Page 80 of Fortunate Miracles
My senses come back online, and I wrap an arm around his waist. “You back, Sunshine?”
“Yeah. That was amazing,” I say, pulling back to see his face.
“It was incredible. Better than my dreams. I’m an addict now,” he smiles. “You and I are gonna have so much fun in bed.”
He gives me a tender kiss, then gets up and carries me to the bathroom. “Do you want a shower or just a cleanup?”
“Cleanup is fine,” I reply.
Seb grabs a washcloth, running it under warm water before wiping me. He pulls off the condom, wraps it and throws it in the trash. “Pee, then we can snuggle,” he says, kissing my forehead and leaving the room.
I pee and wash my hands before crawling back under the covers, facing him. “How are you doing with E?”
“Not good. We’re not talking at all. It’s like we’re not even friends anymore. Alex and Bay talk to him, but it’s stilted. His whole life is society now. When Nick left, I never thought we’d lose E too. Have you talked to him?”
“Not really. I always include him in my text updates, but he hasn’t reached out, and I’m so busy I haven’t either. Did Alex invite him to spend the night?”
“Yeah, but he said no. I doubt we’ll see him tomorrow either.”
“I’m sorry. That must really hurt.”
“It does, Sunshine, so much. I’m glad I have you.” He pulls me against him as we tangle up together.
“You always will, Hurry. You know you can call anytime and talk to me when I’m in Charlotte. Vent as much as you want. We’re all busy, but don’t keep it bottled up.”
“I will. Thanks Sunshine.” We talk for a while longer about life before I fall asleep in Seb’s arms.
Chapter 42
Summer
Saturday morning, Bay and Seb go home, but I decide to stay with Alex to get some schoolwork and SAT prep done while Zander works.
As we’re quizzing each other on the couch, E shows up, bags in hand, looking absolutely destroyed. Alex and I jump up and go over to him. “E, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he says, before breaking down and crying. Alex and I take his bags from him and set them on the floor before leading him to the couch.
“What happened?” Alex asks.
“I left. You guys were right. They don’t care about me at all. I tried everything. I went along with as much of it as I could stand, but it didn’t matter.”
“Start at the beginning,” Alex says.
“My grandparents are not nice people. Georgia, the girl I was in the paper with, has been at every function since, at our table. I promise that I never let her touch me again, but she was always there. She’s even been to dinners at the house.
“After I talked with you and Steven, I met with the lawyer and found out there are no conditions set for my inheritance. To gain more control, she recommended I ask them to put the inheritanceterms in a written agreement for everyone to sign. They said they would, so I’ve been waiting, but it never happened.
“I finally confronted them yesterday, and my grandmother admitted they wouldn't agree to anything. They planned to keep changing the conditions of my inheritance and wouldn’t simply hand it over, even when I graduated from college. My dad still doesn’t have all of his inheritance from them. They bought his house and keep him in the lifestyle he’s accustomed to, but they still control his money. I never knew that. When he didn’t marry the woman they chose for him, I guess they refused to give him the money. He got some when I was born, but not all of it, and he never will.”
I get up and get him a bottle of water. He thanks me and takes a few mouthfuls before returning to his story. “When they decided I was to be their heir, they decreased his allowance. That’s why I haven’t seen him since I moved in. He’s pissed off at them. I told Steven what I had planned for today for my grandparents as one last-ditch effort, and he told me it wouldn’t work. And when I realized he was right, I knew I needed to cut ties with them because I was setting myself up for a life of loneliness and misery. He knew the three of us broke up and tried to make me understand that money isn’t worth it,” he sighs.
“I assume he mentioned our situation?” Alex asks.
Nodding, E continues. "He admitted his failures and voiced his many regrets. He would give up all his money to have that time back and would choose differently if he could. So, back to my idea. My grandparents had a lunch reservation at the restaurant we went to before prom, and I asked the chef if I could prepare their lunch. I went in there and created my own dishes, made them all myself, and the staff served them. They were so impressed with the food that they wanted to meet the chef. When I walked out and told them I was the chef, that I had designed and preparedall the food myself, they said it was wonderful but foolish because I could never be a chef.
“My grandmother summoned me to the sitting room shortly after we returned, where Georgia and her family were waiting to talk about our engagement. I rushed back to my room, threw my belongings into my bags, and quickly left. And here I am now.”
Alex and I exchange a look. “Welcome home,” Alex says. “Let us get you unpacked and settled.”
