Signs of Love (17 page)

At the sound of Justin's voice, Alana's breath caught and she tried to steady her nerves as she nodded. She looked at Caden and signed that they would talk about it later. He stared at her then gave a slow dip of his head.

Glancing around, Alana tried to avoid Justin's gaze. Unfortunately, the gaze she did meet was even worse.
Than
. He would have been able to follow her conversation with Caden. She didn't want to see pity in his gaze, but there was nothing there but understanding. He gave her a quick smile before looking down at Caden and signing to him.

Want to try this game?

Caden glanced over at the game then back at Than, a smile spreading on his face as he nodded. When a spot opened up, Caden took his place and began to shoot the water pistol. Alana approached Than and when he turned to look at her, she signed
Please don't say anything to Justin
.

Than nodded and signed back
I won't. I'll try to distract Caden from him, but I'll have to explain to Lindsay. Is that okay? She doesn't really know Justin
.

Alana nodded then turned her attention back to Caden, but her thoughts and emotions were scrambling to find firm ground again. She crossed her arms over her waist, wishing they could leave. But she was trapped with no way home until Daniel and Beth decided to leave.

"Well, that's hardly fair," Justin said.

She looked up to see that he had been addressing her. "Fair?"

"You not only get to hold private conversations with Caden but now with Than too?" Thankfully, she saw the quick smile on his face that told her he was just joking.

"Yeah. We're sharing state secrets," Alana said, hoping her tone was light even though it didn't sound that way to her.

"Well, that's a good incentive to learn sign language. All those secrets I'll be privy to."

At that moment, Alana was very grateful he hadn't been able to understand the secret Caden had shared with her. She glanced over at Than and saw him standing with his arm around Lindsay, their heads close together. When she looked back at Caden, she saw that Danny had joined him.

As they moved through the game booths, Alana tried to avoid being close to Justin. Since she was trying to do it without making it seem obvious, her body was tense and her nerves were on edge. If it had been just her, she wouldn't have worked so hard at it, but every time Caden finished something, he'd turn around to find her and then she'd see his gaze search for Justin.

Thankfully, Than, Danny, and Lindsay kept him busy and in spite of that one serious moment, he seemed to be back to having fun. And there was definitely nothing wrong with his sense of smell. As they approached the area where the food was, Caden darted over to her to ask about getting something to eat. The smell of hotdogs and hamburgers was definitely tantalizing, and Alana hoped her stomach would settle down enough to allow her to enjoy the food.

~*~*~

Justin was beginning to think Alana was avoiding him. He felt like he was constantly looking around to locate her. One minute she was standing near him and the next she was gone. It was as if she was making sure there was distance between them, and he couldn't figure out why.

The conversation she'd had with Caden and then with Than was also bugging him. He'd been watching closely enough to see Caden use the sign for his name and then Alana had used it again when she'd signed with Than. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to decipher anything else. One sign had looked familiar, but he wasn't sure because it hadn't really made sense.

Even though he'd started out not really wanting to be some kid's hero, as he watched Caden interact with Than, Justin felt a twinge of jealousy. He hated that he felt that way because Than was a friend, and he could see how much Caden enjoyed being able to communicate with him.

On top of the jealousy was the frustration that this time together wasn't really working out as he'd hoped. He'd thought that in addition to being fun for Caden, it would give him a chance to get a little closer to Alana in a more casual way. Instead, he felt like he was following her around like a love-sick pup, and that was not him. She had alluded to the fact that he was like her ex-husband physically, so maybe she just wasn't interested in seeing beyond that to how much he wasn't like him.

As they approached the food area, Justin once again went to where Alana and Caden were. Yeah, he wouldn't be following her everywhere after this, but she and Caden were still his guests so he'd make sure they had what they needed for supper.

Beth and Dan were standing with her which made it a bit easier to approach them. There were several barbecues set up behind long tables loaded with food and all the condiments needed for the hamburgers and hotdogs. There was a large white tent with no sides just beyond the food that looked to be filled with tables. Alex and Marcus had definitely spared no expense for this gig.

"Ready to get some food?" Justin asked as he joined them.

Beth nodded. "This is just great, Justin! I only wish Genevieve was a little older so she could enjoy it more."

"I had my doubts about this, but it appears that Mel and Adrianne managed to pull it off." He looked at Alana. "Is Caden enjoying himself?"

She signed to Caden then he looked up at him and vigorously nodded his head. His hands flew as he signed back to Alana. "He says that it's the most fun ever. Which is high praise since he was just at the Mall of America yesterday."

As they moved into the line for the food, the others joined them. It didn't take too long to load up plates with food and then find a table. Justin settled into a chair next to Caden, who sat with Alana on the other side of him. He had a feeling that Caden was going to hurry through his meal in order to get back out to the fun and games. Not that he could blame the kid. At his age, he probably would have done the same.

