Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(45)

He waved.

She waved back and turned away. The day had not gone at all the way she’d expected, but she felt better than she had that morning. Wayne . . . Eric . . . whoever he was would probably call her when he returned to London.

She had no idea what she’d say when he did. Would he finally be honest? Would he try to explain his lies away with more? Usually I’m drawn to help people I understand. I don’t understand Wayne . . . Eric . . . no, I don’t understand him at all.





Chapter Ten

Still dressed in his formfitting gray spandex outfit, Eric flexed before placing his hands on his hips and smiling down at the eleven-year-old boy at his side. “Finn of Vandorra, we have successfully given out all of the plushies and met with every child. You are indeed a worthy assistant.”

Finn smiled proudly. His parents stood nearby, beaming.

When Eric had heard that Finn had not only received his heart transplant but was home again and doing well, he’d requested that the boy be invited to the hospital to help with his visit. It was, after all, at Finn’s urging that Magnus had sought to bring Water Bear Man to Vandorra in the first place. Not every child had the happy ending Finn had gotten, but it touched Eric deeply to see that he had.

Although the media had not been allowed within the hospital, flashes from cell phones were still constantly going off. Rather than withdraw from them, Water Bear Man puffed out his chest for the benefit and amusement of the children.

Eric glanced over and saw Magnus and his father, King Tadeas, looking on in approval. Raising his voice loud enough for them to hear, Eric said, “Finn, what do you call a prince with a bad case of the farts?”

Finn’s eyes rounded, and silence fell over the corridor where they were all gathered.

With a huge grin, Eric boomed, “Air to the throne.”

Finn giggled behind his hand. King Tadeas laughed, opening the door for others to laugh along.

Eric looked down at a little girl who was standing beside Rachelle and asked, “Young lady, what does a king say when he farts?”

“I don’t know,” she said, then whispered to Rachelle, “Can he ask that?”

Rachelle hugged the child. “Water Bear Man is just having fun.” She smiled at her father-in-law as if to check his reaction, then seemed relieved. “What does a king say when he farts?”

Eric waved a hand in the air as if to dissipate a smell, then put on a comically haughty voice. “Royal pardon.”

Even Delinda, who was watching the scene from King Tadeas’s side, began to laugh at that one. She shook her head as she did, but she looked thoroughly amused. It was a good note to end his visit on.

“Boys and girls, kings, princes, princesses, and whatnots, it is time for Water Bear Man to return to his post on the moon. Sleep soundly tonight—I am watching over all of you.”

As Eric and his family walked away, children waved from the doorways and beds of every room they passed. The entire visit to Vandorra had gone better than he’d expected. The trip over with Delinda and King Tadeas had been relatively uneventful. Although a part of Eric thought it was bad for his grandmother’s already healthy ego to be courted by a king, Tadeas was a calming influence on her. He might be smitten with her, but he didn’t let her dominate him. She was softer when she was with him, as if she was able to let her guard down somewhat because there was someone she could rely on, if need be. It was nice to watch them together.

The only shadow on the day was that Sage wasn’t there. Instead she was back in London, disappointed in him and shopping for flowers with the man from the park, who could be a psycho, for all they knew. Thankfully, Reggie had agreed to follow Sage to make sure she was okay. He’d texted updates throughout the day, which brought Eric some peace of mind.

He should have been honest with her before he left. Hell, he should have told her the truth from day one. That train of thought, however, was a dark rabbit hole he would not go down. He’d learned that much from one of the counselors at the clinic. Fixating on mistakes from the past was self-destructive. All he could change from that day forward was himself.

Ready or not, when he returned to London, he would tell Sage everything—the good, the bad, the whole truth. Waiting until he was in a better situation might have cost him his chance with her.

No. He wouldn’t let that be the way this played out. They were meant to be together. She was the only thing that made sense to him.

Eric stayed in Vandorra long enough to have a meal with Rachelle, Magnus, Delinda, and King Tadeas at the castle. Rachelle asked if Eric had heard that Alisha and Brett were expecting their second child. She looked over-the-top happy to hear that Eric had received the news during a phone conversation with their brother. There was a time when Rachelle’s interest in his interaction with his sibling would have felt oppressive, but he now understood that she cared deeply for both of them. Her interest was based in love, and that put her curiosity in a favorable light.

Rachelle suggested Eric call Spencer to inquire about Skye, his adopted daughter. She retold the story of how Hailey, Spencer’s wife, had taken in her niece when the child’s parents had died in an accident. Spencer, Rachelle said, wanted his daughter to know all his siblings. The way she said it touched his heart. His family might not mesh well, but they were good people. Could one phone call make things less strained between them, or was that wishful thinking?