‘Is that my grandma?’
‘Yes,’ Dimitrios confirmed, his voice neutral.
‘Where does she live?’
‘Right here in Sydney.’
‘How come I’ve never met her?’
Dimitrios looked around the room; Annie shifted backward, out of sight.
‘You’ll meet her soon. At the wedding.’
‘Does she live with you?’
‘No. I live in Singapore, remember?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Max tilted his head to the side, lost in thought. ‘I’d miss my mummy if she ever didn’t live in the same house as me.’
Perhaps some sixth sense alerted Dimitrios to her presence, because at that exact moment he lifted his gaze and pinpointed her immediately, his eyes latching on to hers.
‘You won’t have to worry about that.’ His lips curved in a small smile; she found herself returning it. ‘You’re going to be stuck with your mummy and me for a very long time.’
She moved a step backward, into the hallway, tears stinging her eyes. He’d said that he didn’t want to hear about their son from her. He wanted to get to know Max all on his own. She was watching that happen and it was an act of beauty and magic.
‘Now.’ She heard the natural authority in Dimitrios’s voice, even when it was softened by affection. ‘It’s far later than I realised. You must get to sleep, Max.’
Right on cue, Max yawned. ‘Okay, Dimitrios.’
Her heart twisted. Soon, that would change to Daddy.
At the door, Dimitrios emerged, his eyes finding Annie’s. But Max called out, ‘Wait! You forgot to tell me about the one on your chin.’
Annie watched as Dimitrios lifted a finger and pressed it to a small scar that ran along the ridge of his jaw line. It wasn’t a new scar; she remembered it from the night they’d... She couldn’t think of that. Her body was still tingling from the kisses and touches they’d shared earlier today.
‘Remind me at breakfast.’
‘What will we eat?’
Dimitrios’s smile flicked towards Annie, warming her belly. ‘What would you like?’
‘Pancakes?’
Dimitrios laughed, the sound reaching inside Annie and setting something free.
‘How about eggs?’ he suggested instead.
Max paused. ‘Okay, I guess so.’
Annie was impressed. It would have been easy for him to agree to Max’s request for pancakes, but Dimitrios had instinctively known not to indulge Max’s every whim, especially not with junk food.
By silent agreement, they moved further down the corridor before speaking. ‘You’re great with kids,’ she said honestly, lifting her face towards his as they walked.
‘I have good friends who have children. I’ve spent some time with them.’
It was a curious thing to contemplate—his life now, what it looked like. They’d known each other years ago. Dimitrios had been twenty-four the last time they’d slept together, and his lifestyle had probably been quite typical for someone his age. Now, in his early thirties, what did his social life look like?
‘That surprises you?’
She smiled wistfully. ‘I guess I had imagined you still going on as you were then. You know, partying and all that. But it’s been seven years.’
He stopped walking, his brow furrowed as he looked down at her. ‘That was never really my scene, Annabelle. Zach, yes, but for me I generally used to go for a drink then head home to work.’
She lifted her shoulders, indicating it didn’t really matter, but in contradiction to that heard herself ask, ‘Is that really true?’
‘Why would I lie to you?’
‘You wouldn’t,’ she said instantly. ‘It’s just the papers...’
‘Yes, I know. Zach and I are tabloid fodder.’
‘As am I now, apparently.’ She chewed on her lower lip, thinking of the mortifying article that had run the day before. She stopped walking, lifting a hand to his arm to stop him. ‘That’s why you took me shopping this morning, isn’t it? Because of that piece about me being dowdy and unsophisticated?’
A muscle jerked in his jaw and he looked as though he was quite capable of strangling a bear with his bare hands. ‘I didn’t know you’d seen it.’
‘Yeah, a friend emailed it to me.’
He was studying her thoughtfully, his eyes roaming her face. ‘You’re not upset?’
She shrugged. ‘I mean, it wasn’t the nicest thing I’ve ever read, but it’s not like I’m under any illusions here. I know what I am, and what you are. That article’s probably been the closest to the truth since our “whirlwind romance” was announced.’
That caused his frown to deepen.
‘You’re not dowdy.’
‘Well, I’m probably not now, after your whole Cinderella treatment today,’ she said with a small laugh, and began to walk again, but it was Dimitrios who caught her wrist this time, holding her still.
‘You never were. I didn’t arrange that because I thought you needed to change.’
She lifted a brow, his denial unexpected. ‘No? So why did you?’
He lifted a hand as though to cup her cheek but dropped it again. ‘Your poverty made you an easy target. I didn’t like to see you being bullied like that. I don’t like to think of Max hearing that kind of thing said about his mother.’
Ah, Max. Of course. All good deeds came back to Max—just as they should. And, though he hadn’t referred to Lewis, she was sure that promise was there too—a desire to look after her simply because she was Lewis’s sister.
She smiled again but this time it felt a little brittle. ‘Well, thank you. I didn’t expect to find a wardrobe the size of my old apartment here, nor that it would be stocked with such incredible clothes. It was very generous of you.’
His eyes wouldn’t shift, though. They stayed locked to hers so swirls of emotion spun through her belly.
