Читать книгу Cherish Collection January 2014 (Books 1-12) - Rebecca Winters - Страница 36

CHAPTER NINE

December 10

STEPHANIE LOVED HER Greek lessons. For the last four months Yannis had driven her faithfully to and from the school on Oinoussa every weekday after breakfast for her two-hour session with Borus. The forty-year-old was a part-time counselor who was glad for the extra money. He was also a lot of fun.

The closer she drew to her delivery date, the more taciturn and anxious Nikos had become. Whether or not he believed this child was his, she knew he worried. Even though Dr. Panos had assured him at every appointment that she was coming along normally, with no unexpected complications, he didn’t seem to quite believe it, and hovered over her until there were times when she wanted to scream.

With the baby due in three weeks, he argued with her that she should stop the lessons. A month ago he’d told her no more swimming with Tassos’s wife in order to give her scuba pointers.

While they were eating breakfast this morning, she asked Nikos if he was ordering her to stay home today. The question turned his features into a cool mask before he told her the lessons would end when her teacher left for the Christmas holidays on the seventeenth.

With that pronouncement Nikos got up from the table, taking his coffee with him to the lounge to work. These days the Diomedes stayed in port and he used a small cruiser to travel back and forth from the rig erected offshore.

To her joy his business with Tassos was growing, and he’d acquired rights to drill off some of the other uninhabited islands of the Oinousses cluster. His strong concern for the environment made certain there’d be no damage to the local habitat.

As usual when Stephanie came out of class, she tried out what she’d learned on Yannis, who was an excellent teacher himself. But today when he greeted her, she could tell he had something serious on his mind.

“What’s wrong? Has something happened to Nikos?” she cried in alarm.

“No, no.”

“Thank goodness.” She had to wait for her heartbeat to slow down.

“You have a visitor on board. She’s very anxious to talk to you.”

Stephanie frowned. “Who?”

“Kyria Vassalos, Nikos’s mother.”

“Oh...” She couldn’t believe it. “Is Nikos with her?”

“No. He’s gone to the rig. She came when she knew he wouldn’t be here.”

“How did she know?”

“Because I worked for her when he was just a boy. We’ve always been friends.”

“Which means you’ve always kept her informed.” Stephanie got it.

“Yes. Today Nikos’s father is away in Athens on business. It’s been her first chance to come and visit. I sent my son to fetch her in his boat. But if you don’t want to meet her, I’ll tell her to go back to Egnoussa.”

“No. Don’t do that.” More than anything in the world Stephanie had wanted to meet his mother. She just hadn’t expected their first meeting to happen when she was in full bloom, with swollen feet and her face marked with chloasma, the pregnancy mask. If she could be thankful for one thing, it was that she could carry on a basic conversation in Greek.

Her nervousness increased as Yannis drove her to the port. Together they walked along the pier to the yacht. Stephanie could see his mother looking out from the rail. Her luxuriant black hair was pulled back in a stylish twist. She was trim, and shorter than Stephanie by several inches. With her white slacks and stunning blue blouse setting off her olive skin, she was a true Grecian beauty. This was where Nikos got his fantastic looks.

As Stephanie stepped on board, the older woman turned, focusing her soft brown eyes on her. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said in accented English. “I’ve wanted to meet the woman my son married. I’m sorry it didn’t happen when you came to our home. You need to know I’m ashamed of my husband’s behavior toward you. My name is—”

“Hestia.” Stephanie supplied it for her. “I know your name and I’m so glad you’re here now,” she said in her best Greek. “You raised a wonderful son. I love him very much.”

His mother made a quiet study of her. “For him to have married you the day after you arrived in Greece, it’s obvious how he feels about you.”

Stephanie shook her head. “He married me for the sake of the baby.” Taking a risk, she added, “He doesn’t believe he’s the father.”

Hestia looked stunned. “I don’t understand.”

“Come downstairs with me and we’ll talk.” They went below. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Nothing, thank you.”

“Then come to my room.”

A gasp escaped Hestia’s lips when she saw the bedroom turned into a nursery. Between Stephanie’s bed and everything a mother needed to take care of her new baby, there was barely room to move.

