After what had happened with Craig, Alana never thought she'd be attracted to a man who had the same focus on building muscles as her ex. All it had taken was for Justin to be nice to her son and she was ready to ignore everything else. Stupid. Yeah, that's what she was. Stupid. She needed to pull her focus back to the reason she was there and ignore the muscled man sitting across the table from her.
"Can I give you and Caden a ride home?" Justin asked when they had finished their lesson for the evening.
It was tempting—oh, so tempting—but given how her emotions and thoughts were already running, taking him up on his offer would definitely be the wrong move right then. "Thanks, but we're fine."
"Are you sure? It's no trouble," Justin said, his head bent as he looked down at her, his gaze intent.
"I'm sure." Alana was glad right then that Caden couldn't hear their conversation. No doubt he would have been trying to convince her to reconsider. He liked Justin's truck almost as much as he liked Justin.
Apparently Justin realized she wasn't going to change her mind, so he straightened and stepped back. After saying good-bye to Caden and Genevieve, he gave Beth a hug, shook Daniel's hand and left.
Once he was gone, Alana got Caden's attention and signed that they were leaving. As he guided Genevieve to pick up the blocks they'd been playing with, Alana helped Beth clean up in the kitchen.
"I'm glad Justin agreed to learn sign language with us," Beth said as she put the leftovers into a plastic container. "I figured he would come around once he had some time to adjust to the idea."
Alana put the glasses into the dishwasher. "He does realize he'll actually have to use his hands at some point, right?"
"Yeah." Beth smiled. "This is just how he processes stuff. He studies things to get a grasp on them before jumping into anything." Her expression turned serious as she looked at Alana. "He told me about what went down on Saturday."
Alana couldn't help but lift a brow at her revelation. "Really?"
Beth nodded. "I'm really sorry about what happened. I should have known he'd do something like that. He's been responsible for me since I was thirteen and he was just twenty-three. It's a hard habit for him to break."
"I'm not sure why he thought I was a threat."
"Justin suspects the worst of pretty much everyone. He even felt that way about Daniel, and he works for the FBI." Beth gave her a rueful smile. "I hope you won't hold it against him too much. He was thinking of me and Genevieve and made a mistake. He knows that now."
Alana nodded. "Did he tell you about what he found when he did the search on me?"
Beth shook her head. "I didn't ask, and he didn't volunteer. I figure if you want me to know anything, you'll tell me."
"And Daniel?"
Beth shrugged. "I don't know what he knows either. Maybe it seems naive or like I have my head stuck in the sand, but I know that with those two in my life, I'll be safe. If either of them were truly concerned, they would have said something."
Alana wondered what that must be like. For Beth to be so confident of Daniel and Justin's ability to keep her safe. She had a feeling either man would lay down their life for Beth and Genevieve. There had never been anyone in her life who would have done that for her and Caden. Her heart clenched at the thought.
It wasn't her role to be protected. It was her role to protect, and she would do it until her very last breath. She swallowed and straightened her shoulders, giving Beth a smile. "No harm done."
"He really is a good man. Just a little intense at times. He was always a bit that way, but after the majority of our family was murdered, he took it to an all-new level."
Alana felt her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Murdered?"
"Yeah. We were all out at our family cabin—well, except for Justin and our cousin Marcus. Justin was in Afghanistan, and Marcus was here at his business."
Sensing this was a difficult thing for Beth to talk about, Alana held up her hand. "You don't have to tell me."
Beth lifted a shoulder. "I just want you to understand why Justin is so protective of me. My uncle—Marcus’s dad—went completely nuts and shot all the family members that were at the cabin."
"Except you?"
"Me and my cousin, Meredith. We were up in the attic talking about boys and stuff like that. When we heard the noise, we actually thought it was firecrackers or a movie. We came downstairs to see what was going on and walked into the room in time to see my uncle kill himself."
Alana covered her mouth with her hand. Though she'd known it was only Beth and Justin, she hadn't imagined the circumstances under which her friend had lost the rest of her family. "I would never have guessed."
"Lots of counseling helped. I've been able to deal with it a lot better than my cousin. I suppose that was because in addition to seeing her father kill himself, she also lost her twin brother. "
Well, if nothing else, Beth's revelation explained so much about Justin and what he'd done. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Thanks. It was an absolutely horrible time, but thankfully I had Justin and friends at church who helped us out. It wasn't easy for Justin to step into the parent role either. The military discharged him so he could take care of me. Thankfully, Marcus gave him a job at BlackThorpe. More than anyone, Marcus understood when Justin needed time off. I mean, Marcus was dealing with the same thing with his own sister." Beth ran water over a cloth and wrung it out before gliding it across the counter. "Sometimes I feel like I've worked through it better than Justin. He really doesn't seem to have much of a life outside his job or any friends. And after he broke up with his last girlfriend over a year ago, he's never bothered to see anyone else. At least, not that I'm aware of. That was one of the reasons I worried about telling him about Genevieve's diagnosis. I had a good idea of how he'd react and, sure enough, that's pretty much how it's gone down."
"It seems he's coming around now," Alana said. "I think you and Genevieve are too important for him to not get on board."
