“Baby, I love it when you’re bossy. Bill’s tall and blond? Did you dance with him at the celebration that night?” His tone was tight with jealousy, and she loved hearing it.
“Yes, actually. But trust me, I wasn’t thinking about our first kiss.” She laughed, remembering her and Bill’s conversation, which revolved around his medical practice in South Carolina.
“You loved the island, and I assume he was from the island. Why didn’t it work out?”
“I was a bossy Greek and he was a quiet Southern gentleman. We clashed like oil and water. Well, that and we were fifteen.” She closed her eyes and sighed, wanting to just listen to him talk. How could she be this happy? Was she missing something? A red flag she’d been too swept up in love to see? “Tell me your biggest flaw, and don’t say something like you’re too loyal, because that’s not a flaw.”
“The truth?” His tone turned serious.
“Of course.” She laughed. “Otherwise I would have said, ‘Tell me a lie. A really good one.’”
“Okay, well, for starters, I’ve slept with too many women who meant nothing to me.” He paused, and his statement stung. “I’ve always worked too much, wanted too much.”
“Okay,” she managed, still hung up on the sleeping around part. Even though he’d always been honest about it, it didn’t lessen the impact of hearing it said so blatantly.
“Meeting you made me realize why I’ve been doing all those things. I was trying to fill a part of me that I didn’t know was empty. I have a great, loving family. A great career. To a lot of people, it must look like I have a perfect life all around. But I lacked what mattered most—loving, and being loved by, the right woman. Someone who loved me for me and not for my assets. Someone bright and interesting, funny and loving. Working so hard for all these years put me in the position to buy the island, and that led me to you. And because I’ve never felt anything more than physical attraction for any other woman, I know my feelings for you are real and lasting. You’re my kardio mou, my heart, baby, and we were fated to be together. Can’t you feel that?”
Tears burned at the back of her eyes. She wasn’t about to tell him that sentences didn’t translate verbatim from Greek to English and that he’d sort of misused the endearment. Just the fact that he’d claimed it as his endearment for her meant the world to her and showed her just how much she meant to him. The other women he’d been with might have been more plentiful than the men she’d slept with, but what did that matter? Everything he’d just said was true. His past made him the man he was, and boy did she love that man.
Chapter Thirty
TUESDAY MORNING GABRIELLA stood outside the courtroom waiting for the McGrady case to be called and thinking about Duke. He had called her before she left the apartment to wish her luck. He said the way the meetings were going, he might have to stay until the end of the week. She didn’t know it was possible to miss a person as much as she did, but the thought of sleeping without him all week left a lonely ache inside her. She drew in a deep breath and turned her thoughts to Mary McGrady and the trial.
Most of her clients envisioned courtrooms as they saw them on television. Enormous rooms with dark, wood-paneled walls, hardwood floors, and a presence that swallowed them whole when they walked through the door. If only. There was wood and there was a presence, but not one of grandeur. Fear, nervousness, and intimidation came from the fact that her clients were doing something they never intended to do. They were walking into moderately sized rooms, some of which looked like they hadn’t been remodeled in thirty years, and they were going to be judged for ending a marriage they swore to uphold for better or for worse.
Gabriella glanced at Mary, who had taken every ounce of advice Gabriella had given her. From the conservative dark skirt and cream-colored top to the post earrings and stable-not-sexy heels. Her hands were folded in her lap, but Gabriella could see them trembling. Her blond hair was neatly pinned back with a clip at the base of her neck, and her makeup was demure. But it was the lost look in her eyes, in the eyes of every client, even if they were the ones to instigate the divorce, that got to Gabriella every time.
She had prepared Mary to answer as succinctly as possible and answer only the questions that were asked. She’d prepped her about body language and facial expressions. Hurtful things would be flung from both sides, and she didn’t want her clients breaking down, or worse, bursting out with a stream of hateful accusations—even if their opposing spouse deserved them. But nothing could prepare them for the inner turmoil over what was really happening and what it meant to their lives. To the lives of their children. Even the clients who treated their children like pawns had to have a pang of guilt and remorse, didn’t they? She sure hoped so, because no matter how she tried to divorce herself from her clients’ situations, the ache of breaking up a family always lingered.
When they were invited into the courtroom, Mary grabbed Gabriella’s wrist and said, “No matter what happens in there, thank you.”
“Let’s hope for the best.” Her standard answer at this point.
“He called me this morning and begged me to stay. I wasn’t going to tell you,” Mary admitted softly, “but I wanted you to know that I stood strong, and I have you to thank for that.”
“This was your decision, Mary. I’m just here to help watch out for the best interests of you and your children.”
“I know. I just need you to know. He offered me a lot of money to stay married, and promised me everything under the sun. But I remembered what you told me about our actions being messages for our children, and…Thank you.”
As they walked into the courtroom, Gabriella drew her shoulders back, held her chin up, and readied herself to battle someone else’s hell.
