Page 19 of Crying Shame
Unlike every other guy I’d ever met, Elon was a gentleman. His control over himself was rare and part of his charm.
Once we finished eating, I jumped up. “Tomorrow starts a whole new day.”
A day where money couldn't buy everything.
Both Sam and Elon stood.
“Can I sleep with my wand?” Sam asked.
I laughed. “Sure, sounds fun.”
The sooner I was in my room, the better. Hopefully sleep would help cure me of my crazy thoughts. The last thing I needed was to start believing that Elon and I could be a couple. Happily-ever-afters only happened in movies.
6
Elon
Last night, I’d laid in my bed alone and hardly slept a wink. In the other bedrooms, I had a son I needed to get to know and Clarissa. It was clear she’d gone through more than she'd told me about.
I had a clear picture of whoever this Hunter was and what he’d done to Sam, and my muscles were tense from guilt. I wished I’d gone to find Clarissa years ago.
The sun came up, and it gave me a reason to get up and head to the gym. Working out had for years helped me solve the problems that plagued my mind. I’d spent the past year growing my business and hiring competent doctors, training them, and then ultimately selling franchises across the country. It made me money and helped countless women have healthy deliveries, but that didn’t alleviate the weight on my shoulders.
I headed downstairs, and as I turned, I saw Clarissa outside on the porch. So I opened the door and joined her. She didn’t seem to notice me at first. She was gazing off in the distance and appeared calm, exactly the way I'd seen her many times in childhood.
I approached her and then slid into the seat beside her on the white wooden porch swing. Her eyes widened. A spark rushed through me. “You’re up early.”
She nodded, seeming like she was far away. “I missed seeing the sunrise at the ocean and wanted to catch it. Is Sam still asleep?”
“Yeah.”
Sam had had a late night, and I hadn't heard any noise when I’d passed his room. I followed her gaze to the ocean. “Did you come out here to think?”
She sighed. “And watch and listen to the waves.”
“Of course,” I said, though I wasn’t sure how to reach her.
She blinked. “We can share the view, if you promise not to make me cry.”
Maybe I should leave her alone and not push her for anything more. She’d already brought my son here, and that should be enough. I whispered, “I don’t want to make you cry—ever.”
“Good, because I’m here so you get to know Sam.”
I realized I needed to make her laugh. And it wasn’t just to break the mood of the moment. I needed her to open up because I wanted to kiss her again.
It wasn’t a fast, demanding desire that burned inside me. I needed to earn back her trust because I wanted more than sex. I wanted her heart. Then maybe we’d have together what I’d been afraid to want when we'd been younger.
I laid my hand between us, though I knew she’d not take it. “I’m hoping to find a way to make up with you too.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Oh, you’d not look good with mascara or lipstick.”
I laughed. Her offbeat sense of humor was one of the best things about her. We passed some more time by watching the ocean. “I saw pictures of you in your princess dress. The PI I hired to find you sent them, and clearly you were in your element.”
Her face pinkened. “I… it was the best decision for work I could make. Competition was fierce to get the acting gig.”
“I can imagine.”
She shook her head. “No, you can’t. But thanks for saying that. I applied every thirty days until HR relented and handed over a dress.”
