by Joanne Walsh
“Come on.” He pulled away from her. “Let’s head for Alison’s.” He put an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into him, savouring their closeness.
When they reached the Merc, she stood on the sidewalk while he reversed out of the tight space, her eye caught by the stunning display in Tasos Konstaninos’s shop window. Various pieces, which the young jeweller would have made himself, sparkled enticingly in the mellow sunlight.
“What did Marilyn Monroe sing? “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”?”
Revolving around, she shaded her eyes with her hand. Dimitri was leaning out of the window of the rumbling car. “Just looking, that’s all. Tasos has got some beautiful stuff. Including diamonds.”
He killed the ignition then hopped out to join her. “If there is anything you like, I will buy it for you.”
“Oh my goodness, no, you don’t have to do that—”
“Yes, I do,” he replied, plopping a kiss on her nose, “no arguments. Now, what will you choose?”
“I’m not sure.” She felt flustered. She had very little jewellery and the only pieces she’d ever been given were her grandmother’s earrings and her wedding ring. “Um…The gold bracelet over there next to that beautiful ruby and diamond engagement ring—”
His gaze followed to where she pointed. “You like that ring?”
“Why, yes, it’s gorgeous. I love rubies and they’re in such a unique setting.” She shrugged. “You know, I got married so fast, I never had an engagement ring.”
He gave her a glance. “But the bracelet doesn’t have rubies. In fact, it has no jewels at all.”
“But I love how Tasos has worked the gold into the latticework design. It’s so delicate and striking, it doesn’t need any gems.”
“Then it’s yours. Obviously, the shop is closed now but I’ll call in tomorrow.”
“Thank you, that’s really kind of you.” She glanced at him. The bracelet was exquisite and she’d love to own it, but if things between them didn’t last? She swallowed. Then it’d be a reminder of this precious time of lost and found, because maybe she’d been fooling herself that he’d be hers forever…
*
Dimitri sneaked a brief glance at Sally while they drove up to Alison’s. She was staring silently out through the window. Returning his vision to the way ahead, a heavy feeling settled on his chest. That pensive expression of hers was one he knew from the past, but he’d hoped it was in the past, until he’d caught her wearing it now and then over the last couple of weeks. Something wasn’t right with her. He ran through the times they’d shared recently; had he said or done something? Then, suddenly, it struck him like a thunderbolt: she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol while they’d been together; she normally enjoyed a glass of wine. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. O Thee mou! Was she thinking she might be pregnant after all?
When they arrived, Alison was bustling about the kitchen, flanked by her cats, their febrile eyes watching as she chopped and peeled. At her invitation, Dimitri settled himself down at the kitchen table, while Sally went to freshen up. Maybe the older woman could shed further light on Sally’s mood before he waded in there himself.
“Alison, can I ask you about something? This last week, I have noticed Sally is very quiet sometimes, and I was wondering if you know of anything troubling her right now?”
Alison fixed him with a beady stare. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
He raised his shoulders in an apologetic shrug. “Because sometimes it is hard for a man to ask a woman about some things.”
“Somehow, knowing you and women, Dimitri, I doubt if you’ve ever had trouble asking any of them questions if you really want to know the answer,” she returned sharply. “What are you scared of finding out?”
Of all the people he knew, Alison had the uncanny knack of cutting right through to the heart of a matter. But he was well aware of how much he already owed her when it came to Sally, and he wasn’t offended by her bluntness, responding with a self-deprecating smile. “We both know Sally has been through a hell of a lot.” His voice became low. “She is very special to me and I don’t want to hurt her.”
Alison’s features softened. “She is, and you’re a good, thoughtful man, Dimitri.” She laid down her knife. “But since you raise it, I have noticed that, the last few days, she’s been retreating to her room after dinner, which is not like her. Normally, she’d be down here chatting with me, Pav and Ben or playing with McTavish.” She reached for a cucumber and began slicing again. “I think you need to talk to her.”