**
THREE GRUELDING DAYS later, Duke was still in Reno, and after too many heated arguments, tears, should I’s, and long hours spent in the judge’s chambers, the McGrady trial was finally coming to an end. Both sides had pled their cases, and the judge was making his final judgment. Gabriella felt the minutes ticking like a time bomb. She didn’t want to miss her flight to South Carolina. Her parents’ anniversary party was tomorrow afternoon, and come hell or high water, she was going to be there in the morning to help them get ready. That was half the fun, cooking and chatting with all her friends and family.
She wished Duke would be there when she arrived, but he was stuck in Reno until Saturday. At least he’d make the party, and then they’d have one night on the island together before returning to the city. It felt like it had been a month since she’d seen him, even though he’d called her every morning and evening. She’d used the little downtime she’d had to sketch out her garden ideas for his yard, which was how she knew her heart belonged with him. She couldn’t deny that she’d also spent the long lonely nights fantasizing about what a future with Duke could be like. Waking up in his arms, raising babies together. He was as close to his family as she was to hers, and that meant so much to her. Everything Duke did came straight from his big, generous heart.
“It is hereby ordered that…”
The judge’s voice brought Gabriella back to the moment, and she listened as he outlined his ruling on the division of assets, child support, custody arrangements, and a handful of other items, as he reduced the McGrady family and marriage into a clearly defined list of negotiated items. Mary nodded, pleased with each of his decisions, but Gabriella could tell by her curling fingers and the twitching of her lower lip that her strong face was a thin veil of courage. Unfortunately, it was a veil that seemed to be passed from one divorcing couple to the next.
After dealing with the rest of the paperwork and necessary arrangements, getting the stink eye from Dickhead McGrady, and saying goodbye to Mary, Gabriella felt a huge burden lift from her shoulders. She was one step closer to never handling another divorce case, and nothing could make her happier—except being in Duke’s arms.
She zipped off a quick text to Addy as she took a cab to the airport. One cas
e down, three more to go! Then no more ugly divorces! Go home early. You deserve it for holding down the fort alone.
Addy’s return text came quickly. Thanks, boss. We’ll celebrate when you get back. Have fun on the island! Give your family hugs and kisses for me! Xo.
She wished she could call Duke, but he’d told her their negotiations had been heated over the past few days, and she didn’t want to interrupt. She scrolled to her camera, took a selfie of her blowing him a kiss, and typed, We survived court, and it ended well. Love you, miss you, can’t wait to kiss you. On my way to the airport. Wish you were with me. See you tomorrow afternoon! xox.
Chapter Thirty-One
GABRIELLA STEPPED OFF the boat onto the familiar dock at a little after nine o’clock Friday night. Standing beneath the stars with a smile she couldn’t imagine trying to stifle, she kicked off her heels, stuffed them into her bag, and would have whipped off her work clothes and changed into shorts or a sundress right there on the dock if there weren’t people walking on the beach. A couple passed by hand in hand, and she thought about how nice it would be to see tourists enjoying the island again.
Dragging her suitcase behind her, she made her way toward the beach. The worn wooden dock was prickly against her bare feet, the air was warm, and the scents of the sea stole the stress of the last few days. Island magic, she mused. Oh, how she loved it here. She thought about Duke and hoped things were going okay in his meetings. She couldn’t imagine how many people had to come together, how many teams, to buy an island. He’d mentioned his attorneys, land development teams, and financial teams, and that all sounded stressful to her. He’d need this trip as much as she did, and tomorrow they’d finally be reunited.
The welcome center was dark when she went inside and grabbed the keys to one of the golf carts, remembering Duke the first day he’d met her parents, standing in the doorway looking sinfully hot and watching them with amusement in his eyes.
The golf cart rumbled over the familiar dirt roads. When she reached the resort, there were three golf carts outside. They must have hit a rush of guests. All the lights were on, and as she parked the car she saw her grandfather standing in the doorway. It was late for him to be at the resort. She hurried inside, hoping everything was all right. He turned at the sound of the door, and a smile formed on his lips as he opened his arms.
“Gabrielaki mou, you got my message. I was worried you might not have heard it.” His warmth, and his familiar foody scent, embraced her.
“I didn’t get a message. I turned my phone off in the airport. What are you doing here so late? Is everything okay?” She did a quick visual sweep over him, looking for signs of distress, but he was smiling, wearing one of his nicer button-down shirts, slacks, and his favorite sandals.
“We have a meeting. Come.” He led her into the conference room, where two men and two women, each very professionally dressed, sat at the conference table. Blueprints were spread out across the table, along with several documents.
Her gut twisted as she scanned the friendly faces of the men and women before her. She turned to her grandfather and spoke in Greek to keep their conversation private. “Who are these people? What is all this?” Was he selling the island to someone other than Duke? No, no, no, no, no.
Speaking in Greek, he said, “They are from BRB Enterprises, and they have made a very fair offer for the island.”
She felt like a traitor, when Duke was working so hard to put together an offer, but out of respect for her grandfather, she didn’t argue. Instead, she tried to extricate herself from the room. If he wanted to sell the island to someone else, that was his business. But she didn’t have to condone it.
With her heart in her throat, she once again spoke in Greek. “Why am I here, Grandpa? This is your business deal. I’m tired, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to go to my villa.”
He draped an arm over her shoulder and surprised her by speaking English.
