Selfishly, I wish he’d move across the country to never be heard from again. But barring that, my team and I willdefinitelybe keeping an eye on him.
“Ronan?” Angel frowns as she looks at me. “Are you okay?”
“Hmm?” I’m not sure how long I’ve been lost in my thoughts. Giving myself a quick mental shaking, I reply, “Yes. Of course. I was just thinking.” Then I glance at her arm, which set me off on the tangent to begin with. “Your sling. Do you want to put it on?”
“I haven’t worn it in over a week,” she replies. “Why would I want it now?”
“Because it’s crowded in here. Someone could bump into you.”
A smile tugs at her lips. “While I’m sitting between you and Hazel? How is that going to happen?”
“It could,” I reply stubbornly. “You never know. And what about when the play is over? You know how everyone rushes to leave.”
Angel studies me for a second. Then she leans over to kiss me. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I have you to protect me, isn’t it?”
I thread my fingers between hers and kiss her back. She tastes of mint and chocolate from the hot chocolate we all shared before coming here. “It’ll help me get into the role,” Haley explained solemnly. “And Miss Webber says it’s very important to feel the motivation of the character. I think hot chocolate will help.”
The three of us were sitting in Angel’s living room, watchingRudolphfor the umpteenth time while we talked about our plansfor tomorrow. I’m forgoing my usual trip to my parents so I can stay in Bliss to celebrate with Angel and Haley. And this coming weekend, we’re all heading to Maine so they can meet my family.
My mom is thrilled, for the record. She doesn’t care about Angel being younger than I am. Or that she’s a single mom. “That means she’s mature,” my mom replied when I first told her. “She has her priorities straight. And she has a little girl…” She sniffled. “I’ve always wanted a little girl to spoil. Not that you’re getting married yet, but maybe one day…”
Maybe.
Hopefully.
I kiss Angel once more for good measure before replying, “I guess itisa good thing you have me, then.”
Her gaze meets mine, soft with affection. “I’m glad I do.”
Over her shoulder, I notice Alec snickering. Hazel is watching us with hearts in her eyes.
“Hey.” I shoot a stern look at Alec. “What are you laughing about?”
His eyes widen innocently. “Nothing.”
“Nothing? Really?”
After a moment, he grins. “Just appreciating how the tides have turned. That’s all.”
Angel turns to look at him. “The tides?”
“Yeah,” he replies. “I seem to remember a certainsomeonepoking fun at me when I got together with Hazel. Something like,Oh, I thought you wanted to stay single. What happened to that?”
“Well, I hadn’t met the right person yet.” I tuck a piece of blonde hair behind Angel’s ear. “Although, technically, I had met her. I just hadn’t gotten my head out of my ass yet.”
In front of us, there’s a high-pitched giggle, followed by a childish, “Did you hear that? He saidass.”
“Nice.” Alec smirks. “You’re going to get us kicked out before Haley even comes on stage.”
“Sorry,” I mumble in the kid’s direction. “Anyway. When is this thing supposed to start?” I pull out my phone to make sure the battery is fully charged. I’m planning on recording the entire performance, just as Angel is. And I’ll admit, I can’t wait to see Haley in her starring role asTheFox of Christmas Yet to Come.
“Six-fifteen,” Angel says. She peers at my phone. “It’s only a few minutes past. I’m sure the kids are just taking a little longer to get ready.”
Then she twists in her seat to look behind us. “Wow. It’s a packed house tonight. I hope the kids don’t get nervous. Last year, poor little Mallory Linden got stage fright, and she?—”
Angel sucks in a breath.
My heart lurches. “What?”
