One night with Heather soon turned into a week of overnights. Nothing happened between us sexually and I was okay with that. I wasn’t quite sure I was ready for things to heat up just yet. I still felt like I needed to work on my signing better. Obviously Heather could smack me if I did something she didn’t want me to.  I began to wonder if maybe that was something she was into and that I might get the signals wrong. I was a nervous wreck about the whole thing once I got to thinking about it.

I was going in blind, she was going in mute. What a fucked up pair we made. I felt lost. On the plus side, after spending so much time with Heather some of the sign language had begun to stick. Thank God for small miracles. We were now able to hold more in-depth conversations and grow with them.  I still continued to mix up the signs when asking Heather if she would like some coffee, instead signing asking her if she wanted to make out. She would just laugh and sign yes to both.

One day after I had finished a grueling workout in the gym Heather had asked me if I needed anything. I tried telling her that I was thirsty. I had tried to use the sign for very thirsty which left Heather turning shades of pink I had never seen her blush. When I had told Emily about it and I showed her the sign she said I had pretty much told Heather what a horny bastard I was by signing that I lusted after her. Though it was true, it was not what I had intended to say.

Unaccustomed to the silence I was beginning to grow used to it. We had always been loud and rambunctious as children and continued to do so as adults. Heather, though quiet, had found a way to make herself known. She would walk into a room giving a few small claps to announce her arrival.

I was still the slowest of the group to pick up on the sign language so conversations between Heather and the others flowed naturally. Heather had even begun to move in. She was starting small by only bringing a few things at a time, primarily a few articles of clothing and her toiletries. We were a week in and already she dominated nearly half of my closet space. I wasn’t sure how much more she had to bring over.  Every time I offered to help she shut me down by signing that she was an adult woman and didn’t need me coddling her. I signed back telling her that I could coddle her ass all I wanted because she was my wife.

Though Heather signed that she was angry with me I could see the pride in her eyes as I signed back that she could be angry, that I would wait. She laughed more freely than she did in the beginning which lit my heart. I loved when her beautiful face lit up, her tinkling laughter spilling from her lips.

I was truly in love with this woman. It was a love I had never thought existed. Unlike the love I had felt for Nina that seemed all encompassing, nearly an addiction. This love bloomed differently and burned brighter. It started somewhere deep in the recesses of my heart and rapidly spread through my body before I had even realized what had happened. I didn’t feel an addiction to Heather; it wasn’t as though I needed her. Instead I felt as one with her. As though she were an extension of myself. Her happiness made me happy. Her frustrations were my own frustrations. I could feel her before she walked into a room. My eyes would automatically seek her in a crowded room. It was a comforting feeling.

The rings we were presented with on our wedding day were my grandparent’s rings. I couldn’t have been prouder to see them on her finger. Still, I wanted to get her something from me to symbolize our new beginning. I had gone out with Damon ring shopping. Apparently I wasn’t the only one eager to slip a ring on a finger and claim my woman.

I was happy for Damon. He and Cassie seemed to be happy together and she openly accepted Dominik into her arms and heart. Damon admitted that Cassie suffered from a misshaped uterus that made pregnancy for her nearly impossible. The doctors had warned her not to get her hopes up. Damon had comforted her letting her know that he loved her for who she was and not what she could give him. Cassie was able to find in Damon a loving man that could offer her the opportunity at being a mother despite her condition. It looked like Dominik would have  a mother of his own in the very near future.

“Do you know what you want?” Damon asked as I browsed the rows or large sparkling diamonds.

“Something that screams my husband is awesome.” I chuckled as my eyes continued to search out the perfect ring.

“I’m looking for something that screams my husband is a rock god.” Damon stood proudly puffing his chest out, his hands braced on his hips.

“You’re not at all an arrogant bastard, are you?” I chuckled at his posture. He looked like a peacock preening.

“So what did you settle on Captain Wets His Pants?”

I ignored his idiotic name calling. “That one.” I said pointing at the large princess cut solitaire. It was beautiful, simple, and would match the set already on Heather’s hand.

“That’s a good pick. I like it. It screams Heather. Good choice bro.” Damon clapped me on the back in approval.

“Did you pick?” I asked eager to see which direction he had chosen to go. Last time he had picked a diamond nearly as big as its intended thumbnail.

“That set right there.” Damon said pointing to a modest set. It was simple yet elegant, a perfect complement to Cassie. It was feminine, classic, and not so large it would cause her to fall over under its weight.

With our purchases secured we split up. Damon was headed to the studio to meet Cassie and I had an appointment to get to.

I had hoped that the whole issue with Nina had gone away; sadly that was not the case. I had received a call from Nina’s attorney threatening to go to the media if I didn’t own up to impregnating her. She wanted a sizable settlement in exchange for her silence. I scoffed at the notion. There was no way possible that I had impregnated her. I wasn’t going to cough up a dime to her. She was clearly off her rocker if she thought she could intimidate me.

