Epilogue
Two years later…
Joy was too nervous to peek into the crowd before curtain, but Axel had sent her the requisite break-a-leg text, so she knew he was here.
When the first notes of the score resounded through the small theater, she became completely focused on her cues and marks and delivering the best performance she could.
The techno-pop musical was loosely based on The Threepenny Opera. Mounting this production with fellow students had been part of her final grade, earning her a degree in performing arts. It had been so well received, they’d been able to persuade a local theater to give them a short run.
Singing was not Joy’s natural talent, but she could match pitch in chorus numbers, and this production relied heavily on interpretive dance. In fact, she had choreographed some of the numbers, so she knew them through and through.
It was still nerve-racking, especially when she thought about doing this every night for—No. Don’t think about that now. Leap. Twirl. Exit stage left.
She was sweating and panting at curtain call but exhilarated.
The audience was on their feet, likely coaxed there by her family.
Axel had bought out an entire row for Joy’s family, flying them in for it.
Even David was here, probably still trying to calm Carrie’s nerves as she checked one more time with the professional nanny service minding their children at the hotel.
A short time later, still grinning with triumph, Joy joined everyone at a nearby hotel where her husband had arranged a champagne reception for the entire cast and their various guests.
It was a late night for Paul, but he had been napping this afternoon when she left for the theater, and his newest medication seemed to be helping a lot with his symptoms. He and his new girlfriend, Nora, were chatting brightly with Lowell and Pascale.
Everyone was hugging her and gushing enough to make Joy blush.
“I was afraid it would be like one of those little kid plays with bad costumes and scenery falling over, but that was excellent,” her cousin teased, winking at her.
Joy still couldn’t get over having cousins. They had had a wildly different upbringing from hers, yet they felt so familiar to her, it was as though she’d known them all her life.
Quinn and Micah gave her a ridiculously enormous bouquet, and she received hugs and accolades from Inga, who was round with pregnancy, along with many more of her friends from the festival performance.
Heskel and Klaus were here and had even brought their friend Zander, the dancer who’d evaluated her two years ago. Zander kissed both her cheeks, complimented her performance and the choreography and said he would recommend the show to everyone he knew. Her knees almost unhinged.
It was so touching and overwhelming, Joy had a little cry later, once she and Axel were home and getting ready for bed.
“Honigbiene,” Axel chided as he drew her into his arms. “What’s this?”
“I’m just so happy.” She slid her arms around his waist, hugging tight. “I never would have had this without you. Thank you.”
“That is far more credit than I deserve. You were always going to find your way back to dancing, shining so brightly you steal every scene.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”
“You’re biased.”
“Yes, but I’m also capable of seeing what’s obvious.” He brushed a tendril of hair behind her ear. “I won’t be the least bit surprised if opportunities come to you after this.”
“I hope so, but…” She quirked her mouth. “I want to dance, but I don’t want to be away from you.”
“Joy. You know I’ll spend a year in New York if you want to audition for Broadway. We’ll find a way to make it work. Do not let me hold you back.”
“Thank you. But I do like our life here, and I wouldn’t mind pursuing a master’s degree. Also…” Was this the right time to bring it up?
His brows lifted.
“Well, you saw that Inga’s expecting? She asked me if I would consider working with her on the festival production this year, since she’ll be delivering in the middle of rehearsals.
It got me thinking that maybe I could do that, too.
Have a baby,” she said tentatively. “We don’t have to talk about it right now.
I know you’ve always been ambivalent about children—”
He set the pad of his thumb over her lips.
His expression was so tender, her heart hiccuped.
“I used to think love was something I had to carry. That it wouldn’t add to my life, but God, Joy, look at what your love has brought into my life.
Everything is brighter. Better. Richer in ways I never would have understood if I wasn’t married to you. ”
“Oh.” Her eyes began to sting and well up.
“You think those little monsters of your brother’s have no effect on me? Your nephew took my hand when we were crossing the road to come see your rehearsal, and I thought my heart would stop. The level of responsibility was terrifying, but so gratifying when I got him across safely.”
She bit back her grin.
“You weren’t here to see it, but your niece fell asleep on me the other day. I was annoyed that Carrie insisted on taking her to her cot. I thought, if we had our own, I could hold our sleeping baby as long as I wanted to.”
Oh, this ridiculous man. “You really mean it? You want to start a family?”
“I want you to chase your career as long and hard as you need to, so I haven’t said anything, but yes. I think about having children with you all the time. When you’re ready, I will be ready. And, just to put it on the record, I’m open to adopting, if that’s something you ever thought about.”
Not a ridiculous man at all. One who was gifting her the world, making her wonder how she had come to deserve it.
“Sometimes I wonder what my life would look like if you and I hadn’t been forced together by Otto,” she admitted somberly. “That scares me because I love you so much, I don’t know where I would have put all of these feelings otherwise.”
“Dance,” he said simply. “And I would have seen you onstage somewhere and moved mountains to get to you.”
Farfetched as it sounded, she believed him.
“Now, we don’t have to try making a baby tonight, but maybe we should rehearse how it’s done,” he suggested.
Laughing, she leaped, and he caught her, then tumbled her onto the bed.
* * * * *