Читать книгу Cherish Collection January 2014 (Books 1-12) - Rebecca Winters - Страница 34

CHAPTER SEVEN

THERE WAS AN animal suffering in the darkness. Stephanie kept looking for it, but couldn’t find it. The whimpering turned into moans, torturing her. If only she could do something to help it. When it let out a piercing cry, the sound brought her awake.

All this time she’d been dreaming!

Trembling, she shot out of bed, incredulous that her mind had conjured anything so terrible. Something she’d eaten at the restaurant must not have agreed with her. Maybe a drink of water would help. She hurried to the bathroom. When she reached for a cup, her watch said 3:30.

After draining it, she went back to bed, but before she could fall asleep again she heard another bloodcurdling cry. This time she wasn’t dreaming. Without hesitation she threw on her robe and ran down the hall to Nikos’s room. Though she knocked several times, he didn’t respond. That was odd.

She knocked again before turning the door handle, hoping he wouldn’t mind the intrusion. One glance inside the room told her he hadn’t been to bed. It was still made. Had he gone to town?

Again she heard a moan, louder this time. It was coming from the deck. An animal had to be trapped there. Maybe a cat or a dog, but she hadn’t heard the security alarm go off. Needing something to protect her, she grabbed a fluffy bath towel from the bathroom and gingerly went up the stairs.

Once she was on deck the cry sounded like human sobbing. It was coming from the area of the transom. She walked toward it, then stopped dead in her tracks. There, crouching on the floor, was a man in a pair of sweats and nothing else. A crumpled blanket and sun bed lay nearby. He was on his knees with his head in his hands. As she got closer, she put a palm over her mouth.

Nikos!

Except it wasn’t the man she knew. This version of him wasn’t cognizant of the world right now. In a deep sleep, he was heaving great sobs, and fell over on his side. In the moonlight his tortured features glistened with moisture. Greek words broke from his lips. She couldn’t make out anything except Kon’s name, which he cried over and over again.

He’d been reliving the explosion. She knew about PTSD, but she’d never been with someone who was in the middle of a flashback. Without conscious thought she sank down on the sunbed next to him and put her arms around him.

“Nikos, wake up! This is just a bad dream.” She rocked him for a few minutes, but he was too immersed. At one point he grasped her arm and let out a scream that raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

“It’s all right, Nikos. It’s over. Go back to sleep.”

He twisted and turned, but held on while he sobbed on and off for another half hour. His fingers bit into her skin through the thin material of her robe, with such force she knew she’d have bruises. As terrifying as it was to see him like this, she felt a new closeness to him. His cries let her into his psyche, where he suffered. He’d seen the horrors of war, but the explosion that blew up his friend had traumatized him dramatically, and she was a vicarious witness.

Her gaze flew to Kon’s ring. The reminder of their friendship must have set him off during his sleep. While she kissed Nikos’s face, she put her leg over his to help quiet him, and murmured endearments.

Nothing seemed to help. Not at first. Then slowly, his fingers slid away and he fell quiet. Yannis would know all about this. Tomorrow Stephanie would get him alone and find out the name of Nikos’s doctor. He needed help getting through his nightmares.

She held on to him. He’d said this yacht was home to him now. Had he decided to sleep up here? If so, how often did he do that? A few days ago, when she’d explored the lower deck, she’d noticed his unmade bed. The poor darling had probably suffered these incidents since being hospitalized.

Did he have more than one episode a night? She’d read that a flashback could be triggered by something and come on at any time. While he stayed on this yacht, he could be away from people.

It made perfect sense that he didn’t want to be with family. But what if he hurt himself while up here on deck? What if he walked in his sleep and fell overboard? She’d heard the military wouldn’t take sleepwalkers because they could be a danger to themselves and others.

After a few more minutes she eased away from him and got to her feet. In his trauma, he’d flung his arm around and his elbow had caught the corner of her jaw. Both it and her arm felt sore, but it didn’t matter. She covered him with the blanket, then reached for the towel and sat down in the lounger to watch over him. It was quarter to six. Who knew how long he’d sleep?

Since her arrival, he’d been watching her like a hawk because of the baby. What an irony, since it was his welfare she would be worrying about, along with her own, from here on out! He could injure himself without realizing it. She couldn’t bear it if anything happened to him.

