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“Oh! Sorry, Hyde.” Josh grinned. “You’re the best best, but Mack is definitely the second best.”
“Whew. I thought I got replaced for a minute.”
Everyone laughed.
“He seems like a really nice guy,” Sariah’s mom said.
Her dad nodded. “Not sure we can handle any more famous, burly football players in the family though.” He inclined his chin to Hyde.
Hyde smiled. “Yeah, I think I need to be the only one.”
Sariah rolled her eyes. “You all need to relax. We’ve been on two dates.”
“He tracked you down from Georgia and came to church and the family dinner. I think that’s a little more serious than two dates,” Lily said.
Caleb rolled his eyes. “I hope I don’t have to be that persistent when I find the woman I love.”
“It’s not love,” Sariah protested. The word persistent gave her both hope and fear. Mack said she could reject him 1009 times and he’d keep coming back. Was he just a smooth talker or could he really feel as deeply for her as he seemed to.
“I love him,” Josh said. He started running for the house. “Who wants to play catch?”
Sariah wrapped her arms around herself, chilled suddenly and wanting to be inside.
Caleb and Hyde said they’d play. Everyone else started filtering back toward the front door. Hyde stopped and edged in close to Sariah. “Are you feeling comfortable with Mack?”
“He’s a really nice guy, Hyde.”
“I know. You’ve just been through so much.”
“I’m not made of glass, bro. I’ll be fine.”
His dark eyes filled with relief. “So, you told him about the fire, and Tyler and … Denise?”
She shook her head jerkily, her stomach filling with acid. Someday, she’d have to tell Mack. What would happen then? “He knows something’s wrong, but he wants me to get to know him, trust him, before I tell him.”
Hyde nodded. “That’s pretty standup of him.”
“He gets my vote for stud of the year.”
Josh barreled out of the house with a football tucked under his arm. He slammed into Hyde. “Let’s play!”
Hyde picked him up and softly tackled him onto the ground. “I already tackled you.”
“No fair,” Josh hollered, laughing.
Sariah watched their antics, but her mind had driven away with Mack. How long did she have until he either saw her deformity or found out about it? Maybe it was smarter to tell him soon, but she wanted more carefree time with him. Time before it all crashed down.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Sariah shoved her water bottle and her phone in her purse and headed toward the front exit. Jane walked out of one of the treatment rooms.
“Relax yourself into a coma this weekend,” Sariah said.
Jane smiled. “Sounds lovely. Have you heard if they’ve found Scarlett Lily?”
Sariah shook her head. It was the big story this week that Scarlett Lily had disappeared from her Newport Beach home, not taking her cell phone or her Audi. The police weren’t leaking any details but the media were in a frenzy about it.
“Don’t you know her?”
