Chapter 82 #2
The final combo hits and Bella spins through a tight double, landing in perfect stillness as Ellie and Haley mirror her pose. They strike the final line together, all heels and presence and glitter that somehow feels like war paint.
Mom exhales. “That girl’s a weapon.”
Dad whistles low. “That’s the one they wanted, huh?”
“That’s the one that matters,” I say.
Lex lets out a breath. “Okay, yeah, they killed that.”
“They owned that,” I correct.
Lex stands, brushing off his hands like he’s just watched a full-blown military op go down. He turns to me with that half-wild gleam in his eye, the one that only shows up when Bella dances or when someone threatens one of our lives.
“You ready to head backstage?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go help our baby get ready for her duet.”
Backstage is quieter now. No screaming. No rhinestones flying through the air. No Rico having a religious crisis. Just the low whirr of a blow dryer in the corner. Soft murmurs from a nearby coach. Someone adjusting a lighting cue over comms.
The storm has passed and Bella is standing dead center in the calm.
She’s still in the trio set, glittering purple fringe clinging to her skin, heels steady, but there’s sweat beading down her spine and a flush in her cheeks that has nothing to do with the routine.
Lex tosses her a towel, and she catches it midair without looking.
“That felt… good,” she says, chest rising and falling like she’s waiting for someone to tell her she imagined it.
Lex is crouched by her duffel, digging out the heels for her duet. “He didn’t blink, baby.”
Bella freezes. I step forward, kneeling beside her as she swaps out her shoes.
“Santibanez,” I clarify. “He didn’t write. Didn’t check his watch. Didn’t even breathe for half of it.”
Lex straightens. “He watched you like you girls were on fire.”
Bella swallows. Her hand pauses on the strap of her heel.
“Phoenix girls before you?” Lex adds. “He shook his head mid-routine and started writing in block letters like he was filing a restraining order.”
I give her a small smile, low and steady. “You all had him frozen, sweetheart.”
She exhales like she’s been holding that breath since the moment she stepped onstage. “Yeah?” she asks, voice barely there.
Lex’s voice softens. “Yeah. You wrecked him. All three of you did.”
Her eyes flick up, darting between us, and for the first time tonight, she lets herself smile. Not for the crowd. Not for the judges. Just for us. “I’ve got one more, then we’re done for the day.”
Lex hands her the water bottle. “Then we eat. And breathe. Maybe even sit down.”
I fasten the last strap on her shoe and look up. “You’ve got this duet in the bag.”
“Top three, or nothing,” she says.
“No,” Lex replies, stepping into her space. “Top one.”
She grins, grabs both of our hands, and squeezes once, a silent thank you.
We’re back in our seats by the time the stage lights shift to that muted lavender wash, soft and moody, like twilight slipping into memory.
Bella walks out. Her hair is curled and pinned to one side, just loose enough to bounce with each step, styled like a vintage starlet on the edge of rebellion.
Her dress flows like smoke, soft lavender layered in sheer chiffon, catching the light like it was dipped in silver.
It hugs and releases in perfect places, trailing behind her like it’s always been part of her.
Josh steps out beside her. He’s shirtless with black pants sharp at the hip with a single lavender stripe wrapping his thigh like brushstroke on canvas. Her light. His shadow.
The music builds delicate strings layered over soft, rising power. This isn’t Trifecta’s Row Party chaos. This is something quieter, more intimate and aching. A ballet of breath and longing.
Bella falls into the movement like she’s made of it. Every line is liquid. Every reach, every lift, every extension is purposeful. Josh mirrors her like a whisper. She glides across the stage, turns into his arms, unravels midair and lands as if gravity was just waiting for her permission.
Lex leans forward beside me, already filming. “I love the sexy dances,” he says under his breath. “And the chair ones? Don’t get me wrong, they kill me. But this? Our girl dancing like a damn princess up there?” He exhales slowly. “Does things to me, babe.”
I can’t even look away to answer. My throat’s already tight. “She’s… everything,” I whisper.
Beside me, Mom exhales softly. “She’s beautiful, son. She’s going to make a beautiful bride.”
“Mom—”
She tilts her head. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
Then she turns her attention to me, her hand sliding over to find mine. “I always saw it, you know,” she says gently. “The way you looked at her.”
I glance over, caught in the moment, in the sound, in the swell of music that feels like it’s stitching itself through my chest.
“Even when you were younger. That first time she came over with Ellie… she was this little spitfire. Busted-up knees from dance, messy hair, yelling at Cal for calling her short. And you just watched her. Like she was a thunderstorm rolling through your ribs.”
I laugh quietly. “I didn’t even know I was doing it.”
“Oh, we did,” she says. “You were sixteen. She was bubbly and crazy. And you? You were calm, Cade. But the second she walked into a room, you lit up.”
Onstage, Bella floats into a turn—her arms extended, her eyes distant and soft—like she’s dancing through the dream of a girl who used to sit on the floor of my studio and watch me paint for hours.
