I met her gaze. The memory of the first time I’d stolen a kiss from her played in my mind. I’d taken her to a middle school dance in the gymnasium that we’d spent a week decorating with posters and paint that had splattered on her face and clothes.
“Maman took me in when I was four," I said. "I hardly remember life before then, but when I saw your place and where you and Sam live… it really hit home how blessed I am.”
She laughed. “Appreciating what you got when you get it is pretty fucking special. but why did you go to my apartment?”
“I came to apologize and to let you slam the door in my face. When I talked your landlord into letting me into your apartment and discovered a photo of Sam, I realized I'd waited too long.”
“I was fucking scared to go home when I heard somebody had stopped by. I should have guessed it was you when I heard you were ‘Mr. Grey in the flesh.’”
“Your leasing agent…” A huge grin grew on my face. When we were kids, my brothers and I had always considered Clarissa the only girl who was truly a lady. “No one’s ever going to believe me that Clarissa Brown swears.”
She cupped my face, yawned, and stood. “You’re cute. Okay, we’ll take the jet… if you swear my parents never find out.”
“I’ll make it happen.” I said. One phone call and hopefully my parents would agree to talk Clarissa's parents, their longest-serving servants, into retiring. Or maybe Maman and Pedar could move them to one of their seldom-used vacation homes. I'd also have to ensure that no one spoke to them about Clarissa and Sam.
She waved at me and returned to her bedroom. “Good night then.”
Tomorrow would be a whole new day. She was the only person I’d ever let down in my life, and not having her trust shook me hard. We had a long way to go, but hopefully tonight marked a fresh start.
4
Clarissa
Birds chirped outside, and there was clearly daylight behind the curtains. I had no idea how long I'd slept, but I stretched in bed and closed my eyes. A restful sleep had been a commodity I’d not enjoyed in years, and I knew it was one of Elon’s gifts I shouldn’t have accepted.
As a girl, I’d let myself dream that I wouldn't be a burden if I ended up marrying Elon. Unlike my parents, his were warm and caring. Neither of my parents had wanted a child. I’d been born because Roxanne Norouzi figured out my mother was pregnant and talked her out of having an abortion. My parents had let me know that more than once.
They were no longer in my life. I was here with Elon, who I used to dream of as the Prince Charming who would save me. Although the day he’d told me we were done, I accepted that I’d never be able to whitewash how my parents had treated me. I needed to protect my unborn child. I vowed that Sam would always know he was loved and wanted.
Every day I came home from work to Sam, I knew I’d kept that vow… until Hunter.
It had rocked me to come into my apartment and find Hunter hiding in the closet. Sam had two black eyes and bruises everywhere. I’d tried to kick Hunter out of my place, but he'd hit me too.
The minute he'd left for work, I'd grabbed the keys and my son then hopped in the car.
We’d checked into a shelter, where our bodies healed, and I spoke about my past with counselors. Talking about it helped me more than I'd thought possible. And now, weeks later, Elon was back, and Sam and I were staying in a penthouse.
I needed to ensure that Sam never experienced the things that I had. If that meant letting Elon watch out for him, that was the way it had to be. Sam had always been and always would be my first priority.
I scrubbed my face and cleaned up with the toiletries in the bathroom. When I opened the bathroom door, Sam was waiting. He gazed up at me with a huge grin. “Mom, did you check out the clothes in the bag?”
His blue eyes were innocent. My heart hammered. Thinking I’d made the right decision to accept Elon's help, I went to the closet with him. Both our bags were inside. “Do you like the things in your bag?” I asked.
He showed me his kicks, as he called his shoes. “They're brand-new Vans Slip-Ons. Also in the bag are Converse and Nikes. I love being rich.”
I kissed his forehead. “I’ve not given you much.”
He took my hand and spoke with intensity. “You did what you could. Now I need you to marry my dad.”
My heart hammered. Girlish dreams didn't work out for me, and Sam shouldn’t waste his time hoping for something that wasn't going to happen. I stood taller. “That’s a bit of a stretch.”
I opened my bag and found jeans and a T-shirt, my usual clothing preferences, as well as a sundress. I never wore dresses as I didn't think I looked pretty in them, so I grabbed the jeans.
Sam sat on the bed, watching me. “Look, you deserve nice things too. I hated Hunter. Dan was probably worse. But Elon… he knows about baseball, and he fed and clothed us. Mom, he’s the one for you.”
My shoulders tensed. Dan had been Sam's babysitter. He'd used the money I paid him to buy alcohol, but he'd seemed capable and never smelled of alcohol when I picked up Sam. I’d never seen any marks on Sam after Dan babysat him, but now I questioned everything.
I heard footsteps outside my bedroom. “Let's get moving… he’s waking.” We both scurried out of the room and headed to the kitchenette, where I boiled water, scrambled through the supplies and found tea bags. I remembered that Elon wasn’t a fan of tea from bags, but it was all we had. When Elon appeared, dressed in a T-shirt that showed the definition in his muscles, I sighed.