For a few seconds, he drummed his fingers on the tabletop as he digested Alison’s observation, then got up from his seat. “Thank you. I appreciate your advice, and I know I can count on you to keep this between ourselves.”
“Of course.” She surprised him by giving him a wink. “Now, before you go, give me an update on the Finding Marco campaign. Any news?”
He was dying to get upstairs and speak with Sally, but he schooled himself to stay in conversation mode. “Not yet, but we remain hopeful. I’m having my personal assistant work on it now that Sally has other things on her plate. Coming from Romania, Cristina knows a lot about the Roma gypsy community, which, as you know, is where my brothers and I are convinced clues to what happened to our brother will be found. We’ve also been considering offering a reward for meaningful information.” He sighed. “Sometimes, I find myself thinking we should accept Marco is gone forever, but then I see stories in the media of abducted people returning to their loved ones and realize it isn’t impossible that he may still be alive.” A sad smile twisted his lips. “My nickname for him was Mikros. Little one.”
“I hope with all my heart that the little one will be home soon,” Alison said softly. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to say to you or Nik, I’d be happy for us to create a link from the KATs website to yours, maybe even add a page about Marco. We get a fair bit of traffic from overseas, and anything we can do to help—”
“Exochos. I will ask Cristina to contact you to set something up.” He had to go find Sally. “May I use your washroom?”
“Sure. You’ll find the lodgers’ bathroom at the end of the upstairs corridor. But if Sally’s still in there, just pop into my and Pav’s room, which is the first door on your right, and use the en suite in there.”
Reaching the landing, he saw the door at the far end was shut and could hear the shower running. Turning, his attention was caught by an open door to his left. He peered into the room and recognised Sally’s discarded clothes on the floor—this must be her bedroom. Then his gaze landed on a carton lying on the bed, his insides tightening viciously as he recognised the packaging and what it contained.
“Dimitri!”
The sound of Sally’s exclamation had him swinging around to find her next to him, wrapped in a big towel and carrying another, smaller one, her flaming hair dulled by dampness to a burnished copper as it tumbled about her tanned, freckled shoulders. Her eyes flicked to where his had been, then grew huge in her face as comprehension dawned. Dipping her head, she tried to slide past him.
His hand went out to press against her upper arm and stop her. “Why did you not tell me?”
Her chin shot up. “It’s just a precaution.”
“But should we not talk about it? After all, if you are doing the test, you must believe you may be pregnant.”
Her gaze skittered away from his. “I’m waiting to know if I have to take it, and of course, if I do, you’ll know the result. I-I just didn’t want to make a drama out of something that may never happen.”
Stepping back, he let her pass. “There doesn’t have to be any drama. All I want is to support you.”
Slowly, she turned around, her gaze narrowed. “Support me how, Dimitri?”
“If you take the test, I am here for you, whatever you decide to do.”
Something flickered across her features that he couldn’t quite read. Regret? Sadness? Then she raised her chin. “I know what I
want to do. The question is, what do you want?”
Her challenge had him rooted to the spot. If he told her how he really felt, would she throw it back in his face because she didn’t feel the same? He surveyed her, desperately trying to work out what her frown meant, then blinked. Kolasi! To hell with it! Why was he pretending? She’d asked him very directly what he wanted so she deserved a straight answer. “I want you to be pregnant, and I want us to be a family.”
“You’d want me to keep the baby?” she said slowly.
“Yes,” he confirmed huskily. “Becoming a father means everything to me.”
Clutching her bath towel around her, she flopped onto the bed. “When—when we spoke about forgetting to use protection, I got the impression you didn’t want it to be the right time of the month for me to conceive—”
“Thee mou, Sally, it was a shock to me when I realized we hadn’t taken precautions, and I was struggling not to blurt out how I really felt because I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.” Inclining his head, he raised his palms. “We guys are always being told we shouldn’t put any pressure on you women because it’s your right to choose—”
“But you want me to keep it?” she repeated.
