Free Signs of Love by Kimberly Rae Jordan Page A

similar will happen with them.” Alana took another sip of her tea. “Genevieve will have a good support system in place with them and you. They are eager to learn sign language which will help keep communication open with Genevieve.”
    “I suppose you think I should learn as well,” Justin stated as he lifted his milkshake.
    Alana tried to ignore the smells drifting across the table toward her. She pressed her hands against her stomach. “If you take lessons now at the same time she’s learning, it will be easier. I learned when Caden was a baby which made it easy to incorporate it into his natural learning process. I’m not saying you couldn’t learn at a later date, just that it would be easier if you start now.”
    “Did Caden’s father learn it as well?” Justin took a bite of his burger, his gaze expectant as he watched her.
    Frustration grew within Alana. This was what she wanted to avoid. But if she appeared reluctant to answer questions, it was likely to raise alarms with him. “No. He didn’t.”
    Justin’s brows drew together briefly as he set his burger down. “So how do he and Caden communicate?”
    “They don’t.” Alana hoped there was nothing in her voice that betrayed the sadness she felt about her son not having a father who loved him. “He is not part of Caden’s life.”
    Alana braced herself for another question directed to her personal life. This was not going well at all. She realized now that it was likely Justin hadn’t seen their meeting so much as an opportunity to learn more about how to adjust to Genevieve’s diagnosis as it was to find out more about her. He wouldn’t let some stranger waltz into his sister’s life without making sure they were safe.
    Her shoulders slumped, and she stared down at the table. She was trying to do a good thing for Beth and Daniel—trying to help them—but to have her own life come under scrutiny was a little scary. It wasn’t like she was hiding a criminal past. She just wanted her past to stay in the past. She was working so hard to set up a new life now. It hurt to have someone like Justin come along and rip it all open again.
    She took a deep breath and looked up to meet his clear blue gaze. “I get that you’re concerned about who Beth and Daniel might have let into their life. I’m sure that by this point, you’ve at least tried to do a background check on me.”
    Something flickered in Justin’s eyes, but he didn’t say anything.
    “If you stick to legal channels, you’ll come across sealed documents regarding a name change for me and Caden.” Alana paused and took another breath, forcing herself to keep her gaze on Justin’s. “If you take a less above-board approach, you’ll likely be able to get past the seal to find the file filled with the pictures taken of the injuries I sustained as a result of my ex-husband’s abuse of me. Which is the reason for the sealed file.”
    Justin straightened and leaned back against the booth. She could read absolutely nothing from his expression, and he remained silent.
    “And if you don’t want to wait to see the proof in the file…here.” Alana laid her left arm on the table, pulling up the long sleeve of the shirt she wore. She didn’t look down to see what he was seeing. It was an all too familiar sight. There were puckered scars from the burns and cuts he’d inflicted on her, promising that if she protested, he’d go after Caden.
    “Alana…” Justin’s voice was rough, and she saw emotion in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Too bad it took stripping her soul bare in order to make him see that she wasn’t a threat.
    “I’m no danger to Beth or Daniel. All I’m trying to do is help them and to make a better life for my son than we had with his father. If you’d rather I didn’t go around them anymore, just let me know.” Her hands were shaking as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the twenty dollar bill she’d placed there earlier. Since she’d