"Hey, Justin. How are you enjoying everything?"

Justin looked up to see Adrianne standing behind Beth and Dan across the table from him. "Everything is great. You and Mel did a fine job pulling it all together."

"And I see you brought some family," Adrianne said as she looked down at Beth and Dan with a smile.

"Yes. That's my sister, Beth and her husband, Dan. The little cutie is their daughter, Genevieve." Then he laid a hand on Caden's shoulder. "And this is Alana and her son, Caden. They're family friends."

He could see the curiosity in her gaze as she looked at Alana and Caden. It was the same one expression he'd seen from everyone he worked with when he introduced them.

"Nice to meet you all. Be sure to stick around for the fireworks. This company came highly recommended, and we're hoping to end the evening on a high note." With another smile at them, Adrianne moved on to chat with Trent and Than a little further down the table.

As Justin ate, he looked around at the people who were in attendance. He spotted a few people in the crowd that he recognized as employees at BlackThorpe, but the majority were unfamiliar faces. He still had some security concerns, but all areas with access to confidential information were behind doors that needed codes and hand scans to gain entry to. At Melanie and Adrianne's request, none of them were visibly armed, but as usual Justin wore his ankle holster along with his knife. It had been too warm to wear a jacket that would have covered a shoulder holster.

Caden shifted on the chair next to him, and Justin looked down to see the boy's plate was empty. He tapped Caden on the shoulder and when the boy turned to him, Justin hesitated and then made the sign for more. A huge grin wreathed Caden's face even as he shook his head. Justin couldn't stop the warmth that spread through his body at Caden's obvious delight when he saw him make the effort to communicate using signs. It made him more determined to work harder to learn the language that would allow him to communicate with Genevieve
and
Caden.

"Nice one," Dan said with a smile. "I see you've been paying attention to Alana's lessons."

“Not sure one word warrants quite this much enthusiasm, but I'm working my way up."

"Gotta start somewhere," Beth said as she handed Genevieve a piece of hotdog.

Unfortunately, he had a ways to go still because he couldn't understand the conversation Alana and Caden were currently having. It seemed to be another serious discussion from the look of the expression on Alana's face. Then she reached out and put a hand on either side of Caden's face and pressed her forehead to his. The little boy's shoulders slumped. Whatever they had been discussing, it didn't appear to have gone Caden's way.

When Alana lifted her head to press a kiss to Caden's forehead, their gazes met briefly. He caught a glimpse of emotional turmoil before she looked away. It made him wish yet again that he could figure out what was going on. Even before he asked her if everything was okay, Justin knew what her response would be.

“It's fine." She ran a hand over Caden's curls.

Seeing Caden's hunched shoulders and bent head, Justin wondered how Alana could actually refuse the little guy anything. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Something flashed in Alana's eyes before she shook her head. Her gaze slid past him for a moment and he looked over to see that Than and Lindsay were watching them. Once again, Justin got the feeling that Than knew what was going on and it bothered him that he didn't.

Suddenly, Than grinned and said Caden's name. Alana touched his shoulder and pointed at Than. The boy lifted his head and as he turned to look at Than, Justin could see that his green eyes were damp with unshed tears. What on earth was going on?

As he signed, Than said, "Want to go to see what other games they have?"

Caden looked at Alana, who nodded. He slid off his chair and headed to where Than stood with Lindsay and Danny. Justin waited for Caden to look at him, but it seemed that Caden was doing what he could to avoid him...just like his mother had been doing.

Justin moved into the chair Caden had just vacated, bringing him closer to Alana. She shot him a surprised look but didn't say anything. He shifted in his seat so he could face her, his hand gripping the back of her chair. "Did I do something that has upset Caden?"

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"No." Alana’s answer came quickly. Almost too quickly.

"Then why didn't he even look at me when he left? That's not how he is normally."

Alana picked at the hotdog bun on her plate. "He was just excited."

Justin looked across at Beth to see if she had some answers, but all she did was shake her head and shrug. A glance at Dan resulted in a similar response. He bit back a growl of frustration. Somehow he was going to figure this out because he couldn't shake the feeling that he was a part of what was going on with Caden. Only two people besides the little boy knew what had happened, and thankfully, one of those was a friend. A friend he would be questioning if Alana didn't shed some light on the situation herself.

It bothered Justin more than it should that Caden was upset. And he could see that Alana was bothered by whatever it was that was happening with her son. These two had definitely become more important to him than he'd ever imagined they might be. He stared at Alana for a moment, taking in her profile. The way her dark lashes fanned out to frame her deep green eyes. The gentle slope of her nose. The smooth texture of her skin. The silky loose curls.

