Husband By Request

by Rebecca Winters

  “Did you hear me?” he demanded, shaking her gently but firmly. “I threatened her with a protective order. She understands that if she ever tries to come near I’ll have her prosecuted.”

  Dominique’s head reared back. To her chagrin, hot tears trickled down her cheeks. “That won’t stop her. She knows how to get to you.”

  “I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me, and I understand why. So I brought you proof.”

  He reached in his trouser pocket and pulled out a mini tape recorder. “What you’re going to hear is the conversation we had after we took Ari home and put him to bed. Just so you know, he’s got gastroenteritis, but he’s going to be fine.”

  Dominique was glad to hear the good news, but she was still reeling from the sight of the recorder in his hand. “You taped it?”

  “Yes. Let’s lie down and we’ll both listen. If you’re wondering why I’ve removed my shirt, there are several reasons. One of them being that at a certain point in our conversation she threw her coffee at me in a violent rage.”

  He lay down on his side and patted the space next to him. In a daze, Dominique knelt in front of him and reached for his shirt. Huge stains had ruined the elegant cream silk material.

  She let out a low moan and ran her fingers over his face and jaw. “Did she burn you?”

  He caught her hand and kissed it. “No. By the time she lost control it had cooled.”

  “Andreas—”

  She watched him press the button on the recorder. Out of the stillness of the night came their voices.

  Would you stay with me tonight?

  Where’s your aunt?

  She’s gone to my cousin’s for the weekend.

  I thought she was too sick to go anywhere.

  The medicine the doctor gave her made her feel a lot better. I think she wanted to get away from the baby’s crying.

  I’ll stay for a while.

  Good. Let me fix us some coffee.

  Olympia?

  Would you like a sandwich with that?

  No, thank you. This can’t go on any longer.

  What do you mean?

  I’m talking about the fantasy world you’ve been living in since you first became friends with Maris at school.

  Fantasy world?

  Yes, the one where I’m your husband and Ari is our baby. That’s fiction, Olympia. Something you thought up in your head that has no basis in reality. You were a friend of my younger sister. That’s all. Because Maris had no guile, she couldn’t see it in you. Neither could my parents, who included you like you were their own daughter. And Maris was killed before you could be exposed for repaying her loving friendship with a lifetime of insidious treachery.

  Treachery?

  It’s as good a word as any to describe your behavior. You’ve hurt a lot of people, done a lot of damage. Some of it can’t be undone, but thank God that doesn’t include Dominique.

  She’s turned you against me!

  If you mean she’s helped me see into your disturbed psyche, then, yes. I give her full credit.

  With every revelation Dominique felt a lifting of the terrible crushing pain that had plagued their marriage for so long. When the tape came to an end, she’d drenched herself and him in tears.

  “It’s over,” she whispered. “Really over.”

  He stared deeply into her eyes. “Let tonight be the real beginning of our marriage.”

  Her heart was too full to talk.

  His beautiful smile swept her away.

  “We’re two shipwrecked lovers washed up on a distant shore for life. We have the moon to give us light, the sand to give us warmth. Best of all we have our bodies to give each other joy. Come here to me, my love.”

  Dominique hugged both her parents at the same time. “I’m so glad you’re here to see the fun run. After this is over we’ll fly to Zakynthos with Eli and Bernice and fix our own Thanksgiving feast. It’ll be a first for them.”

  “After this run, you’re going to need to relax. Your father and I will do the cooking.”

  “Andreas will thank you.”

  I’ll thank you. For the last week Dominique hadn’t been very hungry. She’d attributed it to nerves, because she wanted this first marathon to go without a hitch.

  “I’m so proud of you for organizing all this I could burst.”

  “Thanks, Dad. A hundred runners aren’t bad for the first one.”

  “It’s fantastic,” her mother murmured. “Darling? I think they’re about ready to start. Good luck. After we can’t see you anymore we’re going to drive to the finish line to join Andreas and his parents. They’re already there with the camera, waiting for you.”

  She felt her dad’s probing eyes. “You okay, Domani?”

  “I’ve never been better.”

  “Sure?”

  “Maybe I’ve got a little stage fright. I don’t want to do anything to embarrass Andreas.”

  “Embarrass—” her parents cried at the same time.

  “You know. Stumble and fall flat on my face. I’d die if I did that.”

  Her dad frowned. “You’ve never done it before. Do you feel a little shaky or something?”

  “No. I guess I’d better go. See you soon.”

  She kissed both their cheeks before dashing off to join the others.

  Alex from the gym was one of the volunteers helping coordinate the drive-along cars and first-aid people. What a wonderful man and friend he’d turned out to be!

  He helped her put on her number. “May you come in first, Dominique!”

  “May I come in, period!”

