Her Reluctant Husband by Erica Marselas (summer beach reads txt) 📗

“But why couldn’t Liz tell me? This is something I should’ve helped with.”

“You know why Liz didn’t tell you? She couldn’t say my name to you without—”

“Fine. Whatever. I get it,” he cuts me off with a huff. “I want to go inside.”

“You do?”

“Problem?” he snaps, and I cringe at the menacing look in his hard stare.

I shake my head. “Nope.”

He follows right behind me, and I tell him a little bit about the studio and the classes we offer. I tell him how I’m hoping one day to hire more instructors to offer more classes for all ages and dance styles. Maybe one day expand outside Kinder Falls. He’s mute once again and breaks off from me when I finish talking about my expansion dreams. I give up and decide it’s better to let him be. I find Annabelle playing with the stereo set up and join her. Someone who will talk to me.

“Is Sasha here, yet?” I ask, after grabbing her attention from picking through today’s music selection. Sasha is another one of my instructors who I couldn’t be without.

“She’s in the back. Cute coveralls,” Annabelle teases and pulls on my braid.

“I forgot to change before I came. My mind was somewhere else.” Luckily, I have a change of clothes here.

“I can tell.” She peeks over my shoulder. “You brought the hubs. He looks kinda out of it.”

“That’s because he is.” I turn to look over at Alex, who is aimlessly dragging his finger along the barre. I wish I could dig into his mind to know what the hell he’s thinking. Good or bad. “Listen, let me grab the papers from the office and talk to Sasha. Then we can go through the ideas for the recital.”

“Do you want me to entertain him?” Annabelle giggles.

“Not unless he comes to you.”

“Got it.”

With a backward glance, I give Alex one last look. Our eyes meet, and I give him a weak smile, but it’s not returned. Instead, he turns his back to me and heads for the other side of the studio and, defeated, I turn to walk to my office. I grab the stack of papers and talk to Sasha about two new kids that will be joining her modern dance class.

There’s a tap on the door, and I hope for a second it’s Alex, but it’s Annabelle. “I wanted to let you know, Alex left.”

“Left?” I guess I should’ve expected that. I’d hoped he would have said bye, even if it was a grunt, to let me know he was leaving.

“He was looking at a picture of Kat and then stormed out the door. I was going to go after him, but…I remember the Alex when I was younger being a hottie with a hothead.”

“Well, that hasn’t changed much, but thank you.” I slump in my seat.

“You okay?” Sasha squeezes my knee.

“Yeah, of course.” I wave her off.

“Do you need to go? I think I can handle whatever we need to finish sorting out for the recital, you’ve pretty much done everything. And Sasha and I can handle the classes,” Annabelle says, Sasha nodding in agreement.

“No, I’m fine, really. I didn’t expect him to take it well. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting a little.”

“He’ll get over it. It’s not about him.”

“Isn’t it though?”

“How can you think that? You did this for Kat, but you also did it for yourself, and this community. Maybe you weren’t a dancer growing up, but you’re one now and you’re helping kids learn to dance, making them happy. Fuck everything else. Fuck him if he makes you feel guilty about it. Your intentions are pure. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think they were.’

I finish out my workday, focusing on what I love to do, hoping it will keep my mind off what I’m going home to, but no matter how many pirouette’s, plié’s, or changements I do with my preschool class, I keep staring at my phone that’s lying on the bench hoping he’ll text or call to tell me he’s alright.

He never does.

The house is dark and quiet other than the sound of the breeze flowing through the windows, rattling the blinds as I walk in.

I guess it’s safe to say our dinner plans are canceled.

Dread washes over me as I head upstairs and undo my braid wondering if this is going to finally be what makes us open the flood gates and spew all the things we’ve been holding in.

Or will this be another roadblock?

I turn on the hot water to the shower and peel out of my workout clothes. Steam fills the bathroom, and I know this shower is going to be just the thing I need right before facing whatever battle is coming my way. As my dad said, never go to war with the dirt and sin of yesterday on you.

Okay, so the actual words were to never go into the next day with the dirt and sin of yesterday on you, but tomayto—tomahto. The thing is my dad was never wrong.

I close my eyes, letting the warm water pelt my skin and drench my hair. I’m wishing the water could be enough to clean all the angst and troubles building.

I reach for the lavender shampoo in the corner and squirt some into my hand. I’m lathering it up in my hair when I hear the shower curtain pull back. My heart jumps in my throat, and I cover myself as I set my eyes on a very naked Alex. His green eyes haze over with something primal as he steps into the shower with me.

“Alex? What are you doing?” I gasp at the same moment he cups my chin, kissing me, hard. That primal beast I saw is overpowering me and