At this point Stephanie’s speech was sprinkled with Greek and English. “Please sit down in the rocking chair. I have something to give you.” She went over to the dresser and pulled out a photo album. “I wish you had been at the wedding. You should have been there. I made this for you and your husband to keep.”

The older woman opened the cover. For the next five minutes she remained speechless as she looked at all the pictures. When she finally lifted her head, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Stephanie saw in those brown eyes all the sorrow a mother could at missing out on her child’s wedding day.

“Nikos told me about your husband’s distrust when you were pregnant with him. I’m afraid the same thing has happened to me. We had only ten days together on vacation last April. We don’t know that much about each other, and so much happened after he had to return to active duty, it raised his doubts about life. About everything.”

His mother nodded sadly. “Even though he could walk, he was on the verge of giving up when we took him home from the hospital.”

Tears welled in Stephanie’s eyes. “He’s much better now, but he won’t believe this is his baby until after Alexandros is born.”

“You can forgive my son for this?”

She smiled. “Didn’t you forgive his father?” Stephanie reached for the sonogram picture and showed it to her. “That was at four months. He was only four and half inches long. Now look at him.” She placed her hands on top of her big stomach.

Hestia didn’t give her a verbal answer, but got to her feet. After setting the album on the dresser, she put her arms around Stephanie and hugged her. “You must come for Christmas and stay the whole day. Everyone wants to meet you. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Stephanie’s heart warmed. “We’ll be there. Even if Nikos is still upset with his father, he won’t dare refuse to accompany me if I go. He hovers around me constantly these days. Sometimes he follows me when I have to go to the bathroom!”

Laughter bubbled out of her mother-in-law. “That’s how my husband was with all three of our children, doubts and all.” She wiped her eyes. “I’m going to leave so Nikos won’t find me here when he comes home.”

“Yannis will see you out to the dock.” Stephanie handed her the album to take with her.

“He’s a treasure, but I’m sure you’ve learned that for yourself by now.”

“Definitely.”

“Take good care of yourself, Stephanie. Your time is close.”

“Don’t worry. Nikos does it for both of us.”

They both laughed as they started up the stairs. Stephanie felt as if she was floating. Already she loved Nikos’s mother.

December 17

Nikos lounged against the door of the car while he waited for Stephanie to come out of the school. After going to her doctor’s appointment with her, he’d driven her straight here. He was glad this would be her last day of Greek lessons. Her due date was two weeks from tomorrow. Dr. Panos had told her to rest and keep her feet up. Nikos intended to see that she followed his instructions.

Just when his patience had worn thin and he was ready to go in and get her, the school doors opened and his wife emerged with her teacher. Borus Paulos had come highly recommended, but all Nikos could see was that he was enamored of her in the jacketed white sundress she’d bought that first day shopping.

The man gesticulated while he continued talking. Nikos doubted he’d noticed him waiting, but Stephanie saw him. She waved before saying goodbye to her teacher. Then she started walking toward him.

For a moment he was transported back to the Caribbean. He’d been walking along the beach with Angelo when he saw this woman in a wet suit with a fabulous body. Her hair looked gilded in the sun. She was coming to meet Angelo on those long, elegant legs.

When she drew closer, her gaze suddenly switched to Nikos. Her eyes were an impossible blue color, dazzling like rare gems. Her voluptuous mouth curved into a friendly smile. She looked happy and excited because they were going to dive. At that moment the most remarkable sensation had passed through Nikos’s body and he was never the same again.

That same electrifying feeling was attacking him now as Stephanie approached the car and their gazes met. He lost his breath. This woman with child was his wife! Whether the baby was his or not, he realized it no longer mattered to him. Somehow over the months they’d become his family. If he’d seen this day while he lay recuperating in the hospital, he would have thought he’d lost his mental faculties along with the ability to walk.

“Sorry it took me so long to get away,” she said a little breathlessly. “Borus is a talker when he gets going.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Her tutor couldn’t help his hormones raging in her presence. In fact, the way Nikos himself was feeling at the moment, he didn’t dare touch her while they were in front of other people. He opened the passenger door to help her in, seduced by the strawberry-scented shampoo she used in the shower. When her swollen belly brushed against him by accident, his heart gave an extra beat in wonder, while she let out a gentle laugh.

