“I think he’s lovely.”
“Yeah, he’s amazing. He was never supposed to live past his third birthday. We had quite a scare with him, actually. He and I shared a room. We had fifteen or so rooms in our house, but my mom had read that siblings needed to share rooms. I’m five years older than he is, so I think she thought that if she put him with me, I could help him if something went wrong.”
He paused for so long I wasn’t sure if he’d continue. His fingers were gripping the steering wheel so hard the knuckles were white.
“My parents’ room was at the other end of the house, so we slept next door to the nanny. She was the one who did most of the mothering, although “she” could have been any of them. It was hard to keep track of them all. Mom would fire them for the slightest infringement or trespass. She kept us all under strict rules and regulations. No child should grow up that way, but certainly not Wenton,” he said sadly.
“It sounds awful.”
“In some ways it was worse than awful. We both knew that families were different than ours. Most ate dinner together, not alone with only each other as company. Most went on big, fun family vacations to the beach with bright, colorful sun umbrellas or camping in the mountains where they got mosquito bites and saw bears. We traveled to exotic locations and stayed with hotel staff while our parents gallivanted around. I was able to bear it just fine, I didn’t need to be with them, but it was taxing on Wenton.”
“What happened?” I asked, hoping not to sound too eager, but his story was so compelling.
“He was still sleeping in a crib at three years old. He should have gotten a toddler bed by then, but since my mom thought he was safer with the bars and bedding, she ordered that he stay in a crib. He was a very slight child and not very strong. One night, he tried to climb out of his crib. He reached for the pulley for the drapes to hoist himself up. His leg slipped on the railing, and he fell out of the crib, hitting his head hard on the floor. I ran and got the nanny, but by the time I was able to wake her and get her to our room, he was having seizures.”
“Oh my god.”
“The paramedics came and took him to the hospital. When he came home, he was different. The concussion injured his brain, which was already really delicate because of his condition. He was still smart, but he did things that were really dumb, like he just had no common sense. He almost drowned in the lake because he always stood on the bow of the boat. He grabbed knives by the pointy end and got cut. He just didn’t have any sense. He kissed a girl when he was thirteen, and he didn’t know what he was doing. She was scared, their family got involved, and it was a big deal. My family felt like Wenton was just becoming too much for them to handle, so when he had a heart attack that same year and went to the hospital, he never came home again.”
“Why didn’t he come back?” I asked softly.
“My mom didn’t want to deal with it anymore, I guess. Even though we had a live-in nurse at the time, she decided it was time for him to live in a place where he could get better care.”
“What about your dad?”
“He was never home. He left all the decisions regarding our care to her.” He was so melancholy, I could tell that there was a horrible sadness deeply rooted there.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, it sounds really awful.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Yeah. Well, we’re okay now. I’m really happy you accepted the offer to paint his portrait. I can already tell that you’re painting exactly what I hoped you would.”
We pulled up to my house, and he turned off the engine. My heart fluttered. I sent a silent prayer that he not pressure me for a kiss or anything, because as I was getting to know him better, and I realized I wouldn’t be able to resist him. He was, especially with the way the moonlight danced on his features, the sexist person alive. I tried to breathe.
“Do you mind doing me a favor?” he asked.
He was being too genuine to be asking for a kiss, sex, or anything I had barred as off-limits.
“What do you need?” For some reason, I felt trapped and nervous.
“Can you not mention Wenton to your friends, and especially the people at the diner.”
“Sure, but why?”
“It’s um… well. I’m still KP. Kembrough Preston, Oscar award-winning producer…blah blah blah, so…”
So, he was ashamed? I couldn’t read him, but I was horribly afraid I wouldn’t like what he said next.
“If people, namely the media, found out about Wenton, it would be really bad,” he confessed.
I bristled. “I don’t think Wenton comes off as bad as you think. He’s a great guy!”
“No, it’s not that. I think he’s the greatest guy. He’s my best friend, but if the media were to find out about him, it could really hurt him.”
I still didn’t understand. “Why? Wouldn’t it raise awareness for his disease?”
“Maybe. But it would open him up to reporters and social media and internet trolls. He can’t take that. He lives in a bubble, and to him the world is a magical place. He’s on his computer all day playing games and living in a fantasy. He has tons of friends on social media, but his access is blocked to anything that would hurt him.”
His scrubbed his hands down his face. “He and I agreed to use a code name when referring to me. We don’t need the publicity. The media is an evil monster, one Wenton can’t slay. He can’t take it. Specifically, his heart can’t take it. I hope you understand. He’s never met anyone in my world. I figured since you are mostly outside of it at the moment, we’re safe. You’re an incredible woman, Caitlyn. I knew you would love him. So, I’m just asking that you love him enough to keep him safe.”
“Of course.” He seemed so earnest that I leaned over and hugged him. It felt like the right thing to do. “I never thought of it that way.”
He wrapped his arms around me. “Thanks.” His eyes held mine for a beat.
We both stayed there, suspended in time. I could feel him grappling with himself. He wanted to kiss me. I wanted to kiss him too. God, it was like all I wanted. As if we were pulled together by some unseen string, we leaned toward each other. Then he softly kissed my forehead. I smiled. This was what I had wanted. Friendship, nothing more. My matter how much my vagina was disagreeing.
“You should get inside. I don’t want your grandma to worry.”
I nodded and opened the door. “Okay.”
“See you Saturday?” he asked, looking hopeful.
“Definitely.” I smiled. “Safe drive home. Get some coffee or something.”
Geesh, I sounded like his mother.
“You bet.”
I was falling for this guy. Despite everything, I was falling harder than should be possible. I got out of the car and watched him pull away. He was a billionaire and a famous movie producer, but to me, he was becoming nothing more than a big brother with a heart of gold. Slowly but surely, I was discovering a man I could love.