Before this new day was over, she planned to talk to his doctor. Nikos needed watching. One thing was certain: Stephanie wouldn’t let him go to bed without her. Wherever he chose to sleep, that’s where she’d be.

She’d sat there for another half hour when she saw Yannis come on board. The second their gazes met, she got up without making a sound and padded across the deck toward him.

“So you know,” he whispered with a grave expression.

“Yes. I heard him during the night and came up to investigate. He’s resting now, but I need to talk to his doctor.”

He nodded. “The one he sees now is at the main clinic here on the island.” The same place her new OB practiced. “His name is Dr. Ganis.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you’re back. I don’t want him to know I heard anything until I’ve talked to the doctor.”

“I think that would be best.”

“Does he have flashbacks often?”

“Since he got out of the hospital, he had one the first night on the yacht, and last night.”

“The wedding must have triggered thoughts of Kon. I’d better go below so he doesn’t know I was up here.”

“That’s a good idea. He’ll notice the red mark along your jaw.”

Yannis didn’t miss much. “I’ll cover it with makeup.” She patted his arm before hurrying toward the stairs.

The first thing she did on entering her room was get the card for her appointment out of her purse. Once she found it, she phoned the off-hours service at the clinic and left word for Dr. Ganis to call her back ASAP. As soon as she mentioned it was Mrs. Nikos Vassalos calling about her husband, the receptionist said she’d get in touch with the doctor right away.

For the next hour Stephanie got ready for the day. First her pills, then she took a shower and washed her hair. By the time she’d finished blow drying it, marks had come out on her left arm. She’d been afraid of that.

An application of makeup to the small blotch near her chin helped, plus a coating of mango frost lipstick. Then she headed for the closet. Stephanie thanked providence she’d had the foresight to buy a long-sleeved blouse. It was an all-over print in a gauzy fabric that hung just below the waist. She put it on and matched it with a pair of white pleated pants that accommodated her thickening figure.

Stephanie had just put on some lotion when the phone rang. She grabbed for it and clicked on immediately. It was Dr. Ganis’s nurse, who indicated he had an opening at 11:00 a.m. if she could make it. Stephanie said she’d be there and hung up.

Things couldn’t be working out better. She’d planned to go into town, anyway, and buy some picture albums. While she was at it, she’d look for a handicraft store in order to start making a quilt for the baby. While Nikos did business, she intended to stay busy and not bother him.

Nikos had told her she could use the car. While she left him alone to work, she would carry on with her new life. Besides loving to explore new places, Stephanie liked to cook. She could shop for food and fix their meals from now on. This evening she planned to prepare a totally American meal and surprise him. She wanted to help him. There was no use kidding herself any longer. She loved him desperately.

* * *

Once Nikos had showered and shaved, he got dressed and walked down the hall. Just as he knocked on Stephanie’s door, she stepped out of the bedroom and then collided, wringing a small cry from her. He grabbed her arms to steady her. To his surprise he saw her wince. Not only that, he noticed a slight bruise along her jaw that hadn’t been there when she’d gone to bed last night.

“You’ve hurt yourself!”

She averted her eyes. “It’s nothing.” She tried to ease away, but he prevented her from walking out the door.

“What’s wrong with your arms?”

“Not a thing.”

“Since you’re wearing long sleeves, I’ll be the judge of that. Let me see.” With care he pushed the sleeve of her blouse up her right arm, but found nothing. When he did the same thing to the left, it was a tug-of-war, but he prevailed and saw bruising both above and below the elbow. “Who did this to you, Stephanie?”

“No one. When I was in the galley, I was clumsy getting something down from the cupboard. It hit my jaw and jammed my arm against the counter by accident.”

“I don’t believe you. Look at me.” When she refused, he said, “These marks were made by someone’s hand. You’re trembling. Tell me the truth.”

Finally, she lifted her eyes to him. Those dark blue pools stared at him in pain. “About three-thirty this morning I heard moaning sounds coming from the deck and thought it was an animal. When I went up to see...”

Nikos drew in a burning breath. “You found me.”

“Yes. I knelt down to try and comfort you.”

He raked a hand through his hair, gutted to think she’d seen him like that and he didn’t even remember it. “I could have done real damage to you and the baby. I could have given you a permanent injury, or worse!”

