Signs of Love by Kimberly Rae Jordan Read Free Book Online Page A

themselves on common ground. They both wanted what was best for her.
    But now it was Beth and Dan standing firm together while he stumbled around in quicksand trying to figure out what on earth had happened to his family.
    The music dropped in volume as his ringtone trilled through the speakers. Justin hit the button to stop the treadmill and slid off, grabbing the towel he’d left on the handle and wiping his face while he still gasped for breath.
    He picked up the phone from the stand and stared at the unfamiliar number a moment before answering. “Hello?”
    “Justin?”
    “Yes.” He tried to keep from panting, but he didn’t recover that quickly from an intense workout. “Who’s this?”
    “Uh, this is Alana, Beth’s friend. Is this a bad time?”
    Knowing he couldn’t carry on a conversation while breathing so hard, Justin said, “Let me call you back in a minute.”
    Not wanting to stand there breathing heavily in her ear like some perverted caller, he ended the call without waiting for her response. Justin draped the towel over his shoulders then opened the French doors leading to the large balcony that looked out over the Twin Cities. The fresh air that greeted him helped to cool his heated skin. He took several deep breaths in an attempt to slow his heart rate and breathing
    When his heart no longer pounded and his breaths didn’t come in pants, Justin pressed the button on his screen to call Alana back. When she hadn’t answered after two rings, Justin wondered if she’d decided she didn’t want to talk to him since he’d ended their call so abruptly.
    After the third ring, he heard her soft greeting. “Hello?”
    “Hi, Alana. It’s Justin. I’m sorry about earlier. What can I do for you?”
    There was silence for a couple of seconds before she said, “I’m hoping it might be more what I can do for you.”
    “For me?” Justin lifted the edge of the towel to wipe any remaining moisture from his face.
    “After you left earlier, Beth and Daniel realized that maybe things could have been handled differently.”
    “What things?” Justin walked to the railing that ran along the outside edge of the balcony. He gripped the metal in one hand.
    “I think they both realize now that maybe they should have told you about Genevieve’s diagnosis sooner.”
    “You think?” As soon as he said the words, Justin let out a harsh breath. “I’m sorry. I know you had no part in the decisions they made back then.”
    “No, I wasn’t part of that nor did I realize the closeness of the relationship between you and Genevieve or I would have suggested they let you know when they told me.”
    So far, nothing she said actually made him feel any better about the situation. “There’s nothing we can do now. Decisions made can’t be undone.”
    “Yes, that’s true. And Beth and Daniel know that as well.”
    “So why did they have you call me?” The urge to get back on the treadmill or lift some weights slowly crept over him again.
    “Though they understand where you are coming from and how you feel about Genevieve’s diagnosis, they—Beth especially—is struggling to let herself feel those emotions again with you. The impact of them is still too close.” She paused, and he heard her take a quick breath. “In a way, the news of Genevieve’s hearing loss was a bit like a death.”
    “A death?” Justin stepped back into his apartment and shut the doors.
    “They had dreams of a future that their little girl would have—something I’m sure you also had for her—and now the dreams are gone. They had to grieve the loss of that as well as the type of relationship they had envisioned having with her. They experienced the stages of grief, although to a lesser degree than what they would have with an actual death. But they did deal with the denial, guilt, anger and such. They’re in a place where they’re accepting what has happened and are trying to make adjustments for a different future than they