I ducked into my room. Elon wasn’t mine. I’d never again be the teenager who'd been in love with him. It was dangerous to forget that. Ensuring that Sam and Elon bonded as a tight team was my mission. I knew for a fact that Norouzis protect their own.

  And Sam needed the stability that only Elon offered.

  9

  Elon

  I jogged downstairs, but the only person in the pool was my brother. I dove in anyhow as I had some pent-up tension from being near Clarissa and Sam.

  I was trying hard to make inroads, but I had no idea if anything was working.

  When I came up for air, Charlie laughed and said, “Looks like Clarissa filled out nicely.”

  I swam over to him as if I was trying to block his view of her even though she wasn’t even there. “Hey now.”

  Charlie swam like he was perfectly at ease. He treaded water and said, “You’re lucky. I have no idea how you kept her a secret from us, but I’m glad she chose you.”

  “Why?”

  “You were so fucking serious all the time and so devoted to being the best, getting perfect grades, scoring the winning goal. Honestly, you made me feel like a complete slacker.”

  Now that was a lie. I finished my lap and said, “You’re determined to prove how carefree you can be, but we both know that’s just because you’re scared.”

  “Of what?” Charlie asked like I’d offended him.

  I met his gaze. “Of settling down, though I don’t know why that scares you.”

  Charlie glared at me. “Because that would make me… old.”

  “Ouch.” I pressed my hand to my heart even though I wasn’t offended. The truth was that nothing was wrong with craving a touch of normalcy. But Charlie was always running too fast to notice what was normal.

  He asked, “So why did you dump her years ago when she was clearly the best you’d get?”

  “I don’t have a scorecard like you.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question.”

  “I… was focused on being the perfect son to prove to our parents that they'd made the right choice in picking me to be their son.”

  “With all the crap I put them through, they still kept me,” he pointed out.

  “I don’t have your charm.”

  Clarissa strutted toward the pool holding our son’s hand and wearing a black swimsuit that accentuated her curves. She walked Sam to the steps in the shallow end, and he got into the water.

  “What are you two talking about?” Clarissa asked.

  I couldn’t look away from her, but I refused to scare her with how territorial I was becoming. We’d made no promises to each other.

  She lowered herself into the water and still I couldn’t look away.

  “Sam and I want to swim for a while, but you two should take an hour or two and go do something fun without us,” Charlie said.

  Sam stared across the pool at Charlie. “Yeah?”

  “You said you wanted Sam to bond with family,” I reminded Clarissa, but this was her choice.

  Sam waved. “Mom, go. I’ll be fine.”

  Clarissa hugged herself. “I don’t like leaving you with men you don’t know.”

  “You know him.” Sam bounced in the water. “And I like Charlie. He’s telling me about flying across the ocean.”

  Clarissa smiled and stepped back like she wanted to disappear.

  I got an idea. It might be helpful to spend a few minutes with Clarissa when she was relaxed. I swam to her side. “Instead of swimming, why don’t you and I hit the hot tub right over there where we can keep an eye on them.”

  She hooked her arm into mine. “I am curious about what it feels like to be in a hot tub.”

  Good. She wasn’t scared like yesterday. We waved at Charlie and Sam then stepped out of the pool together. “You’ve never been in one?”

  We headed to my in-ground hot tub under the pergola, and I turned on the jets. She slipped one toe in. “We had them at hotels I worked at, but I’d never even been assigned to clean them.”

  She walked in with me. I had a hard time computing her story, though I believed her. “We have one at the Virgin Cove house.”

  She settled into one of the seats. “And I wasn’t allowed near it.”

  Crazy. I took a seat beside her and let the movement of the water help disguise just how much I wanted her.

  We watched Sam and Charlie playing in the pool and splashing each other.

  “So what do you think of the hot tub?” I asked her.

  She smiled at me. “My muscles are loving this.”

  Perfect. I not only wanted to earn back her trust, I wanted to always do right by Sam.

  The way her face looked with the light reflected on it rushed straight into my heart. Years ago, I should have realized that Clarissa was the only woman who’d ever be perfect for me. She made every second I spent with her better than the last.

  So now I had to try to do the same for her. It was time to win her heart.

  10

  Clarissa

  The jets of water felt nice and so did sitting next to Elon. The pressure from the water hitting my muscles was almost relaxing. I gazed across the hot tub at Elon, and my heart stirred. I wished I’d come to him years ago.

  I sat on my hands. “It’s really good you became a doctor, but why did you end up focusing on OB-GYN?”

  A member of his staff brought us a bottle of wine and served it to us in glasses.

  “Good question," Elon said. "I like working where people are happy. Most of the time when I hand over a baby, the parents are as happy as they can get.”

  I wasn’t sure heat and alcohol were a good mix, but for once in my life, I decided not to stress. I could trust Elon. I took my glass from the drink holder attached to the side of the hot tub. “I forgot most of the pain after they gave me Sam.”

  He clinked glasses with me. “To be honest, the babies and the families remind me that the world is a good place, whatever the noise or drama of the day might be.”

  It was so nice sitting beside him that I felt emboldened. “How do you see Sam fitting into your life?”