“But you didn’t, Nikos. You were jerking, but you weren’t violent and didn’t walk around. Mostly you were crying Kon’s name. I wouldn’t have let myself get close to you otherwise.”

“I should have told you about my PTSD. The doctor gave me medicine, but sometimes the nightmares come on, anyway. By not saying a word to you, I put you at risk and have done the unforgivable.”

“That’s not true!” She cupped his face between her hands. “I’m glad I saw you like that. It helped to understand what you’ve been going through since the explosion. You’ve suffered so terribly. All I wanted to do was calm you down.” She kissed his lips. “After a little while you started to sleep peacefully again. I sat there until Yannis came on board.”

Nikos backed away from her. “Forgive me.”

“For deserting me on our wedding night?” she teased.

“You know what I mean.” He rapped out the words angrily.

“Nikos, there’s nothing to forgive. Now that I know, I have a suggestion, because I’m worried about you sleeping up on deck when one of those flashbacks hits. As you told me on the way out of the church, I’m your wife now, for better or worse, so why don’t we sleep in the room with the twin beds? That way we can keep an eye on each other. When you have a bad night, you’ll be safe and so will I.”

“I’m not safe to be around anyone, especially not you when you’re pregnant.”

“Where did you get an idea like that? Thousands of soldiers come home from war with battle fatigue. They resume their lives with their wives, who are pregnant or not, and they work things out. To be honest, I asked Yannis for the name of your doctor this morning. I have an appointment at eleven. I’d like to hear what he has to say, and want you to come with me. But if you won’t, I’m going anyway, because I need to know the best way to help you.”

She headed for the galley. Nikos followed her and watched her reach for a roll. She darted him a glance. “Have you had breakfast?”

“I couldn’t.” He wasn’t able to tolerate the thought of food after what he’d done to her. “Stop being so damn brave.”

“That’s what I’ve wanted to say to you since I saw that cane you’ve refused to use in front of me. Why don’t we agree that you’ve tried to be brave long enough? Now it’s time for us to be totally honest with each other. Otherwise how are we ever going to get through the rest of this pregnancy without losing our minds?”

Totally honest?

Since Stephanie had shown up on board the Diomedes, he wasn’t sure he was in control of his mind or his fears. Deep down he wanted the baby to be his more than anything in this world.

She poured herself a glass of orange juice and drank it. “I’m planning to do some grocery shopping while we’re in town.”

“We just stocked up a few days ago.”

“Have you forgotten you’ve picked up an American wife since then? She’d like to make you some of her favorite foods.” He blinked. “Oh, and will you bring the camera? We can take it to a print shop and have the pictures downloaded so we can mount them.”

He cocked his head, amazed by this unexpected domestic side of her. Being with Stephanie on vacation hadn’t prepared him for this aspect of her. “Anything else?”

She flashed him a full, unguarded smile that knocked him sideways, though the sight of the bruise on her jaw tortured him. “Since we don’t know the gender of the baby yet, I think I’ll work up a white puffy quilt and stencil it with the outline of a lamb. I’d love your input on the materials.”

She washed out her glass in the sink. “I’ll get my purse and see you at the car. If not, would you give me the keys?”

He ground his teeth. “I’m coming with you.” As they left for town it occurred to him he needed to buy them a house, preferably today. The yacht was a great place for him to do business with Tassos, but it was no place for a woman whose nesting instincts had already kicked in.

While Nikos waited for her outside the local photo shop, he called Tassos, who knew of a villa he’d had in mind for Nikos for a while. It was in a more exclusive area of town that would be perfect for them.

With a phone call to a friend who was a Realtor, he made the arrangements and gave Nikos the address. The man agreed to meet Nikos and Stephanie there at one o’clock. That would give them enough time to see the doctor first.

It seemed to make Dr. Ganis’s day to find out Nikos was married to a wife who intended to be proactive over his PTSD. He gave them a card they should both read regularly, but all the time he spoke, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Nikos had already come to learn that with Stephanie’s blond beauty and lithe figure, taking her out in public was proving to be a hazard. He could already count one traffic accident because the male driver had taken one look at her and driven right into the back of another car. It served the poor devil right.

Nikos read what was on the card.

