Broken Read Online Free

surprised she hadn’t already approached.
    “She’s not here. My wife died. I doubt Melly even remembers her because she was six months old. The car accident that took her away almost killed Melly, too.”
    “Oh no! I’m so sorry for bringing it up.”
    Nathan shook his head. “Don’t worry. It’s natural to wonder. Melly’s vocal chords were damaged in the wreck.”
    Ciera agreed it was natural to wonder, but to dredge up painful memories that weren’t that long ago was wrong. Two and a half years wasn’t enough to heal completely. She knew two weren’t for her situation. Nathan watched her face as if he expected her to ask more questions. He seemed eager to talk to her, and she understood that too.
    “So she’s never spoken?” she asked.
    “No. At the time, she was just making those unintelligible gurgles that babies do, with a Da-Da here and there that I liked to interpret as Daddy.”
    Ciera touched his hand and then drew away. He smiled at her.
    “When I was told she might never speak, I learned sign language so I could teach her and we could communicate.”
    “That must have been rough.”
    “Very. But like I said, she’s smart.” He snapped his fingers together. “She picked it up quickly, and I’m told she knows more words signing than the average speaking three-year-old.”
    “Cool.”
    He winked. “So.”
    She licked her lips. “So?”
    “What’s your tragedy?”
    Ciera folded her arms and glanced away. “What makes you think I have some kind of tragedy?”
    She started when he touched a finger to her temple and slid it down her face an inch or two. Emotions stirred in her belly, and she drew back, breaking the contact.
    “Right there,” he whispered. “The haunted look that comes into your eyes. Big, brown eyes. I’ve always had a weakness for a black woman’s eyes.”
    She wrinkled her nose, embarrassed she liked his words. “They’re eyes, not even that special.”
    “So you say. Okay, I’ll let you off the hook.” He stood up, and Melly seemed to take it as a signal. She bounded over with endless energy and grasped Ciera’s hand again. Ciera found herself dragged to a table where a sheet cake waited, decorated with blue bears. So they hadn’t lied. Melly did like bears. If Ciera believed in such things anymore, she might have thought the meeting between her and Melly was fate. She dismissed the thoughts.
    Melly signed to the kids with glasses, and he seemed to stumble through a few signs back, but he supplemented with speaking in a sort of thick, slow tone.
    “I want cake!” The boy bounced up and down. “Big one!”
    Melly glared at him and wiggled her fingers with both hands facing her. “Wait,” her daddy interpreted, and Ciera pressed a hand to her mouth to hide her amusement. Poor thing, the boy looked so disappointed, and Melly looked like his pint-size mama with her scolding.
    “We have to sing to Ciera, too.”
    “What?” Ciera squeaked, turning to Nathan.
    He shrugged. “I didn’t say it. Melly did.”
    She frowned at him, putting her hands on her hips. “I think you’re putting words into her mouth.” Unfortunately for her, he wasn’t. Melly patted the seat beside her at the cake table, and Ciera expected Nathan’s help to get her out of the serenade. He rocked on his heels, the fink. She got a spiteful glare from Kathy, but that one she ignored. Soon, Ciera had no choice put to paste a smile on her face while people she didn’t know sang happy birthday to her and Melly at the top of their lungs. When the song ended, Melly clapped wildly, mouth open in joy, and eyes already feasting on the cake Kathy was cutting for her.
    After cake and ice cream, two of Ciera’s biggest weaknesses, she separated herself from the partygoers and watched from a corner while Melly ripped into her packages. An older woman wandered over, still scooping forkfuls of cake into her mouth. Crumbs clung to the woman’s chin, and Ciera debated telling her so.
    “Isn’t