By some miracle she’d stayed incredibly healthy throughout her pregnancy. She’d never developed the serious problems he’d heard various married business associates talk about. Though she complained of swelling and the chloasma she insisted made her resemble a raccoon, he’d never seen her more beautifully feminine.

It had taken control almost beyond his endurance to stay away from her. Because of his injury she’d wrongly assumed he couldn’t make love to her as he’d done on the island. But only one thing had held him back. Stark staring fear.

She didn’t know what it was like to worry that he might cause harm to her and the baby during a flashback. It was the only force strong enough to keep him locked up in his room night after night. After living together this long without an incident that left bruises on her, he refused to allow anything to go wrong now.

After lunch they were going to do the last of their Christmas shopping. Just a few more presents, nothing taxing. While they were gone, he’d instructed Yannis to put up the little Christmas tree with lights he’d bought and smuggled on board. The lounge was the best place to surprise her. It wasn’t a tradition Nikos followed, but he knew Americans were big on it, and such things were important to his wife.

He darted her a glance before he started the car. “Hungry?”

“You know, for once I’m not? But if you want to eat before we shop, that’s fine with me.”

“What I’d like to do is get the gift buying over with as fast as possible and go back home. I’ll cook today and surprise you with something you haven’t had before.”

She smiled at him. “I’d love that.”

“Good.”

With the much cooler late autumn temperatures, she appeared to thrive. He could only marvel at her energy.

“Let’s shop at the main department store,” she suggested. “That way we can find everything we want under one roof.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” He headed in that direction. “Just so you know, Tassos phoned while I was waiting for you. He and Elianna have invited us to their house for their family’s Christmas Day party.”

He felt Stephanie stir restlessly in the seat. “That’s very nice of them, but we can’t go.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

When she remained quiet, he slanted her a glance. “Stephanie? What’s wrong?”

“Nikos,” she began, but her hesitation was plain as day. He saw a guilty look enter her eyes. It surprised him no end.

“You don’t want to go?”

“Under other circumstances I would, but that’s not it.” She shook her head. “I have a confession to make.”

Just when he’d been thinking nothing had gone wrong with her pregnancy, he was terrified she was going to tell him something he didn’t want to hear. On impulse he pulled over to the side of the street and shut off the engine. Turning in the seat, he slid his arm behind her and tugged on a few strands of her hair.

“Are you ill? Is there something you didn’t tell the doctor this morning?”

“This isn’t about me. I...it’s about us.”

In an instant his blood ran cold. “You mean after all this time, you’ve chosen today instead of Christmas to tell me who the father of your baby is?”

“No! Nikos.” Her horrified cry reverberated in the car. “I’m going about this all wrong. Your mother came to see me last week while your father was away in Athens. We had a frank talk about everything. I showed her the sonogram picture. She’s wonderful and I love her already. Before she left, I gave her the wedding album I made for them. She has invited us to spend Christmas Day with your family. I accepted for us.”

After he’d imagined every horrific thing possible that could destroy life as he knew it, her explanation came as a complete shock. It took a minute for him to assimilate what she’d just said. He waited until he’d calmed down enough to talk. “That won’t be a problem. I’ll phone and tell her we’ve made other plans. She’ll understand.”

“No, I don’t think she will. Nikos,” Stephanie said in a tremulous whisper. “She adores you and needs to see her son. They’ve missed out on more than a decade of your life. You can’t disappoint them. Life’s too short.”

He sucked in his breath. “My father’s bias against Castor and his children for being who they are has been unconscionable, Stephanie. After what he did to my mother and the way he spoke to you, I can’t be in the same room with him.”

She put a hand to his cheek. “But she’s forgiven him and so have I. As you told me, he’s afraid and doesn’t know how to make things right. If you don’t show him the way, his fear of losing you will send him to the grave a desperately unhappy man. What joy could there be in that for any of us?”

Nikos felt sick to his stomach. “I can’t do it. Don’t ask that of me.”