Always be truthful with your vet, always keep safety in mind. Don’t walk on eggshells. Grieve for what is lost and move on. Stay on top of medications. Short periods of withdrawal to help control anger make sense, but withdrawing from life into a “bunker” is not helpful. Conflict is normal. Focus on the issue at hand and resist bringing up issues from the past. Exercise, get regular meals, good nutrition, plenty of rest and time for play. Enjoy the good times. When bad times come, hang on. Good times will come again.

As they got up to leave his office, Stephanie won the doctor over with her final comment. “I consider these bruises my mark of bravery.” His laughter followed them out the door.

Unable to help himself, Nikos gave her waist a squeeze as they left the clinic for the car. “Do you mind if we put off all the shopping until tomorrow? I have a surprise for you that could take up most of our day. Let’s grab a bite to eat before we meet Mr. Doukakis.”

* * *

Stephanie couldn’t imagine what it was. However, she was so happy to see that Nikos had forgiven himself for the bruises, and seemed to be in a mellower mood, that she didn’t care what they did as long as it was together. When he’d interrogated her in the doorway of her bedroom earlier that morning, she’d been frightened that irreparable damage had been done to their relationship.

At one of the sidewalk cafés she ordered a lime crush drink and discovered she adored the bruschetta made with apple and goat cheese. Nikos downed a whole loaf of lamb rolled slices. Taking the doctor’s advice, he passed on caffeine-laden coffee and ordered decaf. Stephanie made a mental note to buy the same, so he would sleep better.

When she couldn’t eat another bite, he drove them up a hillside covered with flowering vegetation. They came to a charming, two-story villa, where he stopped behind the car parked in front. The man at the wheel had to be this Mr. Doukakis he’d mentioned.

She flicked a glance at Nikos’s striking profile. “What are we doing?”

He shut off the engine and turned to her. “Hoping to buy us a house.”

What? “But I thought—”

“Let’s not go there.” He cut her off. “I’ll use the yacht for business, but decorating one of the rooms below deck for a nursery is absurd.”

“I agree, and have no intention of doing any such thing. As for the quilt, it’ll be a gift for our baby. I’m looking forward to making it, that’s all.”

“You’re avoiding the issue, Stephanie, and I know why. If you don’t like the looks of this house, we’ll find something better.”

Just when she’d been on a real high, he’d sprung this on her. Already she could see the writing on the wall. While she was at the house, he’d work late, then call to tell her he was staying on the yacht overnight. No way!

“I don’t want a house, not with you coming and going when the mood takes you.”

“You mean you don’t like this one,” he thundered. “If you want a mansion, just say so and I’ll accommodate you.”

Now she was angry. “I thought we left that issue in the past, but I can see you won’t let it go, about me wanting to marry you for your money. For your information, I love living on the water.”

She watched his hands grip the wheel tighter. “It’s no place for a baby.”

“The baby won’t be here for months! Why did you bother to marry me, Nikos? Sticking me in a house will make me feel like a kept woman. I thought you’d been honest with me, but you weren’t.”

His features had turned into a dark mask of anger. Good!

“Since it obviously irritates you to have a woman around, I’ll settle for living on my own boat, to stay out of your way. Instead of a house, buy me one of those little one-person sailboats bobbing at the marina on Egnoussa. I’ll pay you as much as I can when the condo sells.”

“Don’t say another word, Stephanie.”

“You started this, so I’ll say what I like. It would cost only a fraction of what it would take to buy me a mansion I don’t want to live in by myself. Or better yet, let me rent a sailboat. That would be fair. Yannis could take me to pick one out, and bring it across to moor by the yacht. ‘His and hers.’ We’ll be the talk of the island.”

While she was still shaking from their angry clash, he got out of the car and walked to the other one. The two men spoke for a few minutes before Nikos came back and levered himself into the front seat once more.

She sensed he’d love to wheel away on screeching tires, but he controlled himself on the drive back to the dock. By the time they reached the parking area, she’d repented of the way she’d blown up at him.

The doctor’s advice came to mind. Conflict was normal. Focus on the issue at hand, not past issues.

“Wait, Nikos,” she said as he opened the door. “I apologize for my behavior. Instead of welcoming your gift, I threw it back in your face. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

He shifted his gaze to her. “I should have prepared you for what I had in mind.”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid my reaction would have been the same. Look, I realize you were happy living by yourself on the yacht with Yannis. Then I came along and disturbed your world. If I promise not to be a nuisance or get in your way, can we start over? But I can’t just be a lump around here. Give me a job and I’ll do it, besides my share of the cleaning.”

