Rumours Behind The Greek's Wedding (Mills & Boon Modern)

by Pippa Roscoe

  His eyes bored into hers as if to say that he hated this. Hated hurting her. But she would bear it. For him.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why did you leave me?’

  The abrupt turn in questioning made Célia’s stomach lurch.

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Why did you break our engagement and leave?’

  ‘I... Do we have to do this here?’ she asked somewhat desperately.

  ‘Yes,’ he pressed resolutely. ‘Why did you break our engagement?’

  ‘Because it would risk your guardianship over Annabelle.’

  ‘And why was that so important?’

  Célia stared at him. As if she could demand to know what he was doing. Why he was putting her through this.

  ‘Because I love you. And I’ve come to love Annabelle. And I don’t want to see you both hurt because of my actions.’

  As if the spell had been lifted, Loukis smiled, broad, wide, beautiful. His eyes sparkled and she’d never seen him look so wondrous.

  ‘Good. Because I love you too.’

  Célia’s heart leapt.

  ‘But I’ll get back to that in a minute. I promise.’ He turned to face the judge. ‘Your Honour, if the courts are here to decide about protection, about family, then this is me. Protecting my family and fighting for the woman I love. I have a written statement from François Paquet completely freeing Célia d’Argent from any knowledge of what her technical specifications were to be used for. And I am devastated that she was so mistreated by the questions posed by my mother’s lawyers, devastated that someone so good, so full of love and self-sacrifice was hurt by my actions and my needs. A woman who challenges me to be and do more each and every day, a woman who makes me a better person. And if this custody case is the price of Célia’s love for me and my love for her, it is not one I’m willing to pay. Nor am I willing to teach Annabelle that lesson either. Annabelle has told you in her own words that she would like to stay with me. Would like to maintain her life here, with her friends and family that love her. I urge you to take this into consideration in your decision. But for now, I’d very much like to kiss my fiancée if that’s okay, Your Honour?’

  A rueful smile played at the mouth of the wigged judge and Célia practically fled the chair, at the same time as Loukis crossed the room, and they met in the middle in a kiss that Célia would remember for the rest of her life.

  She gave no heed to the chaos that erupted around them, as his lips found hers and she felt the greatest well of love spring within her. Tears once again escaped her eyes, but this time they were full of joy.

  ‘I love you,’ he whispered against her lips.

  ‘I love you too,’ she whispered back.

  Finally the commotion around Meredith’s lawyers’ table became too intrusive, Byron’s anger boiling over and Meredith’s panicked voice hastily trying to call him back. The large oil baron’s arm cut through the air punctuating the word ‘done’, and he turned, taking a few short steps towards them.

  ‘I’m so very sorry about how painful that must have been for you,’ the American said. ‘It should never have happened. And while I do love her,’ he said helplessly, ‘I cannot condone Meredith’s actions. Other than to say that desperation made her...but it is inexcusable.’

  As he left the courtroom, Célia looked towards the older woman, recognising some of the devastation across her features. Because she, herself, had looked like that over the last few days and, no matter what had happened, Célia’s heart ached for the woman.

  Her lawyers demanded a short recess from the court, and Loukis took Célia’s hand in one of his just as Annabelle launched herself towards them. They were ushered from the room and back into the small office that was suddenly bursting with frantic laughter and happy tears from Loukis, Célia and Annabelle. But all the while, concern that Loukis still might lose custody beat in her chest.

  ‘Are you sure?’ she whispered to him as Annabelle wrapped her small body around Célia’s waist. ‘The risk, it’s too great...’

  ‘Not as great as the risk of teaching Annabelle that love has a price. That love is the price. I won’t do that.’

  They gazed at each other with love blazing in their eyes. It seemed to go on for ever, Célia refusing to break the heady, half-fearful, all-joyous and all-consuming feeling bursting within her.

  Until one of Loukis’s lawyers knocked on the door, and entered, the smile on his face as broad as she’d ever seen.

  ‘It’s over. Meredith has dropped the case. The courts are happy to award you full guardianship. Her only request was that she be able to see Annabelle a few times a year, with your permission.’

