He swallowed hard and stabbed his finger in the direction of the kitchen. “She is perfect.” His voice was low and gruff. “She just can’t hear. You people are blind if you can’t see that. Can’t see the perfection right in front of you.”
He pointed to Parker, then stormed into the kitchen.
“Thank you for having my family over today. I appreciate it.” Harrison touched Annie’s arm, hoping she wouldn’t pull away from him as she’d done a few times lately, usually after one of the discussions regarding their son. “The meal was delicious.”
Annie finished wiping down the counter, then peeked at the video monitor. Parker slept soundly. Harrison had checked on him right before coming to the kitchen for this conversation that was long overdue.
“It was nice seeing Blake and Carli. I’d love it if they ended up together.”
The fact she hadn’t mentioned his parents didn’t go unnoticed. “I think Blake would love it, too. Too bad my parents aren’t on board with that.”
The look Annie threw him showed her confusion. “I thought you didn’t like Carli.”
“I do like her.” Letting out a long sigh, he continued. “It’s just she’s a reminder of my failings.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The fact I fathered an imperfect child. Imperfect in my parents’ eyes.”
“You’re hardly responsible. They’ve all but accused me of not taking good enough care of myself when I was pregnant.”
He grasped her elbows. “When did they do this? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her lips tightened, and she stared at the floor. “Because it could be true, and I didn’t want you blaming me, too.”
“Talk to me, sweetheart.” It killed him to see Annie so upset. At least she hadn’t threatened to leave again.
“Before I knew I was pregnant, I had a night out with some friends. We had a couple drinks. What if that’s what caused it?”
No, she couldn’t be letting that fill her with guilt. Wrapping her in his arms, he held her to his chest and kissed the top of her head.
“I’ve done my share of research on what causes deafness, and I’m pretty sure it’s not a drink or two. I wanted to absolve myself as well. Unless we go through a whole lot of genetic testing, we may never know. Honestly, I don’t care at this point. What’s done is done.”
“You don’t blame me? I thought that was why you started turning away from us, from me. That you thought it was my fault.”
“Dear God, no, sweetheart. I’ve been trying to live up to this expectation my father has of me, and it’s been on my mind too much lately. I’ve always been second best to Blake, and with this hearing loss Parker has, it felt like I’d let him down again.”
“Guess that makes two of us, since they blame me.”
“Did they actually say that to you?”
“They said it this afternoon while Carli and I were in the room. Not directly to us, but I heard, and Carli read their lips. They were at least polite enough to wait until you left.”
“They’ve gone too far.” The heat rising in him rushed to all parts, making him burn in anger. “I need to put a stop to this. They’re doing it to Blake, too, making him feel like Carli isn’t good enough. But I won’t let them do it to you.”
“It’s about time.” Her expression showed she was ticked off but also held relief. Yeah, it was about time.
“I’m so sorry, Annie. Will you forgive me?” Cupping her face, he stroked his fingers down her cheek.
She nodded. “What made you finally realize?”
He glanced at the monitor, then back at her, kissing her lightly. “When I thought you might walk out and take our son. I don’t want to lose you, and I don’t want to lose Parker. I love you both. It doesn’t matter if he’s deaf. He’s our son, and we love him regardless. You still love me even though I’m a bonehead, right?”
Her lips twisted to the side. Did she really have to think about it?
“You do still love me.” His heart sped up, the rhythm pounding in his ears.
“Yes, I do, Harry.” She pressed her lips against his, moisture filling her eyes.
