Page 101 of Allegiant

I let out a small chuckle and then shake my head. Of course he is. Rowan is… Well, there’s a reason he’s the lead in the performance. He’s that good, and people look up to him. The fact that he managed to get Wylder and Matthias to move like that… Fuck.

He is something else.

I find my footing again and move quickly down the hall, pushing forward until I slide through the double doors. This place is under construction, with Wylder and Neo renovating every aspect of this house that our father left to him, flushing out the parts of our father embedded into every nook and cranny.

When I come to a stop, what I see before me is nothing less than a miracle. Rowan is in the front of the room, everyone else all in a line, each following his footsteps, trying to learn a simple dance. Well, all except Cade, who is swinging from one of the temporary poles holding up the floor above us. He seems to be doing his own thing to his own beat. Ansel, Neo, and even Jackson are all moving to the thump of bass beneath their feet as well. Jules is missing, but that seems more normal than not the past few days. I get the impression he’s avoiding us.

Or avoiding Harley.

I don’t know where Wyatt is either, but I’m assuming he’s away for work or else he’d be here.

I feel the bass rumbling beneath the floorboards, can hear the music thumping through the speakers. No one even notices I’m here, lingering and watching. Well, no one but Rowan. When he catches my eyes, his movements falter for just a second before he carries on, letting me sway in the background as he instructs everyone on how to move.

It’s glorious. For several minutes, I relish it. They’re finding out that this is not as easy as they think it is. And maybe some of them realize why I like it so much.

Wylder wriggles his hips like a robot, Harley spins around like a dog getting dinner, and Neo humps the air. Not perfect, but it’s enough.

Rowan’s voice cuts above the music. “Channel Mrs. Buckingham. Channel your mom.”

My heart thunders in my ears as Rowan meets my gaze over the top of Harley’s head.

His lips curl up, and he gives me a small smile.

I can’t help but wink at him, my hips moving with the sultry beat.

But then it all comes crashing down.

Literally.

One moment everyone is swaying with the music, the next there’s a crash and a poof of dust billowing around the pole Cade was swinging on. I hear a laughing groan as Ansel rushes over, falling to the ground and cradling Cade in his arms.

“Oh my god, are you okay? Talk to me,” Ansel whispers, his voice cracking as Cade blinks up at him.

I stare at them a moment before finding Rowan in the crowd. He’s standing there, eyes wide as everyone bustles toward Cade; Matthias and Wylder cautiously, Dalton and Harley with far more glee.

“Told you that would happen.” Harley snorts. “You didn’t fucking listen.”

Cade flips him off, obviously not that hurt. With him taken care of, I head for Rowan. He widens his eyes, nodding his head toward my brother. But I’d rather not think about any of them right now. Not when I have Rowan here, being perfect and wonderful.

My hands wrap around his waist, and I pull him into me, my nose nestling into the crook of his neck. He sags against me, a small sigh leaving his lips.

I nuzzle my face deeper into him. “You smell good.”

“I’m sweaty, but thank you.” His eyes flick over to where Cade is still on the floor. He’s milking this for all it’s worth. I mean, Ansel is fawning all over him, cooing at him like a baby. I’d do the same if I were laid out on Rowan’s lap. There would be nothing on earth that could peel me away.

“Will he be okay?” Rowan asks, chewing on his bottom lip. “We did tell him not to swing on it, but he insisted.”

“He’ll be fine. Wylder, on the other hand…” We both glance over and see Wylder standing there, glancing up at the missing support structure, a phone to his ear, speaking quickly to someone on the other end of the line. Pretty sure that’s someone from the construction team. He wants to make sure the second floor doesn’t come tumbling down on us all. Or maybe it’s the insurance company—either way, I know it will get fixed soon.

“Oh god, this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have…” Rowan sighs and then meets my gaze. “But I should have. They need to know how much you love this, that it’s harder than it looks, and that it’s something you’re not to be mocked over.”

My throat feels tight, and I’m having a hard time swallowing as Harley walks up to us, swatting me on the back and grinning at Rowan. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Anytime, really. It’s not a hobby, it’s not just something for fun, at least for us.”

My throat thickens. I like that. How he puts the two of us together. “Right.”

He leans against me, and his hands move up to run along my back, bouncing up the bones in my spine. It feels so right to hold him like this, even with chaos still happening around us.