As if sensing his gaze on her, he saw her lips part slightly and a tinge of pink sweep up her cheeks. Though she didn't look at him, Justin sensed she was as aware of him as he was of her. Was it possible that there was something worth exploring between them? Up until then, any thought of a relationship had been shoved aside in favor of his job. But now he was finding himself considering that very thing with not just a woman but also her son.

He heard the soft clearing of a throat then Dan said, "Well, I think we're going to keep moving along."

Alana reached for her purse as she got to her feet. "I should probably see how Caden is doing."

Justin stood up as well and began to follow her. He felt a tug on his arm and glanced down to see Beth there. She slid her hand into the crook of his arm as Dan pushed the stroller with Genevieve in it, catching up to Alana.

"Do I detect some sort of interest on your part for our teacher?" Beth asked, her head tipped up to look at him.

Justin watched Dan bend down to say something to Alana. Denying it would be pretty stupid. If Beth had figured out that much, it meant he hadn't done a very good job hiding how he felt—particularly from someone who knew him very well. "She is an interesting person. I'm glad that she decided to bring Caden today."

"Yes, he does seem to be having a great time." Beth walked in silence for a few minutes then said, "I don't know much about Alana and her past. She never talks about it and not just with me. I asked a couple of the other ladies at church and they said the same thing. She's very generous with her time and talents, refuses to take payment for teaching sign language and will do anything for anyone who asks. But no one has ever been to her home and though it's clear it's inconvenient for her to take the bus, she always—always—refuses a ride. I think she has something in her past that makes it difficult for her to trust people. She does plenty for others but rarely, if ever, allows anyone to do something for her."

"I know a bit about her background and understand why she might be that way." Justin patted Beth's hand. "But that's not my story to tell."

She looked up at him, her expression serious. "I do consider her a friend though, and I think she considers me one too. Having said that, I hope you won't do anything to hurt her."

Justin scowled at her. "It's not my intention to hurt her. Or Caden, for that matter."

"I know you wouldn't mean to, but there's a lot of potential for hurt here." Beth slowed her steps which made Justin pull up as well. "I think you see her as someone needing protection and help. That can be misunderstood—particularly by a woman. I just don't want you having one idea in mind while Alana might be getting another."

She squeezed his arm before slipping away to catch up with Dan and Alana. Justin lingered behind, his thoughts on what Beth had shared. Was it just his desire to protect two people who seemed so vulnerable? He didn't think it was
just
that. He really didn't. He'd been trying to move slowly. Let her get used to him being around. Get used to him interacting with her. Because he wanted her to see—to understand—that he wasn't like her ex. He needed her to know he would never, ever, use his strength against her or Caden.

He couldn't deny it was Alana's vulnerability that initially drew him—once he'd gotten past the point of thinking of her as someone out to scam his sister and Dan. But even though there was an air of vulnerability around her, he knew now there was a core of steel within her. She did what she had to to take care of her son even when it was no doubt more challenging given Caden's deafness. She'd stood up to him and basically called him out about looking into her past. Yeah, she had some steel in there.

Justin noticed they'd caught up to Caden and the others. Instead of approaching Alana like he'd been doing earlier, he hung back and just watched. He rubbed his chest to ease the sudden ache there. For a brief time, he'd moved willingly into contact with someone, but now he was back to the fringe. Drifting along the edge, watching to make sure everyone was safe. Only this time, the fit didn't feel right. It wasn't where he wanted to be.

~*~*~

Alana found herself in conversation once again with Victoria as the group continued to make its way to the games and other fun stuff that they hadn't had a chance to see yet. They stopped at a face painting booth, and Caden was thrilled to have them paint a Spiderman mask on his face. Danny got a pirate look while Genevieve and Sarah each got butterflies.

Glad to see that Caden was distracted from their earlier conversation which had once again centered on Justin, Alana glanced around for the man. Before they'd stopped to eat, it seemed that every time she'd turned around he'd been within arm's reach of her. But since their brief conversation at the table, he was nowhere near either of them. She tried to tell herself that it was for the best, just like she'd tried to convince herself that avoiding him was a good thing. But regardless of what her mind was telling her, her heart was saying something else.

"Is this a good spot?" Beth asked as they came to a stop in a big grassy area behind the tent where they'd eaten earlier.

Justin nodded. "Mel said the fireworks would be best viewed from anywhere in this area."

"I brought a couple of blankets." Beth pulled them out from under the stroller and handed one to Justin. "I used to like to lie down to watch the fireworks when I was a kid. Remember that, Justin?"

