The sight in front inside drove me up from my knees and across the room before I even fully recognized the image of Bree standing in front of the bathroom mirror with scissors in her right hand and a fistful of hair in the other. Her face was red andswollen from crying, and silent tears tracked down her cheeks as the scissors snipped. A hank of red hair fell to the floor, joining others that covered her feet in piles.
“What the hell?” Finn growled low in his throat. “What happened?”
Bree grabbed another fistful of hair and pulled it around her shoulder, revealing a large gap near the nape of her neck. She couldn’t have cut that herself. I’d watched my wife cut her own hair for years. She always had trouble with that area.
“Someone pulled a fucking hack job on her hair.” I crossed the room and took the scissors from her hand, pulling her into a hug. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t, and we all knew it, but Bree collapsed against my chest, her sobs ratcheting up to a full-blown crying jag.
Finn and Declan moved to surround her, the three of us holding her though the storm of emotions. She clung to me, to us, and explained what happened in broken sentences amid hiccups.
Finn cursed so long I worried he’d give himself a headache. He squeezed Bree’s shoulders. “I’m going over there.”
“No.” Declan grabbed Finn’s arm, dragging him to a stop.
“Decla–”
“You talked to her already.” Declan tipped his head, his voice dropping. “Going back won’t help Bree.”
“It’ll make me feel better.” Finn muttered but stopped trying to walk away.
Declan was right. I didn’t blame Finn for talking to Bethany and trying to set her straight, but would she have pushed things thisfar if he’d left it alone? I didn’t know, and that bothered me, but not as much as how Bree trembled in my arms.
Finn wiped tears from Bree’s face. “You don’t believe anything she said to you. You are beautiful and amazing. She’s the ugly one. Always has been.”
Bree’s chin trembled. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters.” I kissed the top of her head. “Do you want us to take you somewhere to get your hair fixed? There’s a good salon a few towns over.”
“No.” Bree turned toward the mirror, her jaw jutting out in that familiar stubbornness I’d come to adore. “I’ve cut my own hair before, in college when I couldn’t afford a salon.” She ran her hand along the nape of her neck, fingers trembling when she touched the ragged edge. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Are you sure?” Declan sat on the edge of the tub and stretched out his legs.
Bree nodded. “I need to do this. If nothing else, it proves I didn’t let her beat me.”
I released her and took a step back so she had room to work. Finn sat on the toilet, and I stood guard at the door, the three of us surrounding her and offering our support.
Bree picked up the scissors from where I’d placed them on the vanity, closed her eyes and exhaled, then opened them and began snipping. She worked slowly, feathering in softness where there had been only harsh angles. “Can you hold up that other mirror?” Bree pointed the scissors at a small hand mirror.
I took it and let her direct me into the right position.
By the time she finished, she sported an A-line bob that swung lower at the jaw and shorter at the nape, keeping as much length as possible by elongating the cut toward her chin. She made two final cuts and set the scissors on the shelf. “Well.” She swallowed and attempted a smile. “It’ll grow back.”
“It looks incredible.” I put the mirror away and held out my hands toward her.
She ran her fingers through the short strands over and over again.
“He’s right.” Declan pushed to his feet and looked at her reflection over her shoulder. “Stop looking at what’s been done and look at what you created.”
She looked, her gaze flicking between his face and hers in the mirror.
“It suits you.” I pinched a strand between my thumb and forefinger and let it fall to brush her cheeks. “You’re more beautiful than ever.”
Her eyes filled, but she held my gaze. “I’m so tired of letting them get to me.”
“We’re here for you. Whatever you need.” I tipped her chin up, tilting her face toward me.
She gripped my wrist in one hand and kissed me, slow at first but with a building intensity. “I need to spend time with all of you. It’s been too long.”
