“I know we’ve only just started dating, and I’m not trying to rush the whole meeting-the-parents thing. I just thought it might be nice for them to meet up if they knew each other before,” he explained.

I hated when the inevitable questions about my parents came up in conversation with someone who didn’t already know what happened. I took a deep breath to calm the nerves before explaining. “No, it’s not that. I’d love for you to have the chance to meet my parents. But that will never happen because they passed away six years ago in a car accident.”

Jackson pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Kaylie. I had no idea,” he whispered into my hair.

“It’s okay. There was no way you could know, and I’d have had to tell you sooner or later if we’re going to date anyway. We just got the awkward conversation out of the way. That’s all,” I reassured him.

“No, listen to me, Kaylie. I want to get to know you, and this is a big deal. Losing your parents as a teenager… Fuck I can’t even imagine losing mine now let alone when I was still in high school. What happened?”

“They were having a date night while I was at a friend’s house for a sleepover. They’d gone to dinner and were on their way to the ballet. My mom loved everything about dance. She didn’t pursue a career in dance because she had me right after college, but she found ways to keep dance in her life. It was something she shared with me, too,” I recalled.

“I’m sure she was thrilled that you loved to dance.”

“She really was. Some of the best times we had together are connected to dancing. Even just funny little moments when we’d all dance around the house together,” I explained. But this time, my dad had surprised her with tickets to the ballet, and she was so happy. There was no reason for the present. It was just because he loved her.”

“It sounds like he had lots of reasons to love her.”

“They both did. Even after all those years together, they were still very much in love with each other. I think that’s part of what made it so hard on me,” I admitted. “Before a truck barreled into them because the driver was in a rush to hit a deadline and didn’t follow the rules about how many hours he was supposed to be on the road, I had a fairytale life with a beautiful home, two parents who loved me, lots of friends, and an amazing dance team.”

“And after?” he asked.

“It was all gone. My parents were replaced by my aunt, who still held a major grudge against my dad for what she thought was ruining my mom’s life. She moved me to her apartment halfway across the country where I didn’t know anybody, and she limited how much I was allowed to use my cell phone and Facebook to connect with friends back home. But dance,” I sighed. “She let me keep dancing because she hoped I’d go to Julliard and fulfill what she thought was my mom’s destiny.”

“But you ended up here instead?”

“Yeah, and boy did that piss her off. I decided it was more important to me that I was able to be somewhere they had gone before me than to go where she wanted me to be. I don’t know if my decision was more about my parents or making her angry, but I don’t regret it for a minute,” I said as I squeezed him tight before stepping away.

“I’m glad you don’t regret your decision even if your aunt was against it. Sometimes you just have to not take no for an answer and take what’s coming to you. Never give in. Never give up. Stand up and take it. Sounds like that’s what you did.”

I was impressed with the way Jackson had put it. I hadn’t really thought of it that way before, but he was right. “You know what? I guess it was.”

“I can’t take credit for that one. My dad says it all the time,” he admitted sheepishly.

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped because he looked like a little boy right then. I liked this side of Jackson. He was more sensitive than I’d expected, more open. After going to the same college for almost four years with him and hearing about his exploits all the time, I’d never expected to like him this much. And I certainly hadn’t planned to discuss my parents with him and end up laughing after. It was a topic I avoided at all costs whenever possible, but it hurt a little bit less to talk to him about them. I really liked that he got my decision to come to Blythe College, too.

“Are you all done, or do you need to stay longer?” he asked.

“I’m getting ready for our senior showcase, but I could probably be talked into being done for the day if I got the right offer,” I teased. “I’m feeling pretty good about where my piece is at.”