Stephanie pulled her hand away from him and stared out the window. “Then you go to Tassos’s family for Christmas. I’ll go to your parents and take your family their gifts.”

Seeing black, Nikos started the car and drove straight to the dock.

* * *

As Stephanie passed the lounge on her way to the bedroom, she saw a five-foot Christmas tree studded with colored lights set up over by the entertainment center. Yannis had been busy while they’d been gone. She walked over to it and examined some of the ornaments.

After the devastating silence in the car while Nikos drove them back to the yacht, the sight of this brought her immeasurable delight. There was no one like Nikos. But the lights brought pain, too, making a mockery of the peace and joy Christmas was supposed to bring. They’d reached an impasse. His mother’s invitation and Stephanie’s acceptance had ruined this beautiful day.

Desperate to make things right between them, she hurried to his room before he could lock her out. That’s what he’d been doing for months. The night before last she’d heard the gut-wrenching moaning and sobbing that came from his bedroom. So far she’d counted four episodes she knew about since their wedding.

When she discussed this with Yannis, the older man said it was a good sign that they weren’t happening as often as they had in the beginning, which could only mean Nikos was slowly getting better. Stephanie wanted that for him more than anything.

He was such an outstanding man; she couldn’t reconcile everything she knew about him with the side of his nature that had caused him to shut down just now. She couldn’t leave it alone. This was too serious. Without knocking, she opened the door, determined they were going to talk everything out.

She couldn’t prevent the cry that escaped when she discovered he’d removed his clothes and had just pulled on his black bathing trunks. With his back still to her, she saw the bruising at the lower part of his spine. Since he’d always worn his wet suit when they went swimming, she hadn’t realized how deep and pervasive his injury had been. To think of his lying in that hospital bed broken and in despair... She couldn’t bear it.

He wheeled around, a live, breathing, angry Adonis. That awful glittery look in his jet-black eyes impaled her, freezing the breath from her lungs. “I don’t recall inviting you in here.” The wintry tone he’d once used with her was back in full force.

Stephanie couldn’t swallow. “I was afraid I might not get an invitation. I came in to tell you how sorry I am that I didn’t let you know about your mother’s visit until now. You’ve suffered years of pain over a situation I haven’t fully comprehended until today. I’ll call your mother and tell her we can’t come.”

It was as if he’d turned to stone. She couldn’t reach him.

“I should never have attempted to tell you anything about your life or your thoughts,” she went on. “I do have an audacious nature and realize it’s a glaring flaw in my makeup. So I’ll make you a promise now that I’ll never keep anything from you again, or try to influence your thinking in any way. I swear it.”

Desolate at this point because of his silence, she turned to leave, but paused in the doorway. “I love the Christmas tree. No woman in the world has a better husband than you. I’m sorry you can’t say the same thing about your wife. To tell you I’m sorry I came to Greece would be a lie, but I’d give anything if I’d been honest with you after your mother left the other day. I’ve trespassed on your soul, Nikos. Forgive me. It will never happen again.”

She rushed to her room and lay down on her back, pressing the pillow against her face to stifle her sobs. It wasn’t long before she heard the familiar sound of the cruiser. Who knew when Nikos would be back? And when he did return, there was no guesstimating how soon he’d speak to her again.

Stephanie knew he couldn’t tolerate the sight of her right now. She didn’t blame him. That’s why he’d taken off. Perhaps the best thing to do was give him some space. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. While she put a plan into action, she ate a substantial lunch and made a phone call.

Once that was done she packed an overnight bag with several days’ worth of clothes. On her way out she stopped in the lounge to put some presents under the tree for Nikos. Presents made it look ready for Christmas. After that she wrote him a note, leaving it on his desk where he would see it.

Dear Nikos. We’ve been together constantly since I barged into your life. What was it Kahlil Gibran once wrote? “There should be spaces in your togetherness.” I agree with his philosophy, so I’m taking myself off until the day after Christmas.

Don’t worry. I won’t be far. Please be assured I won’t embarrass you by bothering anyone you know or care about. Our business stays our business. I think you know I would never do anything that put me or the baby in danger. I want Alex to know his father. S.

