Crying shame virgin cove.., p.18
Crying Shame: Virgin Cove Trillionaires (Single Brothers Book 5),
p.18
While holding Hunter to the ground, Elon glanced up at me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. Elon was here. His security guards hurried over and took over from Elon. I was more sure than ever of our love as Elon rose and came toward me.
I took his hand. “Elon, that’s Hunter.”
He stood between Hunter and me, like he was protecting me. “Police are en route.”
His security team still had Hunter pinned to the ground. Hunter wasn’t getting up anytime soon, but Hunter stared at me like he was an animal. “For what?”
Elon said, “Child abuse, child endangerment, rape, kidnapping, assault, and more—all listed on the warrant for your arrest. Coming near Clarissa again was your last mistake.”
Somebody called out, “Abuse! Is that why Sam missed practice for two weeks before you moved, Clarissa?”
It was Sam's youth football coach. He was standing behind us with Sam's teammates, the visiting team members, all the parents—and Sam. Our son's wide eyes were focused on Elon.
My spine tingled. I hadn't been as alone as I thought. I nodded and told the coach, “Yeah, but we’re fine now.”
Sirens echoed in the air.
Elon said, “The police are here.”
No one moved a muscle except the security members, who handed over Hunter to the cops. They read him his rights.
An officer spoke to the security team then came over to Elon. “Mr. Norouzi, we have it from here,” the officer said.
We all watched the police take Hunter away. My heart was settled now. I wasn’t weak anymore. Watching Hunter get arrested was cathartic.
“Everyone, let’s get the kids back to playing,” I said.
Before he took the field with his friends, Sam asked, “Mom, is Dad okay?”
I turned toward him and smiled. “He’s great and strong. Don’t worry about him, as he saved me.”
The other parents returned to the bleachers to watch the rest of the game. The interruption had probably lasted only ten minutes, but the minutes had felt like lifetimes.
In the end, I was free. I took Elon’s hand as we returned to our seats in the bleachers. I told the parents around us, “We’ll finish organizing the Super Bowl experience.”
Elon nodded at everyone. “I’ll try to get a bigger box that can hold more children, but everyone is invited to my family’s villa in Miami, where players from both teams will be. We’ll ensure the bus has room for Sam’s teammates and their parents.”
Elon spoke some more to the parents about logistics. A single mother named Brooke smiled at me and whispered, “Congrats, Clarissa—on everything.”
I tilted my head. Brooke was quiet and had always been nice to me. I asked, “On what?”
She looked over my shoulder at Elon. “You found yourself a man clearly in love with you. Does he have any single brothers?”
Love had changed me. I nodded and winked. “Actually, yes—quite a few. But Elon is the best.”
We watched the game that ended in a tie, and I held Elon's hand. Sam said goodbye to everyone, and we headed back to the limo. A blast of air conditioning cooled me down instantly.
As we settled into our seats, I bumped Elon. “Got a moment?”
He stared at me, and there was a strange expression on his face. I blinked as I couldn't figure out what he'd been thinking.
He finally said, “Yes.”
I kept my voice low. “I used to think that seeing Hunter again would mean the end of my life, but when I saw him today, I was no longer afraid.”
Elon smiled at me, giving me his full attention. “Good.”
I sighed. The brightness in his expression gave me goose bumps. “It was because I have you.”
“Always.” He squeezed my hand. “I need to prove my love without using money.”
“You just did. You saved me.”
He sat up straighter. Together, we could do anything. Because of his support today, all my fear was gone. And I knew for sure we’d be happy.
47
Clarissa
We tucked our son in his bed back home at the house in Connecticut. Honestly, I never wanted to leave. My family in this house was stronger than ever. I held Elon’s hand.
He said, “Sam’s tired. I think he was on edge most of the day.”
“He was, but he’s happy you’re with us,” I said.
I thought we'd head to our room to get showers when we left Sam. I was looking forward to spending alone time with the man I loved. However, Elon stopped me in the hall and waved for me to go downstairs with him. I tilted my head, joined him in descending the stairs, and asked, “We’re not going to bed?”
He placed his hand on my back, and we walked downstairs. “Not yet. Come.”
We walked through the house to the patio, where lights twinkled. We went outside.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Light jazz music played through speakers. Elon appeared tense. “I wanted to celebrate with you.”
Glasses of champagne had been set out on a table. “What’s the occasion?”
He took my hands. “All my memories of childhood include you. The years you were gone from my life made me realize every mistake I’d made.”
We’d both made huge mistakes. I kissed his cheek. “It’s okay. You can’t still be upset at yourself over the past. We have a future.”
He let go of one of my hands and fell to his knees. My heart sped up to what felt like a million miles a minute.
He opened a ring box and gazed up at me. “Will you marry me, Clarissa?”
Tears filled my eyes until I could barely see. I tugged on his hand. “Get up.”
He did but then stood like he was braced for impact. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
I wiped my eyes and nodded. “I want the same thing. I love you.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I threw myself into his arms and kissed him.
Our lips melted together, and nothing else mattered.
When we came up for air, he said, “I was worried there for a minute.”
