LAST NIGHT HADN’T gone the way he’d planned it.
Not even close.
Xander had been frowning all day today—at least that was what Joseph had accused him of. Why did Lea’s rejection sting so much? It wasn’t like he was madly in love with her. He was just trying to make things easier for her—for both of them.
Because the baby needed them both. And for that reason, he wasn’t giving up on changing Lea’s mind about marrying him. He would give Lea and the child his name—it would get them a long way in life—plus a sizeable chunk of his fortune. And when the time came, the child would inherit his empire.
Xander, along with a work crew, finished putting a new roof on one of the bungalows. And since it was nearing lunchtime, he decided to ask Lea to share a meal with him. They had barely spoken since she’d turned down his marriage proposal. And now that the sting of her rejection had worn off, he had to take emotions out of the equation and focus on the end goal—creating a family for their baby.
As he walked from the bungalow to Lea’s office, he had to navigate through the throng of wedding guests. They were everywhere—there was even a line of people waiting to be seated at the Hideaway Café. That was a first. So much for his plan of a grabbing a decaf caramel latte for Lea as a peace offering.
Xander continued on to the main offices when he saw Lea step out into the sunshine, but she wasn’t alone. She was with a middle-aged couple. The man carried a briefcase and the woman wore a dark skirt and jacket. They definitely weren’t here for some romance in the sun and he highly doubted they were the bride and groom. So, who were they?
The smile slipped from his face. They were prospective buyers for the island. He was certain of it. Who knew so many people were interested in running a wedding island?
Suddenly it felt like all the progress he’d made with Lea was in jeopardy. The thought of at last having his own family—people he could trust—people that would always be there for him and him for them—was slipping through his fingers. And it was only then that he realized just how much he wanted this—wanted the family he hadn’t known he could have.
He headed for Lea. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He felt a little betrayed that as close as they were growing she still wouldn’t consider accepting his help, but she would consider selling to strangers—people she didn’t know she could trust with her beloved island.
“Please feel free to explore the island at your leisure,” Lea said to the couple with her back to Xander.
“I just wouldn’t take the boat tour, if I were you.”
Lea immediately spun around and leveled a dark, warning stare at him. The look immediately brought him to his senses.
“And why would that be?” the man asked with a concerned look on his face.
Lea turned to the man. “It’s nothing to worry about. Xander was just making a joke. It was something you had to be there to understand. But our boats are all well maintained and available should you like to see the island from the sea. Just let me know. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to have a quick word with Mr. Marinakos.”
It was impossible to miss the anger written all over her face as she faced Xander. This time he had no one to blame but himself for taking quite a few steps back in their relationship. She led them a safe distance away from the couple she’d been talking to.
With her back turned to her guests, she said, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I was just trying to make a joke. Like you said.”
Her gaze narrowed. “That was no joke. So what gives?”
She had called him out and maybe it was good to tell her the truth—all of it. After all, at this point, what could it hurt?
He swallowed. “I thought that you and I, we were growing closer.”
She hesitated. “As friends.”
They both knew their relationship had gone beyond friendship, but if it made her more comfortable to think of them as merely friends, he wasn’t going to correct her.
He stared into her eyes. “I thought you were beginning to trust me.”
“I... I am.” He read confusion in her eyes. “But what does that have to do with you trying to run off prospective buyers? You know how important this is to me.”
And he felt bad for letting himself act rashly. He raked his fingers through his hair. It wasn’t something he ever allowed himself to do when he was conducting a business deal. In fact, he was more inclined to take his time and let the other man sweat it out. But with Lea and the baby on the line, he was the one sweating out how this was all going to work out.
“I thought by now you’d realize you could trust me—that you would consider letting me give...” He paused. This wasn’t coming out right. If he didn’t handle this correctly, she would dig her heels in even deeper. He sighed and lowered his head. “Never mind. I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting.”
He turned to walk away when she reached out, touching his arm. “Xander, wait.”
He glanced back to her, not sure what he expected her to say. He remained quiet, letting her have her say.
Her gaze searched his. “What were you hoping would happen?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer as she barreled forward. “Were you hoping that if you sweet-talked me on a deserted beach I would suddenly decide to sell to you?”