“She used to sneak into your studio,” Mom says, like she’s reading my thoughts.
“Said she was hanging out with Ellie, but she always ended up with you. Curled up on the floor, head on her knees, just watching you paint. She wouldn’t even talk.
Just sat there like your silence was the only place she could breathe. ”
“She never said anything.”
“She didn’t have to.” Mom squeezes my hand. “She calmed when you were around. She’s always been like that with you, Cade. Even when she didn’t know why.”
I blink, jaw tight. The music swells.
“She’s loved you since she was a child,” Mom whispers. “She just didn’t realize that’s what it was then. But I knew.”
Onstage, Josh lifts Bella again like she’s glass and air. She folds into him, then pushes away in a spin, her lavender dress trailing behind her like smoke.
“She’s always been it for you,” Mom says. “You think you’re just now falling? Baby, you’ve been gone for a long, long time.”
Lex nudges my shoulder. “Hey. Not to kill the mother-son-moment, but I’m pretty sure she just hit a turn I don’t think was anatomically possible.”
Mom laughs through her tears and rests her head against my shoulder. I feel it right in the center of my chest. Like everything I’ve ever felt for her is rising all at once, impossible to contain.
Mom squeezes my hand again, softer now. “She’s going to be your wife.” The word lands heavy. Not as a dream. As a truth.
“She already is, in all the ways that count,” she continues. “Not just yours, I know that. She’s Lex’s too. And somehow, the three of you make that work. Not just… messily, or halfway. Really work.”
I don’t say anything. Just watch Bella move like the music is being born under her feet.
“She loves him fiercely, but she leans on you in a different way. She always has. You ground her, Cade. You always have.”
“She grounds me,” I admit quietly.
Mom smiles. “That’s how I knew. Not just that she’d be part of your life, but that she’d change it. Make it deeper. Quieter. Real.”
I glance down at our hands. “It’s not traditional.”
“No, not really,” she says. “But, it is true and that is what matters most.”
Bella lifts her arms in a slow turn, the light catching the lavender of her dress like stained glass.
“She’s not just your girl,” Mom whispers. “She’s your future. Both of yours. And I’ve never seen you happier, either of you.”
I look over at her, my voice barely audible. “You’re really okay with all of it?”
“I love you, Cade. I love who you love. Lex, Bella, the family you three are creating? That’s the only part I care about.”
Lex leans over. “She’s still killing it,” he says, nudging me lightly. “Can we marry her onstage? Is that allowed, Savannah?”
Mom laughs, eyes misty. “You boys better start planning. Because when she’s ready, she’s not going to walk. She’s going to run down that aisle.”
The final notes hits like a breath held too long. Bella lands in Josh’s arms, arms still extended, her dress fanned around her like a ripple in time. The lights dim, soft and golden, catching just enough shimmer on her skin to make her look unreal.
I’m on my feet before I even realize it.
Lex is right beside me, shouting something in Russian that’s probably obscene and beautiful at the same time.
Knox lets out a whoop. The rest of the family follows.
Callum and August with both fists in the air, Dad clapping so hard I think Mom might cry again.
Lex wipes at his cheek with the back of his hand, then immediately scowls and mutters, “Fucking allergies.”
???
As expected, my sister took first in her solo and Josh and Bella took first in their duet. There wasn’t single person in this room who doubted it, and there sure as hell wasn’t a judge who looked remotely surprised when their names were called.
The announcer clears his throat as the cheers fade, “And now… what you’ve all been waiting for…”
The audience leans in. Lex nearly vibrates beside me.
“It’s time for the Trios.” The screen lights up again.
“Our top five placements for trio performances…”
I feel Lex shift beside me, and I don’t blame him. I can feel it too, the pulse in the air, the weight in my chest.
“In fifth place… Pulse Academy from Los Angeles.” Polished, clean, technically strong, but forgettable. The three girls step forward, trying not to look disappointed.
“In fourth place… Boston Elite.” I’m surprised they didn’t place higher to be honest.
“Thank fuck, they get to dance tomorrow,” Knox mutters.
“In third place… Crescendo School of Movement from Chicago.” Big stage presence. Great musicality. But they weren’t the story tonight.
That leaves two. The Trifecta and a trio from New York Performance Conservatory who performed a clean, jazz-contemporary hybrid that hit hard but didn’t really linger.
Bella, Ellie, and Haley are standing close, fingers tangled together in a chain I know none of them want to break. Ellie’s biting her lip. Haley’s staring straight ahead like she’s daring them to say any other name. Bella’s face is unreadable and her hands are trembling.
“And in first place…”
I shift in my seat.
“From Wexley University… The Trifecta!”
The house explodes. The entire audience is on their feet. And the fancy judge she was so scared of? He stands for the first time during the awards. No clapping. He rises slowly, deliberately, and gives one sharp, approving nod, the kind that says this wasn’t good. This was great.
Lex slaps my shoulder so hard I flinch. “They fucking did it!”
“They get to dance tomorrow,” I say, barely able to speak around the lump in my throat. “They really did it.”