  Célia’s heart soared, to see the sheer happiness and relief across Loukis’s features.

  She felt Annabelle tug at both of them. ‘Can I, Loukis?’

  ‘Is that something you’d like?’ he asked his sister.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then you shall.’

  ‘Can I...go and see Mummy?’

  ‘Of course you can,’ he insisted, his eyes returning to Célia’s.

  The lawyer stretched his hand out to Annabelle and the two made their way out into the hallway.

  Loukis looked at the woman he loved, knowing that they still had more to say. That he did.

  ‘Can you forgive me?’

  She looked so adorably confused in that moment. ‘What for?’ she demanded.

  ‘For letting you go. For not realising sooner. For putting you through—’

  ‘There’s nothing to forgive, Loukis. For so long, I was afraid of it all coming out. Of people thinking exactly what Meredith did. And I think I needed that. I needed to actually see it and feel it, to realise that it’s how I see myself that matters. That I know that wasn’t what I had intended. And that sometimes people do make mistakes. Unintentional ones. Like me. Like my father. How did you...?’

  ‘I called him, told him what happened. That I loved you and asked him if he could provide a statement for the court. He was more than happy to do so and within twenty minutes of the end of our conversation, he’d emailed it through.’

  ‘You did that for me?’ she asked as if still incredulous at the lengths he would go to for her.

  ‘I would do anything for you,’ he replied, the promise on his lips soul-deep and eternal.

  ‘Do you think the judge is still in the chamber?’

  ‘No idea.’ Loukis was confused as to the direction of her thoughts. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I can’t wait a minute longer to become Mrs Célia Liordis. I think it will be my most favourite name yet.’

  Loukis’s heart soared. This incredible woman wanted to be his wife, his future and his love. And Annabelle would be with them for every step of it. Family. The thing he’d avoided for so many years was now the only thing he wanted from the rest of his very happy ever after.

  EPILOGUE

  AUGUST HAD BECOME Célia’s favourite month. Since their wedding—sadly not the day of the court case owing to licences and other frustrating legalities, but a beautiful day full of family, friends, flowers and the most gorgeous dress Célia had ever seen—Ella and Roman’s family would come to the island for four whole magical weeks.

  It hadn’t been long after the wedding that Célia had discovered she was pregnant with their first child, Georgia, and then not long after their second, Antonis, much to Annabelle’s great delight. With Ella and Roman’s children, Tatiana, Adeline and Tikhon, Loukis would joke about opening a crèche.

  But that wasn’t what was occupying a large portion of Célia’s recent spare time. She had gone back to university, deciding to honour her childhood dreams of computer sciences. She had no plans yet to return to the industry, but as she now well knew...plans changed and people changed with them.

  Even Meredith, she ruefully acknowledged. It had taken a long time
, but Loukis and his mother seemed to have found a balance and a sense of accord from their mutual love of Annabelle. The older woman had eventually apologised when she realised how much damage her actions in court had caused to others. It appeared she had truly been in love with Byron and in her desperation to be the perfect wife and mother he envisioned, she had gone too far. But Meredith had worked hard to prove her love for her fiancé as well as Annabelle and was even making tentative steps towards repairing her relationship with Loukis too.

  It was the only thing that had prompted the hesitant suggestion from Loukis that perhaps the following August, they might invite Meredith for a short period. Célia had known how difficult that had been for him, but she also knew how important it was to forge those relationships—as she had done herself with her own parents. August had become the most precious time for them all. All business was put on hold and each company’s workforce was given a month-long holiday to spend with their own families, because each and every one of them knew the importance of it.

  As Célia checked and rechecked the fridge and pantry, ensuring that there was enough food for their first evening meal together that year, she paused—delighting in hearing the joyous sounds of Annabelle playing with Georgia and Antonis, their excitement at being reunited with Tatiana, Adeline and Tikhon. A last-minute addition of Yalena, Iannis and their family wouldn’t even put a dent in all the food and produce Loukis had ordered.

  ‘Do you think we’ve got enough?’ her husband asked from over her shoulder.

  ‘What, for the apocalypse? Yup. We should survive,’ she replied drily.

