by Sandi Lynn
“Apparently, it is.” I laughed.
“Whoever would have thought.” She shook her head.
Chapter 40
One Month Later
Ellie
“Happy birthday, sexy.” I grinned as I planted small kisses across his face.
“Thank you. You are the best birthday present ever,” he signed as he kissed my lips.
“I have two presents for you,” I said as I reached over and pulled a small, wrapped box from the nightstand. “Open this one first and then you’ll get your second gift.” I smiled as I reached down and stroked his hard cock.
“Damn, Ellie.” He quickly tore the wrapping off.
He opened the box and pulled out a small card and studied it.
“What’s this? Did you make me an appointment for something?” His brow arched.
“No. That is the date and time of my surgery for a cochlear implant.”
He stared at me for a moment as if he didn’t understand a word I said.
“Ellie. You don’t—” He started to sign.
“Shh.” I placed my hand on his. “I want to. I’ve been thinking about it since that night, and I want it, Henry. I want the implant. I want to hear your voice when you speak to me. I want to hear music, and I want to talk to you on the phone. I want to hear you say our wedding vows, and I want to hear the waves crash against the shoreline. But most importantly, I want to hear our children’s laughter.”
A tear fell down his cheek as I took my finger and gently wiped it away.
“I love you so much, Ellie Scott.”
“I love you too, Henry Walker.”
“You went to the doctor by yourself? I would have gone with you.”
“Don’t be mad at me. Promise.”
“Mad about what?”
“Promise!”
“I promise.”
“Your dad went with me. He found one of the best doctors here in Manhattan and arranged the appointment.”
“Wow. I’m going to have to thank him for doing that for you.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No, sweetheart, not at all. I’m incredibly happy.”
“Good. Now it’s time for your other birthday gift.” The corners of my mouth curved upward as I tore off my nightshirt and climbed on top of him.
Three Months Later
“Are you ready, Ellie?” the audiologist asked as Henry tightly held my hand.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“I’m going to turn it way up and then lower the volume until it’s comfortable for you.”
“Okay,” I spoke as I nodded my head.
My belly was tied in knots, and I was nervous as hell. So nervous that my legs were shaking. I prepped myself for the electrical shock I’d felt the first time I had the implant. But to my surprise, there wasn’t one.
“Oh My God. That’s way too loud,” I said.
“I know. I’m turning it down. How’s this?” she asked.
“Still too loud.”
“Okay. And this. How’s this?”
“That’s okay. Still a little loud, but manageable.”
“You need to remember you haven’t heard a sound in over twenty some years, so anything you hear will initially be loud until you get used to it.”
“Ellie?”
Tears stung my eyes as I heard Henry’s voice. Turning my head, I looked at him.
“You heard me call your name?”
I couldn’t speak because I was filled with so much emotion, so I just nodded my head as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into him.
I had to wait approximately four weeks after my surgery to have my implant turned on since the incision needed to heal first. It was the longest four weeks of my life. It wasn’t easy at first when my implant was turned on. My brain had to relearn all the sounds I’d missed out on since I lost my hearing. I wouldn’t lie and say everything was perfect when we left the audiologist’s office that day, because it wasn’t. I had a lot to overcome and a lot of struggles to get through. I had consistent appointments I needed to attend. But as the weeks went on, and with Henry’s love and support, I made it through just fine. The best part for me was not only being able to hear his voice, but the fact that we didn’t have to sleep with the nightlight on anymore. We could talk in bed without having to sign before we went to sleep, and before I took my device off for the night.
The most surreal part of it all was when I could hear him call my name or talk to me in the distance. I still signed, and so did he because it was a habit. Signing would always be a part of my life, and I wasn’t willing to ever give that up.
Six Months Later
We were at Henry’s parents’ house for dinner and to go over some things for the wedding. I could tell the moment Henry walked through the door he was in a bad mood. Not only was it chaos at the office, but a deal fell through he’d been working on over the past few months.
We were in the living room discussing the wedding cake and the table favors. Henry was a little too involved as far as I was concerned, but I just went with the flow. As he and Lillian were arguing about the flavor of the wedding cake, and what type of frosting should be on it, I turned my device off and smiled. Carlyle saw what I’d done and smiled at me.
“Superpower, sweetheart. Superpower,” he signed.
“Did you just say to her ‘superpower?’” I read Henry’s lips as he looked at his dad. “What do you mean by that? What does he mean?” Henry turned to me, and Carlyle gave me a wink.
Henry stared at me for a moment with a narrowed eye and then started talking but I couldn’t make out what he was saying because it seemed like gibberish.
