Page 20 of Anything But Convenient

“If you’re fine with everything, then I am too. Should we get Tank?” I motioned over my shoulder to the door. The other man hadn’t come back in yet, though I imagined it was by design.

Tank had to know Takeshi would be reluctant over this entire charade. He probably also knew his guy well enough to know I’d be grilled the second we were alone.

I should have been mad at the idea. Instead, I was highly amused.

Takeshi shook his head. I watched him clear the board, then he wrote a quick sentence and spun it around.

‘You’ll teach me at my pace?’

I whipped my head up to look him in the eye. His gaze was intense, as if he was begging me to agree. It was like he needed me on his side. Like whatever demons he faced from all this would be something we’d overcome together.

To be honest, it all felt a little heavy.

Could I really do this? Would marrying a man who needed my help nearly 24/7 be ideal?

Short answer: Yeah, it was fine. I didn’t have anything else to do.

Long answer: I had no clue how it would go. I was an all-in kind of person, so this would definitely play to my strengths.

But also, I understood being around someone else could be frustrating. Close proximity wasn’t always ideal. It worked in books and movies, not real life.

“We can do whatever you want,” I said after staring for far too long. At his quirked brow, I blushed beet red. “Not like that! I mean, the learning. You have me at your disposal to learn as much as you want, how you want.”

That part wasn’t completely true. Learning ASL took just as much focus as other languages. There was also a heavy emphasis on application though. The slightest change in movement could mean two completely different things. He needed to know all the differences if he wanted to be able to communicate on his own.

And his team was going to need training too. I had no plan as far as they went. Maybe we could do group sessions outside of their working hours?

I knew this place was a security company; however, there was much more lurking beneath the surface. That much I learned the night before while helping those survivors.

Speaking of which, I needed to check with Tank on that too. Surely they hadn’t gotten everyone squared away in the time it had taken me to talk to Takeshi.

I had an urge to help them as much as possible. Before today, I would never have been accused of having a white knight mindset.

Sure, I did the right thing, and I stayed on the good side of the law. I even tipped well when I had the money to do so.

But this was more.

I felt like I was truly contributing to the world by helping the trafficking survivors. I wanted to feel more of that. I needed to.

“Did you have any other questions?” I asked when the silence became too much.

Getting too deep in my own thoughts would do neither of us any good. Action was the best course here.

Takeshi shook his head, then stood quickly. I watched him walk to the door; his strides full of purpose.

Aside from the strange colored scarf at his neck, nothing about him stood out. He’d be the type to blend into any crowd if he wanted to. Part of me knew a skill like that was probably what made him an asset to this team.

And well, that was a problem all on its own.

How would his work life look moving forward? Could he go back into the field after this? Was his team willing to adjust? What kind of danger would he be in if he couldn’t find a way to communicate quickly with them?

I didn’t know why I felt such panic at those notions. I barely knew him.

Then again, he was going to be my husband soon. That had to mean something, right?

CHAPTER 8

TAKESHI

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