Page 107 of How to Prevent a Fumble

“Yeah. Anyway, I gotta get home to get ready soon. I’ll see you later, Crosby,” he says with a salute, heading back down the hall, but not before a certain bubbly redhead turns the corner with Elara.

Emmett’s stride falters for a second before continuing on, and I can see it in Heidi’s green eyes that she’s curious about him.

Interesting.

“How was school?” I ask Elara as she runs into my body, wrapping her arms around my middle.

“It was the worst mom. I hate math.”

“Yeah, me too.”

She looks up at me, her lip wobbling.

“You still have to do math though, Bub. Sorry.”

She immediately lets go with an eye roll, which is when she sees Juniper’s shy face. “Hi! My name is Elara,” she says kindly, extending her hand.

Juniper takes a moment to really look at it, unsure about how to proceed before she looks up at me, almost looking like she’s about to cry before extending her own hand and shaking Elara’s.

“I’m Junie,” she says quietly, immediately hiding behind her stuffed animal once more.

“I like your puppy,” Elara says, looking around. “Where’s Champ?”

I smile. “I think she’s in your room, Bub. Why don’t you go show Juniper?”

Heidi smiles in front of me, and after a couple minutes talking to her about the event tonight, she lets me know she has to go home and get changed herself.

I still can’t believe Owen bought tickets for every single one of Isla’s friends to go with them.

But then again, Leo bought Zara a ticket.

If I had ever asked Tony for extra tickets to events, no matter how cheap, he’d laugh in my face.

Heading back to the bedroom, I find the women just finished setting up and ready for me. I’m instructed to sit in the folding chair they had brought, and I shake out my hair.

“Do you have anything specific you’d like?” Nina asks.

I think for a minute. “Actually, no. Do whatever you think is best,” I tell her with a sly smile.

Two hours later and my hair cascades down my back in the most beautiful golden waves I’ve ever seen. Somehow, Nina and Jabari have worked their magic and made my hard to manage hair look effortless.

My face is even more impressive. I’ve loved makeup since I was a kid, and I love doing it whenever I can. I hardly leave the house without something on. As much as I’d love to be a natural girl, there’s something about putting on makeup that just relaxes me. But I’ve been doing the same type of makeup since I was in high school.

This? This is different.

My brown eyes pop with the beautiful gold shadow Jabari generously applied and the thick, gorgeous smokey eyeliner. My eyebrows look better than they ever have—and actually symmetrical for once in my life—and my skin looks flawless.

I’m in awe.

“Oh my god,” I whisper as I look in the mirror. The woman staring back doesn’t look like me.

But it is.

“Thank you guys so much, I don’t know how I can say thank you enough.”

“Well,” Nina smiles, “Leo already said thank you. I can assure you we’re grateful to help.”

Without standing around and thinking too much about what that means, I bow my head just slightly as I let them out the door.

---