I now understood why he'd seemed so preoccupied In the limo after Sam's football game. I tilted my head. “Is that what’s been going on with you? You were nervous?”
He nodded and blushed. “Yeah. I wasn’t sure when to propose and decided to just go for it.”
I laughed as he handed me champagne and took some for himself. I pressed on his muscular arm. “Well, you have great timing and great taste.”
He held up my hand that wore his ring. Honestly, I was so dazed, I hardly remembered slipping it on.
“The ring is based on one of your favorite fairy-tale stories,” he said.
The setting featured a rose that twisted around a diamond. It was perfect and proved that Elon knew me well. I widened my eyes. “So you’re saying we can have roses everywhere.”
He clinked glasses with me. “You can have whatever you want.”
As a girl, I’d dreamed of being a Norouzi, and it wasn’t because of his family's money. It was because I wanted to be in Elon's life and to be part of his wonderful family, surrounded by people who cared about each other. I lowered my glass. “All I want is you.”
“Me too,” he said.
Then I kissed him. We were in love, and we had time to figure out what we were going to do with the rest of our lives—together.
48
Charlie
Freedom was in my blood. Most of my brothers were settling down, but I wasn’t them. There was no way I was made for marriage, children, or anything like that.
No sane woman was ever going to trust that I was a one-woman man in my heart. And while crazy women were fun for a while, my heart was settled. It was the single life for me.
My parents had gathered us all back in Virgin Cove in the compound, as I’d jokingly referred to it for years. Calling it that was an easy way to ensure no woman asked to come to the compound to meet the best people in the world.
Clarissa walked next to me in the grand ballroom. I winked at her. “One more wedding on my schedule, then.”
She laughed and gazed lovingly at Elon, who was walking through the ballroom to the patio. It was adorable that the two of them were together again. It was like fate had stepped up, not only for Elon but also for Arman and my other brothers. I was happy for them.
“Absolutely," Clarissa said. "And who knows? Maybe you’re next?”
My lips quirked upward. We both knew that wasn’t true. I shook my head. “Doubtful, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Her son, Sam, stopped to give me a high five on his way past.
“You don’t need more confidence,” Clarissa said.
I straightened my spine. She hadn't seen me in eight years, but she’d known me for a long time. I lifted my chin and was curious as to how she saw me. “What do I need?”
She focused all her attention on me. My skin prickled as I wondered if she could see through me. She said, “I think you need some direction, but you’ve always had a good heart.”
My cheeks heated. It had been a long time since anyone other than Maman had thought those things about me. I smiled. “I’m glad to have my sister back.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s nice to have someone who doesn’t think I’m a complete player on my side again.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You’ve probably broken many hearts, and I do believe you’re a player.”
I rubbed the back of my head. “Oh no. So I’m hopeless.”
She hugged me. “But I am on your side as I know your secret.”
When I was fourteen, I’d bought a motorcycle and had it delivered to the shed, as if I could keep it a secret from my parents. I’d been adopted and had no memory of anything other than being in the Norouzi family, but even then I’d had a need for speed that I couldn’t explain. I said, “My motorcycle isn’t a secret these days.”
She looped arms with me on this evening that was supposed to be about her and Elon.
“Good," she said. "Now come outside on the patio and relax with your family.”
The moment we were outside, she returned to my brother’s side. I stayed in the back and watched the happy couples. My parents were happy, too, as they wished to see their sons in loving relationships.
My brothers Kir and Jeff joined me on the outskirts of the crowd. Like me, they were single. Kir was serious and took pleasure in extreme sports, and Jeff loved solving a mystery.
Jeff asked, “Who are you betting on to have another kid first?”
One of the nice parts of being a pilot was randomly crashing at the homes of my siblings at all hours. I said, “Cyrus and Sarah.”
Kir asked, “Why them?”
He was always so serious. I shrugged. “Because I’m a psychic.”
We joined Roman, Xerses and Adrien for outdoor drinks at what I thought of as the singles' table.
Once champagne was poured, Cyrus and Sarah stood. Cyrus announced, “We have news.”
Maman asked, “What’s going on?”
Cyrus straightened to his full height, and I knew what was coming. “Sarah is expecting,” he said.
Kir called out, “And you told Charlie first?”
Sarah shook her head. “He was at our door minutes after I told Cyrus.”
I laughed.
Kir said, “Burned again, Charlie.”
Not really, but I wasn’t a math wizard like Kir who took after our father in all things except a sense of humor.
I clasped Kir on the back. “I’m happy you’re on my side.”
We all sipped our champagne. Kir said, “Good luck learning the stock market with Pedar.”
“He’s assigned you to show me around in a few weeks,” I said and watched his eyes darken like he was either disappointed or annoyed—I couldn't tell, but annoying my brother was fun. He was hard to read sometimes, but it was easy to get under his skin.
I sat back in my chair. I had all these great people in my life, and luck always seemed to be on my side, but my job as a pilot finished next week. The truth was I needed change, but I wasn’t sure what adventure would come next.
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion. She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.
Visit my website and download a free novel
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Victoria Pinder, Crying Shame: Virgin Cove Trillionaires (Single Brothers Book 5)