“Yes. I’m praying for that miracle.” His gaze met hers, his heart beating like a drum. “What about you?”
She sat silently for a few agonizing seconds. “I want the miracle to happen too,” she agreed softly, “but maybe it won’t take on one. I, um, checked my calendar and saw I was a bit off with my dates—”
Taking a swift pace forward, he squatted down, grabbing her hand in his. “How off?”
“I realized I was bang in the middle of my cycle, probably ovulating.”
“Ovulating?”
“At my most fertile. My eggs were travelling.”
He leapt to his feet. “But this is wonderful! You must do the test as soon as
possible—”
“My period is due tomorrow, and I’m regular. If it doesn’t come, I’ll do the test the day after. She grabbed hold of the box that lay just to the side of her on the comforter. “By then, it will offer almost one hundred per cent certainty.”
“Okay. I would like to be with you if you do take it.”
“Alright.” She exhaled. “I had no idea you wanted to be a father this much.”
“And I didn’t know if you wanted me to be the father of your baby.”
Her face broke into a huge smile. “I do,” she said softly, “I really, really do.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sally glanced over to where the pregnancy test lay nestled on a tissue on the vanity, then checked her phone. Less than a minute to go. Leaning back against the bathroom’s marble-tiled wall, she shut her eyes. Three days ago, she’d thought she might have to go through this alone, yet here she was in Dimitri’s bathroom, with him waiting anxiously on the other side of the door, and both of them praying for a positive result. She needed to get better at trusting him—
The timer she’d set shrilled. She took a deep breath and hauled herself up from the floor, then warily, approached the stick. Her period hadn’t shown up yesterday so there was a chance. Picking it up, she saw two blue lines. Blinking, she checked again. “Yes!” Her heart soaring, she spun around to make for the door, nearly slipping on the shiny tiles in her haste.
Dimitri was hovering in front of the French window in the master bedroom, absently rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. She smiled; she could tell he’d been running it through his hair too; it had a spiky, mussed-up look. Looking up, his gaze met hers and he too, broke into a huge smile. “I made us coffee. Want to come join me on the balcony?”
Seating herself at the small bistro table positioned to catch the morning sun, she watched as he poured coffee into a mug from a large cafetiere, handing it to her before serving himself. “The test is sitting on the vanity, if you want to go see for yourself.” Grinning, she jerked her head in the direction of the bathroom.
“Er, no thank you, I’ll take your word for it,” he chuckled. Then, reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a rectangular box and placed it in front of her on the tabletop. “I think it’s a good time to give you this.”
She guessed what it might be as soon as she saw Tasos Konstantinos’s name etched in tiny gold letters on its lid. Carefully opening it, she revealed the gold bracelet she’d admired, its intricate filigree glinting in the sunlight. She slipped it onto her left wrist. “It’s beautiful,” she said quietly. “Whenever I look at it, I’ll think of you and this special day.”
Sitting down, he leaned across and took her right hand, raising her palm to kiss it, then placed it against his cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered, “you’ve made me the happiest, proudest man alive.”
“You make me very happy too.” She trailed her fingers over his stubbled skin before letting them fall.
“So, when are you moving in?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, gosh…” She started laughing. “I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that I’m pregnant.”
“I want you here. For us to start being a family.”
The intensity with which he spoke sent a sweet ripple skimming across her skin. “Me too,” she replied softly then hesitated as a thought struck her. “Um, will our family include McTavish?”
“The King of the Mongrels can come too. If he wants to, that is.”
She smiled. “You’ve got a point. He might not want to leave Pav and Nyx the cat, and you may be spared. I’ll talk to Alison today, see what she thinks.”
“I was thinking I would make a donation to KATs because she will miss the rent after you move out.”
