I gasp. I had no idea. “Is she all right?” I ask.

“He goes there every night to sleep because he says he can’t sleep without her.” He smiles and tips my chin up. “I want us to be like them when we grow up.” He grins.

“I think we already are them,” I say. It’s true. We are. I am not sure I could live without Logan at this point.

He undresses completely and slips between my sheets. I get ready to pull a T-shirt over my head, my back to him when he complains.

“No, leave that off,” he says, his voice gruff. I shrug, turn the lights down but not off, and climb into bed with him. And then he shows me all the reasons why I never want to sleep in a bed away from him ever again. And then he shows me even more reasons when he pulls me into his arms and holds me close all night long.

Logan

I like having her legs spread around me. I like it more than I should. Her arms are wrapped around my waist, and her face rests against my back. I made her wear the helmet, but we’re only going around the corner so I can drop her off at Julliard, so I’m not too worried about getting caught without one. I pull up in front of the building where her first class is located and kill the engine.

“Do you want me to walk with you to class?” I ask as she gets off the bike and unclips the helmet. She holds it out to me and smiles, shaking her head.

“I can find it.” She leans forward and presses her lips to mine. I pull her closer, not ready to give her up yet. She’s looking all fresh faced and excited with her hair up in a ponytail and her backpack slung over her shoulders. She says something against my lips, and I sit back so I can see her face.

Thanks for the ride, she signs.

You’re very welcome. God, she’s so pretty.

She grins and blushes. Thanks for the one last night, too.

I go hard immediately. Be careful, I warn.

Or what? she teases.

I jerk her to me with a quick tug to her scarf, and she laughs. I can feel the quake of her stomach against my hip. I f**king love you so much, I say. I can’t seem to stop telling her.

She rolls her eyes, kisses me quickly and says, I just love it when you get all romantic. I love you, too.

I spin her toward her building and tap her on the ass. I have something I need to take care of this morning. Something really important. She waves at me as she walks away, her fingers barely moving. Then she holds up the I love you sign, and I know my name is written right below it.

I stop at home so that I can shower and change. I want to look nice when I go to her father. I need to explain to him, man-to-man, why Emily isn’t going to be staying at her apartment, or at least not until Trip’s gone. That mark on her neck is inexcusable. It’s like he was trying to brand her, even though she’s mine. And I simply can’t tolerate that. What would have happened if I hadn’t shown up when I did?

Paul is just getting up when I come out of the bathroom. “Glad to see you’re back to normal,” he says, smiling at me over a cup of coffee.

I tell Paul about what happened at the party with the model, about Emily’s father, and about what Trip did just before I got to Emily’s apartment last night.

He shakes his head. “That’s f**ked up,” he says. “What are you going to do?”

I heave a sigh. “I think I have to go and talk to her father. Today.”

He nods. It’s slow but still a nod. He’s hesitant, and I don’t understand why.

“What?” I ask.

“He’s not going to approve no matter what you do. He wants a certain life for her.”

“Emily can’t read,” I blurt out.

Paul spits into his coffee. “What?” he sputters.

“She can read,” I correct. “She knows what letters are and how to spell words, but she has dyslexia. Reading is really, really hard for her. That’s why her father wants her to marry. That’s why he doesn’t want her to have an education and thinks she should just marry some rich douchebag. He doesn’t think she’s worth any more than that.”

“Ouch,” he says. That’s what Paul says when he wants to mull over a tender topic.

“You won’t tell her I told you about not being able to read, will you? She hides it really well.”

He inhales deeply. “I already knew. I’ve seen her read to Hayley.” He looks into my face. “Is that why you spoke to her?” I went eight years without saying a word. And she made me want to talk again.

I nod. “She couldn’t read what I wrote down.”

“You talked to her all along didn’t you?” He smiles, but it’s only a half-smile.

“Pretty much from the day that I met her,” I admit. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” I feel bad now. I went years without speaking. “You guys all made it really easy for me to retreat and not speak since you all learned to sign.”

“You’re f**king deaf, dumbass. What else were we going to do?”

A lot of deaf families never learn sign language. “I’m sorry,” I repeat. “It was easier being quiet.”

“She doesn’t make anything easy for you, does she?”

“What? She makes everything easy for me. I didn’t even choose to talk. It just happened.” I smile. She turns me inside out. “I love her so f**king much.”

“I know you want to be a man about this, but her father’s going to fight you the whole way.”

“I know.” I wish that wasn’t the case. “But I feel like I need to be open with him.”