’ll sit this one out.”

Angi took a step toward her mother but paused when Josie held up a hand. “Bianca, stay with us.” She leveled a stare at her longtime friend that Angi would imagine had struck fear in the hearts of many a tiny dancer. “We’ll go slow and make sure you’re okay. You’re strong, my friend. Your heart is strong. It can handle this.”