“That’s a lovely idea. I’m just going to say to her we’ve decided to live together. I won’t tell her I’m expecting, or anyone else for that matter.” She cradled her hands around her coffee. “Not until I’m past the three-month mark.”
His eyebrows knitted together in a vee. “Why do we need to wait?”
“It’s what most people do because there is a slightly higher chance of miscarriage during the first twelve weeks.”
“Then you must move here to Skalos as soon as possible so that I can keep you and the baby safe.”
“Hey, I’m a pregnant woman, not a piece of porcelain!” She smiled at his earnest instinct to protect her. “Anyway, I don’t intend to do anything rash with my precious cargo. It’s been too long a time coming. I’ll make an appointment to get my care set up with the doctor when the clinic opens first thing tomorrow.”
“Okay.” His expression relaxed a little. “Sally, when you say it’s been a long time coming…” He paused for a couple of seconds. “Did you ever consider having a child with Manos when you married him?”
Her smile fading, she shook her head. “At first, I assumed that, after a year or two, we’d get around to discussing it. But that never happened, and of course, once he was taking the heart medication, well…”
“That must have been hard.”
“It wasn’t easy, but I told myself it was for the best.” She shrugged. “He never expressed any interest, and since I’d grown up not feeling loved by my mother, I wasn’t going to risk my kid going through the same with his father.”
Dimitri’s mouth quirked. “I think you did the right thing—” At that moment, his phone rang. “Excuse me, I have to get this,” he said, scanning the screen. “Selene.”
Feeling herself instantly prickle, Sally forced herself not to overreact. “Working on a Sunday?” she queried lightly.
“It’s twenty-four-seven with Selene. That is what makes her such a great asset to the business. Actually, I quite often get work calls on Sundays that are not just from her. As you will discover when you become mistress of Skalos.” Raising his eyebrows and grinning, he picked up the handset. “Selene, good morning!”
Zoning out, she took a sip of her coffee, then let her gaze wander to the acres of vines and fruit trees unfolding beyond the balcony. Mistress of Skalos. That
had a good ring to it. When she thought of how far she’d come since those dark days of last spring, she realized it was all she could ever wish for: this peaceful, abundant place, perfect for raising a family, and with this man opposite her. He might be a little bit of a workaholic, but he was also the strongest and steadiest she’d ever find.
*
Dawn sent fingers of light searching through the shutters. Stirring, Sally made contact with Dimitri’s warm skin as she snuggled against him.
She’d been living here at Skalos a couple of weeks now and was already feeling at home. Home. The place she’d been searching for but feared she might never find. Where simple rituals and pleasures made her feel so safe and secure. Coming back from work or the store and spending evenings with this man who she loved to bits. Having drinks on the patio—estate wine for him and something non-alcoholic for her—and watching the sun go down. Then eating a home-cooked meal and lazing on the couch afterwards until bedtime, when—she trailed a finger through the scattering of hair on Dimitri’s chest—that was the most pleasurable ritual of all. She smiled to herself as she thought of how, last night, she’d been sitting on the bed brushing her hair when he’d come to lean against the doorway to the en suite, that dark shadow of a day’s scruff darkening his jaw and making her want him more than ever.
“I need to wish you a proper good night.” Pushing himself off the doorframe, he moved towards the bed looking purposeful.
She stilled, letting the brush fall from her hand onto the comforter as he stopped in front of her, feet apart, his hand coming out to coax her into standing. “Kalinychta,” he growled, pulling her up against him.
“Kalinychta—” As his mouth went from her neck to her chest in a delicious sweep, she groaned. “Ohhh—” He was pulling up her T-shirt to expose her breasts. Already tender with hormone, when he bent to suckle and nip them, she arched hard into him, surrendering to the intense arrows of sensation stiffening her nipples.
“You are so sensitive,” he breathed, before running a hand downwards to the nakedness between her legs, “and ready for me too. You never, ever needed me to show you what to do.”
