Ranger's Baby Surprise (Special Forces Elite 2)

I flipped the omelet over. “Okay, for your next question can you name four different offensive positions?”

“Easily. Quarterback, wide receiver, tight end,” she paused to smile. “And.” She blinked a few times. “And…”

“Err. That is incorrect. You could have said running back, kicker. I’d take lineman or center. But that’s okay. You were close.”

She scowled at me. And I felt one question away from watching her dance for me.

“For the final question. For my victory question.” I winked at her. “What is the play called a safety?”

“That is not a fair question. Who knows what that is?”

“Err, also incorrect. A safety is when the team who has the ball is tackled in their own end zone, resulting in two points for the other team.”

“Two points? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Look it up,” I instructed as I delivered her breakfast in front of her.

She started typing on her phone and whispered the definition for a safety score out loud. “I feel tricked. That was a trick question.”

“It was not. Now eat up and then put on the shoes. I want to see you dance.”

“Today?”

“I’m leaving today. So yes.”

I cut into my omelet and took a bite. Victory always tasted sweet.

24

Natalia

I stared at the satin laces dangling from the shelf, taunting me, begging me to wear them. Sam had schemed me into this and I wasn’t happy.

He was in the studio waiting for me to show him something a ballerina would do. My Goddess uniform was hanging where it always did. Didn’t he know I hadn’t been a ballerina for a long time?

I dug through my closet until I found one of my wrap shirts and a light pink wrap skirt. I quickly put them on and then began to pull the pointe shoes from the shelf. I was shaking and my fingers tingled. I didn’t know if I could go through with this.

I sat on the edge of the bed. What if it didn’t feel right? What if I injured my hamstring again? What if this was a setback? This could end all of the plans I had made to audition. With a new injury, I would ruin the chance I did have.

“Natalia, where are you?” Sam called from the room next to mine.

“Hold on,” I replied.

I had to do this. Not only because I had to pay up for the bet I had lost, but because I had been putting it off way too long. My fear had eaten away at my confidence. I could tell Sam was trying to give some of that back to me.

But he hadn’t been there. He didn’t know the pain it caused and the months of anguish piled on top.

I exhaled, and for the first time in nine months, my feet wore pointe shoes.

I might as well have been stepping onto the stage for my first performance. My stomach did somersaults and I could feel the sticky perspiration in my hands. I took my time walking into the studio.

Sam was going through my record collection, but he must have heard me enter and turned around.

“Wow.”

“I don’t know if I can do this.” My mouth felt dry. Wearing the shoes again had brought back not only the good memories but also the nightmare. I trembled.

He took a few long strides toward me and took my hand, leading me to the center of the room. “I know you can.”