Chapter 28

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and couldn’t believe it. Grace and Kelly looked at me sadly while Hailey and Lisa giggled. I just shook my head at them. I still couldn’t believe it. I was officially bald. I’d decided that instead of dealing with clumps of hair falling out that I should just shave my head. Now I was wondering what the hell I was thinking.

“Look at you, G.I. Jane,” Hailey joked.

“Wow, you’re hilarious,” I retorted, glaring at her.

I got up from the chair I was sitting in and walked out of the bathroom. I noticed my hair lying on the floor and blinked back tears. I still wasn’t okay with this whole having my hair fall out thing.

“What do you think Sid will think?” Grace asked. I shrugged.

“Maybe he’ll think it’s sexy,” Kelly commented. I rolled my eyes at her.

“Or maybe he’ll think you look like a bald 40 year old,” Lisa cracked. I groaned and walked into my room. He was going to be here soon to pick me up for the game.

“What color hair should I have today?” I asked. The five of us stood looking at my wigs.

“I think you should be a redhead,” Grace suggested.

“Red is definitely a good look for you,” Hailey threw in.

“Everyone loves a ginger,” Kelly added.

“You guys are being mean,” I told them.

“We are not. We’re just having fun,” Lisa returned. I sighed and grabbed the auburn colored wig and put it on.

The doorbell rang a little bit later and I grabbed a purse and made my way to the door. Sidney smiled and kissed me when I opened it. I followed him to the car and got in. I rested my head against the headrest and watched buildings go by on the way to the rink. We walked inside when we got there and I waited in the family room for Sidney to come and get me. A little bit later he did, and led me up to his box. I saw that the kids were already there.

“Hey everyone,” Sidney greeted walking in the door.

I stood back and watched all the kids smile and run over to him. I watched two of the boys shake his hand, and the two girls give him hugs. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched his interaction with them. Guys that are good with kids are enormous turn ons. After he signed a few things and hung out for a few minutes talking with the kids and the parents, he came back over to me.

“This is Tanner. I was hoping maybe you guys would be okay sharing the box with her tonight,” Sidney said introducing me.

“Hi, guys,” I greeted. I received a round of hellos, and noticed that everyone’s eyes were now focused on me.

“Well, I’ve got to get downstairs to get ready for the game. Have fun!” Sidney called out as he headed for the door. He winked at me and smiled before he left.

“Why did you want to hang out in the box with us?” one of the boys named Adam asked.

“I thought maybe you guys could help me out with something,” I told him.

“With what?” the older girl named Cadence asked.

“Well, we have something in common,” I said. I reached up and pulled off my wig, exposing my bald head. They all looked up in amazement.

“You have cancer too?” the second boy, Easton, asked. I nodded. “What kind?”

“Brain cancer. I had to have a tumor removed. You can see my scar right here,” I said, bending down and pointing to the scar. They all crowded around me to look at it.

“What did you want help with?” Adam asked.

“I’m having a bit of a hard time handling all of this. Sidney told me how strong all of you were. I thought maybe you could give me some advice on how you guys get through a rough day.” I noticed the younger girl, Fiona, hanging back a bit.

“I play with my dog,” Cadence said.

“Hm, that’s a good idea. I don’t have a dog, but maybe I’ll have to get one.”

The kids continued to tell me all the things they enjoyed doing, especially when they’re not feeling great. I laughed a lot with them. I was impressed with how well they were dealing with their situations. Kids shouldn’t have to go through what they were. Sidney had been right, just seeing them and being around them helped me deal with it.

“Are you Sidney’s girlfriend?” Fiona asked quietly. Everyone’s conversation stopped, including the parents, waiting for the response.

“Yes, I am,” I replied smiling.

“No way!” I heard one of the boys shout. I nodded.

They began to ask questions about what Sidney was really like. I told them that he was exactly the same as he had been when he’d come in to see them. It was nice to be able to tell these kids that their hero really was a nice guy. The game started and everyone settled in to watch. They were so excited when Sid scored the fourth goal of the game. It ended with a 6-1 win over the Devils.

