“My own? No. And the rest is complicated,” she said softly. “To dance with a company, big or small, takes a lot of practice, and you’re part of a team. Every dancer’s movements are a reflection of the group. I know what I’m capable of, and I can’t keep up with them, Quincy. Sometimes I get pains in my foot or my hip, my lower back. My movements are no longer fluid enough to complement other skilled dancers. I would stand out like a sore thumb, and there are days when I can’t make it dancing to a three-and-a-half-minute song. I would never bring down the other dancers with my subpar performance. But I’ve accepted that I won’t perform again, and that’s okay.”

She sat up and looked into his eyes. Gone were the sadness and tears, replaced with something brighter. “I’m blessed to be alive, Quincy. I’ve got a second chance, and I’m beyond thankful for that, because I don’t think my grandmother would have survived losing me and I got a year and a half with her after the accident. All the wishing in the world can’t change what happened, but I can embrace what I’ve been left with, and that’s exactly what I am doing. And you know what else? If I hadn’t been hit by the car, we probably never would have met. More glittery silver for the lining.”

“You’re fucking incredible, you know that?”

She lifted her brows. “Because I got hit by a car?”

“No, babe. Because you had your dreams stolen out from under you, and you’re not resentful or bitter. You’re focused on what you have and not what you’ve lost. A lot of people would have come out the other side as a different person.”

“I am different than I was. I was unstoppable. Now I know I can be stopped.”

He framed her face with his hands, needing to be closer, and said, “You are still unstoppable, Roni. The accident didn’t stop you. It was a roadblock that you overcame, and look at you now.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek and said, “You’re strong, beautiful, and to me, an untrained eye watching you dance, you are the embodiment of perfection. I hope you don’t give up on your dreams for good, because those girls you teach aren’t the only ones who deserve to shine.”

He pressed his lips to hers, and when she leaned into the kiss, he took it deeper, wanting to chase away the pain she’d suffered and fill all those spaces with them. He pushed one hand into her hair, and the other circled her waist, bringing her tight against him. His thoughts began to fracture, and he felt himself getting lost in her. It happened so quickly with them every time they kissed, like they were meant to be joined at the lips. Her hands moved up his back to the nape of his neck, and he loved the feel of her holding him, wanting him. She made one of her sexy noises, sending rivers of lust coursing through him and jolting him back to reality, reminding him of why he showed up early.