I had been wrong—but for the first time, I understood what I’d missed.

“Can I see you dance?” I asked.

Her eyes widened. “Really? You want to see me?”

“If you want me to.”

She smiled—a real smile I hadn’t seen in months.

“Okay. Yeah. I’d like that.”

Mike smiled too.

That weekend, we sat down as a family. Vivian dropped some AP classes and kept dancing for as long as she wanted.