Page 41 of Forbidden Hearts
They laugh, and then Phoebe pulls the blanket up, tucking her in.
Olivia looks over, waving.“How did you know I was here?”I ask her, already knowing the answer.
“I smelled your cologne.”
While she may not be able to hear, her other senses are not dull at all. She feels vibrations, smells, and feels shifts sooner than anyone else in the room.
As I move closer, Phoebe stands and then leaves us alone.
“I like Phoebe.”
“I can tell.”
“She’s fun, and she doesn’t treat me like a little kid,”she tells me.
“You are a little kid.”
Olivia scoffs.“I’m almost ten.”
I eye her.“You just turned nine.”
“Ten is next.”
I smile and then kiss the top of her head.“It’s late. Get some sleep. I love you.”
She lifts her hand, making the I love you sign, and I do the same so we can touch each finger together. I’ve done this with her for so long that it’s become our version of a secret handshake.
I head down the stairs to find Phoebe in the kitchen, singing to herself—much quieter this time—as she washes the dishes. The desire to go behind her, wrap my arms around her, and kiss the crook of her neck is . . . ridiculous. It’s fucking ridiculous.
I do the only thing I can do, which is to walk away and lock myself in my damn room until she falls asleep.
ten
PHOEBE
Last final finished.
I smile and close my laptop. Nothing like burning the midnight oil. I worked really hard on this sixteen-page paper about the evolution of hearing aids and what needs to be done going forward.
The research part was mind numbing. But I kept imagining how I would’ve felt if it were Olivia going through the different treatments, and I started to really get into it. Especially once I hit my stride about the future.
However, my future requires sustenance right now. I am freaking starving.
I head to the kitchen for a bag of chips but stop when I get to the living room and see the television on.
Hopefully Olivia didn’t come down when she should be asleep. When I reach the recliner, I find Asher there, remote in his hand, snoring.
God, he’s so cute. His dark brown hair is pushed to the left and the scruff on his face makes him look rugged. He shifts a little, still fast asleep, so I grab the blanket off the back of the couch and drape it over him.
The urge to run my fingers through his thick hair is so great that I can’t stop myself. Asher lets out a soft sigh as I do it a second time.
Then his eyes fly open as his hand wraps around my wrist.
Shit.
He stares at me, breath coming fast.
“I just put a blanket on you. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