One dark brow lifted. “You really want to cook?”

“Yes. As many meals as you’ll let me.”

“Then so be it. That’ll free up me and Yannis to do other work.” Nikos closed the door. “Let’s drive to the market. Ever since you mentioned American food, I’ve been relishing the thought of it.”

Stephanie sighed in relief that they’d survived another skirmish. “Thank you. I promise you won’t regret this.”

Following her fried chicken for dinner that evening, both men finished off the apple pie. The fact that there were no leftovers told her she’d hit a home run on her first try.

Yannis got up from the table and winked at her. “If all your meals are this good, I’m going to put on weight.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

After he disappeared, Nikos sat back in his chair with the hint of a smile. “I guess you know you’re permanently hired. I’d help you with the dishes, but we’re headed for Engoussa right now. I need to assist Yannis.”

“Do you have business there?”

“Yes. I want my parents to meet you tonight.”

Her heart started racing. “Do they know about us?”

“Not yet. I phoned and told them I’d be coming by. They’ll send a car. It’s time they met their daughter-in-law, before the news of our wedding reaches them.”

The surprising revelation filled Stephanie with ambiguous feelings, of relief that their secret would be out, and anxiety because she wanted to make a good impression for Nikos’s sake. “I’ll wear the long-sleeved blouse with one of my new skirts.”

He nodded his dark head. “Stephanie...” The way he said her name made her think he was dead serious. “Follow my lead and don’t let my father intimidate you.”

After Nikos left the galley, she put their plates in the dishwasher, already feeling intimidated. She wished she knew what kind of deep-seated trouble lay between Nikos and his father. If he’d just given her a hint...

She dressed for the evening, then waited up on deck as the yacht pulled up alongside the dock on Egnoussa. Fairyland at night. Few people were out.

Nikos joined her, looking fabulous in a silky black shirt toned with dark gray trousers. To her surprise he’d brought his cane. This was a first. Using it for support, he reached out with his free hand and grasped hers. They left the yacht and started walking along the pier, toward a black car she could see waiting in the distance.

It appeared the ordeal he was about to face had drained him physically. Stephanie would do everything in her power to help him. As they reached the car, she gave his hand a squeeze. But whatever his reaction might have been was lost when a stunning dark blond woman with appealing brown eyes opened the door and stepped out of the driver’s seat.

“Nikolaos. It’s been such a long time.”

“Natasa.” He let go of Stephanie’s hand long enough to kiss the woman on both cheeks. “I didn’t know you were on the island.”

Stephanie felt de trop. This was the woman he would probably have married if Fate hadn’t stepped in to change his life.

“When I heard you were coming, I arrived early and asked your parents if I could meet you at the dock so we could talk in private. They assumed you’d be alone. Who’s your friend?”

Nikos turned to Stephanie. “This is Stephanie Walsh from Florida, in the States. She arrived a few days ago. Stephanie? This is Natasa Lander, an old friend.”

“How do you do, Ms. Lander.”

In the semidark, Natasa’s face lost color. “Ms. Walsh,” she acknowledged. “How is it you know Nikos?”

Stephanie groaned inwardly for this poor woman, who’d carried a torch for him all these years. It was no wonder. How could any other man compare?

“I was on a scuba diving vacation in the Caribbean months ago and we met.”

“Why don’t I drive?” Nikos offered. “When we reach the house, we can all catch up on each other’s news at once.”

Nikos... This was a terrible idea, but what could she do? While he helped Natasa into the backseat, Stephanie grabbed his cane and hurried around to the front to get in. As far as she was concerned, this was worse than any nightmare.

En route, Nikos chatted with Natasa the way you’d do with an old friend, drawing her out, until they reached the impressive Vassalos mansion with its cream-and-beige exterior. His ancestral home stood near the top of the hill next to equally imposing ones Stephanie had seen on her first day here. The burnt-orange-tiled roofs added a certain symmetry that gave the town its charm.

He pulled the car around to the rear and parked. Both Stephanie and Natasa moved quickly, not waiting for his help. Natasa went in the rear entrance first. Stephanie handed Nikos his cane, but he put it back in the car, then reached for her hand.

