The Greek Bachelors Collection. Rebecca Winters
“There’s your boy. Got a name for him yet?”
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Nikos. “Nikolaos Alexandros Vassalos!”
Stephanie...
Dr. Panos chuckled. “Well, that sounded definite.” He turned off the machine and handed each of them a photo. “You can get up and use the restroom now. Keep taking your iron and vitamin pills, get plenty of rest, and I’ll see you in a month. Make your appointment with my receptionist on your way out.”
“Thank you!” Stephanie murmured emotionally.
“You’re entirely welcome. Congratulations.”
Nikos shook his hand, then studied the pictures while he waited for her. He couldn’t help remembering the time in the hospital when he’d been told he would never father a child, would never know the joy of hearing those words from a doctor, let alone be given pictures.
Stephanie’s glowing face was the first thing he saw when she met him out in reception. With excitement she scheduled her next visit, for early October.
Don’t let your doubts drag you down now, Vassalos.
He ushered her outside to the parking lot. “This calls for a celebration. What would you like to do?”
“Go to a furniture store and buy a crib. I’ve almost finished the lace edge on the quilt and can’t wait to see it set up in my room.”
“Be honest with me, Stephanie. Wouldn’t you rather we went looking for a house first?”
His question brought shadows to her eyes. “I thought we went through this a month ago.”
“I was afraid you were humoring me. I thought to give you a little more time.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I think it’s time you were honest with me. Are you dying to live in a house? Or have you decided you want to deposit me in one before you go crazy? I’m getting the message you need space away from me, while you conduct your business meetings on board. If that’s the case, please say so now.”
“Space is not the issue.”
Color tinted her cheeks. “Then what is?”
“I was only thinking of your happiness while you make preparations for the baby that’s coming.”
“I’m perfectly happy, but apparently you’re not. So I have an idea. While I go back to the yacht, you can look at furnished homes to your heart’s content with Mr. Doukakis. Let me know when you find the one you think will suit me best, and I’ll move into it.”
Damn. On this red letter day he’d mentioned a house only to please her, not to undo all the joy she’d been feeling since her visit to the doctor.
“Not every woman with a baby coming wants to live on the water.”
“But I’m not every woman,” she retorted. “The yacht is home to me. From my condo I used to watch oceangoing vessels out on the water and dream about sailing around the world on one. That idea has always intrigued me.”
He nodded. “Then I won’t mention buying a home again. After we find the right crib, let’s have lunch on the island before we return to the Diomedes.”
Now that she had run out of steam, she seemed to droop a little. “Nikos? Forgive me for snapping at you. I can’t believe I talked to you like that when you’re always so wonderful to me. The truth is I’ve been so happy, I haven’t wanted anything to change. But that’s the selfish part of me talking. I’ll go with you to look at a house, and never complain again. The last thing I want to be is a carping wife.” Her voice caught.
“Carping?”
“Yes, as in a petty woman who looks for trouble and finds fault at every turn, appreciating nothing. With your command of English, I’m surprised you haven’t heard that word.”
He cradled her lovely face in his hands, forcing her look at him. She’d picked up a golden glow since living on the yacht. Her eyes shimmered an intense blue. Nikos could easily get lost in them. “You’re none of those things and you know it.”
“I’m the ball on your chain, holding you back.” She was serious.
Laughter rose out of his throat. “From what?”
She averted her eyes. “From whatever you planned to do before I ventured into Vassalos territory without permission. I look back on it now and can’t believe I was so audacious.”
Right now he couldn’t relate to the man who’d collided with her along the pier. That man had been drowning in despair, without a glimmer of hope. For a moment he’d thought he was hallucinating. But the minute he’d touched her, he’d realized she was no figment of his imagination. Stephanie Walsh had materialized in the flesh.
Nikos slid his hands to her shoulders, covered by her leaf-green top. His fingers played with the ends of her silvery-gold hair. Desire for his pregnant wife was eating him alive. Oh yes, she was pregnant. He had the proof resting in his pocket.
With their mouths so close, it was all he could do not to devour her in front of the people coming and going from the clinic. But he did kiss her very thoroughly, and was shaken by her powerful response.
“I dare you to kiss me like that when we’re back on the yacht and no one is watching,” she teased.
That’s what drew him to Stephanie. Though she could be fiery, she didn’t take herself too seriously, and retained a sense of humor lacking in the women he’d known. They’d had a month of togetherness and he still wasn’t tired of her. If anything, he couldn’t wait to get her back to the yacht. He’d taken the day off work and no one else would be around.
* * *
“I’m so glad you know how to put this crib together. I wouldn’t have a clue.” Stephanie sat propped on her bed, finishing the lace edge of the baby quilt while she watched her husband work. As she studied his dark, handsome features, a feeling of contentment stole through her.
She picked up the ultrasound picture and studied it for the hundredth time. Knowing she was carrying his son made this day unforgettable. How could Nikos possibly not know and feel that this was his baby?
But every time she put herself in his shoes, she remembered the horror story about his parents. And not just his parents, but the tragic lie that had bound Kon to the Frenchwoman. Trust was one of the most vital essentials in a relationship, let alone a marriage. Nikos’s view of life and women had been flawed because of circumstances, yet there was a part of him that was still giving her a chance. She loved him for that modicum of trust in her, loved him with every fiber of her being.
“It’s your fault I feel stuffed after eating lunch.” It had been a marvelous lunch of filet of sole with grapes and capers. “I’ve gained too much weight since my first doctor’s appointment, in Florida. Do you realize there’s no such a thing as a bad meal on Oinoussa?”
He darted her an all-encompassing glance that sent a shiver of excitement through her body. “Nor on the Diomedes. The acquisition of my new cook is putting back the pounds I lost in the hospital. When we were on the island, you never told me you’re such a fabulous cook.”
“You and Yannis are full of it, but it’s nice to hear. Mom was always at work, so my grandmother taught me a lot of her recipes.”
“Yannis says you put Maria’s cooking to shame.”
“It’s the butter instead of the olive oil.”
“I like both.”
“So do I. The blending of two worlds.” She let out a sigh. “Nikos? I’ve started picking up some Greek around you and Yannis, but it’s a slow process. I want to be able to talk to the baby in both languages. How would you feel if I found someone on Oinoussa to tutor me for a few hours every day? You speak perfect English. I feel embarrassed that I can’t converse