Page 92 of Stag

*Hi. I’m still learning, but I want to try.*

The fact that she’d made the effort of learning that much brought tears of gratitude to my eyes, it choked me up, knowing that she’d done this for me. Because of me.

*Thank you.* I signed back, watching her carefully watch my hands, and nod. She smiled as she lifted her head.

“I didn’t manage to learn much while we were away, but I know a few basics,” she spoke this time.

She lifted her hands and signed a few phrases.

Her hand lifted to beside her face, palm toward me, waving briefly. *Hello.*

She repeated the action, presumably for; *Goodbye.*

She lifted a closed fist to her chest and circled slowly. *Sorry.*

She lifted an open hand to touch her fingers against her chin, moving them out to say; *Thank you.*

She held both hands up, fingers splayed, then moved them away from each other, as her index fingers and thumbs pressed together; signing ‘quiet’ or ‘shut up’. She giggled then.

“That one’s for the guys for when they annoy us!”

We both knew they didn’t have to be signed at by any of us, but I loved that she was enjoying learning.

“Do you need us out today?”

She shook her head vehemently. “We’ll co-exist until the clubhouse is ready to move into. I hear it’s a day or so yet. It’ll be fun! Like sis… uh, oh shit. I mean, like besties. Yes. Besties. We’re now besties, did I forget to mention that?”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Ifollowed Henley into the kitchen at his direction, suddenly feeling very much like an unwanted guest in someone else’s home. It’d been nice for a while to be self-sufficient and cloistered like this with Claudia, but we both knew it was only temporary. I wasn’t sure I was ready for it to end though.

“How’s she doing, brother?”

Henley set the coffee machine running, and turned to lean against the counter, looking relaxed and at peace. I guess that shit’s easy when you have a flashy house, and all that money, but then he also had the love of a good woman, his soulmate who’d been his best friend first, so maybe that was it.

“Still in shock, I think. Did we outstay our welcome? I can’t remember when you said you’d come back.”

Henley grinned and turned to grab mugs for the coffee.

“Should have been a day or so ago, but we figured you guys could hold the place a bit longer for us.”

“Meaning?”

He set the mugs down and turned to look at me again.

“Meaning, you guys deserved some time together, so we extended our stay at the camp. Sorry we couldn’t stay away longer, but work calls. Besides, when we got the Call to Arms about you guys, we packed and headed straight back.”

I swear I just misheard him. Did he say they’d stayed away longer for us? But rushed back, again, for us?

“You did?”

He shrugged, turning to prep the mugs, like he couldn’t face me for this discussion. This was the moment he’d throw us out, I could feel it. They may have changed their plans to help us out, but nobody helped me out for long.

“Henley?”

He turned to lean his hands on the counter between us, looking me right in the eye, the one thing I thought he was avoiding.

“You and Claudia, you’re family, right? We help out family. Now, I hope you don’t mind the company, what with us being back, but you guys are fine here until your room’s ready at the clubhouse. I’m not booting you out, brother, you get that, right?”