Bleeding Love(59)

“You’ve had a hard life, honey,” he tells me some time later, while painting some high or low or whatever he called them lights. I have no idea; he just said it was time to make my blonde hair come to life.

He looks up from my head and gives me soft, kind eyes. “It takes an old wounded soul to recognize another.”

“You?” I don’t finish because his eyes get even softer and he nods.

“It isn’t easy growing up in the south as a gay man that loves women’s clothing. I wouldn’t say I’m a cross dresser, but I love what I love and that happens to be heels and tight clothes. It wasn’t popular then and it still isn’t now. I’m a lucky man though. I have a wonderful husband and a daughter that is my whole entire world. But, all my life until I moved to Hope Town, I felt the pain of my life choices. People think I’m crazy and that’s okay with me. I can laugh about it now, but I surround myself with things that make me happy and far as I can see, you’re starting to do the same.”

“The glitter,” I laugh, looking around his station at everything that shines in the lights around the salon.

“Oh yes. Started at church camp. My parents sent me there in hope that I could be saved from the devil that lives inside of me. That, well that backfired when I found art inside that camp. Sitting there during arts and crafts time while the glitter fell through my fingers, I was able to find a little happiness that, as you can see, I keep with me at all times.”

I chuckle to myself. He isn’t kidding. He really does keep it with him at all times.

“My light in the darkness. We all have that light, honey. Some people, it’s an object like glitter. Other people, it’s a person that takes their hand and takes the lead.”

I look into his eyes. “Is there anything you don’t see?” I ask.

“Not often. Plus, I cut Lee’s hair the last four times that fine man came in because pregnant patty was too busy taking ‘lunch breaks’ with her husband.”

My laughter comes quick and when Sway starts to freak out because I won’t stop moving my head, my laughter climbs. Soon enough, he’s joined in and we don’t stop joking and laughing until he flips off his blow dryer and turns my chair.

“He isn’t going to know what hit him, honey child!” Sway says as my eyes take in the ‘new’ Megan.

My blonde hair is still blonde, but now there are strips of dark and light blonde, all looks so natural that you would never guess I just spent the last two hours in Sway’s hands. I never would have thought that my natural light blonde was a bad look, but now seeing this, I feel like I’ve been brought to life. My eyes look brighter and my skin looks darker against the softer color.

“You deserve to keep the happiness close to you,” he tells me.

“I’m trying,” I reply. “Still scares me to pieces.”

Which is true. Giving myself to someone, giving them the power over not just my heart, but my daughter’s as well and all of it being so new, is scary. It isn’t that I don’t trust Lee, but when you have had a lot of nothing, then a lot of loss, believing that you can have something beautiful takes time.

“I imagine it does. I’ll admit, knowing what you’ve lost and honey I am sorry for your loss, but knowing that you lost your husband overseas, I was a little shocked you ended up with another man with a dangerous job. You’re going to be just—what? What did I say?”

“What’s wrong with Megan?” Stella asks and I turn my shocked eyes from Sway to hers and then I look at myself.

Pale skin, wide eyes, and a look of fear.

“What the hell?” My eyes snap to Dani.

“I never even thought about his job,” I mumble, my fear taking hold and the roots digging in. “Never once crossed my mind that he . . . good God, he wears a gun . . . and a vest! How could I never even realize how dangerous his job is? Oh my God!”

“Oh, shit,” Stella mumbles.

“Oh, no,” Sway sighs.

“You, come with me,” Dani says softly and pulls me from the chair. “You stay,” she tells Sway. “Let’s go.” Her hand grabs mine and she starts to walk me toward the room she stomped toward earlier.

I don’t resist, too shocked and too busy thinking about all the things that could happen to Lee while on duty to even process anything else.

Dani pushes me down to the couch when we walk into the break room and kneels down in front of me. My panicked eyes not focusing on a thing until she taps me on the cheek. Lightly, but with enough force that the shock of it has my eyes focusing on hers.

“I didn’t like that. You made me slap you and that’s not something I like. But I really don’t like watching you fall back to where you were a year ago. Let me tell you something, honey. Sure, Lee has a job that deals with dangerous situations, but he’s a smart man and he’s trained. He carries a gun and wears a vest because there may come a time when that’s needed, but you cannot let that ruin what you two are starting.”