‘It wasn’t generous, so much as appropriate. You must start thinking of yourself as my wife—all that I have is yours.’
‘For as long as we’re married,’ she couldn’t help quipping, but she said it with a wink, to show she was joking. ‘And thank you again. It’s going to take me some time to get used to that. Actually, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that, but I do appreciate you trying to make me feel comfortable in this palace.’ She gestured around them, her eyes following the lines of the room. ‘It’s just—’ she added and then stopped.
He put a hand on the small of her back, guiding her deeper into the lounge and across it, to where a bar was set up.
‘Yes?’ he prompted as he opened a decanter containing an amber liquid and poured two measures, handing one to her. She expected the fragrance to be an assault but it had a honey-like quality that was gentle.
‘A week ago, I was furiously budgeting to work out how I could get Max what he wants for Christmas.’ Her voice was rueful. ‘I know that must seem strange to you, but it’s why the last few months have been so tough. He’s such a smart kid and I don’t want him to miss out on stuff because I can’t—couldn’t—provide him with the material things a lot of his friends have.’ She lifted her slender shoulders in a shrug. ‘It’s not as though he’d asked for anything extravagant, but for me even normal things are hard to afford. So, yeah, this is going to take some getting used to.’
‘What did he ask for for Christmas?’
‘A remote-controlled car and a train for his tracks that has a motor, so he can set it going and watch it travel in circles.’ She smiled indulgently. ‘What can I say? He’s an automobile kind of kid.’
Dimitrios’s eyes glowed with something she didn’t understand. ‘You don’t need to worry about anything like that ever again. Whatever you think he should have, consider it done.’
‘But I don’t want him to be spoiled,’ she said quickly.
‘No.’ Dimitrios sipped his drink then gestured towards the deck. It was a beautiful night, the stars twinkling above Sydney, the Opera House gleaming like a pearl in the moonlight.
She walked beside him, wondering at the surreal nature of this. Why did it feel so natural for them to be together like this? There was a level of comfort between them that she hadn’t been prepared for.
‘What is Christmas usually like, for you and Max?’ Dimitrios prompted conversationally, guiding her to a bench seat that overlooked the view.
‘Quiet,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘We go to church in the morning, then come home and Max opens his presents. I can usually pull together enough to buy him two or three—just small things. Mum and Dad send something—though it’s usually practical, like clothes, because they know he’s growing like a weed.’ She breathed out so her side-swept fringe shifted, catching the moon’s golden light across her hair. ‘I make something special for lunch, something we don’t have any other time of year—salmon or turkey—and then we watch a movie and have a little piece of pudding each. Pretty normal.’
Then, with a smile, she turned to face him, crossing one leg over the other. ‘Though, I suppose “normal” is a very relative term. Your Christmases are probably very different to mine.’
He smiled, but it was constrained. ‘Actually, our Christmases are usually quiet too. Zach hates Christmas—always has, probably always will. And Mum has her step-kids, who make a huge fuss of her, so she generally lets us skate by without expecting us to visit or anything.’
Nerves spread through Annie like wildfire. Somehow, for some reason, she’d thought of Dimitrios as existing in some kind of void. She hadn’t followed through the idea that, by keeping Max from Dimitrios, she was also keeping him from Zach and their mother, and any other family members who might feel that they wanted to get to know Dimitrios’s son.
‘Is she angry about me keeping her grandson from her?’
Dimitrios took a sip of his drink. ‘No.’
Annie found herself leaning closer, though she’d heard him fine. ‘How can she not be? After what you’ve lost, and what she’s lost?’
‘Because I’m marrying you, and she knows better than to complain to me about my choice of bride.’
‘Ah.’ Annie’s smile was instinctive. ‘So she’s afraid of you?’
Dimitrios shook his head firmly. ‘Not at all. She knows that once I’ve made a decision I’ll stick to it, come hell or high water. What would the point be in questioning me, or you?’
‘That doesn’t mean she’s not angry.’
‘Would you feel better if she were?’
Annie considered that. ‘In a way, yes.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I think I probably deserve it.’
Dimitrios stared at her for several seconds, his eyes showing a hint of frustration but his voice was gentle.
‘You tried to tell me about him. And, since then, you have sacrificed everything to raise our child. I wish things between us had been different but, after the way I treated you, I have only myself to blame.’
‘You’re being so understanding...’
‘I’m not an ogre.’ He frowned. ‘Though I can see why you might think I was.’
‘You were pretty brutal that night.’
He dipped his head forward in silent agreement.
‘I can’t believe we’re getting married in two days.’
He turned to face her thoughtfully. ‘You can’t believe it as in, it’s not what you want?’
She considered that, lifting her shoulders. She remembered the way he’d been with Max, and the things Max had said about wanting to live with his mother for ever, and she found herself shaking her head. ‘I think we’re doing the right thing. Max is worth it.’
His eyes held Annie’s for several seconds and then he nodded. ‘Yes. He is.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘YOU’RE NERVOUS.’
