Silent Love(12)

The sympathy in his eyes she loathed. She didn't want anyone to feel  sorry for her. She just wanted her hearing and her life back to normal.

"I wish I could say that I understood, Beth, but that would be  trivializing your pain and I won't do that. You may not be able to hear  me, but understand that when I say the words, I say them with every  ounce of meaning and being behind them." He stood upright, took her hand  and placed it against his throat. "My tone is deep with a hint of rasp  to it. I tend to be sharp when I speak with people, but with you I lose  that and soften and gush like a fool." He grinned. "You're the only  woman who's ever done that to me."

She stared at him for a long time, absorbing his empathic declaration.  Flinging her arms around his neck, she sobbed into his bare, hard chest.  His protective arms wrapped around her tiny body and held her for as  long as she needed. Never had a man given her the gift Sean just had or  had been willing to break through to her.

"I love you," she said softly. There was no question, she was in love with him.

Sean pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head. Without hearing him, she knew he returned the sentiment.





9





A crowded Friday night restaurant was not a place Beth frequented.  Patrons bumping into her without apologizing, a forty-five minute wait,  and zero seating at the bar. But that didn't stop Ryan from muscling his  way through the crowd and more or less kicking a group of early  twenty-something year olds out of their way. Well the guys grumbled, the  girls swooned. All that managed to do was open up one bar stool, and  Ryan insisted that she sit while he hovered protectively beside her, one  arm wrapped around the back of her chair with his right leg propped up  on the rim.

Immediately the female bartender was all over him.

"What do you want to drink, Beth?" he asked.

"What are you having?"

"I'll take a Guinness draft," he ordered with a flirtatious wink. He refocused on Beth. "Go ahead, sweetheart."

Sweetheart?

"I'll take a margarita on the rocks," she said.

"Do you want an appetizer," Ryan asked while the bartender rushed off to make her drink.

"I should probably eat something. I'm a bit of a lightweight," she admitted.

He grinned. "That's a good thing. Nothing worse than a drunk girl."

Snatching a menu off a passing hostess, Ryan handed it to Beth.

"Is there anything you want?" she asked.

"I'll eat anything, honey."

The bartender set his draft down in front of him. A minute later, her  drink sat in front of her. Ryan picked up his beer and clinked her  glass. "To the most beautiful woman my brother has had the fortune of  snagging."         

     



 

She felt her face flush but sipped to his toast.

"You're adorable when you blush," he said.

"I hate it," Beth admitted. She'd always turned beet red when  embarrassed. There was never a time in her life when she was able to  play it cool. Her face, neck, and chest always lit up like Rudolf's  nose.

They ordered two appetizers and while they waited they made small,  comfortable conversation. The entire time Beth had to keep a close eye  on Ryan's mouth because he was difficult to read. Unlike Sean who  apparently enunciated every word he spoke, Ryan tended to rush his words  together. She found herself asking "what" often and felt mortified.

"You're having a hard time reading my lips," he said.

She shook her head. "It's not you. Everyone speaks differently. Some I can read perfectly, some I have a hard time."

"I took a sign language course in high school. I should brush up on it," he said.

"I'm terrible at it. I just can't grasp it."

"That's because you have no one to practice with. Tell you what, why  don't we take a course together," he said. His eyes lit up with what he  clearly perceived as a great plan. But that would entail her  relationship with Sean taking on an entirely different vibe. A family  vibe. Was she ready for that type of commitment? "Hey," he interrupted  her panicked thoughts with a grasp of her chin. Apparently Ryan read her  as well as his brother did. "Don't over think. It's just a class that  you're taking with someone who needs to brush up on his sign language.  I'm a friend who's helping you, and you're keeping me company from  getting hit on by the women in the class."

She burst out laughing. God, it must be nice to live in his egomaniac mind.

He leaned over and kissed her on top of the head. "It's settled. I'll look for a class for us to take together."

Shortly after that was determined, they were escorted to their table  where Ryan held out the chair for her to sit just like Sean had done  every time they were out together. Their gentlemanly mannerisms  astounded her. They held such an old fashion style. Holding car doors  open and shutting her in when she was seated, grabbing heavy bags from  her grasp, lending her a hand if she was in heels and descended steps,  making certain she had enough to eat, and always asking if they could  get her anything when they went to the supermarket. She wasn't used to  that type of fawning behavior but quickly found herself adapting to  Sean's. Clearly Ryan mirrored his brother in those aspects as well.

Dinner with Ryan turned out to be better than she expected. He was  relaxed, light-hearted with a killer smile, and quite amusing. She felt  as if she had dinner with a good friend rather than Sean's brother.  There was never a time he made it seem as if he were feeling her out.  They were two people, who both happened to love Sean, enjoying a night  out together.

Ryan also spilled a lot of stories that Sean would probably never want  her to know. Like how they both beat up and hog-tied the boy who took  their cousin's virginity in high school. He barely contained his  laughter while telling that tale. From the stories he confessed, many of  them surrounded their cousin Courtney, who Sean also mentioned  frequently. Beth hadn't met the woman yet, but frankly, she was somewhat  relieved she hadn't. Her impression of their cousin and her husband was  they were a very powerful couple who were extremely important to both  brothers. Though she couldn't wait to meet their children that both men  were godfathers to.

After dinner when Ryan drove her back to her house, Beth wholly believed  getting close to Sean's brother meant cementing their relationship as a  couple. That frightened the hell out of her.

When Ryan did a walk through of her house, again taking a page from his  brother's book, he kissed her goodnight on the cheek. "We'll do dinner  again tomorrow," he insisted.

She went to argue, but he brushed her off with a dismissive wave. "Won't  hear the word no from you, Beth. Just like Sean in that way. Get used  to it. You'll be my new best buddy."

"Buddy?" She giggled.

"Buddy." He nodded then slipped out the front door.

A half an hour later, she still found herself chuckling over Ryan. She  had a feeling his shenanigans would be something worth seeing first  hand.







Sean stood in the kitchen, cup of coffee in hand, newspaper laid out  over the island, and waited for his brother to return home from the date  with his girlfriend. He snorted to himself. Never thought there'd be a  day when that occurred.

Ryan was already fifteen minutes later than what Sean calculated his  brother should have returned. Unfortunately, Beth wouldn't be with him  because he was supposed to work the nightshift.

The front door opened and closed. A minute later his brother sauntered into the kitchen. "What are you doing home?"         

     



 

"Too many on tonight and it was slow. I was first out," Sean answered.

"Lucky bastard," Ryan mumbled. "Never happens to me." He stepped over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup.

"How was dinner?" Sean asked. He hoped his edginess didn't stream through.

Ryan chuckled. "You mean how was Beth?"

Damn it. His brother saw right through him. All evening Sean worried his  brother and girlfriend might not get along. He needed them to bond. If  his relationship with Beth went further, he needed her to accept the  idea of moving in with him and his brother as sort of a package deal.

"Hey," Ryan barked at him to grab his attention. "She's terrific, Sean,"  he said softly. "No, I take that back. She's perfect." He smiled and  shook his head. "She's perfect for you. I'm actually jealous that you  got her."

"You wouldn't know what to do with her." Sean jerked his brother's chain.

Ryan snorted. "True."

"Did you get along?"

"Yes, we did. I even convinced her to take sign language classes with  me, and we're going to dinner tomorrow again," Ryan answered.

"I should take classes too," he said quickly. "Good idea."

Shrugging, Ryan said, "I took them in high school, remember? I told her I  should brush up and that I'd go with her since she's self conscious and  has had trouble learning."