  “He’s my son. He gets everything I have.”

  Perfect answer. I sipped my wine and then put the glass back in the drink holder. "You’re not angry at me for not telling you about him?”

  He shook his head, sipped his wine, and kept a sharp eye on Sam. “I was self-involved when I was twenty. I was so afraid of losing my parents and my place in the world that I lashed out at the wrong person. Losing you was worse.”

  I picked up my glass again and scooted away from the jet so I would be sure to hear his answer to my next question. “You've said that before, but what changed in you that you could recognize it?”

  “You want the truth?”

  “Yeah,” I said. My face felt heated, but it could have been from the warm water.

  He sat back. “Residency changed me. I saw people treated for all sorts of things, and I just became more grateful about everything I had. When I started to be more appreciative and less fearful, everything changed.”

  “It's been hard for me to see the good when I've been struggling to pay for everything.” I pressed my lips together, regretting my comment. Lashing out wasn’t good. He couldn't possibly know what it was like to go to a shelter and spend weeks living in a car. My annoyance wasn’t going to help Sam, so I sighed. “But that sounds like a mature attitude.”

  “I was a rich brat who was oblivious to how others lived. When I saw how I'd caused my brother Cyrus all that heartache, it was like a double bullet to my chest too. My biggest regret was letting you get away, as I’d had the best and been too stupid to hold on.”

  Most men didn't get this deep with me on any topic. Elon was like a magnet that was hard to resist, and yet he wasn’t even trying. He was being respectful.

  “I don’t know any other guy who self-reflects like you do.”

  “I thought I was surly.”

  I smiled. “Not to me. Look, I know you’re being cautious with me to not scare me.”

  He stilled. “I don’t want to push you.”

  I clinked his glass again. “I wanted to say thank you.”

  He blushed, and I didn't think it was because of the wine or the warm water.

  “No, that’s too much," he said. "You don’t need to thank me.”

  I put my glass back in the holder and folded my hands in my lap. My heart beat faster, and I kept my voice down. “Look, this life you’re presenting to us here… it’s great, really…”

  He put his glass next to mine. “But?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. Buying Sam's love wasn’t good for either Elon or Sam. Our son needed responsible parents. I should tell him that, but I held my tongue. “There is no but.”

  Silence clung to the air. I wanted to pretend that my attraction to him was sustainable. Something was sending steam through me, and I didn't think it was the water.

  Elon asked, “Do you long to act still?”

  A script where Elon and I kept living this wonderful life where I ended up his wife and lived here forever played out in my head. I let out a sigh. “I acted to pay bills and pretend… my life was better.”

  If I stayed here, I would be free to dream.

  He asked, “So what do you want to do?”

  Me? I hadn’t let myself focus on what I’d never be able to achieve. I decided to focus now. “Ensure Sam has everything.”

  He shrugged, handed me back my glass, and picked up his own. “He will have everything. But what about you? What do you want to do with your life?”

  Right now, I wanted to jump up and run away. Telling him what I wanted out of life wasn’t easy. I closed my eyes. He had no idea how frustrating it was to see his perfect life when mine had been a roller coaster. “I want to grow up, like you clearly have.”

  “You were always more mature than me.”

  “Not true anymore.” I sipped my almost-full drink. Either liquid courage or the memories of the past fueled me to speak. “And if I was like you, where money wasn’t an obstacle…”

  His voice was low. “Yeah?”

  I refused to look at him. “I’d find a way to write plays.”

  “You can do that now.”

  Single-mom life where I worked on my feet for twelve hours at a time wasn’t exactly the avenue of indulging dreams. Somehow, though, I'd fit in some writing. “I already do, but they’re not good. I’d want to go to conferences, take some classes, and really figure out how to do it.”

  “Why didn’t you pursue that more then? I remember you always penning short stories.”

  A scream was lodged in my throat, but I gulped wine from my glass. “Life happened. I needed to pay bills and ensure Sam had everything he needed." I paused. "Why are you being so nice to me?”

  “I like you, Clarissa. I always did.”

  I liked him too. I tensed as I wasn’t prepared to deal with this new version of Elon. My stomach twisted. “We don’t know each other anymore.”

  “We’re starting to.”

  My shoulders felt tight. I put my empty glass down and pressed my hand to my heart. “Are you trying to save me or Sam from my life choices?”

  He laughed. “I like to take care of my family and my patients. You’re included in the circle.”

  Maybe the combination of the flowing water and the heat was addling my brain. I’d not thought about our late-night dorm visits in years, and now I remembered waiting in his room and sharing his tiny twin bed. I moved away from him before I did something I’d hate myself for. “We can’t go back in time and ever be twenty again, and we’re not having sex anytime soon.”

  “I’m not going to push you into anything.”

  My one-piece wasn’t enough cover for what I was feeling. I scooted toward the steps inside the hot tub. “I believe you. We should probably get out and head to dinner."

  “Sounds good.”

  I got out of the hot tub. He stood and followed me. Something occurred to me, and I stopped. “Look, I don’t want to interrupt your dating life.”

  Water dripped down his muscular body. I sighed as I took in the sight of him.

  “You’re absolutely not.”