  His laughter trailed her as she joined the pack and waited for the gun to go off. Her throat almost closed with emotion to see all these women who’d fought the odds and won. So much power was in this group. Such faith and determination.

  Her eyes met Elektra’s. They were moist too.

  This was a special sisterhood. Everyone could feel it.

  Pop!

  Dominique took off at a moderate pace beneath an overcast sky. The cooler temperature made it perfect for running. She didn’t care if she came in last. Her one priority was to finish a good race.

  Quite a crowd had assembled along the route. One of the local stations was televising it. Her husband’s name had opened doors that would have been closed to her efforts otherwise.

  How she loved him.

  No man in the world could equal him. He’d seen her at her worst and loved her. Today she wanted him to see her at her best. She wanted him to be proud of her.

  The 15k race had markers every so often, to let the runners know their progress. Dominique stayed near the back of the pack, unwilling to push herself.

  At the halfway point she noticed several of the women had started walking. The crowd clapped and cheered for them. That thrilled Dominique, because it meant these people recognized this was all in aid of cancer awareness.

  If just one woman in the crowd decided to get herself checked in time to stop the disease, then this run would have been worth it.

  At the three-quarter mark Dominique suddenly felt nauseated. Her body broke out in a cold sweat. There was a ringing in her ears before her legs gave away.

  When she became cognizant again, she discovered she was in an ambulance with an IV in her arm.

  She looked at the two paramedics. “What happened to me?”

  One of them was checking her pulse. “You fainted.”

  “I can’t believe I did that.”

  He smiled. “It happened to several runners today.”

  “I’ve never fainted in my life.”

  “Have you had a cold? Fever?” the other one asked.

  “No. Nothing.”

  “They’ll get you checked out at the hospital.”

  “Oh, no—” she groaned. “My husband’s waiting for me at the finish line! He’ll be frantic when I don’t show up. He has a cellphone. Will someone call him?”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Andreas Stamatakis.”
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  The name galvanized the man into action. “Give me his number.”

  In a minute he said, “Your husband’s not answering. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s at the hospital waiting for you.”

  The paramedic’s words were prophetic. As they put her on a gurney and started to roll her inside Andreas rushed out to her, his face white.

  He bent down and kissed her lips. “Thank God you’re awake.”

  “I only fainted.”

  “Alex relayed the message. Our parents are on their way. Come on. Let’s get you inside.”

  Within the next few minutes an emergency room physician came into the cubicle to examine her. He asked Andreas to step outside. She could tell he didn’t like it at all, but he had to comply.

  “That’s an anxious husband you’ve got there.” He smiled. “I’ve seen the paramedics’ report. Your vitals are fine. You seem recovered. So I’m going to ask you a question, because it might save us a lot of trouble. Could you be pregnant?”

  She blinked. Could she? “We’ve been trying for a couple of months.”

  “Well, then. We’ll do a test right now. If it’s positive, that would explain your fainting spell.”

  “Wait—”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t let on to my husband yet. If we’re expecting a baby, I want to tell him myself.”

  He winked. “Understood. I’ll tell him to go to the reception area and wait. In the meantime we’ll get your blood work started, and I’ll send in a nurse for the test.”

  “I hope I’m pregnant,” she said when the nurse came in.

  “We’ll know in a few minutes.”

  By the time her blood had been drawn, the nurse had returned. She handed the test device to Dominique. “Take a look.”

  “There’s a red line! I can’t believe it!”

  “Do you want me to send your husband back in?”

  “Oh, yes! Please!”

  Before long Andreas had rushed inside the cubicle. The fear in his eyes was too much. All she wanted to do was take it away.

  “I hope you’re ready to be a father, because we’re going to have a baby.”

  He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.

  His face underwent a total transformation. Before she knew it he was bent over her, sobbing quietly into her neck.

  She caressed the back of his dark, handsome head. “I know you thought my collapse meant something terrible was wrong with me.”

  “I couldn’t bear to lose you, Dominique.”

  “No one’s going to lose anyone. Isn’t it incredible that an accident during my first race in Greece brought you into my life? And now a fainting spell during my second race means we’re getting a son or daughter to raise. I’m thinking Maris if it’s a girl, and Paul if it’s a boy. Why don’t you go tell our parents and see if they approve?”

  His hands clutched her tighter. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “One minute is all it will take. Think what it will mean to them.”

  He raised up and wiped his gorgeous black eyes. “Half a minute.”

  “Go on.”

  Andreas pressed his mouth to hers, then slipped behind the curtain.

  She didn’t have to wait long to hear cries of joy and the sound of footsteps rushing toward her.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-7829-9

  HUSBAND BY REQUEST

  First North American Publication 2005.

  Copyright © 2005 by Rebecca Winters.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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