Nikos could be gone for the rest of the day. As for Yannis, he’d said he’d be back at three. She had a half hour to leave without him seeing her.

The town had only two taxis. One of them was waiting for her at the dock. She got in and told the driver to drop her off on a corner where she’d seen used cars for sale. Her passport still showed she was single. The man who sold her the car had no idea she was Kyria Vassalos. That suited her fine. It didn’t take long before she was in possession of a clunker that cost only five hundred dollars.

Free to do what she wanted, Stephanie drove to a wonderfully sited convent nestled among pines and ringed with a magnificent garden. The weary traveler was welcome to stay at their hospice, which was located on the west side of the island, about ten minutes from town. During one of their lessons Borus had told her she should visit to learn its history.

En route she passed several quiet coves, enchanted by the scenery and grateful she could use her bank card to draw money from her final paycheck. She still had enough to pay the fee for board and room for a week.

The convent suited her perfectly. For the time being she intended to get some reading done and keep her feet up. But when she got restless, she could take short drives around the island. It helped to know she’d be out of Nikos’s hair for a while. He’d been hurtled into a world of pain after he’d left the Caribbean, and deserved a break.

As she’d told him, she was the ball on the end of his chain. By her staying here at the convent, out of sight, he didn’t have to drag it around. For the time being he didn’t know where to find her and that was good. He hovered too much.

On the plus side, she could give in to her emotions, which were out of control at this stage of her pregnancy. If she wanted to cry her heart out at night, no one would hear her through the thick walls.

Once in her simple room, she sank down on the bed. Right now she was so exhausted she couldn’t move. For the last hour she’d had pain in her lower back. It was from all the walking she’d done today. Tomorrow she’d go out in the garden, but not now.

* * *

Evening had fallen before Nikos returned to the dock. Yannis was waiting to help him tie up the cruiser. But there was a worried look on the older man’s face that raised the hair on the back of Nikos’s neck.

“Is Stephanie all right?”

“That’s the problem, Nikos. I don’t know. When I came back at three she was gone, but she left a note on the desk in the lounge.”

Forgetting the pain in his back, Nikos raced along the pier to the yacht and hurried down the stairs. As he read her message, his heart plunged like a boulder crashing down a mountain. “She had to have called for a taxi to take her to one of the tourist lodgings. I’ll call and find out which one.”

But when he finally reached the driver who’d picked her up, the man was no help. “I dropped her off on a corner by the Pappas Market. She was carrying an overnight bag.”

Searing pain ripped Nikos open before he hung up. “I’ve got to find her tonight!”

Yannis looked grim. “You get dressed and we’ll go to every place where she might be staying.”

Nikos changed into jeans and a sweater before they took off for town in the car. They combed the whole area for an hour, without results. “I should never have closed up on her like I did earlier. She couldn’t help it that Mother came to see her.”

“That was my fault, Nikos.”

He stared hard at his friend. “No. The fault is all mine for letting old wounds fester until the result caused Stephanie to run away from me. I can’t lose her, Yannis.” His voice shook. “Where in the hell has she gone?”

“How did she find you?”

The shrewd seaman’s question gave Nikos pause. He struggled for breath. “Through sheer persistence and determination.” His mind reeled with possibilities. “Since she’s not at any local lodgings, she had to get a ride with someone to somewhere else.” His turmoil grew worse.

Yannis patted his shoulder. “Perhaps she went to another part of the island.”

“Maybe. But there’s no place for her to stay, only ruins and churches.”

“Could she have gone back to the dock, to take the boat to Chios?”

“Anything’s worth looking into.” Nikos got the port authority on the line. The captain in charge of the last crossing was emphatic that a blonde, pregnant American woman had not been on board.

Nikos shook his head. “She’s here somewhere, Yannis. Maybe she crept on some fishing boat down at the harbor to spend the night.”

Yannis scratched his head. “I don’t think she’d do that, not in her condition. She’s so excited about that baby, she’d never put herself in precarious circumstances. Besides, everyone knows you. I doubt she’d do anything that could embarrass you. She said as much in the note.”

Nikos stared blindly at the water in the distance. “She had to get help from someone, but in my gut I know she wouldn’t turn to Tassos or my family. She hasn’t made any friends yet.”