“Gabriella, they have made a very fair offer for the island, and there has been a requirement written in stating that all designs need your final approval.”
Her eyes widened and the air left her lungs. She felt as if she’d been sucker punched. She was not going to get tangled up in this new business deal. It was hard enough backing away from it with Duke. She had no intentions of being part of something like this with strangers. She’d almost found her peace. She understood that the island she loved would be wholly changed, but she didn’t need to embark on a new journey of discontent. But her respect for her grandfather rose above her own desires, and rather than refuse, she tried to dissuade him.
She stepped closer to him and turned her back to the others, lowering her voice so only he could hear her. “They will never agree to that.”
“Not only did we agree; we insisted.”
Gabriella’s heart stilled. Duke? She spun around, her heart hammering against her ribs. Duke stood in the doorway, looking like God’s gift to her in a dark suit, light blue tie, and that confident spark in his eyes that had drawn her in since day one.
“Duke…?” A knot rose in her throat as she tried to understand what was happening.
He closed the gap between them and bent to kiss her cheek. “Hi, baby. I missed you.” With a hand on the small of her back, he rose to his full height, holding her gaze. “I’m sorry I wasn’t in the room when you arrived.” He motioned to the table. “These are my partners, Pierce Braden and his sister Emily. And this is Pierce’s fiancée, Rebecca, and Emily’s fiancé, Dae. We made the switch from Ryder Enterprises to Braden, Ryder, Braden Enterprises when we decided to join forces for this project.”
His partners and their fiancés? She was still on cloud nine from seeing Duke earlier than they’d planned, and as she tried to process what he was saying, he continued explaining.
“Emily is a leader in the passive house movement. She’s an architect and specializes in green building. Dae is a demolition expert, and he’ll be working with us to ensure that anything that needs to be taken down is in the safest, most environmentally aware way possible. Rebecca specializes in acquisitions, and she, Pierce, and I have been working on the business end of the deal.”
“It’s very nice to meet all of you,” Gabriella said, but before they could respond, she added, “I don’t understand. What do I have to do with this?”
Duke took her hand in his and gazed deeply into her eyes. She felt the room pulse with energy and was sure everyone else could feel it, too.
“Baby, I made you a promise, and I always keep my promises. Nothing, not one single grain of sand, will be moved without your approval. You trusted me, and I trust you. I asked everyone to come with me so you could speak with them, work with them, plan, ask questions, make suggestions and decisions. We’re thinking about making the island a walkable resort, just as you wanted.”
She could barely hear over the pounding of her heart. She looked at her grandfather, and he nodded his approval.
“We’re thinking of a themed island,” Rebecca explained. “If you are on board with it, of course, and if you’re not, we’ll work with whatever ideas you have to come up with an environmentally aware resort.”
“We’re thinking about keeping the unique Mediterranean and Southern feel,” Emily added. “Much like Little Italy, Chinatown, that type of thing, with environmentally friendly buildings, nothing over four stories, and that would only be in certain areas, nowhere near the conservation land, and we’ll ensure that no new structures inhibit the views of the existing homes.”
“Ohmygod.” She gripped Duke’s arm. “Duke?” He really was keeping his promise. Tears burned in her eyes. “No roads? But what about emergency vehicles?”
“We were thinking about having a few dedicated roads through the wooded areas to ensure transportation for emergency vehicles, but not in the main areas of the island. The dirt roads would remain dirt, or dirt and gravel.” Emily rose and handed Gabriella a packet of information. “There are new experimental roads that can capture kine
tic energy and special products and materials that collect solar energy to create electricity, which we’d love to use here on Elpitha. Gosh, I could talk your ear off, and you just got in. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sorry,” Gabriella said. “I’m a little blown away.”
Duke turned her in his arms and cupped her cheeks between his large, warm, safe hands. “There’s no pressure, baby. But I made a promise, and I would like nothing more than for you to be part of this endeavor with us. You’ll have final say on everything, but more than that, you’ll be an integral part of giving back to the island you love so much.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“You won’t be in the middle, baby. Just as I promised,” he said as he brushed her tears away. “You’ll be in charge. That is, if you want to.”
Gabriella clutched his arms and forced her voice past the lump in her throat.
“Yes. Yes, Duke. I want this very, very much.”
**
AFTER HAVING A celebratory drink with everyone, they left the others to settle in at the resort. Duke and Gabriella drove her grandfather back to his house, then returned the golf cart at the resort. Duke carried Gabriella’s suitcase down the path toward her villa, reminding him of the last time they were there, when he had been carrying his own luggage. He remembered how tormented he’d been when he’d left her that first night, when he’d have given everything he owned to be closer to her.
The villa was just as he’d left it an hour ago, with the porch light on.
“It feels good to be here,” Gabriella said as they stepped from the path and onto the grass. She gazed up at the clear midnight-blue sky.
“I started falling in love with you right here on Elpitha Island,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and then she spoke in Greek. “Elpitha cast its spell again.”
“It sure did.”
She gasped in surprise and met his gaze. “You understood what I said?”
Claimed by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders, Book 2): Duke Ryder Page 23
