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“You wandered around wearing shoes that never really fit. Pretended they were a suitable replacement. And then one day you said you found them again. New, but the same. You said it was the best feeling in the world.”
“Okay, that’s better. I forgive you, Pasha.”
Kinsley’s smile was a mile wide. I shook my head.
“Then you equated all of us with variations of those shoes and mentioned new ones. Granted when you did, it was in reference to our missing season sister, but still.”
I looked down at the tiny ballet slippers once again. Tears sprang to my eyes.
“The day you gave these to me was the happiest day of my life. Our girls will never wear them.”
The words hurt, but saying them here in the presence of our family helped ease the ache. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“They’ll never dance in them the way you wanted. But they’ll always belong to them. They signify they were once a part of us, a part of our family.”
“I’m lost. What does shoes have to do with anything? If your shoes don’t fit you buy new ones, it’s that simple,” Declan stated, frowning thoughtfully.
“The shoes are a metaphor. I’ll explain later,” Tori whispered.
His little face scrunched in concentration. Pasha opened his arms.
“Come here, little man.”
Declan hurried over.
“Like Mummy said, the shoes are a metaphor. They’re people in our lives. Friends. Kinsley was my very first pair. She taught me what family looked like. Then I met your uncles, Aunt Izzy. Your beautiful mummy.”
Declan’s smile widened, and he briefly looked at Tori before turning his attention back to Pasha.
“And one very special day I found out they made small-sized shoes, too. It was the same day I rescued one very fuzzy-less bear from a bookshelf.”
Declan gasped. “I’m shoes, too?”
The room laughed.
“Yes. And you will always know which ones are best by the way they fit right here.” Pasha tapped Declan’s heart. Seconds later, Declan was rushing back to his parents’ sides.
I held the plaque out to Pasha. He accepted it with both hands as though I were entrusting him with something sacred.
“Some people spend a lifetime looking for the perfect pair of shoes. You, my lion, are my perfect fit. I will never find another more perfect than you. So, there’s only one thing left for you to do.”
“Anything. You name it. I’ll do it.”
I closed the remaining distance between us until there wasn’t an inch of space left. My fingertips skimmed over the lion inked across his chest, following the curve of its mane before coming to rest above his heart.
“Your lioness wants you to come home, Lev.” A smile tugged at my lips. “So tell Cirque du Soleil to lose your number.”
He laughed. The sound filled every empty place grief had carved inside me. He handed the plaque gently to Sebastian, and then his arms swept me off my feet. He spun me around while I laughed harder than I had in months.
When my feet finally touched the floor again, he brushed my hair back, and I rested my face against his palm. Our lips met in a searing kiss. Somewhere behind us, every woman in the room sighed.
When I opened my eyes, Sebastian was pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand and cradling the plaque with the other.
“Well, it’s official. We’ll need to hire out. I’ve lost all my fucking club members. Literally.”
He exhaled dramatically as laughter rolled through the family. He pointed directly at Pasha.
“And don’t even think about putting your name down for The Crystal Chamber, Dancer.” His eyes narrowed. “Vote or no vote… I’ll kill you.”