I had spent much of the game talking with the kids about anything and everything. It was really inspiring to be around them. I couldn’t wait for the next game and the next group of kids. I made my way downstairs and met up with the rest of the girls while we waited for the guys to come out.

“How was it?” Sidney asked after greeting me with a kiss.

“I had a great time,” I told him. He smiled and led me out to his car.

“So, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said seriously after we’d pulled away from the autograph seekers.

“What is it?” I asked nervously. His hands were clenched around the steering wheel and he didn’t even so much as glance over at me.

“Well, I’m thinking about looking for a house after playoffs are over for next year. Would you help me look?” he asked. I let out the breath I was holding. Why was he so nervous about that?

“Of course. I’d love to,” I told him placing my hand on his. He looked over and smiled at me.

We drove the rest of the way to the Lemieux’s in silence. I was tired and fell onto the bed as soon as I got into his bedroom. He grabbed some of the pajamas I kept at his place and tossed them onto the bed next to me. Then he walked into the closet to change out of his suit. He still hadn’t said a word to me, and he was acting a little strange.

“Why were you so nervous about asking me to look at houses with you?” I called to him as I changed.

“I wasn’t nervous,” he called back.

“You’re knuckles were turning white because of how hard you were gripping the steering wheel as you asked me,” I corrected. He walked out of the closet in just a pair of shorts and sat down on the bed next to me.

“It’s just really important that you like the house I buy,” he said.

“I’m sure I’ll love it. I just don’t get why that’s so important and I still don’t get why you were nervous.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Because I want it to be your house too,” he explained. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Are you asking me to-" I broke off. He had that serious expression on his face again.

“Move in with me. Come with me to Nova Scotia this summer, and then live with me next season.” My jaw dropped. This had literally come out of left field for me. We’d never discussed what we would do over the summer, let alone living together.

“Sid, I don’t know. I…..my doctors are here,” I stammered.

“I’ve already found the best doctor near Cole Harbour. I didn’t set anything up because I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but I did my research and called them. You could continue everything up there.”

Wow, he’d really thought this out. I took a moment to think about it. Was I really ready to live with him? Was I ready to deal with his crazy game day superstitions? Was he ready to deal with me when I had a big paper or test coming up? I knew that I loved him though, so shouldn’t that be enough?

“We’ve never even talked about this,” I said. He looked away and ran a hand through his hair again.

“I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you.” He got up from the bed and started pacing.

“Well, why don’t we see how the summer goes living together, like a trial run. If we don’t hate each other by the time it’s time to come back then we can make it a permanent deal,” I suggested. He stopped pacing and looked over at me. A smile came over his face.

“I can handle that,” he said.

He took my face in his hands and kissed me. When he pulled away I looked up at him and smiled. I couldn’t believe it. I, Tanner Falco, who hadn’t ever even had a serious relationship before, was moving in with her boyfriend. After agreeing, I started to get excited. I almost wished playoffs were over so we could start looking at houses now.

“We’re keeping the current arrangements until the summer right? I don’t know that seeing playoff Sid on the day I move in would start us off on the right foot,” I joked. He laughed.

“You’re probably right. I figured you’d want to stay in the house with the girls until graduation anyway.” He was right. I wanted to spend as much time with them before school ended as possible. None of us knew what a few months from now would hold.

“Well, as long as we’re dishing out surprises, I have one for you,” I told him, my smile fading a bit. He hadn’t seen my head yet.

“Oh yeah? What is it?” he asked.

I felt my stomach tighten as I thought about what to say. I wasn’t sure how he’d react to having a bald girlfriend. I decided to just pull the wig off instead of telling him what I did. It seemed easier. I did just that and watched his eyes widen in surprise. He was quiet for a minute as he looked at me.

“Does this mean I can rub your head for good luck before games?” he asked, a grin spreading across his face. I threw a pillow at him.

“You’re an asshole!” I yelled through my laughter. I felt relieved at his reaction.

He pulled the covers down and I crawled under the blankets with him. I cuddled up in his arms and kissed him lightly. He wrapped his arms around me and my eyes became heavy with sleep. Before dozing off I felt him kiss where my scar was. I smiled as I thought about how I had the perfect guy.