And in his silence, she felt the answer.
She was home.
She clung to him, letting the silence between them speak louder than any words.
Hunter pulled back only long enough to take her hand.Without hesitation, he led her down the hallway, past the noise of the clubhouse, into the quiet of his room.
The door shut behind them, the air thick with an overload of emotions.Hunter stood before her, his chest rising and falling.
He said, "I need to tell you something."
Annie's breath caught.She looked into his eyes and nodded.
Hunter held both of her hands against his chest."I don't know how to be with a woman and make a relationship work.Not beyond sex.Not beyond the club.I don't know how to listen."He paused."I don't know how to listen in the way you deserve.I can't hear you when you speak.I miss things.A lot of things.I get conversations fucked up, and I hate that I can't be better for you."
Her chest ached as tears stung her eyes.
He squeezed her hands."But I love you.I love you in a way that's stronger than anything I've ever felt.You are the only thing in my silent world that makes me feel like I'm not alone.The only thing that makes me want to fight harder, live louder, and love more.I don't want to live without you.Even if I'm not enough, even if I fuck up, I will never stop trying to be the man you need."
Annie's tears spilled, her heart breaking and mending all at once.
Hunter's jaw tightened, his eyes fierce."Belonging to me isn't easy.Belonging to a deaf man means there will be a lot of silence and frustration.But it also means loyalty.It means I will fight for you until my last breath.It means you will never be alone."
He bowed his head.His heart thundered beneath her palm.
"I don't want to ever lose you."
Annie's sob escaped, but she smiled through it, her fingers curling against him.She felt every ounce of his love, every promise, every truth.
And she always knew that Hunter was enough.More than enough.
He was hers.
Epilogue
The members moved aroundthe clubhouse.Bottles were raised in the air.Faces were more animated than they'd been in a while.Their mouths were constantly moving, creating too much disorder for him to catch any conversations.
