Sabrina glanced into the mirror, eyes wide with surprise. She slowly touched her hair, eyeing the new silky highlights that shimmered under the lights. And the bangs—who knew they’d make her eyes more luminous?
“Do you like it?” Breanne asked with a smile.
“I love it.”
Sabrina walked out of the salon feeling like a million bucks and blushed when an elderly gentleman caught her admiring her reflection in the window. She couldn’t help it. With her saucy bangs, blue toes, and French manicured fingers, she felt something that she hadn’t felt in a good, long while.
Pretty.
Her car was parked near the water and she headed in that direction, already thinking ahead to dinner. A salad and burgers sounded about right and hopefully her mother in law would go easy. Sabrina wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.
And she sure as hell hoped that Louise and the kids had left Teague alone like she’s told them. He had company—she’d seen the car in his driveway this morning—and she was pretty damn sure he didn’t want her kids over there if his friend from town was visiting.
The drive back to the cottage was nice. She cranked the tunes and sang along to Luke Bryan as she navigated the winding road. She could see the lake over the tops of the trees and the deep blue shimmered under the late afternoon sun. It was supposed to be a gorgeous holiday weekend and she would try her best to enjoy the hell out of it.
She would. She had to…for her kids’ sake.
She dialed down the volume when she pulled into her driveway. Huh. Teague’s friend Candace was still there.
She grabbed the parcels out of the back of her car and hid them in her bedroom. The cottage was empty and a quick glance down at the dock left her frowning.
Where were her people? It was too hot for a hike, though that wasn’t her mother-in-law’s thing anyway.
Sabrina’s gaze swung to the Simon cottage and she heard Bingo barking.
She sighed and shook her head. “Does no one listen to me anymore?”
She marched over to Teague’s place and hesitated at the bottom step that led to the deck out back. There was laughter—male and female—and she heard Morgan’s excited voice, followed by Harry’s giggles. For a moment she stood there in the shadows, listening, loving the sound of her children’s laugher. They were so resilient. So much stronger than she was.
Bingo barked and her head shot up. The dog was on the top step wagging its tail madly and…
“You gonna come up?” Teague watched her intently. Had his eyes always been so dark?
“I…”
“You changed your hair.”
Her hand crept up to the soft waves at her shoulders and she hated that her cheeks were probably as red as the apples in the bowl on her kitchen table.
A head poked up beside him and Harry grinned down at her.
“Mommy! Did you know that Teague’s a twin like me?” Her precious boy’s smile was as wide as his little face would allow. “Except his twin is a boy twin.”
“I did know that.”
“He knows all the hockey players that I like.”
“Really,” Sabrina murmured.
“Uh huh and even some New York Yankees.”
“Are you coming up?” Teague asked again.
She hesitated. “I don’t think so. It’s almost dinnertime. I just came over to get my kids and take my mother-in-law off your hands.”
Teague cracked a smile. It was a bit lopsided and disappeared almost as soon as it had come. But it was enough—more than enough. The man could be dangerous when he chose to be.
“Too late for that. Louise is already grilling up burgers and Tucker’s helping her out.”