Page 12 of Interpreter

Hayes springs up from his lounge chair and glares at Kane. “Why doesn’t she play with me?”

Theo winks at Cade who just shakes his head. Bianca, Hayes’s everything, has not been playing pool with Kane. Sure, they’re friends, but Bianca’s loyalty is 100 percent allocated to the one and only Connor Hayes—even if she might want to smother him every now and again.

“Are you serious?” Hayes says, signing to Theo, his eyes wide and glazed over from the alcohol.

Theo mouths “Gullible,” and it gets a laugh out of me.

Most of the time Hayes is far beyond gullible, but for some reason the fucker is insecure when it comes to Bianca. It’s like he expects her to leave him at any moment. Honestly, she’s not going anywhere. Not only because she’s on probation but because she loves the shit out of this man. So much so that she went to jail to be worthy of him.

Theo ignores Hayes’s glare and keeps going, doing what he does best: adding comedic relief to our tribe of brokenness. It’s been a long month. Anniston wasn’t wrong about that. Ihavebeen a zombie around here, and in turn, it has affected my entire family. All of them have been walking on eggshells and keeping quiet like if they all suffer with me it will make things better somehow. Not that it has. Really, I just want things to stay the same. I don’t want my family to feel like they need to sign more and speak less, like they have been. I don’t want them thinking they can’t laugh or enjoy the cute moments Aspen brings us.

I’ve been the downer in this tribe, and I hate myself for it. Maybe that’s why I agreed with Dr. Parker earlier. He’s right. I haven’t moved on, and because of that, my family hasn’t either. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that my family means everything to me. They have been here for me when no one else has. I owe it to them to try—to make peace with my new reality and move us all forward. I want our family to be whole again, and right now, we’re all stuck. So for once, I’m going to stick with Dr. Parker’s advice. I’m going to find a job and take the lead with moving on.

Somewhere in my self-realization, I must have missed some of Theo’s rant, because when I look up, he’s already onto another complaint. “Why can’t Vic manage to cook something even remotely decent for us to eat? I thought you knew how to cook, but it seems to me Breck’s lessons are sucking just as much as Jameson does in the bedroom.”

Vic holds up a finger, intent to argue his cooking skills, but Theo continues, his hand signing passionately with his words. “Don’t even say that I’m lying. Breck lies to you, Vic. That veal you cooked last night….” Theo makes a heaving gesture, and Cade turns around, his shoulders shaking. “I had to run four extra miles just so Icouldthrow it up without Anniston catching an attitude.”

I snort. The veal was pretty terrible. Vic used to cook a lot for his son, but when he died at the tender age of six, Vic stopped. Breck reintroduced him to cooking not too long ago. He has good days and the meals are something straight out of a five-star restaurant, and then he has bad days where it looks like something Killer would eat. “And Kane!” Theo continues animatedly. “Why the fuck are you even out here? Don’t you have kittens to strangle or kids to scare?” Theo’s chest expands as he takes a deep breath, calming his crazy ass down. “So, out of all of you losers, tell me again whyIam the asshole? At least I thought about your asses.”

It’s almost funny how he plops down with a huge frown like he didn’t mean to give us a window into his cold, dark soul that actuallydoesgive a fuck about us.

“Von Bremen,” Cade signs, coming closer so he can put a hand on Theo’s shoulder. He immediately flips Cade off and chugs his beer, all the while never looking at Cade. He knows Cade is about to capitalize on his weak moment. “That’s the sweetest thing we have ever heard come out of your mouth.”

“Shut up, Jameson. Tim’s lucky he doesn’t have to hear that stupid cooing thing you just did.” He meets my gaze, his eyes going wide before mouthing, “Pussy.”

I laugh when Cade shoves him hard enough that the chair tips, almost sending Theo down in a tangle of curse words. When he rights himself, he takes another swig of his beer, completely ignoring the grins aimed his way. Once Cade’s chest has stopped heaving, laughing at Theo’s bored expression, Theo launches out of the chair, grabbing Cade around the waist and taking them both down in an awkward and horrifically big splash that sends Mason and Killer tumbling off their throne of a float.

No one even bats an eyelash when they crawl out of the pool several minutes later with fake hater expressions on their faces. I look at Hayes, chuckling under my breath while he shakes his head, grabbing me another beer from the cooler. “I need more alcohol to endure any more of this love fest.” He doesn’t sign his words, and for that, I’m grateful.

Watching Cade and Theo enjoying life sends a flurry of jealousy through my stomach, filling up the empty spaces that the liquor has yet to numb. I shouldn’t feel this way. They deserve happiness. But I can’t help the realization that I’ll never hear my family laugh and talk shit again. It’s one of things I used to enjoy the most.

Theo and Cade have always been the center of shit talking, and when you add Hayes to the mix, it’s an all-out comedy show. The three of them have become lighter, happier than the rest of us. Not in a way that we feel left out or not part of their trio, but in a way that we’re jealous of what they now have. I know they each went through hell to get the life they have, and it should serve as a beacon of hope to the rest of us. If they can find happiness, then so can we. Well, so can Vic, Mason, and Kane. My life and happiness will be a little different from theirs.

“So, Theo and Hayes said you agreed to get a job.”

I try to keep a blank expression when I answer Cade. “Hayes and Theo are such girls.”

Cade grins, toweling off his hair. “I agree, but since the girls will soon find out, what are you thinking of doing?” Cade signs the whole time as he speaks, only pausing to catch droplets of water that fall from his face. I take a long pull from my beer before answering. Truthfully, I’d like to just sign my answer. The guys don’t give me as much shit about not talking as Breck and Anniston. Breck constantly says that I’m doing the world a disservice by losing such a beautiful sound. Breck is full of sweet sentiments like that. I think that’s how she was able to pull Cade from the darkness that imprisoned him for so long.

After a moment of debate, I look around and see them all staring and waiting on an answer. Cade has now taken a spot on the lounger and turned on the backyard lights by an app on his phone. I’m sure it’s so I can see their lips and hands better.

I shrug, pushing down the pity that tries to bubble up from them having to make special accommodations just so I can participate in our chat. “I’m not sure. It was a knee-jerk decision. I haven’t thought it through all the way.”

Cade cocks his head for a moment before meeting my eyes. “We might have an idea.”

I look at each of my brothers—my family—all of them waiting for me to take the lead.

With a deep breath, I force out, “I’m listening.”

It’s funny that it takes a shit ton of bass for me to feel the beat of music. But a few shots of tequila and several beer chasers have a full marching band pounding in my head clear as glass. Never again. I am too damn old to be drinking that much.

The sunrise alarm clock blares its shine through my eyelids, but I can’t bear to open them until a little finger goes up my nose, startling them open anyway.

“Up,”she signs, her little pointer finger going up and down, signing to me that I’m supposed to be up right now and not groaning into the pillow like some frat boy, sleeping the day away.

“I’m up,” I mumble to her, rolling over just enough to snag her around her waist and bear hug her. I can feel her little stomach go up and down with what are probably squeals of glee, and I try not to let it make me feel any shittier than I already do. I missed her last night. By the time we all stumbled back into the house, it was after midnight and Aspen and the girls were already asleep.

“Where’s Mommy?” I ask, hoisting her up and placing her on my chest so I can see the precious little dimples and her bright blue eyes.

---