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Blake’s eyes sparkle with suppressed laughter, and I give him a gentle shove. “I meant between you and Tadhg.” But now that he’s mentioned it, he and Mia are probably closer in age than most stepmothers and stepsons.
“Stef, are you asking how old I am?” Blake catches my gaze, and I try not to squirm. His laughter should make me uncomfortable, but it actually relaxes me. “For the record, I’m forty-four. And there’s a twelve-year age gap between Tadhg and me, and fourteen between Mia and me. And yeah, it was odd at first, but Mia’s amazing. Right out of the gate, she was incredibly kind and understanding and treated me like an equal. She never tried to mother me. Well, until she became a nurse. Now it’s something she does to everyone. Plus, Tadhg was such a cool little kid.” Blake’s entire body lights up talking about Tadhg, and it’s the sweetest thing. “He was stubborn. So determined to do everything himself. And he had no patience for my dad. Not that I blame him. My dad wasn’t ever going to learn ASL.”
I can’t imagine marrying someone with a Deaf child and not learning the only language they can communicate in. “You don’t talk about your dad much. Is it okay to ask about him?”
Blake scratches his head and nods. “Yeah. We weren’t very close.”
“Weren’t. He’s gone?”
Blake nods. “He died about twelve years ago. He was really sweet and funny, but not great at maintaining relationships. And his love of Irish whiskey didn’t help. He tried, but just didn’t have the attention span, or the sobriety. He and my mother divorced just before my thirteenth birthday, and that started the revolving door of stepmothers.”
“And Mia was one of them.”
Blake’s smile is soft, and his whole body relaxes. “She was. She and Tadhg were the best gift my father ever gave me.”
“And so you learned ASL.” With one last squeeze, I extricate myself from Blake’s arms and walk to my dresser, rummaging to pull an outfit together while he talks.
“I did. I wanted to communicate with this amazing kid. During that first school break, Tadhg would bring me his books and sit in my lap, pointing to pictures and signing the words. He’d correct my signing and laugh when I screwed things up, but he could tell I truly wanted to learn, and I think that sealed the bond between us. When I went back to school, I registered for ASL classes and learned the basics. Over the years, Tadhg’s taught me the real language, the way only someone in the Deaf community can.”
None of what Blake says is surprising. It’s definitely like the Tadhg I know, and I’m discovering it’s very Blake to immerse himself in learning. “So you bonded over books. How fitting.” I drop the sweats to the floor and yank yesterday’s T-shirt over my head. It’s only then I realize I don’t know where we’re going, so I’m not sure how to dress. I turn around to Blake’s hungry gaze.
Warmth fills my chest and I’m tempted to push him onto the mattress and spend the rest of the day finding different ways to make him moan. The idea of Blake naked in my bed has me chubbing up a bit, but I shake off that wonderful idea. I want to get to know Blake outside of the bedroom, not just in it. I point my finger at him. “None of that. We’re going to go do something.”
He nods. “We can. But we can do other things, too.”
When he takes a step toward me, I point to the bed. “Sit.” He doesn’t move, so I raise an eyebrow and point again.
Blake holds up his hands and perches on the edge of the mattress. “Fine. But you’re the one standing there in your boxer briefs and nothing else.”
“I am not.” I thrust them over my hips and step out of them when they hit the floor.
With a groan, Blake scrubs at his face. “Jesus, Stef, I’m only human.”
Laughing, I turn to my dresser, giving him a lovely view of my ass. “What exactly are we doing so I know how to dress?”
After a very loud exhale, Blake clears his throat. “Well, what do you feel like doing?”
“Oh no.” I wag my finger at him. “None of that.” It’s not that I don’t have any ideas. Because I do. I’m full of incredible ideas. But I want this to be an opportunity to learn something about Blake. Maybe even something nobody else knows, though that’s probably asking for a lot. “If you could go anywhere today, if you had no obligations and you didn’t have to be anywhere, where would you go?”
Blake chuckles. “A bookstore.”
I roll my eyes. I should have seen that one coming. “Okay, okay, fair. But if you couldn’t do anything book related, what would you do today?”
Surprisingly, it doesn’t take him any longer to answer the second time. “I’d go to the Volunteer Park Conservatory.”
My brain tries to process the words. “Sorry, what?”
“The Volunteer Park Conservatory. Haven’t you ever been?” I shake my head, and Blake’s eyes go wide. “Oh, Stef, we’re definitely going now. It’s a Victorian-style glass house built in the early 1900s. It’s full of so many unique and beautiful varieties of plants.” I fully turn to face him, and he groans again, closing his eyes. “If you want to leave this room anytime soon please put on some clothes. Otherwise, you can’t blame me for hauling you off your feet and onto this bed.”
It’s an incredibly enticing offer, but he’s piqued my curiosity, and I want to see this conservatory. “You are the sexiest man I’ve ever met. But as much as I love having you naked, I need to see this place.” I turn back to my dresser and frown. If we’re going to a conservatory, nothing in there will do. I walk to my closet and flip through the hangars, examine my clothing options. “So, you’re really into plants?” That doesn’t seem likely, given I haven’t seen all that many around Blake’s house. The outside is landscaped, but not in any kind of unique way.
“Yes and no. I like plants well enough, and flowers are nice. But that’s not why I love it there. It’s so calming. I enjoy walking around, letting my mind wander.”
His enthusiasm is charming, and anything that soothes him and gets him out of work-mode is high on my list of approved places. “I want to go there.”
“Really? It wouldn’t bore you?”
Anger flares in my chest.Someonein Blake’s past stomped all over his joy and told him a thing he loves is boring. I want five minutes with whoever that is, so I can give them a piece of my mind. Maybe bitch-slap them, though I’m not typically a violent person. I hate when people yuck on someone else’s yum.
