Hanging on (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2) by K. F. Breene Page B

It was uncharted territory, and it excited me.
    I was snapped out of my reverie with Denise saying, “He’s my son Tom. I have to protect my family.”
    “Denise, he isn’t a boy. He isn’t your baby anymore. Let him decide for himself.”
    “He’s all I have left!” she said tearfully.
    “Denise, you are being selfish. You are going to force him to choose, and judging by what I’ve seen, I am not so sure it will be you. Let the boy live. She is a good girl. Better than you have picked for him. Let him live, honey.”
    William asked me if I wanted to sit down, a little more loudly than needed. It occurred to me he was eavesdropping as well. Denise tried to look busy and was quickly bustled away by Trudy.
    William sat down stone faced and had a sip of his Champagne. I did likewise. Tom leaned back in his chair and an awkward silence hung over the table. I noticed then that William had his hand on the back of my chair in an open display of territory. This was new.
    Dennis, being no idiot, asked me if I wanted to dance. I accepted gratefully, wanting to leave father and son to clear the air.
    Dennis was light footed and capable, but the dancing was a little boring after William’s. I wanted to see what Tom had in him. Chances were he was dragged to more dance classes then he would care to admit.
    Back at the table everyone was there and things seemed a little calmer. I gave a speculative look at Trudy, and she barely nodded. Relieved I sat down and smiled at everyone. “Dennis knows a thing or two," I said with a smile.
    Dennis’s face turned red. Trudy laughed at him and shook her head. “Jessica, you certainly know yer stuff!”
    Was that an accent coming out in Trudy? Hmmm.
    “ It’s the partner,” I said demurely.

“Horse pucky.” She waved away my words. “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. Only backwards and in high heels!”
    Everyone laughed. She continued, looking between William and I, “And you two were better! Pure grace on that dance floor! You looked like an angle, honey.” She winked at me, then looked at William. "And you a prince!"
    “Dennis,” William said with a smirk, "take that drink away from Trudy, will ya? She’s starting to talk fairy tales.”
    “William,” his mother said formally. Though her eyes were still glassy, she seemed composed. “Will you do your mother the honor of a dance?”
    William gave her a hard look before squeezing my thigh and standing. It was about to go down, and everyone knew it. The whole evening would bottom line at the conversation currently headed out to the dance floor.
    Oh God! I got an intense pang of fear over losing him. Having him so close, realizing how important he was, and now the thought of losing him; I had to quickly blink back tears.
    “When we Davies men see what we want,” Tom said, leaning across the table toward me, “we grab on and won’t let go regardless of the obstacles.”
    I gave a sheepish smile, held back the tears, and hoped he was right. When the chair moved again, it was William sitting down, dance over, face a straight mask. I swallowed back fear, waiting for the verdict.
    He looked at his dad, revealing nothing of his emotions. Something passed between the two of them that I couldn’t decipher. Next, he looked at me. He must have seen the worry because it was here that his countenance melted. He slightly grinned in victory and brought his hand to my check to move away the wisps of hair.
    I nearly cried. I doubted that Denise was with me, but it seemed she wouldn't openly be against me. Until I did something stupid.
    I’d take it. For now, if it kept William in my life, I was happy with the outcome. Ecstatic, actually. It was one more hurdle out of the way. Not permanently, maybe, but we were progressing forward. I was so supremely happy I felt like I was floating.
    Then, when Tom finally spun me around the dance floor I was floating. Pair the lessons with years of experience and apparently a first