Page 38 of Kiss-Fist (Deaf Hearts #1)

The door in front of me wrenches open, startling the fuck out of me. My oldest brother, Quinn, is standing with his shoulder against the doorframe, grinning at me.

‘Hi,’ he signs after a long moment of just blinking.

I roll my eyes.

‘What are you looking at?’

Before I get the chance to tell him that it’s none of his fucking business, he snatches the phone from my hand and takes off running. He’s such a fucking bully. He’s also still faster than me, despite the hours I’ve been logging at the gym with Thom.

I manage a noise of outrage as I follow him, but my breath feels like it’s wheezing in my chest as I tear through the kitchen, past my mom, who’s signing, ‘Stop!’ angrily with loud hands.

Quinn bursts out the back and is waving his hand, his mouth open, probably shouting for Theo, the middle brother, who has a decent amount of residual hearing.

And, like clockwork, Theo appears.

There’s no point in trying to stop this now. I sag against the railing as Quinn hits the grass and slings his arm around Theo’s neck, shoving the phone in his face.

I feel a comforting hand on my back and turn my head to see Alex, my brother-in-law. He’s been around so long I almost forget what life was like before he married my sister. He gives me a sympathetic look.

‘What dirt do they have this time?’

I sigh and pass a hand down my face, still trying to catch my breath, and then I turn my back to my brothers so they won’t be the first ones to get the information. ‘My boyfriend.’

Alex’s face lights up, and I quickly hold up my hands so he doesn’t start telling the world.

‘It’s new.’ I take a deep breath, but considering Alex is also hearing, he’s not going to give me as much shit as everyone else. Even though he’s well aware that the things I used to say were set in stone. ‘He’s not Deaf.’

His brows crawl up toward his forehead. ‘Really?’

‘Really?’ comes another set of hands. My sister appears at his side. She has jam smeared across her shirt, which is tight enough to show a bump. Alice hasn’t said anything, but I can tell by the way her face is kind of glowing, another little one for me to spoil is on the way. ‘He must be special.’

The deck under my feet vibrates, and I know that gait. My dad comes around the corner stairs and is shaking off his gardening gloves. His knees are covered in dirt, and so are my nieces, who are trailing after him.

The boyfriend moment’s interrupted by hello hugs and kisses and asking the girls how they’re doing. Their hands fly, telling me about their week and who said what on the playground, and why they both hate some little girl whose name starts with an L because she steals out of everyone’s pencil box.

My brothers know better than to interrupt when the kids are talking, but I can feel their presence behind me. My dad eventually takes pity on the boys, because he’s a fucking traitor, and calls the girls inside.

And then they descend, like a goddamn kettle of vultures.

My phone is in my face—the group chat has blown up because Quinn The Asshole has stolen a screenshot of mine and Thom’s selfie and texted it to the family group chat. As I take my device back, I can see that at least two of my cousins know his gym and have been there.

So…that’s great.

‘New name for you,’ I sign at my brother. ‘Garbage.’

He laughs and shrugs. ‘This is what you get when you hide boyfriends.’ Then he signs his name for me: horny rooster corn.

Thom has sort of seen it. He’s seen evidence of it, at least. I’m fairly sure a couple of people used it at drag night. But after today, if I don’t stop these assholes, he’s going to know.

Fucking hell.

Theo waves his hand between all of us. ‘Why is Cody saying he’s hearing?’

Everyone’s eyes are on me, and I heave a sigh.

This is what I wanted. There’s nothing about Thom I want to hide.

He’s fantastic. No, he’s more than fantastic.

He’s kind and tender, but he’s also a little mean and rough anytime I want him to be.

He’s gorgeous and not humble about it, even when his self-esteem takes a few hits .

And above all that, he likes me. He likes me as I am: fussy and nerdy and too often unyielding. He likes me grumpy, and he likes when I smile.

I don’t have to be someone else around him.

Everyone’s face lights up.

‘He’s in love,’ Quinn signs dramatically.

‘Shut up.’

‘Look-look,’ Alex signs, leaning in close to my sister with a little grin. ‘His face. That’s love.’

I flip them all the bird—a sign Thom will have no problem understanding when he gets here.

‘Stop,’ I finally insist. ‘Yes, he’s hearing.

Yes, he’s my boyfriend. And I like him.’ My hands hover, my fingers itching to sign the words I’m not even close to ready for.

‘He’s important to me. And I need you all to be careful with him.