“No.” His voice was sterner than he’d intended it to be. He made an effort to soften his voice. “I’d hoped you’d let me loan you the money to fix up the island.”
“With strings—”
“No. No strings attached.” It wasn’t how he normally did business, but he’d make an exception in this case. “It would be because we’re friends.”
She stepped closer to him, never breaking eye contact. “You’re being serious, aren’t you?”
He let out a breath he hadn’t even realized that he’d been holding. “Yes, I am.”
“After all of this time, you still don’t get it.”
His brows drew together. “Get what?”
“That what this baby needs from you isn’t money. It needs you to let down your guard and love it. He or she needs you to be an active part of its life.”
Xander took a step back. She was asking him to be a loving, devoted parent. And as much as he wanted that, too, he was afraid he’d follow the parenting examples from his past. “I’m not good with emotions.”
“Is that what your sister would say? I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about her. You’d do anything for her, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course, but that’s different—”
“You love her, right?”
“Yes. But—”
“But you’re willing to give your child less?”
His back teeth ground together. Why was she twisting his words around on him? He was doing what was best for the child—protecting it from him.
Lea pleaded with her eyes. “You don’t have to follow your father’s example. Be the understanding, encouraging parent you always wanted him to be.” She glanced over her shoulder at her waiting guests. “I have to go.”
Xander had come here hoping to get through to her, but as she walked away, it was the other way around. Was she right? Could he be the father that he’d always longed for?
Should she trust him?
Lea’s heart said yes. But her mind said no.
After all, he’d attempted to sabotage the sale with the couple today. She stood off to the side of the dock, watching the continuous arrival of guests for the royal wedding. She spotted the couple as they boarded the ferry and waved to them. As interested as they had been in the island and the wedding business, in the end they’d said that the island was more of a time commitment than they were willing to invest at this point in their lives. And so they’d passed on the chance to own Infinity Island.
They had seemed like the perfect buyers. The husband was all about numbers and spreadsheets and processes while his wife was more focused on the people and the romance and the weddings. Lea couldn’t have asked for a better match for the island. And yet, it hadn’t worked out. And it wasn’t until now that she realized deep down she didn’t want it to work out.
She loved Infinity Island. It was a part of her. And the harder she tried to sell it, the more she realized how much she wanted to keep it.
But she also had the baby to think of. Her hand covered her baby bump. She had to do what was right for her baby, no matter what she had to sacrifice. Even her pride.
And returning to Seattle, the land where she’d been born and raised, the place where she had friends and family, and knew exactly how things worked, might be best. Because as much as she loved this island, it was part of a country that she still had so much to learn about—including the language. There were so many obstacles to overcome if she were to stay here. And staying on in Athens would just be a reminder of how she’d come here and failed to live up to her extended family’s expectations.
So if she were to go home, she should try to reach out to her parents. They had a right to know they were going to be grandparents. Xander’s words of regret over his parents came to her. She didn’t want to live with regrets like him. And if she couldn’t forgive her parents, how was she going to be a good mother?
Lea picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number of her parents’ home. The phone rang and rang. When the answering machine picked up, she hung up. She thought of calling her mother’s cell phone but hesitated. Again, she recalled Xander encouraging her not to give up. She dialed the number. It went to voice mail. She disconnected.
She was not going to have this conversation via a message. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if her mother was truly busy or if she was avoiding her call. Her mother would see the missed phone call and could call back if she wanted. Lea had made the first move, now her mother could make a move...or not.
Lea shut down her computer in order to head home a little early to prepare for the royal wedding. For the past year, she’d been spending all of her time working from first thing in the morning until late at night when she fell into bed utterly exhausted, but then again, until now she hadn’t had anyone waiting at home for her. The thought of Xander had her moving faster.
“Hey, where are you headed so quickly?”
Lea stopped on the walk outside the office and turned to Popi. “I was just going home to get ready.”
“The wedding is going to be the highlight of the year. But aren’t you leaving a little early to get dressed?” Popi made a big show of checking the time on her phone.
“I, um, finished everything early.”
“Uh-huh.” Popi nodded and sent her a knowing smile. “I bet I know what has you rushing home. Or should I say who?”