Beth nodded. "I hope so. I just keep praying that he'll get to the point where he can relax and enjoy life."
Alana understood the responsibility Justin felt with regards to Beth. It was similar to what she felt for Caden. He had no one else to take care of him, so it fell on her shoulders. It was hard to not have it consume her life, and she didn't have the added pressure of trying to help him through such a traumatic event like Justin had with Beth. She guessed the difference in how they'd responded to that responsibility was that she was determined to give Caden as much of a "normal" childhood as she could in spite of everything.
"It's interesting," Beth began as she continued to wipe down the counter, "that even though Justin has always said he didn't want children, he seems to be most at ease with them. First it was with Genevieve and then tonight seeing him smile at Caden did my heart good. There may be hope for him yet."
Alana lifted a couple of containers so Beth could wipe underneath them. "I'm afraid Caden has developed a bit of hero worship for your brother."
Beth's brow furrowed. "I hope you don't think that's a bad thing. He really is a good man. He would never do anything to hurt Caden."
Despite having her own negative thoughts toward the man, Alana found that she believed Beth when it came to her son. "I just hope Caden doesn't annoy him."
"Though it may not be obvious, Justin has endless patience. I sincerely doubt that Caden could do anything to bother him." Beth pushed two plastic containers with food in them toward her. "Can you guys make use of these leftovers? I doubt they'll get eaten here. I made way too much food this time around."
"Oh, I'm sure we could. It was delicious. Are you sure?"
Beth pulled out a plastic bag and put the containers in it and held the handles toward Alana. "I'm sure. If it stays here, I'll just end up throwing it out, and that's just wasteful."
"Thank you. I'll bring the containers back the next time we come over."
After gathering up their things, she and Caden headed out to
grab their bus home. Their ride consisted of a lot of questions and observations by Caden, mostly centered on Justin. Alana had mixed feelings about the information she'd gotten from Beth about her brother. On one hand, she was glad for a bit more insight into the man who had so captivated her son. However, she knew that the understanding that had come because of Beth's revelations made her vulnerable to Justin.
Surely she wouldn't be that stupid again. Not that it would matter. She had a feeling that even if she did fall for Justin, he'd never feel the same way about her since he didn't seem to be in the market for something serious, and that was all she'd consider. She just needed to keep her distance and focus on why she was in his life to begin with.
That was easier said than done though, when, shortly after she'd gotten Caden tucked into bed, her cell phone rang. She stared at the number for a moment before tapping the screen to accept the call.
"Alana? This is Justin."
She pressed a hand to her stomach. She did not just get butterflies. "Hi, Justin. What can I do for you?"
There was a bit of a pause before he spoke again, his words measured. "I understand now the importance of learning sign language in order to communicate with Genevieve." Another pause. "But what I said about languages not being my thing is true. I wondered if I might make a deal with you."
"A deal? What sort of deal?"
He paused again, but Alana suspected it wasn't because he was at a loss for words but more that he was trying to figure out the best way to present his deal. "I think I could probably benefit from additional lessons apart from the ones with Beth and Daniel. I would be willing to pay you for those lessons or if you're interested, I could teach you something in return."
Alana took the phone from her ear and looked at it for a moment. "Teach me something?"
“Well, uh...given what I know of your past..." Another pause, but this time it felt more awkward than the previous ones. "Um...if you were interested, I could teach you some self-defense and even how to shoot."
"Shooting? As in a gun?" Alana sank down on her day bed and tucked her feet up under her.
"Yes. As in a gun. BlackThorpe has a shooting range, and I could give you some lessons if you'd like."
The idea of learning to defend herself and even shoot a weapon held a strange appeal. And yet she knew it wouldn't have saved her from the situation she'd ended up in with Craig. But part of taking care of Caden was protecting both of them. Learning self-defense could be a good thing. Shooting wouldn't be much use since she couldn't afford to buy a gun.
"So? What do you think?"
"I can give you lessons without payment or you having to do anything in return," Alana said. When it came to teaching people sign language, she just couldn't bring herself to charge. It wasn't usually something people were learning just for kicks. For the most part, the people she came in contact with had to learn because they wanted to be able to communicate with someone special to them.
"I would prefer to think of it as an exchange of services. You can teach me something I need to learn, and I can teach you something every woman should know."
She should say no. She needed to keep her distance from a man like Justin. A man like the one who had ruled her life for far too many years already.
But Justin isn't like that.
Alana pressed her fingers to the spot right between her eyebrows. Common sense screamed at her to say no. But then she thought of how Justin held Genevieve and of how he'd smiled at Caden earlier. Teaching Justin sign language would mean that her son could communicate with his hero.
"Alana?" Justin's voice rumbled in her ear.
Realizing her pause had lasted longer than all of his put together, she said, "I'm here. Just thinking."
"What's to think about?" Justin seemed genuinely puzzled about why she wasn't jumping to take him up on his offer. "It's mutually beneficial. We each get something we need."