“Ready?” he asked under his breath. That forbidding black glitter in his eyes had returned. It was clear he hadn’t been expecting Natasa. Stephanie suspected the other woman’s appearance had been orchestrated by Nikos’s father. Yet unseen, the older man made an adversary that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

When she nodded with reluctance, she heard his sharp intake of breath. “Maybe this will help.” He pulled her into his arms and found her mouth, kissing her with a fierceness she wasn’t prepared for, almost as if he was expecting her to fight him.

Stephanie clung to him, helpless to do anything else, and met the hunger of his kiss with an eagerness she would find embarrassing later. At last he was giving her a husband’s kiss, hot with desire, the one she’d been denied last night. Whether he was doing this to convince himself he was glad he hadn’t married Natasa, she didn’t know. But right now she didn’t care.

The way he was kissing her took her back to that unforgettable night on the island, when they’d given each other everything with a matchless joy she couldn’t put into words. He pressed her against the doorjamb to get closer. One kiss after another made her crazy with desire. Stephanie was so in love with Nikos that nothing existed for her but to love him and be loved.

All of a sudden she heard a man’s voice delivering a volley of bitter words in Greek. It broke the spell. Gasping for breath, she put her hands against Nikos’s chest. He was much slower to react. Eventually, he let her go, with seeming reluctance.

Still staring at her, he said, “Good evening, Papa. Stephanie and I will be right in. Give us a minute more, will you?”

Another blast of angry words greeted her ears.

“She doesn’t speak Greek, Papa.”

“How dare you bring this gold digging American into our home!”

That was clear enough English for Stephanie, who was thankful Nikos was still holding her. She eyed his father covertly. Except for their height, the formidable older man with gray hair didn’t look like Nikos.

“I dare because she’s my wife. We were married in a private church service yesterday. I wanted you to be the first to know.”

“Then we’ll get it annulled,” he answered, without taking a breath.

“Not possible, Papa. Father Kerykes officiated. Naturally, I expect you and Mother to welcome Stephanie into the family. If you don’t, then you’ll never be allowed to see your grandchild.”

Stephanie could hardly breathe. Nikos was claiming their child as his own even though he didn’t have proof?

“So you are pregnant!” his father virtually snarled at her. “I told Nikos I suspected as much when I heard you’d come to Egnoussa to track him down. Trying to pass off your baby as my son’s? There’s a word for a woman like you.”

The man had just provided part of the source for Nikos’s basic distrust of her. She eased away from him and stared at his dad without flinching. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Mr. Vassalos. I’ve been anxious to meet the father of such a wonderful, honorable man. You’re both very lucky. I never knew my father.

“But I have to say I’m sad you’re on such bad terms. Our baby is going to want to know its grandparents. I can only hope that one day you’ll change your mind about me enough to allow us into your life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to wait in the car while Nikos spends some time with you and your wife. Kalinihta.”

Good night was one of the few words in Greek she’d picked up, from listening to Nikos and Yannis.

No sooner had she climbed in the front seat and shut the door than Nikos joined her behind the wheel. He didn’t speak the whole time they drove to the port. Stephanie knew better than to talk, but her heart was heavy for him and the tragic situation with his father.

After he pulled around to the parking area of Vassalos Shipping, Nikos left the keys on the floor of the car and they walked back to the yacht. “I want to get to know your family, Nikos, but I couldn’t possibly stay in their house, since it would cause too much stress for everyone.

“Much as I want to make things right, I can’t tolerate your father’s attitude or the way he spoke about me. Maybe in time things will get better. I could hope for that, but not right now. I trust you understand.”

Silence followed her remarks, until he helped her step on the deck. “I owe you an explanation.”

She threw her head back, catching sight of his tormented expression. “If you mean that kiss you gave me at the back door was supposed to be an in-your-face gesture for your father’s digestion, I already got the message.”

“If you think that, you couldn’t be more wrong,” Nikos grated. “Just when I thought my father had run out of tricks, there he was once again, trying to set me up with Natasa. But this time you were there. No amount of makeup could conceal the bruise on your jaw. It stood out in the moonlight, reminding me that you’d unwisely faced my demons and held me during the night, despite the consequences to you and the baby.

