Page 102 of One Wrong Step
Chapter Thirty-One
Vivian
Jonah singing to me—only me—has me breaking down. How did I ever think he was this horrible, spiteful person? He’s beautiful in every way. And the deep timbre of his voice is doing things to me.
The crowd cheers so loudly for him, and I want to join them, but I also need to take care of my voice. As soon as he’s off the stage, I jump into his arms and wrap my legs around him. He laughs, his face bright with joy, and then he kisses me.
I finally let him go so others can congratulate him, but I hold on to his arm, in case anyone tries to steal him away. I love this man so much. I just need to tell him.
After everyone is focused on the next performer, Jonah sighs heavily and darts me a look. “Vivian…”
“What?” I don’t like the look on his face. It doesn’t bode well. Did he talk to George? “What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head and gives me a smile. “It’s nothing.”
And for once, I decide to go with it. Bad news can wait. “Okay.” I turn to Frankie?—
“Wait. There is something.” He pulls me away from the crowd. “Sorry. Old habits are hard to break.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know you can protect yourself, but I hate seeing you get hurt.”
Now, the not-knowing is worse. “Just tell me already.”
“Your father’s here.”
Ice runs through my body. “What? My father is here?”
He covers his face with a groan. “I shouldn’t have told you.”
I blow out a few breaths. “You were right to tell me. This way I can be prepared.” I kiss him again, wanting to erase the worry in his eyes. “Thank you for trusting me.”
He visibly melts. “Of course.”
We kiss several times, and then Frankie pulls my hair.
“Ouch.”
She side-nods to a small white trailer. “Time to get ready.”
I kiss Jonah goodbye again.
“What about me?” Maisy asks.
I love this kid. She is unfazed by her brothers kissing. And while we’ll have to explainthatto herat some point, for now, we’re all good. Most of us, anyway. I lift her into my arms and kiss her cheek. Then I turn my face, and she kisses mine.
When we get to the trailer, Frankie opens the door. It has everything I could possibly need. A makeup stand. A closet to hold clothes. Styling wands of every type and size. I turn around, taking it all in. “This is amazing, Frankie.”
“How else do you think we do makeovers on the fly?”
It takes a bit to get ready. And while I’m not really afraid of crowds, I hate being judged. Since my father is here, that is sure to happen. He will most definitely judge me. No one knows that I’ve been working on this act for months. Mrs. Landers has let me use her daughter’s dance studio to practice. And Cassandrahas let me practice my makeup skills. And now it’s all coming together. What if I can’t do it? What if everyone laughs?
Chin up, Vivian. This is your chance to show the world who you are.
The important people already know. My mom. Maisy. Frankie. Not sure about George at this point. And, most of all, Jonah.
But this isn’t really for them.
