“It’s not unusual for someone to get excited about using sign language when they first meet a Deaf person. But often they get tired of having to sign or facing them when they talk and still not being totally understood.”
“Sounds like you’ve had this happen before.” Lifting her hand, he rubbed the soft skin with his thumb.
“Me, Evan, Deanna, and quite a few of my Deaf friends. It’s a novelty, but it grows old fast.”
“And you thought I had grown tired of it because I kept putting off seeing you?” Yeah, he needed to make sure to schedule his day better at work. Or at least make the time to see her and tell her what was going on in person.
“It’s okay if that’s what happened. It’s difficult communicating with me at times, especially when I don’t have my CIs in.”
Leaning in, he kissed her again. Slowly and sweetly, making it last and showing her how he felt. When he eased back, he made sure she looked at his lips.
“I am very sorry I had to cancel our plans so often this week and that I didn’t even take the time to have lunch with you. I was trying to fill in for a few other doctors, so I could go away next weekend. But that’s no excuse for making you feel like I didn’t want to be with you. Will you forgive me?Please.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Blake. You’re a dedicated doctor. It’s one of the things I love about you. I’m sorry my insecurities got in the way. Forgiveme?”
A smirk slipped onto his lips. “Maybe. If you come with me next weekend.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Where are you going?”
“My roommate from college, Wade, is getting married. It’s up in Vermont. I was planning to head out midday Friday and come back late Sunday afternoon.”
“You want me to go to a wedding with you?”
He nodded.
“I don’t know if I can get Friday off. That’s less than a week.”
“I know. I didn’t want to ask you until I was absolutely sure I would have coverage for all three days. If it helps, I can put in a word to your boss.”
“If I need it, I’ll ask. But I have a good amount of time accumulated, so hopefully it shouldn’t be any trouble. Let me send an e-mail right now. That way, it’ll be waiting for her first things Monday morning.”
Carli tapped away on her phone for a few minutes. While she did, he watched her. Her brows scrunched up in concentration, her eyes bouncing back and forth across the screen. Those long elegant fingers danced across the surface of the phone. The same fingers that had stroked his skin and set him on fire with the blizzard raging outside.
“Okay, all set. What do I need to know, bring, wear? I want to be prepared.”
Chuckling, he kissed her again. “My little Girl Scout.”
“Hey, I was a Girl Scout. It was all deaf girls at my school. I sold more cookies than my entire troop. I think Evan saved up every last penny of his paper route money to buy as many boxes as he could. Then, he hid them in his room and wouldn’t share.”
Blake would have bought every box she had and then shared them with her.
“My question?” Carli patted his cheek and stared at his mouth. Even though it was her way of listening to him, it turned him on when she did that.
“What you’ll need. A dress for the wedding. Not formal but dressy enough. Also something dressy casual for the party the night before and casual for the breakfast the next day.”
“How about a gift for the bride and groom?”
He waved her off. “I’ll take care of that. He’s my friend after all.”
Her gaze rose to the ceiling as she bit her lip then her eyes lit up. “I can wear the dress I bought for New Year’s Eve. You’ve never seen it and I paid a ton of money for it, so at least I’ll get a bit more use out of it.”
“Great.” He pulled her in and held her close, needing to feel her against him. Yet another thing he felt guilty about: her spending money she probably didn’t have to spare on clothes she hadn’t gotten to wear due to his responsibilities. This weekend he’d make it up to her.
Once he’d told her the location of the wedding and what hotel they were staying at, they settled on the couch to catch the news. Unfortunately, his late nights caught up with him and he nodded off as the weather report came on. Carli nestled against his shoulder felt so right. Comfortable yet exciting at the same time. How did she do that? Get him worked up yet feeling so relaxed in her presence?
When she woke him up, her expression was one of concern. “You’re exhausted.”
A yawn interrupted his words. “Yeah, I guess I should head home and let you get some rest.”
