Page 61 of Tameron

His body relaxed and he settled in his chair once more. “Thank you, Chief.”

It was weird to hear him call me that. Even if it was true, I wasn’t his chief, and he had an authority about him that was easy to defer to.

I winked at him and reached over to give him one more pat. “It’ll get easier. And less lonely.”

He blew out a puff of air and said nothing, but the silence that fell was more comfortable this time and the weight of the night started to ease.

Can I come over?

Anytime. Knives could use some cuddles.

Like I was going to say no. Tameron had been quiet lately. His texts had been just a little off. I’d asked him a few times if everything was okay, and he’d insisted it was. He was fine. Just busy. He was working out at the gym more often and spending more free time at Dax’s shop.

A part of me wanted to be jealous about it. I didn’t love that my brother got to see him more than I did, but I knew this was good for him. I knew that giving him a sense of both purpose and independence was integral to his recovery. And belief in himself that going deaf didn’t mean he had to lose anything but his hearing.

Can we be voice-off?

That was a surprise. He rarely wanted that. He was still eager to keep every sound he could, especially since his loss wasstill progressing. His latest audiogram hadn’t been great. One side was deteriorating faster than the other, which gave him a constant sense of imbalance.

The hearing aids were the only thing that helped even things out.

But I also knew from family members who weren’t profoundly Deaf that struggling to hear all the time was mentally exhausting, and it did something to my insides that I could be that safe space for him.

That also probably meant he wasn’t asking for what he needed at home as often as he should. I knew it wasn’t Nash, and I doubted it was the other guys. This was obviously Tam’s issue, and it wasn’t my job to push him.

But maybe…maybe I could help.

I’ve been voice-off all day. Happy to extend it.

Be there in twenty.

Door’s open. Just come in.

I was currently rotting on the couch with Knives sleeping on my chest. She was going to lose her shit when he came in, of course. She always did. But I was basking in her little cuddles while I could. It was my first real day off—no station, no gym—in forever.

I always felt a strange sense of guilt when I had a day of doing nothing. My parents hadn’t liked it when my siblings and I were “unproductive,” as they had called it. And it was never a bad thing, but there were times I’d wished they would have just let us be.

Knives began to purr louder as I shifted just slightly to the left. I scratched my fingers along her scruff and she yawned rightin my face, then settled her chin on her paws. My chest twisted and I lifted my phone, very carefully taking a selfie.

I’d save that one for when Tameron was having a really bad day.

And speak of the devil. The lights flashed before I heard the door open, and a moment later, he appeared. He made an aww face, but it was only seconds before Knives was shoving her tiny claws into my chest and taking off at breakneck speed.

‘Not happy to see me,’ he signed.

I scoffed and jerked my head toward the spot on the couch beside me. ‘She’s feeling wild.’

He grinned and shucked his jacket, dropping it on Dax’s empty chair before sliding along the cushions. I let him settle for only a moment before dragging him down beside me. His body was tense, but he gave a small, happy hum as he settled in.

His ear pressed against my chest, and I could feel the distinct lack of a hearing aid attached to his skull.

‘Hey,’ I signed, tapping him. He shifted backward so he could give me signing space. ‘You drive here without them on?’

His eyes were a little wary. ‘Yeah.’

‘Afraid?’

He bit his lip, then nodded. ‘A little. I turned on the music really loud. It sounded nicer that way than with…’ He tapped behind his head.

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