Cameron shakes his head, then speaks aloud, “Not for anything besides shop class, drama club, and sports. I attend a virtual academy for deaf and HOH students. I was enrolled there even before Dad and I moved here. That was an option he gave me, one that I’ve appreciated immensely. I struggle in public schools. In-person interpreters are hard to come by, and having a video-relay interpreter isn't ideal. Public schools just can't seem to rectify accessible education when there's only so much in the budget and just one or two students who need the services.”
A circumstance that Lauren and I are all too familiar with, unfortunately. I'm glad there's finally someone who fully understands the uphill battle we've had, but it's also sad to know that he's living with this harsh reality as well. I'd love to pick Cameron's brain to find out what other alternatives there are that could potentially benefit Brody, but before I get a chance to inquire more about it, someone else pops out of the house and steps out onto the porch.
He starts to address Cameron, but I completely miss anything he’s saying because I’m far too stunned to seewho it israther than what he’s signing…
Caleb Wilmot.
The name who I had hopedwouldn’tbe the one on the package I just delivered.
“Holy shit,” I hiss under my breath as he starts heading our direction, his brow pinched with what is certainly the same displeasure I’m feeling. “Caleb—freakin’—Wilmot.”
“M-A-R-C-U-S?” he spells, punctuating every letter with sharp gestures. “What areyou doing here?”
I scoff, gesturing at my outfit. “Cosplaying a poop emoji, nimrod,” I verbalize. “The heck does it look like?”
“Dad? Why are you being mean?” Brody stops playing with the animal and asks me.
Caleb’s eyes narrow at my son before he addresses Cameron, signing, “I was wondering what was taking you so long to get your package, and then I saw Pepper got out. Is everything alright?”
Cameron’s brows knit in confusion. “Yeah, Dad. Everything’s fine. Pepper just made a new friend, that’s all.”
“Wait, hold up a damn minute. Did he just call you ‘Dad’?” I ask Caleb, my jaw nearly scraping the gravel in the driveway.
“Yes, because he’s my son,” Caleb notes, his expression unamused.
I scoff dramatically. “Oh, that’s rich! He’s what? Fifteen? Sixteen? You had a kid you never told me about?! Looks like I wasn’t the only one with secrets, now doesn’t it!”
“I don’t owe you an explanation, alright? That was years ago; let the past go. I didn’t keep secrets and that’s all you need to know.”
Ire nearly swallows me whole at the hypocrisy of it all. He’s the one that tore into me about my need to always keep things on the down low, and here he had a whole ass kid heobviouslyhid from me. The double standards are for fuckin’ real. I’m about to light into him again, because I’m notoriously a bit of a grudge-master, but then it occurs to me: he knows I’m hearing…
“Why are you signing to me?” I suddenly blurt.
Caleb rolls his eyes, then tugs the collar of his polo shirt away from his neck, pointing to an angry looking, raised scar. “Because I can’t fucking speak.”
Oh, gosh. Immediately, I’m struck by the sight of the violent-looking line dividing the skin of his neck. Then, a feeling of immense loss washes over me. Caleb, the man who always had a way with words, without a voice. Stripped away from him painfully too, by the looks of it. I wonder what the fuck happened to him, but if the sour look on his face right now is any tell, asking him about it is likely not going to be well received.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he signs at me, scowling. “Sorry if it grosses you out, but it’s a part of who I am now. I have no voice anymore, and that’s that.”
It’s incredibly unfortunate, actually. I’m not grossed out, I’m just taken aback. I can’t imagine what it must be like to suddenly have your voice taken from you. That’s…wow. I feel bad for him. Like, bad enough that I think I could easily forget about all the hurt between us, but only until I get another flash of annoyance in his expression aimed at me.
“I’m not—fuck,your scar doesn’t gross me out. I’m just trying tounderstand, alright?”
“There’s nothing for you to understand,” he signs back. “I don’t need nor do I want your pity. In fact, the only thing I want from you right now is for you to leave because you’re going to make me late.”
Cameron’s brows furrow as his eyes flick between me and Caleb. “What’s going on?”
Caleb turns to him. “Why don’t you take Pepper and go on inside? I was just coming out to tell you that I’m headed out for a little bit. I might not be back before you leave for work, so I just wanted to touch base and make sure you were all set before taking off. I ordered you some take-out, and it should be here any minute.”
Brody hands the critter over to Cameron, politely saying, “Thank you for letting me play with him.”
Cameron nods. “I’d say you’re more than welcome to come over and visit with him again if you wanted, but I’m picking up some not-so-good vibes between our fathers.” Then, he turns towards Caleb, “Should I be concerned about bad blood with the next delivery driver as well?”
Caleb puffs out an angry breath through his flared nostrils. “No. You should be fine. This one is just leaving as well.”
“Hey, I amliterallyjust the messenger. You think I wandered over to your place because I was hoping to seeyourface ever again?”
Caleb’s fiery hazel eyes dart over to Brody, and then his jaw ticks when they land back on me. “Though I wouldn’t put it past you, I’m not dredging up the past in front of a child. But mark my words, do not ever step foot on my property again.”
