Page 82 of Crying Shame
I'd said the wordlove,so hopefully the next sentence would come out easily. The rest of the world disappeared when we were together. “And I wasn’t sure how to even see the obvious, but I never wanted another man in my life. It was always you.”
“Good.”
I cupped his face. Joy radiated through me. “And I love you even more now than I did before.”
His intake of breath made me blink. I hoped I wasn’t too late.
“You do?” he asked.
Telling him was easy now. I laughed and nodded. “I love you, Elon. It’s always been you.”
“Good, because I love you too.”
He kissed me. I held him tight as we were truly meant to be. He was in my heart, and I needed to always believe in us—forever.
44
Clarissa
The next morning, Elon and I had breakfast with Sam, brought him to school, and went to work downstairs like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But there was an easier vibe between us now.
I was twenty minutes into creating next week's schedule when the school counselor called. I answered and listened. Then I nodded. Elon stopped working and watched me.
When I hung up, I said, “Sam’s agreed to focus on his new team at his new school and only go to Florida on the weekends for games as well as see the counselor you booked.”
Elon smiled. “Sounds good.”
Last night, I'd thought his idea was sweet, but getting Sam to adapt to life in Connecticut was important. Our lives were here.
I’d mentioned that to Elon this morning and to Sam's counselor over the phone, and the situation was resolved.
I sipped my kale banana smoothie and worked more on the schedule. I liked having a regular schedule and then making whatever adjustments were needed. The predictability meant everyone was usually happier and had more time to enjoy their lives.
I finished my smoothie. I was almost through coming up with a draft for the preliminary schedule when the doorbell rang.
Elon stopped typing and asked, “Who's at the door?”
I hadn't ordered anything. I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
I stood, and he did too. We held hands, and I whispered, “I love you.”
He pressed his hand on my back. When we reached the door, he whispered, “I love you too.”
Elon opened the door.
As I stared into eyes of hate, my body went from warm to cold in an instant. My parents stood on the threshold. Goose bumps broke out on my skin, and I could feel Elon tense next to me. Then my mother hugged me. I had no idea what to do.
When she finished hugging me, I said, “Mother. Father. I thought you were both in Florida.”
Elon asked, “Do you want me to call security?”
My father's posture grew stiff, and my mother froze. Neither expected much of me, but I lifted my chin. For a split second, I’d wanted to disappear. I’d never wanted to see them again. However, I met Elon’s gaze and shook my head. “No. I got this.”
I let them come into the hallway. Elon’s phone rang, and he answered it. I could tell it was another doctor calling. He stood back but stayed close.
My mother looked the same with her short brown-haired bob that she didn't bother to style. She looked me in my eyes. “We wanted to apologize in person. We had no idea you were carrying a Norouzi child.”
If they'd known, I suspected they'd have tried to get me to sell my child to them or bind me to them in some other way. It was obvious they were here for the connection to Elon's family, not for me. My heart sped up, but I could handle this.
