Clarissa
The ride home consisted mostly of Sam telling us about his teachers and his thoughts on the lunch, the lunchroom, the other children, and the snacks in the classroom.
Sam loved the fruit that the school provided with lunch. I thought nutritious food helped him focus. Elon asked Sam tons of questions, delving so deep he even asked about the cheese on Sam's sandwich.
Honestly, Elon and Sam had more in common than I realized. I’d forgotten how Elon used to talk about lunch on our way home from school as though It had been the best part of the day.
When we stepped out of the limo, I gazed up at the two-story house, and my heart shifted. Elon was stable and a doctor, and whoever he married would have a long driveway and a helipad and a backyard that led to the beach.
Elon and Sam walked inside. I needed to ensure no one separated them.
My stomach twisted at the idea of another woman living here.
I stepped inside the house after Elon and Sam just as Elon’s phone rang. He answered the call then held up a finger. “This is a consult about a patient. Would you mind? She’s having birth complications.”
“Go,” I said quickly. Elon helped people, and giving birth was hard. I’d cried through my lonely childbirth.
I walked Sam to the kitchen where he was to do his homework. Elon was in the next room, and I could hear him speaking about a patient.
Once I set up Sam at the table, the doorbell rang. I stepped out of the dining hall, went to Elon, heard him say something about "contractions one minute apart," and silently mouthed, “Who's at the door?”
He hit Mute on his phone. “Security let whoever it is through.”
If Hunter had found me, I was dead. He could probably have talked his way through security. I tensed and swallowed. “I’ll get it. You help the woman in distress.”
He stared at me and nodded. “I’ll stand right here watching you.”
I believed he’d help me if I needed help. My face heated. “You don’t…” I relaxed my shoulders and said, “Thanks.”
I marched through the house to the door, knowing my fear was probably unfounded. The door camera showed a blond, blue-eyed, super-tall guy I knew was a year younger than Elon and me. I smiled and opened the door. “Charles? Is that you?”
“Charlie, like you used to call me.” He reached around my waist, hugged me, and I giggled. The last time I’d seen him, he’d been skinny and had pimples. He put me down. “I flew in and wanted to see if it was true that you were here with Elon. Welcome back, Clarissa.”
Elon craned his neck, trying to see who was at the door. “Are you okay, Clarissa?”
I threw open the door so Elon could see his little brother. “Of course.”
Elon's brother stepped into the house, and I patted his shoulder. “Charlie, you’ve gotten… swoll, as my son would say.”
He glanced around. “Where is my nephew?”
I waved him past Elon, who was still on the phone. The brothers greeted each other with nods and smiles. When Charlie and I got to the dining room, I waved to get my son's attention. “Sam, you can stop your homework for a few minutes.”
He put his pencil down. “Who's this?”
Elon came into the room, having finished his call. “Sam, this is your Uncle Charlie.”
Sam jumped up. “Are you Elon’s brother?”
“I’m one of them.” Charlie shook Sam's hand. He went down on one knee. “I’m a pilot, and my flight just got in. I headed here for the day.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “That must be so cool.”
Elon tucked his phone in his back pocket. Charlie and Sam put their heads together and laughed about something. They seemed oblivious to anyone else in the room.
I playfully elbowed Elon. “Sam’s trading you in for your brother.”
He placed his hand on my back and whispered, “I heard what you said to Charlie, and I was jealous.”
