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“There,” I said, smiling. “What do you think?”
“Oh, Sheridan.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you. I haven’t looked…normal in forever. Thank you so much.” She threw her arms around me and I hugged her tightly, reminding myself how much worse things could be.
“Miss Annie, you look so pretty!” Annalise breathed from the doorway.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Annie said. “You look pretty too.”
“We all look pretty!” Annalise grabbed our hands and pulled us back into the family room. “Look, Mommy! Doesn’t Miss Annie look pretty?”
I winced, hoping Annie wouldn’t be embarrassed, but she wasn’t. She took a little bow as everyone clapped and gave me a little wink.
“More than anything, I can’t wait to see Sawyer’s face,” she whispered to me.
“Are you a natural blond?” I whispered back.
She nodded.
“He’s going to love it!”
The Mavericks had a good game, beating Tampa 4–2, but Lars went in the penalty box twice; once for roughing and the second time for fighting. I had a feeling the guys on the other teams were saying dumb shit and he was letting it get under his skin, but I didn’t know how to help. Luckily, the mood in the family lounge was rowdy and boisterous, so I didn’t have time to worry about Lars’s on-ice woes.
Annie was practically bouncing with excitement as she waited for Sawyer to see her.
“Wait here,” I told her, just inside the door. “I’ll keep an eye out for him. When he’s close, take off your mask and step into the hallway so he can see your whole face. Then you can put it right back on.”
Annie nodded, squeezing my arm. She’d been so happy during the game, whistling louder than the rest of us put together when Sawyer scored. We’d watched from the back row, instead of our usual seats at the front of our section, since there were fewer people in the back. She was desperately trying to find a balance between staying healthy and living a little bit.
“Here he comes,” I whispered to her.
She took the mask off and stepped into the hallway just as Sawyer came around the corner. His step faltered for a minute and then his eyes widened.
“Annie.” He reached out his arms and she practically flew into them as he lifted her off the ground and whispered to her.
“I’m not crying, you’re crying!” Hadley whispered in my ear as we watched them together.
“I’ve done my good deed for the week,” I whispered back.
“Hey, babe.” Wes came over and wrapped an arm around Hadley, kissing the side of her face.
“Have you met Annie?” she asked him. She tugged him over to where Sawyer was holding her against him, and I looked around for Lars.
“He’s coming,” Nash said to me, when he caught my eye. “Coach had a few words with him.”
I grimaced. “Bad?”
“I dunno, but probably.”
He went to greet someone I didn’t recognize as Lars came down the hall and I grimaced at the black eye that was visible even from here.
“Hi.” I lifted my face as he leaned down and kissed me.
“Hi.”
“Does it hurt?” I reached up and trailed my fingers along the rapidly swelling skin around his eye.
“Not so much.” He seemed aggravated. “I will put ice at home.”
“Coach chew you out?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I will tell you later.” He wrapped his fingers around mine. “You are ready?”
“You want to go?” I asked, disappointed.
“Thor!” Annalise came running over to him and Lars instinctively reached out to catch her, lifting her up. “Look what Miss Sheridan did to my hair? Isn’t it pretty?”
“Is very pretty,” he said, nodding. “You will not be sad if I go home, yes?”
She made a face. “But I thought we were going for ice cream.”
“I am sorry. Another time. I promise.”
Annalise’s lower lip protruded a little. “But Lars—”
“Remember? We talked about this. Sometimes I am tired. Another day. I already promised.”
“Okay. Bye.” With a completely crushed expression, she walked away.
“You’re too tired for ice cream?” I asked him, frowning. “She and I have finally made friends and now you want to go home?”
“You don’t understand,” he muttered.
“I understand that you’ve been in a bad mood since the psychiatrist told you it would take weeks to get a diagnosis, and it’s not fair that you take it out on Annalise.”
“I didn’t!” He grunted, giving me a look.
“You kind of did. But fine. Let’s go. Just let me say good night to Annie.”
I said my goodbyes to the ladies and Annalise, and then Lars and I walked to his car. I’d left mine at Wes and Hadley’s, so we were going to have to go there and pick it up. The plan had been for him to follow me home, but I was annoyed now.
“You are mad.” He said it as a statement when we’d been in the car for a while without speaking.
