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“What are you doing?” He asks.
“Packing.”
“Fuck…” he mutters.
“I’ll be there tomorrow morning.” I storm back to the bathroom. “She’s not marrying him.”
“Greyson, you can’t just….” he starts.
“Can’t what Easton? If this was Elle? What would you do?”
There’s another silence on his end before he answers. “I’d already be on a plane.”
“That’s what I thought.” I hang up and flip open my suitcase.
This isn’t how it ends. It can’t be.
Chapter 2
Tilly
There’s never been a time that silence was awkward for me. I was born deaf. My world was silent for the first years of my life. Profound in one ear and severe to profound in the other. There’s a bunch of medical terms and words like “frequency” involved, but I prefer to call a spade a spade. I’m deaf. I can’t hear shit. Not without help. I’m fortunate to have a pair of fancy hearing aids that do the work for me. As much as I love being able to hear. To listen. Sometimes the silence is my safe haven. But right now, this silence is about to bring up the contents of my dinner.
“These cookies are good. Moist.” Bekka, my best friend tries to evaporate the awkward vibe in the room but fails miserably because there probably isn’t another word more cringe worthy than moist.
She scrunches her nose, and glances at my twin sister, Camille, who’s studying me with light blue eyes that are almost identical to mine. Elle, who’s seated next to my sister appears to be busting at the seams.
Because she was never one to keep her mouth shut, she finally slings back the last of her wine. “So, are we just going to ignore the massive elephant in the room?”
I close my eyes and tilt my head back. I knew this was coming. I mean, I literally got engaged less than twenty four hours ago. To a man I’ve known for approximately three months. I’ve been known to be somewhat impulsive. My father, who happens to be the Timber Creek Police captain has always said I’d be the child that would end up on his police scanner. I’d be the one to break the law and have a smile while doing it. I was no where near a criminal. He was just being dramatic. He and my brother had always been over the top. I didn’t break the law. I just broke the rules.
I wasn’t defiant per se, but if I wanted to prove a point, I did. I hated that my rules were always different from everyone else’s and that tended to get me into trouble. My need for validation was just as strong as my temper, so those two didn’t mix well when one conflicted with the other.
I lift my hand, examining the diamond ring on my finger that’s entirely too big. Blaine McKnight had been pursuing me since I met him at a New Years Eve party I attended with one of my coworkers. He was charming. Had a great smile and any woman with eyes could tell he was handsome. Sandy blonde hair and brown eyes. He worked for his father’s private law firm in the city where he lives in a snazzy condo. It took a few times of him calling for me to finally agree to a date. I didn’t date much. Most of the men in Timber Creek I’d known my entire life and the others I’ve met socially never lasted past the by the way I’m deaf stage.
ASL was my first language, but when I got my hearing aids, my speech improved. It took lots of tears, speech therapy, and pep talks, but now I can be a chatter box in the right setting. Confidence in my voice is something I still struggle with and in large groups or public settings I often sign.
The uncomfortable conversation about my hearing is usually when they tuck their tail and run. Which is fine. I don’t want a man who doesn’t accept me for who I am. Me and the hearing aids are a package deal and if a man can’t accept that, he can check himself at the door. But Blaine has been understanding. He’s really not even mentioned it after the initial conversation.
“It’s only been what? A few months?” Elle asks.
“We’ve been official for a month,” I state.
I inwardly cringe. It sounds awful when I actually say it out loud.
“We’ve literally only met him twice.” Camille huffs and crosses her legs.
“He has a very demanding job, Cami,” I defend.
Which he does. He works a lot. But that benefits me because I’m busy with teaching my ASL classes at the Timber Creek Center. We see each other a couple of times a week. He calls when he says and he sends flowers on Friday’s. He’s safe. I know that’s not typically what you say when you think of the person you will spend the rest of your life with, but my circumstances are different. I don’t have a line half way down Main Street waiting to take a shot with Tilly Harper. The only man I have ever loved didn’t give a damn about me. I’ve spent too many years angry. Too many years waiting for him to see me. So, I’ve moved on. I have someone who’s making an effort and at twenty-five years old, I need to start thinking about my future. Family.
“It just seems sudden, Tills,” Cami expresses.
“You and Jace only knew each other for a month.” I lift a brow.
Her lips thin into a line and she shifts on the couch.
“Are you pregnant?” Elle leans forward, her eagerness evident like I’m about to spill some grade A tea.