Of course, he didn't have the pitfalls in front of him that she did. After having a man in her life who used and abused her, to come in contact with one so protective of those he loved was like a breath of fresh air. And it tugged at her, made her long for things she had no right to. She wondered what it would be like to be loved by a man as protective and caring as Justin. Even though he had hurt her during their meal together, she understood more of why he'd done what he had. And he had apologized for what he did.
"Okay. I guess when you put it that way it really is a no-brainer." Alana pulled her knees up and wrapped an arm around them.
"Exactly." Justin's voice rang with confidence.
Too bad all she could see ahead was possible heartache. She cleared her throat. "How did you see this working? I don't really have anyone I can leave Caden with for any length of time."
"Not a problem. You can bring him along. We can meet at the BlackThorpe offices for the self-defense stuff. They have a full gym there we can utilize. Then we can go back to my place or yours or even stay there at BlackThorpe, and you and Caden can teach me sign language."
It all sounded so simple. Obviously, in Justin's eyes it was. If she could only keep it that way in her perspective as well. Having Caden there would help. He'd be a distraction, but with his serious case of hero-worship, spending even more time with Justin might not be a good thing.
"If you want to come by tomorrow afternoon, I can show you around so you know what I'm talking about."
Alana scooted to the edge of the bed and grabbed the notebook and pen she kept on the small table beside it. "Can you give me the address?" She scribbled the information down as Justin recited it, hoping there was a fairly direct bus route. "I can be there around two. If that works for you."
"That would be fine," Justin said. "I know I've offered already and you've turned me down, so I'm going to just lay this out there and say if you ever need a ride, just call me."
"Okay. Thank you." After the call had ended, Alana slid off the daybed and went through the motions of getting ready for bed. Her thoughts, however, were on what the next day held.
~*~*~
Justin made sure he arrived early for the staff meeting the next morning. He settled into a seat at the large boardroom table and glanced at the man sitting next to him.
"No word from the lovely Lindsay?" Justin asked.
Than scowled at him. "It's only been three days. I'm sure she'll call soon."
They'd spent more time talking than sparring when Than had come to the compound on Saturday. He felt a bit sorry for the man, but Justin figured things would work out for Than and Lindsay. However, he wasn't really great at understanding women himself, so what did he know?
Marcus and Alex walked into the room, and the conversations around the table faded out. Though they were partners, Marcus usually took control of the meetings and today was no different.
"Before we start, I believe you had something you wanted to share, Trent?"
Justin glanced across the table at the man seated beside Eric. He had a large grin on his face as he nodded.
"Yep. Victoria and I are getting married, and you're all invited."
"You two finally picked a date?" Than asked, sitting forward, his own romantic woes apparently temporarily set aside.
Trent nodded. "Yep. We finally just put all potential dates into a bowl and pulled one out."
"Seriously?" Adrianne asked, a skeptical look on her face.
"Yeah, seriously. We've been having a hard time settling on a date, so this just seemed the easiest way. It's nothing fancy and will be rather small, but I would like you all to be there if you're available."
Justin made note of the date on the calendar on his phone as Trent gave them the particulars.
"Well, congratulations to you both once again, Trent," Marcus said, a rare smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "I will clear my schedule to make sure I can make it."
"Thanks, Marcus."
Justin looked at the people seated around the table. Two down now with both Trent and Eric tying the knot. Something tol
d him Than wasn't going to be too far behind. That left the three Thorpes, he and Marcus. He supposed it wasn't so surprising that people were dropping like flies in the romance department given their ages ranging from late twenties to late thirties. Prime marrying age. If he had to make a guess, Justin figured the next one to go was likely to be either Adrianne or Melanie Thorpe. Eventually, it was going to be just him and Marcus.
Justin pulled his thoughts from that direction as Marcus guided the meeting to the business topics on the agenda. Thankfully, things moved fairly quickly, and soon Marcus was tying things up.
"Justin, can I speak with you before you head back to the compound?" Marcus asked.
Now what?
Justin nodded his agreement then stood with the others. He spoke briefly with Alex and Melanie before he left the board room and made his way to Marcus's office. Might as well get it over with.
"Marc. What's up?" Justin said as he walked into the office.
Marcus looked up from the papers he was studying. He pointed his pen at the chair across the desk. Though Marcus was his boss and had four years on him, it still rankled Justin when he did stuff like that. But he sat anyway. Stretching his legs out, he interlaced his fingers across his stomach and looked at Marcus.
"So I spoke to Beth the other day."
"Yes, she mentioned that."
"I'm sorry to hear about what's happened with Genevieve. How are Beth and Daniel doing?"
"As well as can be expected, I suppose. They're in the process of learning sign language and doing what they can to adapt to the diagnosis and what it means for them."
Marcus's blue gaze was piercing as he looked at him. "Is there anything at all that can be done? Do they need money for tests or treatments?"
Justin shook his head. "They've gotten several different opinions, apparently. Dan gave me copies of the tests they've done and the results. I did some research using that information and everything I've read indicates it's a permanent condition."
Marcus's brows drew together. "Do they know what caused it? Is it hereditary?"
"No, it doesn't appear to be genetic. For now the cause of the hearing loss is unknown."
Signs of Love Page 9
