Page 26 of Handsome
Then I let her ashes go, and the wind took her to sea.
And then I slumped on the sand, alone. Except I wasn’t.
The calming laps of the water played in my ears and the saltwater spray touched my lips.
I was going be okay, no matter what, because inside the house Joshua was waiting for me, needing me.
My phone rang, and the moment I saw Darren Davis’s name, adrenaline stormed through my system. I hadn't spoken to him since I was barely eighteen, though I did hear all about how he and my sister financed her education.
I cringed. I’d never intended to use him.
My eyes swam with tears while I denied the call.
I glanced up at the huge house, much bigger than any Darren ever had.
And it belonged to a family who loved each other.
And as for Cyrus…
I would never be serious about him. He’d never have my heart, because we weren’t anything close to being on the same page, but his nearness reminded me there was more to life than being absolutely alone in the world.
At ten, I walked back to the mansion, done with my siblings.
I found Cyrus and Joshua together in the main grand room overlooking the ocean and a garden, and he left Joshua in the playpen and rushed over to me as he asked, “Are you okay?”
His nearness made my legs all weak, but I forced a smile.
I wasn't used to this kind of attention, but I managed to say, “I’m good.”
He rested his hand on my back, and awareness rushed through me. He asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”
I smiled at Joshua. I’d be an empty shell without them, as I’d always been, but here, now, I wasn’t. I shrugged and said, “No, I don’t. I want to eat and then push off.”
He winked and then directed my attention to the patio. Once again there was buffet suitable for a royal family on a nice morning. He reached for Joshua and said, “Then we’ll practice dancing on the ship.”
I laughed. “We will?”
He held the baby and pulled out a chair for me as he said, “Of course. We’ll have the crew to see to our needs.”
I shook my head, but I avoided the chair and him and how we felt like a family by walking over to pick up a plate. He followed behind me, and I swear he was looking at my backside.
My cheeks heated, but I refused to discuss it, instead asking, “What attracts you so strongly to dance when you keep saying it’s not serious?”
He balanced his food selection well but struggled to get a muffin. I put it on his plate for him as he said, “It’s a sport, and a reason to work out that’s not the family soccer games, though those are important too.”
I tilted my head. His brother Warren also clearly worked out, though Cyrus was still the fittest, sexiest man I’d ever seen, so I asked, “You and your brothers play soccer?”
He nodded at the fried eggs, and I scooped one up and put it on his plate, and then one on mine, as he said, “At least twice a month, when the family gets together. Now Joel and Arman are married and engaged, for the first time we’ve had some female players other than Clarissa, who played when we were kids.”
“Who’s Clarissa?” I asked as I picked up what looked like turkey bacon and put it on my plate.
He held out his plate for bacon, too, so I gave it him as he said, “The butler’s daughter. Half my brothers at some point dared each other to get her to go to a dance. I think being the only girl constantly on the premises somehow made her seem very hot.”
Interesting. We went back to the table, where there were mugs for tea and coffee, but the coffee one was bigger, and the tea mug was made of glass.
Joshua had fallen asleep in Cyrus's arms, and he held the baby close to his chest while he poured himself a cup. He already seemed to have mastered the challenge of handling hot food and drink with Joshua in his arms.
I asked, “Where is Clarissa now?”
