Page 84 of Unraveled

He cut me off. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I should’ve handled it differently last night. I promised I’d be supportive of you having your space, but when it came down to it, I wasn’t. I shouldn’t have invaded your right to privacy.”

“Maybe not, but I believe your intentions were good.” It wasn’t as if I hadn’t invited him to cross boundaries before: in my hospital bed the day of my surgery or my first day of chemo. He always had good intentions because he had a good heart driving him. “Do you really have a bet with my brother about lasting a certain duration?”

“I do, but to be fair, he didn’t bet against it. I said, ‘I bet we last forever,’ and he replied with something to the effect of ‘don’t tell her yet, or you’ll have her running for the hills.’”

Once upon a time I might have been. “I’m not running. And it’s not just because my hips hurt.”

Now it was his turn to throw his head back and laugh. “That’s how I prefer my women. Unable to run from me.”

I returned his laugh. “I need to find a wig I can wear for our trip up to Orcas Island. Maybe I should try being a blonde for a while?”

“A wig would work, but we don’t have to go anywhere if you feel more comfortable staying home?”

I didn’t wish to sit home for the next few months, wallowing in self-pity. “I want to go. I need to. I just have to keep telling myself it’s only temporary. But what will you say about your bald head?” At least I could hide mine.

“It’s nobody’s business. And for the record, you could show up looking like you do and still be the most beautiful woman in the room. It’s unfair, really. Despite your shaved head, you remain gorgeous. Makes your big green eyes stand out more. The same cannot be said for your brother, however. That dude has one lumpy head.”

I chuckled and then sighed. “I guess he’ll have me to blame for not getting laid over the next couple of months.”

He scoffed and walked toward the front door. “Please. Shaving your head for your sister’s cancer should trump the lumps and get him plenty of girls. He’ll be begging to go with you for your appointments so the nurses can see him.”

Kellan opened the door to reveal my family. My tears immediately flowed when I spotted Russ first. He enveloped me in a big hug, running his hand over my head while I did the same to his. Next came my father, who had tears in his own eyes while he hugged me. But nothing could’ve prepared me for my mom. Without hair. I mean she had some. But it was in the shortest pixie cut known to man. She’d cut off her sophisticated, chin-length bob.

“Mom. Your hair? Why?”

Since she was a woman who always exhibited the most perfect style, I was in shock she’d do this.

“Because it’s only hair. What matters most is for you to believe we’re all with you in this. That you trust I will always be on your side and supportive of you.”

She hugged me fiercely. It seemed like an apology for all the years she’d focused on the material things.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you, too.” She leaned back to cup my face. “And you’re still beautiful. Very Demi Moore, like in the Navy SEAL movie she did.”

I smiled at her comparison. “Yours is very Jamie Lee Curtis. Sexy.”

She beamed. “It’s what your father said, too. Oh, we have cake. Sugar-free cake. Because nothing makes you feel better than cake.”

Nothing, except the realization that my family and Kellan were invested in this fight with me. Not even cake would ever top that.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Kellan

There had never been a time in my life where I’d felt more lost than when Layla had broken up with me. Not when I’d caught my ex cheating, not when I’d lost my friendship with my cousin. Never. The thought of losing her had hurt like nothing else.

I knew I’d crossed a line by coming into her apartment uninvited yesterday evening, but after speaking with her brother, we’d both felt worried enough that I should take the chance. But it had been a mistake to crowd her at a point she’d been feeling so vulnerable. Yet I wasn’t certain if, given a chance, I’d be able to make a different choice. Since I’d been sure something had gone wrong, I’d needed to confirm she was okay.

Now, after we’d eaten cake and her family had gone home, I lay next to her as she slept in bed and finally let myself breathe easy. She loved me. I loved her. So fucking much and so fast it was scaring me. But that fear was nothing compared to the fear of losing her. As I watched her sleep, I realized she’d taught me not to take anything for granted. To live in this moment. To be appreciative of time.

The next morning, she appeared unsure of herself when she came out into the kitchen where I was prepping breakfast. Although the sight of her without hair was somewhat startling—just as the sight of my own bald head in the mirror—she was still stunning.

I didn’t hesitate to tug her into my side and give her a big kiss. “Morning, beautiful.”

She smiled. “Morning. Do you have work today?”

“Since it’s Saturday, I only have some things to do around my own place.” I was drywalling the basement this weekend.