Page 41 of Brighter than the Boss
"I guess I should be happy it's not totaled." Sunny had just hung up and was already seeing the positives. Her mental fortitude was impressive.
I grabbed her hand and held it in mine. "Don't worry, Sunshine. I'll take it to the shop I take my Harley to and get it fixed up, good as new."
"I appreciate it, but I can't really afford that right now. I used up my savings just buying that thing. Plus, I'm saving money to get a flight out to see my parents. I'll have to wait and see what my insurance company will cover."
She was chewing on her lip. I didn't want her worrying about it when I could easily take care of it. The Vespa and the plane ticket.
"Babe, listen. I got it, okay? Let me take care of it. I've got the money, I promise." There was something about this girl making me change absolutely everything in my life that I'd agreed upon.
Never mess around with an employee. Check.
Never sleep over with a girl. Check.
Never invite a girl to sleep over at my place. Check.
Never date a woman exclusively. Check.
Never let a woman know you have money. Check.
I chuckled, missing the frown she was throwing my direction. "Your rainbows and sunshine are damn potent."
"I'm sorry, what?" I looked up to see her nose wrinkled up, confusion looking damn adorable on her.
I sighed, gripping her hand tighter, hoping she'd hear me out. "You gotta understand, Sunny. I didn't believe in the same things you do, so I created rules in my life. A way to protect myself, I guess. But I've broken every single one of them since you've entered my life. I could get pissed about it, but I'm choosing your silver lining philosophy and enjoying the ride. So yeah, your rainbows and sunshine are damn addictive. Be careful who you spew it at."
She was smiling, which made me smile. And then I wondered about how often I was smiling these days, simply because of this small package sitting next to me. Which made me smile more.
"I'm glad my positive attitude is like a virus." She narrowed her eyes at me, causing me to laugh, but carried on, killing any further cheerfulness. "But money or not, I can't let you pay for my Vespa. Thank you for the offer."
I had to make her see that spending my money on her was no hardship. I didn't even like spending the money on myself, nor thinking about the damn money in that account the lawyer had set up.
"You don't understand, Sunshine. I don't give a shit about that money. I hate it actually. I'd much rather see you use it for something worthwhile."
"What in the world are you talking about, Cain? What money?"
Sunny twisted in her seat, pulling her legs up under her, staring at me with her nose doing that wrinkly thing. There was nothing for it. I'd have to tell her the whole story in order for anything to make sense. I rarely told anyone about my childhood, preferring not to bring up the bullshit or spread the stink around to anyone else. No need to bring it up over and over again. Better to let it be buried in the past, where it only sullied my own memories.
I sighed and gripped the steering wheel harder.
"I'm a good listener, Cain."
There she was, still holding my hand, her thumb rubbing back and forth on the back of my skin, her nose no longer scrunched up. Her confusion had been replaced by something warm and open. Something that looked a lot like caring and affection. Her voice was soft and soothing, like she was dealing with a scared animal about to dart away, refusing her help. Apparently, I was the scared rabbit in this analogy and I didn't like that one bit. In fact, I hated it. I hated that the past still stole my confidence, stole my words, stole my sunshine.
And just like that I realized I couldn't let it steal my Sunny.
I'd bring the whole damn mess into the light and see what happened. Stuffing it down into the shadows hadn't worked out that well, so we'd see what the light could do.
"Settle in, Sunshine. I got a story to tell."
She squeezed my hand, making me feel like she was still with me, by my side, ready to take it all on as my partner.
Deep breath. "I was adopted when I was a little kid. I don't remember my biological parents at all, but the social worker said I bounced around foster homes even as a baby. Then when I was twelve, I landed in another home with an older couple who ended up adopting me. They were a nice couple. Honest, hard-working. Didn't have a lot of money, didn't show a lot of affection, but they were decent people, you know? I fought them at every turn, pissed off at the world at that point. Hormones were surging and I was always in a rage. They stuck by me though and tried to instill morals and a work ethic. It wasn't until much later, after they'd passed away that I realized their lessons had stuck. I was still pissed off, but I had their voices in my head, talking me through right and wrong."
"They sound like good people, Cain. I'm glad you had them, even for a short period of time." Sunny smiled at me, those brown eyes softening in what I hoped wasn't pity but understanding.
"I'm grateful too. I wish I'd gotten a chance to tell them that. Hopefully they knew, even though I didn't put it into words." Pressure in my chest stopped me short, making me rethink actually telling her the rest. The pressure was a familiar bitch: shame.
"So did the money come from your adopted parents?" Sunny prompted me.