Her eyes lifted from her lap to his face, then shifted to the window behind him, and the view that sped past as the car moved. Her fingers were clasped in her lap, her features drawn. Annabelle Papandreo looked beautiful, wealthy and untouchable. Her blonde hair had been clipped to one side, and for their wedding she’d worn a stunningly ornate headband that invoked a nineteen-forties vibe. Her gown had been similarly timeless, art nouveau lace meeting silk, hugging her body all the way to the floor.
‘Is that silly?’ she asked.
He shook his head, finding it hard to look away from her face. Some time after boarding the flight, she’d taken all her make-up off and slipped into a change of clothes, far less glamorous than the wedding outfit but every bit as striking—a black linen singlet paired with a pair of silk trousers.
Dimitrios had found the flight a unique torment, his fingers itching to reach out and feel the different textures for himself.
‘It’s just been a big day,’ she pointed out, referring to the whirlwind of their brief morning ceremony, the lunch with his family and a few select friends—only those he thought she’d like best—and then the flight to Singapore.
The moment they’d stepped off his private jet and on to the tarmac, the sultry night heat had wrapped around them. Max hadn’t seemed to notice, nor mind, but Annabelle had fanned her face with a magazine as they’d walked, then turned the air-conditioning up in the limousine as soon as they were inside. It was like an ice cube now, but again, Max was impervious to the climate—he was fast asleep in his car seat, opposite them.
‘You did very well.’
She spun back to face him, her eyes scanning his face for sincerity. How could she doubt his words? It had been a big day, just as she’d said, yet in every way she’d carried herself with pride and grace. He had known she was nervous about seeing his brother and meeting his mother and yet she’d embraced them, taking time to speak to them at length, showing them who she was and making inroads into forming a genuine relationship with both of them.
There was nothing about her that had seemed unhappy, or had spoken of the unusual terms of their marriage. To anyone watching, they would have seemed like a perfectly normal couple on their wedding day.
If Zach thought Dimitrios’s about-face with regard to marriage was strange, he’d had the manners not to say as much on Dimitrios’s wedding day. But Dimitrios had decided a long time ago that he wasn’t interested in love or marriage—he’d seen what ‘love’ had done to his mother and it had been a salutary example of what he never wanted to become.
Which was why this marriage was so damned perfect.
As he’d advanced in years, one part of his plan hadn’t sat well for Dimitrios—the lack of children. He’d felt a yearning to continue his lineage, but he’d still been reconciled to not having that, given that he didn’t want a traditional marriage.
And here Annabelle had presented him with all the pieces of a marriage he wanted—if he could have cherry-picked the perfect situation, it would be exactly this. He desired her, he respected her and she’d already borne him a son, so it was likely they’d have more children when they were ready. Yeah, he was feeling pretty damned good about things—especially because he’d also taken great pains to make sure he was looking after her feelings this time round.
Relaxed, he stretched an arm along the back of the leather car-seat, his fingers dangling tantalisingly close to the exposed skin of her shoulder.
‘So what are you nervous about?’
Her brow furrowed, her eyelashes sweeping down and hiding her expression for a moment. She had a little dimple in her cheek that deepened when she frowned and pursed her lips like that. Out of nowhere, he imagined leaning forward and pressing his tongue to it.
Later.
‘I mean...’ She darted a glance at him and then looked down, twirling her engagement ring around her finger. He’d already spotted that habit she’d developed. ‘T
his ring, the private jet, now a limousine...and I can’t help noticing that these houses are kind of enormous.’ She gestured to Ocean Drive as they moved round it.
‘You’ve already seen a photo of my house.’
‘I know. It’s just hitting me that this is where we live now.’
‘You’ll get used to it.’
‘What if I don’t?’
‘Then we’ll move back to Sydney.’ The quickness of his response surprised him—his willingness to leave the life he had here was something he hadn’t known he felt. Then again, he’d expected Annabelle to simply pick up and leave her life, and all that was familiar to her. Why should it be any different for him?
‘I think a big part of it is making sure Max settles in well. So long as he’s happy at school, then I’m sure I’ll be happy.’
He heard the determination in her voice and admired her for it. She really wanted to make a success of this.
‘When did you move here?’ she asked a little uneasily as the car turned into the section of road that led to his home.
‘Four years ago.’
‘Right, you said that.’ Her tongue darted out, licking her lower lip. ‘Why Singapore?’
‘We spent a lot of time here—our teenage years. It feels as much my home as Australia. And then, a few years back, we expanded into a television network and a masthead of magazines and newspapers. I moved here first, but Zach spends around half his time here now too—we both love it, to be honest. It’s a convenient springboard to anywhere in the world.’
That made a lot of sense. ‘It was good to see Zach again. He hasn’t changed.’
‘No.’ Dimitrios laughed, but there was a hint of worry at the back of that laugh, a worry he generally didn’t express to anyone. Yet, despite that, he found himself saying, ‘To be honest, when that journalist sent me a photo of Max, my first thought was that Zach must be the father.’
An Heir Claimed By Christmas (Mills & Boon Modern) (A Billion-Dollar Singapore Christmas, Book 1) Page 10
