Page 50 of Prospect Year

Reaching his room, he pushed open the door and grabbed the bag that he kept packed and sitting next to the wall. All in one motion, he stepped back, pulled the door closed, and turned toward Mia’s room.

Her door stood ajar as he eased toward the opening. Taking a moment to study her through the thin crack, he admired the slight curves of her backside as she stood folding clothes and placing them onto the bed. Smiling to himself, he tapped his knuckles on the wooden panel pushing it farther open.

***

Mia jerked, twisting toward the door. She gripped the gown in her hands tight and clenched it to her chest. Lola. He was beaming with pride. Just as he had when she watched him arrive and head straight to Amber to share his news.

“Hey.” He dropped the bag that he still held to the floor and stepped inside the room. “I’m leaving for a few days, but I needed to see you before I head out.”

Mia attempted a smile although she was afraid it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Maybe it was time to face the fact that friends were their limit. She could deal with that. Right?

He began speaking, with both his voice and hands.

Mia’s jaw dropped. Her eyes darted from his face to his hands and back. He could sign. When? How?

“I’m done prospecting.” He grinned and spun, pausing only long enough to emphasize what he meant. “As of this morning, I’m a full fledge brother. We hit the road for a few days to celebrate, and when I return, I’ll finally be available to give you the proper time you deserve. You have no idea how hard it has been to keep my hands off you. The only driving factor was that I could see in my mind getting you in my hold and having to let go to fulfill some minor demand. That would have pissed me off and it wouldn’t have been fair to you. You deserve my full attention.”

His hands fell to his sides.

Her heart felt like a drum, new questions arising with each beat. Was this real? What about Amber? How could she not have felt this from him?

“I’ll let you in on another secret. I have watched you so often and studied your reactions, I think I can pretty well follow your train of thought.”

Mia felt her eyes pop wide. No way he could read her mind like he always teased her. Was she really that transparent?

“You think I’m involved with Amber?” he asked when she glanced toward the door. “Only friends. No,” he corrected, “more like a sister, or as I imagine a sister would be. I saw you on the stairs. And, yes, I did stop to see her first. You want to know why?”

No. It was none of her business. She didn’t need to hear it. Her head moved slowly from side to side.

“Because I wanted your face to be last thing I focus on.” He raised his hands, his palms warm against her cheeks. “And your lips to be last thing I taste.” His lips brushed across hers. “To keep me warm until I return,” he said, his forehead resting against hers.

Mia still clenched the clothing to her chest. She begged her body to move, but it refused.

Carefully, Lola tugged her fingers from the softness twisted in them. He grinned and looked up from her hands. “You’ve been puzzled why I gave Amber jewelry for a Christmas gift.” He stated it rather than asked. “Jewelry is a sure bet to please a woman. A necklace is easy to pick out with no thought. Now, don’t get me wrong, when I buy jewelry for you, it’ll have plenty of thought behind it.”

He popped the wrinkles from the garment he held, the nightgown he had given her. “This,” he began as he folded it, “had much thought. You stay cold. You walk around in those thin pajamas before getting dressed in the mornings. They didn’t look warm. This was to keep you warm at night until I could. And tell me this, how many times have you stripped down and curled up underneath that huge ass scarf thing, thinking about me?”

Heat filled her cheeks and moved down her body. No way he knew that. And she refused to admit it.

He laughed. “I thought so.” His head dropped until his breath brushed across her ear, softly igniting another rush of heat through her body. “I had hoped so.”

He straightened and raised his right hand, palm facing her with the middle and ring finger against his palm, leaving the thumb, index, and pinkie out.

Tears blurred her vision.

His smile faltered. “Did I do that wrong?”

Quickly, she shook her head and raised her hands, signing, “You learned.”

“I’ve been meeting with your speech therapist for quite some time now. I wanted to learn so you could talk to me too.” He cupped her cheek, wiping the single tear as it slipped from the corner of her eye. “Can’t pinpoint when it happened. But it’s true, Mia. My heart is yours.”

“I love you too.” Her words were slow, and her voice was barely a whisper and came out rough against her throat.

The instant the words left her, his mouth crashed down on hers, demanding entrance that she gladly allowed. Tongues dancing and bodies pressed together, his arms tightened around her, lifting until her toes barely touched the floor. He pulled away and spun. Mia tightened her arms around his neck and a breathy, warm sound floated from her, mixing with his laughter. Dropping her feet back to the floor, he stole one more kiss and stepped back. His thumb slid across her chin. With a wink and a promise to return to her, he grabbed his bag and ran down the stairs.

Mia wiggled her fingers in a wave when he glanced back. Then, he was gone. She spun and dropped onto the side of the bed, listening. Seconds later, the loud rumble of engines coming to life vibrated through her. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes.

For the first time, everything felt right. She had been so devastated and angry that her dreams were shattered, and her life plans had fallen apart giving her no new sense of direction. She listened to the low roar fading down the drive. Life had not failed her, it had only given her strength and redirected her. To her new home. Her true future. To Lola.

***

Back on his bike, Lola glanced toward the house. London was right. This place did change lives. He thought he’d have everything he wanted when he earned his patch. He was wrong. He also had been wrong when he stated many times that there was nothing more musical than the sound of a good set of pipes under you. The truth to both of those realizations was inside the house. Mia. He needed her. And the sweetest sound he had ever heard was spoken minutes earlier in a gravelly whisper to his ear. That was for him and only him.

Yeah, prospecting was tough, but finding Mia in the process made the patch twice as sweet.

THE END