“You’re not supposed to make her feel like crap.”
Glancing down at his feet, Evan drew in a lungful of air, his hands clenching. “Then, I guess we both have things to make up to her. You didn’t answer my question. Can you handle her being deaf? All her family being Deaf? Probably most of your children?”
Could he? Yes. To be with Carli, he could.
“I think I can.”
“You’ll need to fight for her. She’s stubborn, but don’t give up. Not if you think she’s worth it.”
“I do.” There was no doubt in his mind. He’d do anything to have Carli with him, whatever it took. The sign language would take some time. He’d already learned so much, though it wasn’t enough. Then, he needed to find a time when he could speak with her and she’d listen. Not at work. She’d hate having their dirty laundry hung out for everyone to see. He might need to get a few others involved in getting them together. This would take time. But to be with Carli forever, it would be worth it.
Evan hadn’t moved from his spot, watching as Blake worked things out in his head.
“Thank you for your help.”
Letting out a sigh, Evan pointed to the bar and grill. “Come on. I’ll buy you a drink. I’m meeting some of my Deaf buddies inside. You can practice your ASL.”
Blake followed him in. One step closer to Carli.
The door opened and Annie leaned out for a hug, then ushered Carli inside.
“It’s so great to see you. We missed you.”
“I missed you both, too.” Carli smiled at Parker who wobbled behind his mother, blowing bubbles from his mouth. “Is Harrison home?”
Shaking her head, Annie held out her hand toward the family room. When they were settled and Parker was playing with his toys, Annie said, “Harrison is playing racquetball today with a friend. It’s about time he did something for himself for a change.”
“Has he been working a lot?”
“Not as much as before. He’s hired an assistant to pick up some of his workload, so he can be home earlier at night and spend time with us. He’s also been taking time to go to all of Parker’s appointments and therapies.”
“That’s great. I’m glad things seem good.” It explained why Annie hadn’t asked her to accompany her to any of these.
Annie grinned. “Better than ever. We decided not to go ahead with the implant surgery.”
She’d mentioned this, but Carli hadn’t been sure Harrison would follow through.
“Do his parents know?”It had been a sore spot with Annie.
Shrugging, Annie glanced at her son who’d pulled himself up on the couch and toddled in her direction. “They weren’t thrilled at first, but Harrison was great and really stood up to them. Told them Parker is our son, so we’d be making all the decisions regarding his health. He made sure to let them know that getting cochlear implants was not a life-saving surgery and there was no reason to subject Parker to that kind of unnecessary risk.”
“Bravo for him.”
While Carli was happy for Annie, Harrison, and most definitely Parker, a tiny part of her wished Blake could be stronger like that. Stand up to his parents and let them know there was nothing wrong with being deaf. Unless, of course, he thought there was.
Okay, he wasn’t an absolute jerk and had been good to her in so many ways. She understood that his career was important to him, and it should be. Never would she want him to have to choose between her and being the caring, conscientious doctor he was, but couldn’t they have both? The sad part was that he did care for her. It had been apparent in how he treated her. But if he couldn’t take the chance of having a deaf child, then there was no future for them.
Watching Annie play with Parker broke her heart for what she’d be missing. She couldn’t blame Blake. He couldn’t help the way he felt any more than she could help being born deaf. Hopefully, someday he’d meet a woman who was perfect for him. Not Priscilla—she wasn’t that generous—but a nice woman who appreciated him for his stellar qualities and personality. And wasn’t that the kicker? She didn’t hate him, even though she’d cried more in the past three weeks than she ever had. Snuggled up with his flannel shirt at night had been torture, yet she’d continued to do it.
Was this love? It had to be. She’d dated other guys and broken up with them, but none of them ever made her ache the way Blake did. Made her want only the best for him, regardless of the fact it wouldn’t be her. It hadn’t been love before. Now, it was with a man she couldn’t have.
So badly she wanted to ask Annie about him, but she held her tongue. Annie hadn’t made her rehash the events of the benefit and why they’d broken up. After giving her a hug a few days after it had happened, she’d told her she’d be there if she needed to talk. Carli had made sure to only get together when Harrison wasn’t around, since he might not be as forgiving as his wife. Blake was his brother, after all.
If only she could move on and forget him. Hard to do when he popped his head in every day trying to get her attention. Fortunately, he hadn’t pushed. She couldn’t deal with seeing him and not actually being with him.
Even though she’d done everything she could to ignore him, she still found her eyes straying. Oddly, the thing she’d noticed was his ties. There were no silly decorations or holiday themes, only plain or striped. As if part of his personality had been stripped away.
Or maybe his mother had finally gotten him to dress more professionally.