He’s still learning. He’s in his first semester of ASL, and there are some people who haven’t been very nice about that. ’

As predicted, all of my siblings look outraged.

‘Who?’ Theo demands.

‘Just tell me who,’ Alice adds.

‘We’ll talk to them,’ Quinn declares.

I wave them off. ‘It’s fine. He’s strong.

He can handle it. But I need you all to be…

’ I hesitate. Better than Rome. They will be, it’s not even a question.

Welcoming—that’s no trouble. They’ll be too welcoming.

I can already see the future. Thom will end up over here baking with my mom and digging garden paths with my dad, and I won’t even be invited.

That settles something warm in my chest .

My phone buzzes in my hand, and I glance down to see Thom’s name.

Thom: OMW! Ten mins. Kissy face. Eggplant. Egg. Chicken.

I smile at his absurd emojis and then glance up to see everyone’s expressions. They look absolutely feral. Today is going to be…a day. Shit. But I need this. I need to see how it’s going to go. I need to know that this warm, comfortable, good feeling in my chest is going to last.

And then it’s entirely shattered when the porch light flashes, indicating the doorbell. A moment later, my dad appears in the doorway, a mask of worry on his face. His hands are uncertain as he lifts them and tells me, ‘Rome is here to see you.’

They know him, of course. He’s the son of a friend of a friend or…whatever. He’s always been around, even before I was aware of him. And though he and I have never said anything, everyone knows what we have been to each other.

My brothers look instantly worried. Quinn waves a hand at me. ‘He knows, right?’

Something on my face must give me away entirely because Theo takes a step forward. ‘Was it him who made Thom feel uncomfortable?’

I nod, and my brothers exchange a knowing look. There’s a story there, but before I can demand they tell me everything, Rome steps through the open back door. All four of my siblings stiffen, like they’re prepared to form a human shield in front of me, but I wave them off .

It’s fine. I have some shit I need to say to Rome after what he pulled at Thom’s gym. I have no idea why he was there, but he has no business in that place, bugging my boyfriend. And he has no fucking business putting his nose in my relationship.

Seeing him leaves me freshly pissed off about how he’d nearly ruined what Thom and I had. The look of doubt on Thom’s face didn’t belong there.

‘Can we talk?’ He seems nervous.

Good .

I jerk my head toward the stairs because although I know I’m going to have an audience for this, I want to make it harder for them to eavesdrop. I start walking, and I can feel the vibration of Rome’s steps as he follows.

We take the stairs down, and I lead the way to the spot under the willow that I like best. It’s cooler there, and the shade makes it easier for me to see him.

He’s not actually doing anything. He’s just…staring.

I crack first. ‘How dare you. Why did you think that was okay?’

He bites his lip, then lets it go. ‘Shit. I’m sorry. I’m…in love with you,’ he tries.

‘You’re a liar.’ I know he’s not. I can always tell when he’s full of shit. Thom might think he is, but it’s only because he doesn’t know Rome the way I do. The man has never been in love with anything except his reflection in the mirror.

His shoulders sag. ‘Fine. I’m not. But I care about you. A lot. I care enough to stop you from making a mistake.’

I swallow past a lump of rage lodged in the back of my throat.

‘Why do you think Thom is a mistake? He’s done everything right.

He’s learning. He will keep learning. He’s kind.

He’s careful with me. He’s meeting me more than halfway.

He never asks me to go voice-on.’ The more I sign, the more tense Rome becomes.

‘I thought you were like me. I thought you understood that hearing people have their place, but not with us.’

That was a lot further than I ever took my choice not to date hearing men. It was a preference—because while I’m basically obsessed with Thom, it is harder. It won’t always be that way, but I prefer not to struggle if I can help it.

But the look on Rome’s face…this goes deeper.

‘Would you go upstairs right now and say that to my nieces? Or to Alex?’ His jaw ticks at that one.

‘It’s not the same?—’

‘It’s exactly the same.’

Rome throws his hands in the air in frustration, then drops them.

‘He’s going to cheat on you. He’s going to do it right in front of your fucking face.

He’s going to brag about all the other men he’s fucking to all his little hearie friends, and you’ll never know because you can’t read his lips.

And you’ll end up looking like the fool because you’re left out. ’

I take a step back. Rome and I have never gotten deep before. He might not hesitate to talk about random childhood stories or everything he did the week before, but he’s always been very tight-lipped about when he lived in DC.