Jason, the band's lawyer rose from his seat behind his large wooden desk. “What can I do for you Ivan?” He said eagerly shaking my hand firmly.

I rubbed at the back of my neck trying to ease the tension building. I hated having to air my dirty laundry out to everyone. “I need to stop something before it starts.” I shuffled my feet ashamed of the mess I was in.

Jason motioned toward the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat and we’ll see what we can do.” Nodding my head I took a seat in the offered chair. I slumped down into it lazily.

“I have a woman claiming to be pregnant by me. She wants three million to go away. I need to make her go away without payment.” I explained scrubbing my hands across my face.  

Jason’s face remained stoic as though he heard these types of complaints all the time. Perhaps he had. He had been in the business for a long time. We were just one of his many high profile clients. 

“Is she telling the truth?” He asked cutting to the chase. He pulled out a sheet of paper and began taking notes.

“No way in hell. There is no way it’s my kid. I never slept with her.” I promised him recanting our relationship to him in detail.

“And you’re positive of this?” He asked dubiously as he continued to scribble on the sheet of paper in front of him.

 “A hundred percent.” There was no doubt in my mind that Nina was lying.

“Okay, well we can wait until the baby is born and then have a DNA test ran to rule you out at the potential father.” He said giving me a sad smile, his hands held out helplessly on the table.

“Is there anything we could do now? I mean she said she is going to the media in a week if she doesn’t have the money.” My palms began to sweat, my leg jostling in anticipation. I didn’t want this to break out in the rags. Things had been quiet on the home front and I didn’t want to draw any undue attention to our quiet home. The media could be relentless like a dog with a bone once they found something to sink their teeth into.

“Is she here in Tennessee?” Jason’s brows drew together.

“No, Russia.” Jason tsked, clicking his tongue between his teeth as he thought.

“That makes things a bit harder. Are you sure you don’t want to just pay her to go away?” He asked offering me a sympathetic look.

“Positive.” I held firm. I may have seemed like a pushover to Nina but I was the farthest from being one. Women like her tend to mistake kindness for weakness. Just because I wasn’t anxiously waiting to jump her bones and treated her with some semblance of respect didn’t mean I would allow her to take whatever she wanted from me.

“Congratulations on your new wife. I heard all of you are married now.” Jason said smiling brightly as he congratulated me. I was grateful for the change in conversation. I knew the discussion of Nina was far from over but I would take any reprieve I could get.

“Yeah, Damon is the only one left but I’m sure it won’t be long before he’s tied the knot.” I gave a chuckle. If I knew Damon he was probably down on one knee proposing to Cassie right now. He liked to move fast.

“Who did your prenups?” Jason questioned his voice laced with concern.

I shook my head sucking my teeth. “None needed.” I reassured him.

Jason blanched. “Now you know it’s my duty to remind you boys that there may come a time when you will need one. It’s better to be safe than sorry. You can’t have a prenuptial drawn up but you can do a post.” He explained as I waved my hands waving him away.

“Honestly Jace, we don’t need them. But I appreciate the thought. We all have kids with our wives or will soon, so honestly, if it doesn’t work out then they deserve their half of the pot.” I reassured him firmly believing every word I said. I would gladly give up every red cent to Heather should she decide to leave me. I could always make more money. I wasn’t about to begin planning our divorce before our marriage had a chance to take off. 

“If you ever change your mind just let me know. I’ll get working on this case. Leave me the name and contact information for the woman and her lawyer and I’ll see what I can do.” I gave Jason all the information I had on Nina, including her lawyer's contact information. After we had finalized a game plan we shook hands with Jason promising he would get back to me within a few days.

It had been a productive day. I found a perfect ring to give Heather and hopefully I would have Nina out of my life for good within a week or so. Things were really starting to look up. I couldn’t wait to get home to Heather and tell her about my day.

The first thing I wanted to do was drop down on one knee and ask her to marry me, the proper way. Of course, that would have to wait. Heather had left for a week with her parents to visit family.  I had plans in place to fill that time. I had signed up with a therapist specializing in ASL.

I had been wandering blindly through this relationship. It was time I got outside help instead of relying on Emily for everything. I knew that Emily couldn’t be there every step of our marriage. She had her own marriage and career that filled enough space in her life.

I both needed and wanted to be a full partner in this marriage without having to use a translator. And to be better able to anticipate Heather’s needs. I didn’t want to offend her by coddling her or treating her as though she were handicap. As hard as it was for me to accept, Heather had been managing all this time without me. She didn’t need me to hold her hand. She didn’t need me to solve all her problems for her. I needed guidance from a professional to ensure I was going about things the proper way. I needed someone to help me build my tool box so that I could be a better husband to my wife.