“I knew it! You turned off your device!” he signed.
I looked at him as I bit down on my bottom lip, and he slowly shook his head at me.
Henry
I stared into the eyes of my beautiful wife as we shared our first dance together as a married couple. It was the happiest day of my life, other than the first time I laid eyes on her in the produce section of the grocery store.
After we celebrated our wedded bliss, we flew off to Paris for a two-week honeymoon. A year and a half later, our son, Theo David Walker was born.
I’d often thought about how my life could have been totally different if I hadn’t walked into that exact grocery store that day. I never would have meet Ellie, and I would most likely still have been living a life of unhappiness and misery. But now, my world and my life were complete. There was nothing between the two of us that was ever left unspoken.
At times, Ellie would secretly turn off her device when she’d heard enough from me. That was her superpower, and as much as it annoyed the hell out of me, I loved her even more. She was my wife, my lover, my best friend, and the reason I smiled every day.
Thank you for reading Unspoken!
Mark your calendars for The Property Brokers, releasing on August 20, 2021!
Grant
Hiring the woman whose virginity I took when she was sixteen was not part of my life plan.
Along with my father, I’m one of the most successful and well-known real estate brokers in the country. My work is the most important thing in my life and my number one priority. I thrive on chaos in which I breathe, eat, and sleep real estate and deals. I work for my father, Myles Roman, at The Roman Group. A multi-billion-dollar real estate property and development company he started twenty years ago. I have a lucrative career, a slew of women with no intention of ever settling down, and status.
My perfect life got turned upside down the day Bella Marcus blew into it. I’d never forgotten her. And the distant memories of our one night together on the beach of Maui, fourteen years ago, still haunted me. When she applied for the job and closed the deal on a piece of property I’d been working on for over a year, I had no choice but to hire her as part of my team. But she wasn’t the shy young girl I’d met in Hawaii all those years ago. She was a gorgeous, strong-willed, independent, and smart woman who might just be t
he death of me.
Myles
My company and my son are the two most important things in my life. After my wife, and his mother, walked out on us twenty years ago, I took that pain, turned it into a purpose, and built a multi-billion-dollar property development and real estate empire. I had it all. Good looks, money, any woman I wanted for a night, and my son. Relationships were off the table for me because I no longer believed in love. I didn’t have time for it, nor did I want it. Then I met Cassandra Peters. She was gorgeous, smart, eccentric, free-spirited, and she knew exactly what she wanted in life. The chemistry between us was undeniable the moment we met, and all the feel-good emotions I buried twenty years ago clawed their way out, tearing down my armor piece by piece.
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Looking for more romance reads about billionaires, second chances and sports? Check out my other romance novels and escape to another world and from the daily grind of life – one book at a time.
Series:
Forever Series
Forever Black (Forever, Book 1)
Forever You (Forever, Book 2)
Forever Us (Forever, Book 3)
Being Julia (Forever, Book 4)
Collin (Forever, Book 5)
A Forever Family (Forever, Book 6)
A Forever Christmas (Holiday short story)
Wyatt Brothers
Love, Lust & A Millionaire (Wyatt Brothers, Book 1)
Love, Lust & Liam (Wyatt Brothers, Book 2)
A Millionaire’s Love
Lie Next To Me (A Millionaire’s Love, Book 1)
When I Lie with You (A Millionaire’s Love, Book 2)
Happened Series
Then You Happened (Happened Series, Book 1)
Then We Happened (Happened Series, Book 2)
Redemption Series
Carter Grayson (Redemption Series, Book 1)
Chase Calloway (Redemption Series, Book 2)
Jamieson Finn (Redemption Series, Book 3)
Damien Prescott (Redemption Series, Book 4)
Interview Series
The Interview: New York & Los Angeles Part 1
The Interview: New York & Los Angeles Part 2
Love Series:
Love In Between (Love Series, Book 1)
The Upside of Love (Love Series, Book 2)
Wolfe Brothers
Elijah Wolfe (Wolfe Brothers, Book 1)
Nathan Wolfe (Wolfe Brothers, Book 2)
Mason Wolfe (Wolfe Brothers, Book 3)
Standalone Books
The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby
His Proposed Deal
The Secret He Holds
The Seduction of Alex Parker
Something About Lorelei
One Night In London
The Exception
Corporate A$$ETS
A Beautiful Sight
The Negotiation
Defense
Playing The Millionaire
#Delete
Behind His Lies
One Night In Paris
Perfectly You
The Escort
The Ring
The Donor
Rewind
Remembering You
When I’m With You
LOGAN (A Hockey Romance)
What If You
Baby Drama
