She stepped back and looked at him. “Look at me. In that last two days it’s all but completely fallen out.”

“Sweetheart, it’s okay.” He wiped a tear from her cheek. “What do you want to do about it?”

“I’m going to just have to shave it off. What the hell else am I going to do?”

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we take care of it. I’ll cut it off, and tomorrow we’ll go buy you some wigs.”

“A wig?”

“No, I said wigs.” The crooked smile on his lips made her laugh, and she wrapped her arms around him as though it were the most natural thing to do.

When she stepped back and looked at him, the brown of his eyes had grown deeper, which was what happened when he was full of passion for something—or someone. Madeline bit back the joyful sob that lodged in her throat. “You’ve been planning this?”

“I was prepared for the day. I’ve looked up some shops that specialize in people who’ve lost their hair to cancer treatments. There are a million options, Maddie. If you want to feel good about yourself, there are people out there who want to help you, and I’m one of them.”

She let out a sigh, and her heartbeat vibrated in her chest. It raced as it had when she was fifteen and looked at that face for the first time. He might be marrying someone else, but he loved her in his own special way, and that made it feel as though everything was going to be okay. “Thank you.”

“Well, don’t thank me yet. You might hate me when we’re done. Are you ready?”

“For?”

“Let’s do this. Let’s cut off your hair.”

Madeline sucked in a breath, held it, and then dropped her shoulders as she let it out. It was time to let go of another part of her appearance. Really, with a flat chest, scarred and ugly, what did it matter if she had hair on her head or not? This was the next step. And if she was going to do something so drastic, there was no one in the world she wanted with her more than Carlos.

Carlos took her hand and gave it a squeeze, and they walked to the bathroom together.

“Where do you keep the clippers for Ed’s hair?” he asked.

“Second drawer.” She wrapped a towel around her neck and sat backward on the toilet seat.

He plugged in the clippers and took off the guard she kept on for doing the boys’ hair. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Okay. Go.”

He stood behind her with the clippers buzzing in his hand. “You’re going to keep your eyes shut?”

“Yes, until I have a wig on my head.”

“Chicken,” he squawked and she shot her eyes open. “I knew that would do the trick.”

He started at the top of her head. The clippers vibrated through her scalp. Madeline gritted her teeth to keep them from clattering. He drew them through her hair. Long strands fell to the floor.

“Oh, God!” Her lip quivered and she bit it to keep steady.

“If you cry, I’ll carve my initials in it.”

That made her laugh.

It only took a few passes, and her head was free of the dark hair that had graced her head since she was born.

She stared in the mirror that covered the length of the bathroom wall, no longer crying. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t her.

“I can’t believe we just did that,” she said, running her hand over the soft, tiny remnants of prickly hair on her head. “This is just crazy.”

“You know what?” He smiled at her in the mirror. “You really don’t look that bad.”

The scars on her chest pained when he said that. Madeline smiled, looked in the mirror at how ridiculous she looked, and then looked back at Carlos and laughed. “What part?” “Every part,” he said, but he wasn’t laughing.

Madeline swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

“Okay, get up.”

She stood up and brushed the loose hairs from her shoulders.

Carlos sat down and wrapped the towel around his shoulders. “My turn.”

“Are you kidding me?” She laughed harder. Maybe he’d been drinking, but she wasn’t gong to cut off his beautiful, thick, black handfuls of hair. “Stop. I’m fine.”

“I’m not kidding.” He turned and looked at her as he handed her the clippers. “Go.”

“Carlos, I am not shaving your head.”

“Fine. Then I’ll do it.” He took the clippers from her, turned them on, and made a pass down the middle of his head.

Madeline gasped and covered her mouth.

He examined the hairless patch in the mirror. “Now that really looks dumb.”

“Oh my God, Carlos. What are you doing?” Her fingers shook at her lips as she watched him examine what he’d done. Astonishment swirled in her head, humor in her belly, and love in her heart for the man she should never have given away.

“Shaving my head because you won’t.”

Madeline dropped her hands and shook her head at him. “You shouldn’t do this.”

“Too late. If you’re going to do it, so am I.” He held the clippers up as if to hand them to her. “Now are you going to help me?”

She started with a giggle, looking at him. The realization of what he’d done and how silly he looked turned that into a full-blown laugh as she took the clippers from him. Timidly she took the first pass and watched as his dark, full hair fell to the ground.

Humor riddled her body and she shook from nerves and laughter as she made another pass and then another. Soon his head was as bald as hers, only with a dark shadow. When Carlos looked at himself and his shoulders bounced, Madeline laughed harder. They both looked hideous, and at the same time, she would never forget this moment.

“What are you doing?”

The laughter stopped as they both turned to see their children standing in the doorway.

A hiccup of a laugh busted through Madeline. She couldn’t help herself. Their beautiful children stood before them, their mouths dropped open and their eyes wide.

Carlos ran his hand over her head. “Mom’s hair fell out so I shaved it off.”

“I got mad and shaved his off for spite,” she joked and then laughed harder when the expressions on her children didn’t change but only grew darker. “I’m kidding. He wanted me to do it.” She placed her hand on his cheek. “He’s being supportive.”