Alana looked over in time to see Justin give a quick nod as he flicked the blanket out and let it settle on the grass. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood for a trip down memory lane. She held Caden's hand, uncertain of where to sit. The blankets were plenty large enough for all of them, but Alana was waiting to see what Justin would do before settling onto one of them.

There was still enough light that they could see, but twilight was quickly falling on them. The area they were in was rapidly filling with people. Most just settled on the grass, but some had folding chairs and a few had blankets like Beth had brought.

"I'll be back," Justin said once the blanket Beth had given him was spread out.

Alana watched him walk away. Even as he moved through the crowd, he was easy to track because of his height. Caden squeezed her hand and she looked at him. Releasing his grip, she signed that Justin would be back even before he asked where he was going.

"C'mon and sit down," Beth said as she settled on the blanket with Genevieve. The little girl looked a little tired and burrowed into her mother's arms.

Alana could only imagine how Caden was going to crash after this. All the excitement plus the exercise was sure to have worn him out. She kind of wished they were going home to their own apartment afterward, but she wasn't going to change their plans now.

After she had slipped off her shoes, she settled onto the blanket, glad that she had worn pants instead of a skirt. She pulled Caden onto her lap and then took a couple of minutes before the sun was completely gone to explain to him what was happening. Though they'd watched fireworks when they'd lived in Florida, she wasn't sure he remembered much about them.

By the time the fireworks started, Justin still wasn't back. Trying not to dwell on it, Alana leaned back on her hands and let Caden rest against her so he was in a good position to see the sky. She felt his excitement as his body tensed and he'd clap when a particularly beautiful display lit up the night sky. Alana was glad that he could still enjoy the beauty of the fireworks even though he couldn't hear the sound that went along with them.

A beam of light fell on the blanket, and Alana looked over to see Justin lowering himself to the blanket on the opposite side. He stretched his legs out and reclined back the way she was. His movement must have caught Caden's attention because his head whipped to the side. When she felt him start to sit up, Alana wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him in place.

He leaned his head back to look at her. Alana pushed to a sitting position and grabbed Caden's hand and placed it against her cheek and shook her head. She felt his shoulders slump as she loosened her grip on his waist. After she was sure he was going to stay put, Alana resumed her earlier position to watch the rest of the fireworks.

It was the perfect end to a relatively great day. The only downside was the emotional angst she'd waded into, all because she and Caden found themselves drawn to a man who had no place for them in his life. The man spent every day at his job basically. How did a family fit into that? Even Beth—before Alana had met Justin—had mentioned how much she'd like him to have a family, but that she doubted that would ever happen since his life barely had room for her. If his own sister saw him that way, Alana didn't figure that would be changing anytime soon.

Once the fireworks had ended, lights came on and there was a surge of people toward the parking lot. Alana kept a tight hold on Caden and walked right behind Beth and Dan. She wasn't sure where Justin was, but when they reached the van, he materialized beside Dan.

Beth reached out to hug him. "Thanks for a wonderful time. I'm so glad you invited us all. It was nice to see that you do have some friends after all."

"Friends? You mean the guys I work with?"

Beth laughed and reached up to pat his face. "Yeah, you may consider them co-workers, but what I saw today...they're friends. And I'm glad I got to meet them."

Alana almost smiled when Justin gave a grunt and crossed his arms. The man did seem to like to make it appear as if he was keeping his distance from everyone, but clearly he'd managed to make connections with the guys he worked with. Even Victoria considered him a friend.

After he'd buckled Genevieve into her seat, Dan opened the back of the van to put the stroller in. Grateful for the light in the parking lot, Alana signed for Caden to thank Justin.

Caden walked to where Justin stood and reached out to touch his hand.  Justin lowered himself to Caden's level when he saw who it was and watched as the boy signed
thank you
. It was one of the signs Alana had taught Justin so she hoped he understood it without translation. She realized that he had when he signed
you're welcome
back to Caden. Before she could stop him, however, Caden threw his arms around Justin's neck and buried his head into his shoulder.

Wrapping his arms around Caden, Justin stood with ease. Alana's first instinct was to grab her son from the man, but her feet were rooted to the ground, her arms pinned to her side. She swallowed hard against the emotion that crowded its way up her chest into her throat. Tears pricked at her eyes as she was faced with proof—once again—of how much Caden longed for this man to be his father.

Justin's head was bent as he held Caden for a minute before stooping to put him back on his feet. He held out his fist and waited for Caden to bump his much smaller fist against it. "See you soon."

As Caden came back to her side, Alana said, "Thank you, Justin. We both had a wonderful time."

Justin gave a quick nod of his head. "Glad to hear it."

As Daniel moved to his side, Alana helped Caden into the van and made sure he was buckled before taking her own seat. It wasn't long before Beth and Daniel were in the front seats, and they were joining the line of cars exiting the compound.