Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Ellie
I’d just finished putting some curls in my hair when my phone lit up with a text message from Henry.
“Hi. I’m here.”
My belly started to flutter, and my heart started to pick up in beats. I shouldn’t have been so nervous, but I was. Both nervous and excited. I unlocked the door and when I opened it, I saw Henry standing there holding a bouquet of white lilies.
“For you.” He smiled as he held them out to me.
“Thank you,” I signed. “They’re beautiful.”
I took the flowers and grabbed a large vase from the cabinet.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” he signed.
I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as my heart beat out of my chest.
“Thank you,” I signed as I bashfully grinned.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my door open, and my mom walked in. Somehow, I knew she’d come up. I never should have told her what time Henry was picking me up.
“You must be Henry? I’m Dani Scott, Ellie’s mother,” she spoke and signed to him.
“Hello, Mrs. Scott. It’s nice to meet you.” He smiled as he extended his hand to her.
“It’s nice to meet you as well.”
When she turned and looked at me, she noticed the irritation on my face.
“I was just—Oh hell, I came up here because I wanted to meet him. Is that such a crime?”
I was humiliated as I looked at Henry and he laughed.
“I’m happy you did, Mrs. Scott.”
“Please, call me Dani. Ellie told me about your sister, and that’s why you learned to sign. I’m so sorry for your loss, Henry.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Well, I guess I better get going. Have fun, you two.” She smiled as she walked out the door.
I placed my hand over my face in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” I signed. “She can be really nosey sometimes.”
“Don’t be. I think she’s great. Are you ready?”
I held up my finger at him to wait while I grabbed my purse. As we walked out the door, he held his arm out to me, and I happily wrapped my hand around it.
Henry
She was even more beautiful than she was the other day, and I didn’t think that was possible. The moment we stepped into the gallery, Frankie smiled, excused himself from a customer, and walked over to where we stood.
“Hey, bro.” He gave me a light hug.
“Frankie, I’d like you to meet Ellie. Ellie, this is one of my best friends, Frankie,” I signed.
She gave him a bright smile as she signed.
“It’s nice to meet you, Frankie,” I spoke for her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Ellie.” He extended his hand, and she lightly shook it. “H-E-N-R-Y T-O-L-D M-E Y-O-U?—”
“Dude, stop. That’s rude. You can talk normally,” I said as I signed, and Ellie laughed lightly.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never had a conversation with a?—”
Ellie smiled and placed her hand on his arm for a moment.
“It’s okay. I know it can be difficult,” I interpreted for her.
“Where’s Ben?” I asked Frankie.
“Oh shit. I forgot to tell you. He texted me earlier to say he couldn’t make it. His mom is sick, so he had to go over to her place and bring her a few things from the store.”
“I hope she’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah. Me too. Ellie, Henry told me you’re a website designer.”
“Yes, I am,” I interpreted for her.
“I’m looking for someone to redesign the website for the gallery. Can you give me a quote?”
“She said she’d be happy to,” I spoke.
She reached into her purse, pulled out one of her business cards, and handed it to him.
“Email me the link to your site and what kind of design you’re thinking, and I’ll take a look.”
“Awesome. I’ll do that over the weekend.” Frankie smiled.
After a couple of hours of talking with Frankie, walking around the gallery, and looking at all the artwork and displays, it was time for us to leave.
“This pizza place around the corner makes an amazing deep dish. Shall we?” I held out my arm to her.
The corners of her mouth curved upward as she gave me a nod and wrapped her arm around mine.
During dinner, we talked about many things. She told me about her family, her father’s passing, and how close she and her mom were. We talked about Abigail and the relationship I had with her. I rarely talked about her because, to this day, I still missed her, and it was hard. But with Ellie, I wanted her to know all about Abigail and what a beautiful person she was.
After we finished eating, I hailed us a cab since I’d told Christian to take the rest of the night off.
“Would you like to come up?” she signed.
I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but I wasn’t ready to let the evening end. When we stepped inside her apartment, she turned on the lights and set her purse down.
“I want to show you something,” she signed.
Grabbing my hand, she led me down the hall and opened the door to a room on the right. When she turned on the lights, an array of artwork sat up against the walls, and a piece in progress sat on an easel next to the window.
I looked at her with a smile. “This is your work?”
The corners of her mouth curved upward as she nodded her head.
“They’re beautiful,” I signed as I walked around the small room.
“Thank you.”
My eye caught the attention of one painting that sat in the corner. It was of the ocean with a beautiful sunset glistening over the water and a woman with long blonde hair standing at the shoreline.
“Is this you?” I pointed to the woman in the painting.
The smile on her face grew wide.
“I love the ocean, and my dream is to one day live in a house on the beach and watch the sunrise and sunset over the water every day,” she signed.
“That’s a beautiful dream, Ellie.”
I stood in front of her and placed my hand on her cheek as our eyes stared into each other. This woman had captured my heart in so many ways that it frightened me. Taking my finger, I softly ran it across her lips. I couldn’t hold back any longer, and I needed to feel her mouth against mine. The look in her eyes told me she wanted me to, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop if I did. The urge consumed me, and I couldn’t stop myself no matter how hard I tried. Leaning in, I brushed my lips against hers. The magic I felt was indescribable. Her lips parted, and our tongues met with gratification. The soft kiss I desired instantly turned passionate as my hand wrapped around the nape of her neck. My cock rapidly rose, and I needed to stop before things got out of control. As much as I wanted to take her to bed, I couldn’t. I broke our kiss and placed my forehead against hers for a moment, trying to calm my heavy breathing rate.
“I should go,” I signed.
“You don’t have to,” she signed back as her eyes pleaded with me to stay.
“I’m sorry, Ellie. I can’t stay. Not yet, anyway. I’ll text you. Okay?”
She gave me a nod as disappointment filled her eyes. Turning around, I headed out of the room and stopped dead in my tracks when I heard her voice.
“Goodnight, Henry.”
Slowly turning around, I stared at her for a moment. Walking over to where she stood, I placed my hands on each side of her face and pressed my lips against hers. I broke our kiss and held her face in my hands while I gazed into her beautiful green eyes.
“Why am I just hearing your voice now?”
“Because I need to feel comfortable with someone before I let them hear me speak,” she said. “And I feel comfortable with you.”
I swallowed hard as I pulled her into me and held her head against my chest. Hearing her speak and say my name was surreal. I didn’t think she could be any more perfect than she already was.
“You better go,” she spoke in my ear.
I closed my eyes and tightened my grip around her before letting her go.
“Thank you,” I signed as I gave her a smile. “You have a beautiful voice.”
She reached up and kissed my cheek as she placed her hand on my chest.
“Go, Henry. Before I make you stay.” She smiled.
“I’ll text you,” I signed.
I climbed into the back of a cab and let out a deep breath. I knew exactly what I had to do. I couldn’t marry Kirsten, and she and my parents would have to understand that. Shit was about to hit the fan, and I didn’t care.