“Nothing.”
“Your whole mood changed, why?”
“This is cool, but this is all it’s going to be.”
“This is all you’re trying to let it be, not what it can be,”I clarified.
“We’re different, Ryland.”
I hope like hell she didn’t think I gave a damn about her being deaf. Hell, I thought I’d proven that already.
“Different doesn’t mean not compatible.”
“It’s not just about feelings. It’s my life, my world. All you’ve seen is what that looks like here inside your house. It’s so much bigger than us being here like this and not always easy. I don’t get to pick and choose what my life looks like to others. You can. Do you want to always have to think about how things will work for me? Because you’ll have to. That’s what being with me will be. Adjustments and accommodations. I love who I am, the world sometimes, not so much, and the stress attached to how people see me will fall on you.”
“I’m in the spotlight with every breath I take. You think I can’t handle thoughts and opinions, and even more importantly, do you think I give a fuck about any of them? That’s life, Somee.”I scowled in aggravation.“All relationships have compromises.”
“This is different.”
“That’s what you believe, but it’s not different. You’ve spent your entire life code-switching, adjusting, explaining yourself,and meeting people half way. That shit has to be exhausting. You deserve one place where you can just be. Let me be the one who meets you where you are, the one who comes into your world. You don’t have to adjust a damn thing. And when we’re outside my house, I’ll make the world bend for you if that’s what you want or what you need. It won’t have anything to do with you not being capable, but as your man, my job will be to make the world adjust for you, not you adjusting for it.”
I could see the way she wanted to argue everything I said and thoughts were circulating in that pretty little head of hers, so I added,“And if you’re telling me I can’t be in your life because you’re deaf, then that’s like telling me I can’t be in Rylee’s life either.”
“It’s not the same,”she signed stiffly, locking her shoulders while her brows pinched.
“It’s the same, baby. You feel like our lives are so different that I can’t understand you. If I can’t understand your world, I can’t understand hers. I may not know everything, but I’m telling you now, I’m willing to learn. You’re mine, so I’m going to do the work. Our worlds work just fine. We simply speak different languages. I just need you to feel me the way I feel you.”
Her right brow lifted slowly.“Yours?”
“Hell yeah. You call yourself making the decision that I can’t be in your life, so I’m making the decision that I can. This is about me getting to know the woman I plan on sharing a bed and my world with.”
She smiled, shaking her head.“I don’t date hearing men. I’m not yours.”
“We’ll agree to disagree, but it’s not changing my intent.”
“I’m going to bed, you need to leave. I don’t want Rylee to find you in here and be confused about what we’re doing.”Sheclimbed off me and I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
“I agree. When we’re ready to tell her about us, we’ll sit her down and have this conversation together.”I winked and lifted from the bed but leaned over it, gripping Somee’s chin to hold her steady for a kiss. When I pulled back, I signed,“Good night and don’t come creeping into my room unless you want to get fucked again. My room is for me to get to know your body, yours is for me to get to know your mind.”
I left my guest room with a new motivation to convince Somee that she was mine.
Today wasday two of learning what having a kid in my house who had no boundaries meant. I woke to little hands pulling at my arm. I grinned under the one folded over my face before I lifted it to find Rylee smiling and bouncing in place. She was already in a uniform but her hair was all over her head which meant she’d gotten dressed on her own.
“Joy made French toast bites and fruit so I can eat fast and get to school. You have to get up and get dressed so you can take me.”
“You don’t want to stay home and hang out with me today?”I arched a brow while my hands were moving and she frowned, shaking her head.
“You can hang out with Somee. I want to go to school.”
That was a damn first. A kid turning down the opportunity to skip school. Most kids would offer up a kidney for that shit. I decided to work with what I had though.
“Is Somee awake?”
“I tried to get her up and she told me five more minutes and to come wake you up first.”
I grinned. That mattress was taking her down. Imagine how she was going to be down for the count when I finally had her in my bed permanently and the comfort of that mattress was paired with on-demand dick.
“I’m getting up now. Go get Somee up so she can do your hair and tell her she has to hang out with me today since you’re bailing on me for school.”
