“R-Y-L-A-N-D. I’m your brother,”he signed and kneeled to get eye level with her.
My body vibrated with anger because this wasn’t the plan. Rylee tilted her head back and frowned my way, seeking confirmation. I stepped behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders, moving her closer. It was only an inch or two but I still felt empowered.
Her focus was on Ryland again when she signed to him, “I don’t have a brother.”
For a second time, she turned her head and looked back at me for confirmation but her tiny little brows pinched when I glared at Ryland before signing to Rylee,“You do. R-Y-L-A-N-D is your brother and he’s here to meet you.”
I intentionally left off that he was here to take her from me, which he caught based on the glare he shot my way.
“I’m so glad to meet you, R-Y-L-E-E.”
She smiled and signed her arbitrary name, making the motion against her left shoulder. We came up with this together and it warmed my heart each time she used it with pride.
Ryland returned a smile.“Your name?”
Rylee beamed because he understood, then signed, “Show me yours.”
He made the motion against his chin and she repeated it. My heart clenched because this was such a pivotal moment. He loved her already. I felt it, which meant she would love him too and I would lose her. I was so torn because Rylee deserved to have a family. Someone who returned the love she could offer, and whether I appreciated it or not, Ryland would be that person.
“Are you Deaf?”
“No but I can sign because I learned in college.”
Rylee’s little brows pinched before she signed,“Your hands move slow. You’re not as good as Somee.”
Ryland chuckled and nodded.“I haven’t done this in a long time. I didn’t have anyone to talk to.”
“You can talk to me.”She grinned and added,“Somee too. She can help you get better. She helps me a lot.”
“I’m so excited to meet you that I want to spend all my time talking to you. Would you like that?”Ryland signed with a huge smile that softened his features, making him even more handsome.
“Yes, you can do that.”
I gave them space. Rylee took her brother to the living room and they engaged in conversation about all of her favorite things. Ryland asked to see her room and I felt slighted because I would bet everything I owned the room inspection was his wayof returning the favor by vetting me. I sat with Miranda and Marlee, watching Rylee and her brother, neither of us saying much but both thinking the same thing. Everything about the two of them was beautiful and necessary.
I would have to let her go.
An hour passed and Ryland asked to speak with me privately. I turned on one of Rylee’s favorite shows which she watched with Miranda and Marlee while Ryland and I entered the kitchen to be out of her line of sight. My shoulders sagged because I knew what was coming.
“I have to catch a flight out tonight. If you need time to get her packed, let me know.”
I glowered at him because what the fuck?
“You can’t take her tonight. It’s the middle of a school week.”
His brows slammed in at the same time his hands were in motion.“She’s changing schools regardless. The faster the changes happen, the sooner she can settle into her new life.”
With him…
“I get that but do you even know what school she will go to? You don’t just show up and drop a kid off at school. She has to be registered and Rylee will need special consideration to be successful. Have you thought about any of that?”I narrowed my eyes and paused briefly before my hands were moving again.“You just flew in to save the day without giving a damn about how snatching her from the only thing she knows and dragging her to another city to live with a stranger could be detrimental. She doesn’t know you. You don’t know her.”
When my rant ended, I was met with a sea of calm and, if I wasn’t mistaken, amusement. Both of which only further pissed me off. When he responded, I could have punched him in that handsome face.
Long, thick fingers moved slowly but precisely when he delivered his thoughts.“I have a team of people to assist mewith meeting all of my sister’s needs. I was provided a list of schools which rank higher than the one she’s currently attending, and as for Rylee living with a stranger, why would that be any different than her current situation?”He arched a brow and continued.“You are a stranger. Your words, not mine.”
Well, fuck…
I had indeed labeled myself as a stranger, but not with the intention for the label to be used against me. We engaged in a standoff. Me fuming, Ryland smiling victoriously. This man had the right to handle Rylee however he wanted because he held all the power.