“Tonight I realized how very beautiful you are and how courageous to have forgotten yourself to help me. No one has ever been that self-sacrificing for me. In a rush of emotion I felt the need to show you how I felt. Since my father chose that moment to appear, then he has to live with that picture, because I refuse to apologize for something that had nothing to do with him.”

Stephanie swallowed hard. Nikos’s sincerity defeated her. “Do you think Natasa saw us?”

He gave an elegant shrug of his shoulders. “If she did, let’s hope it was cathartic.”

For the other woman’s sake, Stephanie hoped so, too, and looked away. “I would have liked to have met your mother.”

“One day I’ll introduce you to her and the whole family. They’re very nice people.”

One day. That sounded so lonely.

“Nikos...about the baby—”

The mere mention of it brought a look of anxiety to his dark eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine!” she assured him, not wanting to add to his worries. “I was just surprised you told your father.”

Nikos’s hard body tautened. “Hearing the truth from my lips has put an end to his dream of my marrying Natasa in order to consolidate our families. He’s been stuck in that groove for a decade. Since I’ve refused to work in the company, he has lost his hold on me.”

Stephanie drew closer to him. “What’s he afraid of?”

Nikos studied her for a long moment. “At one time he thought I was Costor Gregerov’s son.”

It took a second for Stephanie’s brain to compute. When it did, she let out a gasp. “Your mother and Kon’s father?” Surely she’d misunderstood.

“It’s complicated. My mother and Kon’s mother were best friends growing up on Oinoussa. My parents married first and had two children before I came along. But Tiana’s eventual marriage to Costor brought a lot of grief to her family, because he’s part Turkish.

“In some corners of society, the Greeks and Turks refuse to mix. The built-in prejudice against him caused a painful division. For Tiana, it was she against the world once she’d married Costor. They had four children before Kon came along.”

As Nikos peeled back the layers, Stephanie’s anguish for his pain grew.

“My mother defended Tiana’s decision and was always sympathetic to Costor. At one point someone started a rumor that she got too close to him. It wasn’t true, and both my mother and Costor always denied it, but my father was a bigoted man. He believed it and there was an ugly falling out that never healed.”

Stephanie bit her lip. “DNA testing wasn’t available when you were born.”

“No, but it wasn’t needed. As Tiana once told me, the stamp of a Vassalos was unmistakable. Unfortunately, my parents’ marriage suffered. It’s a miracle my mother didn’t leave him, but she loves him. She remained close friends with Tiana, which threw me and Kon together, but the damage done to both families during those early years was incalculable.”

Stephanie clutched the railing. “What a tragedy.”

Nikos nodded. “My father became controlling and possessive. He tried to rule my life and choose my associates, making sure I didn’t mix with people like Kon’s family. By my teens he’d cultivated a friendship with the Lander family, laying the groundwork for the future he envisioned for me. But he went too far when I was forbidden to spend any more time with Kon, who’d become like a brother to me. Naturally, I defied my father, because Kon had done nothing wrong.”

Stephanie darted him a glance. “Except to be a constant reminder of the past.”

Nikos breathed deeply. “Everything reached a boiling point when Kon needed money for his divorce. I gave him what I’d saved from working. My father found out and threatened to disown me. I told him it wouldn’t be necessary, because Kon and I had already joined the navy and would be shipping out.”

The night breeze had sprung up, lifting the hair off Stephanie’s cheek. “You and Kon shouldn’t have had to suffer for your father’s paranoia. How long did it take him to beg your forgiveness?”

“His pride won’t allow him to beg. For my mother’s sake I visited them on leave, but things have never been the same. Underneath he’s still a bigot and distrustful.”

“Evidently he doesn’t like Americans, either,” she whispered.

“He’s predisposed to dislike anyone whom he imagines might have control over me. I invested my military pay and bought the Diomedes so I would never have to be beholden to him.”

Heartsick for Nikos, Stephanie looked at her husband through new eyes. Here she’d suffered all her life, wishing she knew anything about her father, while Nikos... Her ache for him grew worse. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

“You’ve married into a complicated family. Don’t try to sort it all out tonight. You look tired, which comes as no surprise after your wrestling match with me last night.”

Stephanie would do it again and again if he’d let her, but after this incident with his father, she sensed he was unreachable. True enough, his next words left her in no doubt.

“You go below. I’ll stay up here and wait for Yannis. As soon as he comes, we’ll leave port and head back to Oinoussa.”