“That’s not exactly true.”

His gaze swerved to Yannis. “What do you mean?”

“Bulos.”

Though she’d spent ten hours a week for months with her language teacher, Nikos still ruled him out and shook his head. “Let’s go home and see if she’s back on board the Diomedes. If not, I’ll think about bringing in the police.”

Except that she expected him to trust her enough to take care of herself and come back when she was ready. The police would want to know why she was missing and would figure out she and Nikos were having a domestic quarrel. It would be the talk of the Oinousses.

By three in the morning it was clear she wasn’t coming back. Nikos thought he’d been at the end of his rope in the hospital, but this was agony in a new dimension. If anything untoward happened to her or the baby because of him, life wouldn’t be worth living.

Yannis made them coffee. Both of them were too wired from anxiety to do anything but pace. They were waiting for morning so they could begin their search all over again.

At five to four Niko’s cell phone rang, causing him to almost jump out of his skin. He clicked on. “Stephanie?”

“No, sir. This is Sister Sofia at the Convent of the Holy Virgin on Oinoussa. Are you Kyrie Vassalos?”

Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead. “Speaking.” He couldn’t imagine why she’d called.

“Your wife checked into our hospice this afternoon.” The hospice! Of course! “But she’s been in labor ever since and is now at the hospital.”

Nikos weaved in place. “God bless you, Sister. You’ve just saved my life!” He hung up. “Yannis? Stephanie is at the hospital having the baby!”

With Yannis driving, they made it there in record time. Nikos burst inside the emergency entrance. “My wife!” he said to the surprised attendant. “Stephanie Vassalos—”

“She’s in the delivery room.”

“Has she had the baby?”

“Not yet. Dr. Panos says for you to come with me. I’ll get you ready. We need to hurry.”

The next few minutes were a blur as Nikos was instructed to sanitize his hands before being led into the delivery room. He was told to sit.

“Nikos!” He heard Stephanie call out to him.

“You’re just in time,” the doctor said without missing a beat. “Your baby fooled everyone and decided to come a few weeks early. Push, Stephanie. That’s it. One more time.”

Nikos’s wet eyes flew to his brave, beautiful wife, propped on the bed. The strain in her body and the way she worked with the doctor was something he’d never forget.

“Ah, there’s the head. This guy’s got your husband’s black hair.”

He heard his wife’s shouts of excitement.

“Keep pushing. Here comes Alexandros.” Dr. Panos held the baby up in the air by the ankles and Nikos heard a gurgle, followed by a lusty cry.

Stephanie started sobbing for joy. “How does he look?” she begged the doctor.

“You can see for yourself after I’ve cut the cord.” A minute later he laid the baby across her stomach and wiped off the fluid. “Come on over here, Papa. You can examine your son together.”

As wonderful as that sounded, Nikos leaned over to kiss Stephanie’s dry lips first. “Are you all right? I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

Her eyes were a blazing blue. “But you have been, all this time, and I’ve never been so happy in my life. Isn’t he beautiful?”

His gaze flew to the baby, who’d stopped crying and gone quiet. His dark eyes looked at Nikos so seriously, reminding him of the way Stephanie sometimes did. He studied the rest of him. His perfect hands with their long fingers were curled into fists. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope, where all the bits and pieces formed a miraculous design. This one was made from the molds of a Walsh and a Vassalos.

Nikos saw Stephanie’s mouth and chin, his brother’s ears, his mother’s black hair, his own fingers and toes, his father’s body shape. My son. My one and only.

“He looks exactly like you, Nikos.”

He turned his head toward her. “You’re in there, too. But I want you to know that even if he didn’t look like me, it wouldn’t matter, because I fell in love with the two of you a long time ago. A miracle happened on the island.”

“I know.” Tears gushed from her eyes. “I love you, darling. So much I can’t begin to tell you.”

“No woman ever fought harder to show her love than you did when you came all the way to this remote island to find me. I’ll never forget,” he said against her mouth. “I’ve got to tell Yannis. Then I’m going to call the family and tell them they’ve become grandparents again.”