  I dashed to the outdoor linen closet and grabbed a towel. “Okay, because I wouldn’t mind if we became friends again.”

  He reached behind me, and my entire body pulsed with desire. He wrapped himself in a towel. “I’d like that.”

  I moved and almost walked right into him. I rocked back and grabbed more towels. “Good, because you’re easier to like now, and it’s pretty scary.”

  We stood beside the pool, our arms and legs brushing, and watched Sam and his uncle race. Neither of us moved away from the other until Sam and Charlie reached the shallow end.

  I couldn't focus on how much I wanted Elon. I needed to think about our son.

  Sam's head popped out of the water, and I held out the towel. “Sam, let’s get dressed for dinner, and you have homework to finish.”

  “Okay, Mom,” he said.

  I glanced at Elon one more time. Part of me wished I wasn’t afraid of believing we might become more than friends. However, I needed to make sure Elon accepted our son as his own so nothing bad ever happened to Sam again. It was clearly safer for Sam to have the power of the Norouzi name behind him than it was for him to stay with me.

  11

  Clarissa

  During dinner, Elon's brother regaled Sam with tales of places he’d been. I’d thought being a trillionaire and having access to private jets would have been enough to satisfy anyone’s wanderlust. But it seemed Charlie loved being somewhere new every single day.

  I could never live like that, and I glanced at Elon more than once. He was a beacon of stability, and I liked that.

  After dinner, Elon, Sam, and I walked Charlie out the door and waved, like we were a functioning family.

  I directed Sam to finish his homework, and Elon said he’d texted his secretary to ensure a proper tutor was found this week.

  After Sam had been working on his homework for a while, I watched him from the open door. For the first time in a long time, Sam appeared eager to solve math problems. I crossed my arms over my chest. Our son was pretty perfect. Elon came to stand next to me.

  “Charlie talks a lot,” I remarked.

  “He does.” Elon’s gaze was warm.

  His phone rang. I took it as a sign that I could relax and uncrossed my arms.

  “Please wait up," he said. "It’s work, and I need to Zoom with a patient.”

  I nodded. “Sam's about done with his homework, so I’ll get him ready for bed. Meet us to tuck him in.”

  “I wouldn’t miss that,” Elon said and gazed at me like he was seeing into my soul.

  I bounced on my feet, but then his phone rang again, and an image of a pretty, blond young woman with a brilliant smile appeared on his screen.

  My stomach twisted. “Who's that?”

  “Secretary.” He headed to his office.

  I sighed and said, “Perky and young.”

  He stopped at the door to his office and called back to me. “Works cheap and wants to go to medical school.”

  I supposed answering calls for a doctor was a good way to see how a medical office worked.

  And it wasn't like I had the right to be jealous. I crossed the room to the open door of his office, where he was opening his laptop.

  “I’m not judging,” I said.

  He winked at me. “It’s okay if you’re jealous. I’d like it.”

  He hadn’t answered the call from his secretary. The phone was on his desk.

  My skin buzzed. “Why would you like it?”

  The twinkle in his expression caught me off guard. “Then I’d know you like me a little more than you want to.”

  I tapped the frame of the door and stepped back. “Keep dreaming, lover boy.”

  Elon started his video call. Sam was through with his homework, so I helped him pack his backpack. Once his bag was ready for tomorrow, we headed up the stairs.

  I laid out clothes for him to wear to bed as he showered in his en suite bathroom.

  Once he was out, dressed, and in bed, Elon joined us.

  He sat on the bed and kissed our son’s forehead. “Good night.”

  My heart melted a little.

  Sam hugged him, and I stayed still. This was better than anything Elon had bought for him. Moments created memories, and I prayed Sam would remember this one.

  When Elon stood, I hugged Sam, and he wiped a tear from my face. I laughed and kissed him. “Good night.”

  Elon waited at the door for me. I swiped at my face to ensure no more tears were there and had an extra bounce in my step. He walked next to me in the hall, and I clasped my hands in front of me. “How was the patient?”

  We went down the stairs. “Upset we recommended a C-section. She’d been adamant about no drugs and going all-natural.”

  I let out a sigh, as that sounded like someone’s broken dream. We headed to the living room. “Then why did you make the recommendation?”

  A member of his staff brought out a wine bottle and more glasses and served us. I froze, as I was usually the one serving, but Elon didn't seem to notice. “The cord is around the baby’s neck. If she pushes during labor, the baby could lose the ability to breathe.”

  I took the offered glass. Honestly, I never drank much, but being here was relaxing me. “That sucks. Sam’s birth is honestly a blur at this point, but I had no complications, though truthfully, I stayed home on maternity leave for as long as possible.”

  He sipped from his glass. “She agreed when I talked to her about the dangers. I don’t understand sometimes why nurses can’t explain the obvious, but at other times, I get it.”

  I twirled the stem of my glass. “So why aren’t you running to the hospital to deliver?”

  He shook his head. “Her doctor is competent and on call, but she was a friend of my mother’s, which is why I answered her questions and calmed her down.”

  I elbowed him and then sipped from my glass. “So at some point, your mother must have tried to set you up, as she hated to see you all alone.”