Page 82 of Cause When You Love Someone
Summertime in Silk Hills was usually scorching, but we were blessed with a breeze. The familiar smell of orange trees danced in the air, and in the distance, I could hear kids playing at a nearby park. While Clarke removed paint and brushes from a box, I spread a white sheet over the grass. Once our set up wascomplete, I faced the lady in charge. “Tell me what you have in mind.”
She shifted her weight to one foot. “I was thinking you could turn my belly into a basketball, but what if it’s a girl?” She tapped her chin. “What about an egg?”
I smirked. “What’s the next option?”
“Can you draw a fishbowl with a goldfish inside?”
I walked over and kneeled in from of Clarke. “We’re about to find out.”
An hour of bickering, laughing, and Clarke posing like she was an easel turned into a memory neither of us would forget. I was no Picasso, but I got as close to the picture as I could. Truthfully, I was more proud of making Clarke’s day than my artwork.
“Let me get some pictures before you start melting,” I professed, sending Clarke out further in the lawn. She twisted and turned, going from holding her belly to sensually positioning her arms above her head. In awe, I fell into a daydream as I watched her. Never in a million years would I have believed the love of my life was a reality star. Not only had she changed the way I viewed people who weren’t a part of my inner circle, but Clarke confirmed things I had started to doubt about myself. Ididdeserve love. Iwasn’tput on Earth to carry the trauma of my parents.
“Handsome! Come take a few pictures with me.”
With no hesitation, I programed a timer on my phone and rushed over to Clarke. Naturally, I stepped to her and placed a kiss on her forehead. The sensation of my lips anchored Clarke’s eyelids closed. The gesture was subtle, but for me, it meant I had done my job. She felt safe.
One Year Later
EPILOGUE
Clarke
Why I Love You
For the last year, my life had been quiet, but that evening, I welcomed the world into the space I created. I invited every talent agent, manager, and event planner I knew to the grand opening of Lois’s Lane, and thankfully, everyone showed up. Thanks to Ishmael, I settled on the name of my studio and decided to turn the outside area into a performance space. Strings of overhead lights and warm-colored seating made the area look like a poetry lounge.
As a new mommy, I wasn’t in the position to get on stage, but I was happy to provide the opportunity to showcase other dancers. Down the line, I planned to follow in Ishmael’s footsteps and go to school for my passion. In the meantime, I was going to host jazz classes for beginners and rent out the rooms to other instructors, videographers, and people hosting small events.
“Aww. Look at you, all teary-eyed over your new baby,” Sage commented as he joined me in a corner of the outside area.
“Yeah. I’m a proud mommy two times over at this point.” I blushed, thinking about my firstborn. “Can you believe this is mylife? One day, I’m staggering into my house after being in the club. Next, I’m putting my baby in his crib.”
“Now, why are you over here lying? You know this boy doesn’t sleep in his bed.”
The sound of Ishmael’s voice tweaked my lips to one side before I hugged Sage goodbye and focused on Ishmael and baby Isaiah.
“Don’t put me on blast.” I playfully rolled my eyes. “I like to have both of my favorite people close. Can you blame me?”
“Even if I could, I wouldn’t.” He grinned, then pecked my lips. “How are you feeling? Things went as good as I knew they would.”
“For the first time in a while, my name is on something I’m proud of. This studio will be a part of my legacy. There was a time I didn’t know if my name was too tarnished to ever be in lights again.”
The noise surrounding Chaz’s death still lingered, but the private messages and vulgar comments weren’t as frequent. Had it not been for Ishmael, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to grow our baby in love. He stayed attached to my hip unless he was at school or working. Any time outside opinions crept under my skin, Ishmael’s reassurance abolished the doubt.
“Well, aside from what you thought would happen,” Ishmael continued, “you’ve become an entrepreneur and mom within a matter of months, and you handled it like a champ.”
“Because you had my back. The days and nights when the walls closed in on me, you created a space for me to breathe. I needed that, especially since me and my mom are still not on the best of terms.”
“Have you two talked? I saw her talking to Jerry before I came over here.”
A hiss slipped through a crack in my pursed lips. “She came over and spoke. You know she had something smart to sayabout the studio, but I let it roll off my back. I guess therapy is working.”
Even with all the time that passed, I couldn’t bring myself to trust my mom the way I used to. To know she put fame and money above her love for me set the tone in our relationship. I meant it when I said I forgave her for leaking my pregnancy, but I couldn’t forget. If I did, it would open the door for it to happen again.
Around seven, the studio had cleared out, but Essen hung back, throwing away flutes and napkins left behind.
“Friend,” I sang. “You know the cleaning crew is on their way?”