  ‘No one will go hungry in my house,’ he declared.

  ‘Little chance of that,’ she assured him, turning towards Loukis as he reached his arms around her waist and drew her towards him. They never tired of the little touches that had brought them so close together in the early stages of their relationship. And Célia had never stopped wondering at the fact that something so wonderful, so pure, so loving could have come from such fake beginnings.

  ‘Mmm...’ she mused. ‘Why is it that I’m thinking you’re hungry, but not for food?’ she teased.

  ‘Because you know me so, so well.’

  ‘I also know, so, so well, that our guests will be arriving in little under two hours and I’ve still yet to put the bedding in the spare rooms, tidy the sitting room, and clear away the playthings from the outside table.’

  ‘Ella and Roman won’t mind. They’re used to it.’

  ‘But Yalena and Iannis—’

  ‘Will absolutely, one hundred per cent understand. Anyone who has taken one look at my beautiful wife would understand,’ he assured her.

  And it made her think of all the ways he’d seen her since that day in the courtroom. Flush with the excitement of their reunion, the passion he could tease from her, terrified and exhausted as her first labour went from its thirty-sixth hour into an emergency C-section, awed and infinitely full of love as she held their first child, then their second just a few years later. Grief-stricken when she had lost her father, but resolute and comforted by the way that they had found a peace between them and forged a loving relationship in those final years. But the best of it was each and every morning when she opened her eyes to find him looking at her as if he’d never seen anything more beautiful or more beloved.

  The soft bent of her thoughts was yanked back to the present with an outrageous cry as he slapped her behind.

  ‘Bedroom. Now,’ he commanded with light, laughter and passion ringing his gaze.

  The absolute gall of the gorgeous man she was proud to call her husband, the father of her children and the love of her life.

  Her outrage died the moment she saw the impassioned look in his eyes and she raced him all the way to the bedroom and beyond.

  Coming next month

  CONFESSIONS OF AN ITALIAN MARRIAGE

  Dani Collins

  “Get in,” Giovanni said.

  The sight of him struck like a gong, leaving her quivering. He had a shaggy black beard and dark glasses, and his black hoodie was pulled up to hide all but his familiar cheekbones, but his legs stopped above the knees and she recognized the tense line of his mouth.

  Alive. Her heart soared so high, it should have shattered the sky.

  At the same time, a thousand furies invaded her like a swarm of killer bees. There was no triumph in learning she was right. There was only a crippling heartbreak that he had abandoned her. If he’d been truly dead, she would have been angry, but she wouldn’t have blamed him.

  This, though? He had put her through horrifying hours of actually believing he was gone. She had endured his gut-wrenching funeral, convinced it was a sham. Then, two short weeks later, she’d suffered another unbearable loss that would never heal.

  He’d forced her to go through all of that alone.

  For every minute that had passed since that awful day, she had longed for him to reveal himself, but now her feet only carried her forward so she could bitterly hiss, “Go to hell.”

  “Where do you think I’ve been?” he growled.

  “I’m calling the police!” Teresina yelled from deep in the alley. Two of Teresina’s employees were recording everything on their phones.

  A man in a suit was running toward her. She instinctively moved closer to Giovanni, heart jamming with fear.

  Giovanni’s hard arm looped around her and he dragged her into the back of the car. He clutched the door for leverage, but his strength was as annoyingly effortless as always.

  She didn’t fight him. In fact, once he grabbed her out of her stasis, she helped, kicking against the edge of the door to thrust herself inside, desperate for whatever sanctuary he offered.

  They wound up in a heap on the back seat while the man who was chasing her came up to the open door and reached for her leg.

  She screamed and kicked at him with her sharp heels. He dodged her shoes and threw the yards of silk in after her, then slammed the door before he leaped into the passenger seat in front of Giovanni.

  “Go,” Giovanni said to the driver, and he pushed himself upright.

  As the SUV sped into traffic, Freja rocked deeper into the seat, stunned to her toes. dpg!

  Continue reading

  CONFESSIONS OF AN ITALIAN MARRIAGE

  Dani Collins

  Available next month

  Copyright ©2020 by Dani Collins

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