Chapter 3 #2
“Hi guys!” Annie waved at them. She was in her apartment in California, the bed behind her made and her room neat.
“Hi honey,” Ella’s heart lifted at seeing her daughter’s face. The girls inherited her red hair, her brown eyes but Zee’s high cheekbones.
“Mom, guess what?”
“Can Dad guess too?” Zee teased.
Annie rolled her eyes at them but smiled hugely. “Fine, Dad, guess what?”
“What’s up?” Zee asked.
“I got a solo! At the opening exhibition on Friday for the Art Gallery of the Pacific. I can’t wait! The college president is going to be there, and music executives! It’s going to be live-streamed so you can hear it!”
“Congratulations, Annie! That’s super.”
“I didn’t even know you auditioned for this?” Ella asked. Her cheeks ached with how big she smiled.
Annie shook her head, her long hair falling off her cheek.
“No, I didn’t know if I was going to do it, Mom. I had talked myself out of it, but I decided at the last minute to take a chance.”
“And you did it! I’m proud of you, Annie!” Zee high-fived their daughter through the screen.
Ella’s heart exploded with a burst of joy.
She had tried to pass on her love of music to both daughters, but only Annie stuck with violin and piano and ended up going to university on a music scholarship and when she switched to piano to finish her studies, Ella couldn't help the rush of pride that flooded her system, every time she thought about it.
It couldn’t have worked out better because Madison was offered a scholarship for soccer.
She loved that her daughters went to the same school but hated being so far away from them.
“Mom, you’re not upset that I didn’t run it past you?” Annie bit her lip, and Ella wanted to reach through the screen and hug her.
“No, of course not. I’m proud of you for being so brave.” Ella’s throat closed tight with tears.
Annie was way braver than she’d ever be. She loved playing the piano, even taught lessons here and there over the years, but to make a living out of it wasn’t something she could let herself dream.
Her stomach twisted thinking of the job posting Annie had sent her last month.
The university was searching for a piano mentor, but there was no way Ella would apply for that.
She hadn’t ever played professionally, and Club Bandit and Zee’s demanding job kept her busy.
She didn’t need a job.
So she brushed thoughts of the posting to the side, but now and then it crept into her thoughts… what if she did audition for the job? What if she did get it? The far-flung thought made her swallow a laugh.
“Are you sure, Mom? I was so nervous, I thought telling anyone would make it worse.”
“Annie, you did what was right for you,” Ella said, her voice full of pride.
Though it was slightly atypical of Annie not to tell her about the audition or ask her to hear a piece she was working on, Ella understood her daughter’s anxiety and her need not to talk about it until after the fact.
“Aunt Rosalind might be able to make it.”
“Good,” Zee said. “I’ll ask her to take lots of pictures.”
Ella’s heart jerked with a flash of jealousy.
She wanted to be there more than anything, but what had sealed the decision of the girls going to the small arts college was that their Aunt Rosalind, the wife of Zee’s late brother, lived forty-five minutes away.
“Dad is just about to go to a meeting. Can you call me back to hear the piece later?”
“Yes, Mom, I have to get ready anyway.”
“Have a good day, kiddo,” Zee said.
“Love you, Daddy. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, Annie.”
“Can you believe that? Look at our girl go.” Zee’s lips brushed hers in a soft, giving kiss.
“She’s great,” Ella pressed against Zee, loving how his solid chest was against her back.
“What are you doing, Master?” Ella caught the smile on Zee’s face as he brought up an airfare search.
“I realized you hadn’t seen the girls since Christmas. I’m fixing that, Ella, so you can go see our daughter kick ass.”
Ella swallowed a lump in her throat, her heart swelling with love. “Thank you! Are you sure you’ll be okay with your new job?”
“I think I can manage one weekend without you,” Zee said, a teasing smile in his voice.
“Though it’ll be hard. My job started back in the summer, watching those guys at qualifications—” an email alert came in on the iPad.
“My boss just sent me a press release announcing my appointment—pretty snazzy, huh? Did you ever think we’d end up here? ”
His gaze locked with hers, heat and desire flickering in his eyes. Ella’s insides squirmed.
She was eighteen when they met, twenty when they married. It hadn’t always been easy, but they made it work.
Ella had always known Zee was it for her—since she’d gone to that training session with her best friend, Nora—also a competitive swimmer—and the moment their eyes locked, she knew.
They’d been inseparable since.
And it hadn’t been easy being married to a world-class athlete.
Days spent apart, the long months he’d been on the road. And then the twins, being left with newborns tested her commitment, their marriage and their adherence to a D/s lifestyle.
But she’d supported him through two Olympic Games and the soul-crushing loss of his big brother.
After the Olympics, Zee had dabbled in motivational speaking before diving headfirst into investing in a sports fabric.
And it was Ella’s sewing skills that helped bring that product to market.
“Yes, I did, Zee. You promised me everything.”
Zee brushed his lips against her ear. “I didn’t always keep them.”
“You kept the important ones,” she replied and clasped her husband’s hand.
The alarm on his phone went off. “Got to go, dear heart. The press release is on the screen. Give it a read.”
“Have a good meeting. See you later,” he said, and kissed her cheek before grabbing his laptop bag.
“Hurry home,” Ella said.
“Have fun in the garden, my love. You deserve some downtime.” Zee stroked her jawline with the back of his hand before another quick kiss, and then he waved goodbye.
Ella closed the door behind him and set the security alarm.
For the first time in days, the weight in her chest eased.
She couldn’t wait to tell Annie that she was going to see her play live. It was exactly what she needed.