Page 19 of Saving You

‘No one ever said life was fair,’ Oz countered.

“Not here, Osric,” came a stern voice. A woman appeared who looked startlingly like Oz, except she had neatly styled hair with blonde highlights that helped blend her greys. She was very much the CEO type Grady had been talking about, with her button-up blouse and scarf tied at the neck. “Please tell me you didn’t bring one of your little…hearing-impaired friends to Sarah’s party.”

Ridge and Oz both visibly flinched at the term, and Ridge stared at Oz, waiting to see if he was going to say something. It was clear he’d been dealing with that most of his life.

“This is Ridge,” Oz began.

“He works with me at the station,” Grady added.

“My daughter’s Deaf,” Ridge said, pushing to his feet. He didn’t bother sticking out his hand to shake hers. He had a feeling she wouldn’t take it anyway.

She lifted a brow. “Oh. Have you considered implants for?—”

“She has them,” Ridge said stiffly. It was a decision he wasn’t sure if he regretted or not. The guilt he felt for making the choice for her before she was old enough weighed heavily on him to this day.

Oz’s mom frowned. “But you’re signing.”

“Someparents of Deaf kids do that,” Oz muttered.

‘I started learning as soon as I knew. And she communicates better in ASL,’ Ridge answered her on his hands. He felt a little rush when he saw Oz hide a smile. “And every single study shows that early access to language as well as letting the child decide how much access to hearing they want allows them to grow up a more balanced and successful human being.”

“Well, we don’t speak…that…around here,” she said.

“Shame,” Ridge said. “Anyway, nice to meet you.” He raised his hands again and signed to Oz, ‘Pretend to show me to the bathroom?’

Oz nodded and jutted his chin toward the back door before leading the way through it. Ridge followed in silence, wondering if he was committing some faux pas by going into the house with his dirty shoes on, but he realized he didn’t give much of a shit. He needed out of there before he said something he was going to regret.

Oz didn’t stop until they were at a doorway, which, when it opened, he noticed wasn’t a bathroom at all. It was a guest room with a big four-poster bed and a matching dresser. Ridge stepped in after him, and then the door closed with a soft click.

“You can leave if you want,” Oz told him aloud. “There’s no reason for you to stick around and listen to her spout bullshit about your daughter.”

Ridge frowned. “Is that what you want?”

“I want to go back in time and tell my mom I wasn’t going to show up for this fucking party. Then I want to have the balls to tell my sister that she’s not the person I thought she’d grow up to be.” His voice was tense and thick with emotion, and Ridge wanted to hug him.

‘I’m sorry,’ Ridge signed.

Oz scoffed and shook his head. “I shouldn’t have asked you to come here. This is why I never invite anyone. It makes me feel pathetic that I can’t stand up to her.”

“I get it,” Ridge said, taking a step closer. The pain in Oz’s voice was a little too much, and he cracked, opening his arms.

For a beat, Oz stared at him like he was engaging in some alien ritual, and then his shoulders sagged, and he stepped into Ridge’s embrace. He felt Oz shudder, then relax fully before going tense again and pulling back like Ridge’s chest was on fire.

‘Thank you,’ Oz signed stiffly, and before Ridge could say or do anything else, he turned on his heel and darted out the door.

Letting out a breath, Ridge turned in a half circle and studied the room. It was fairly nondescript. It looked like something his grandmother would put together with the soft, pastel florals and the ruffly skirt thing that went around the bottom edge of the bed.

And then something caught his eye. There was a bookshelf against the wall near the window with a single potted fern at the top, mostly books weighing down the shelves, and several picture frames. He walked over and leaned close.

The photos were all of Oz and a woman Ridge didn’t recognize. She was very blonde, almost as tall as Oz, and very pretty. They were smiling in every photo, but the smile never reached Oz’s eyes. He had a great poker face, Ridge noticed, but knowing the man for even a short time, it was easy to see he was putting on a mask.

“That’s his girlfriend,” came a voice from behind.

Ridge startled and spun, eyes going wide when he saw Grady’s wife. He’d met her a handful of times at the station, but he’d never spent any real time with her. And now that he’d seen what Oz’s family had put him through, he didn’t like her much.

“Does he have a girlfriend?” Ridge asked.

Alora rolled her eyes. “He’ll tell you no, but he and Darcy have been on and off since college. They’re definitely meant to be.”

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