“It’s not like that.” The response was quick—too quick. They both knew she was lying.
“You keep telling yourself that. It’s kinda like telling myself that I’m not pregnant.” Popi placed a hand on her expanding midsection. “The bigger I get the more I wonder about the delivery and whether this was my wisest decision.”
“It’s a little late for second thoughts, don’t you think?”
Popi gave a nervous laugh. “You would be right. But doesn’t it scare you to think of delivering a baby?”
“I’ll be honest. I try not to think about it.” It probably wasn’t the best approach, but she was not looking forward to the pain. “Why exactly are we talking about this anyway?”
“I think we were originally talking about Xander and your eagerness to see him. I’m glad to see that things are going better for you two.” Popi got a serious look on her face. “This is a good thing, isn’t it?”
Lea smiled and nodded. “It’s good. This baby needs two parents that get along.”
“If it changes, I’m here to talk, eat gelato and watch movies.”
“Thanks. You’re the best.”
As they parted company, Lea realized Popi was as close to her as what she imagined a sister would be. She was going to miss her so much when she left here.
She didn’t have long to think about it before Xander joined her.
He made point of checking the time. “What are you up to? It’s not quitting time.”
“Would you believe me if I said I was looking for you?”
“It’s a little late to ask me to lunch. And it’s too early for dinner.”
“I had something else in mind.” Her stomach felt like a swarm of butterflies had been set loose in it.
He gave her a puzzled look. “You’re in a really good mood.”
“I am.” She didn’t know why she was. It wasn’t exactly a good day. The sale hadn’t gone through. She hadn’t gotten hold of her mother. And her email inbox was overflowing with unread messages. Not to mention all the bills that were beginning to stack up. But she refused to think of all that now.
His expression was neutral but his gaze never left her. “So your business deal, it went well?”
“Actually, it fell through.”
“If I had anything to do with it—”
She shook her head. “You didn’t. The island was too much of a time commitment for them.”
“And still you’re in a good mood, why?”
She shrugged. She refused to delve too deeply into the reason for her happiness. “It’s a beautiful day. It’s the end of the week. And there’s about to be a royal wedding. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
He shrugged. “Works for me.” They walked for a few minutes in silence. “What do you say about having dinner together? But this evening there will be no mention of marriage. Just two friends having a good time together.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Are you trying to change the subject?”
“No. I just want to know something before I give you my answer.”
“Should I be worried?”
She shrugged. “Depends on how you look at it.”
“What’s your question?”
“Why are you still here? Why are you fixing up the island? Why do you want to have dinner with me?”
He stopped walking and turned to her. “Why do you think?”
“I think it’s all about the baby.” Inside she was begging him to prove her wrong.
“Is that what you want?”
No. No. No. He wasn’t supposed to turn her question around on her. “That’s not an answer.”
He sighed and pressed his hands to his waist. “Is it so hard to believe that I want to spend time with you, not because I want to buy the island and not because you’re having my baby, but because I like you? I like your company.”
She couldn’t hold back the smile that lifted her lips. “You do?”
“I do. I... I like you a lot and I would like to see where this thing between us is leading. So how about that dinner?”
“I’d love to, but I’m afraid there’s a wedding and reception shortly. In fact, I was just heading home to change and head over to the festivities.”
“Do you attend each and every wedding?”
“I must admit that I don’t. My schedule doesn’t always allow me. But I make a point to attend as many as I can. And this royal wedding is an all-hands-on-deck affair. Besides, there’s something so rewarding about seeing two hearts joined together for infinity.” She smiled. “It’s something very special and lets me know that what I do here plays some small part in two people becoming one.”
“That does sound very fulfilling. It isn’t something I’ve ever experienced with my work. Deals are usually made in boardrooms and it’s a matter of business. At most, there’s a handshake and a smile, but there’s no joy. From the sound of it, I’ve been missing out on some things.”
What was he trying to tell her? Was he saying he wanted to change his life? Impossible. He was one of the world’s most successful people. When they made those lists of the richest people, he was at the top of it, year after year. And she knew he enjoyed his work. So what was he trying to say?
“Any chance I can convince you to skip it?”
She sent him a look that said “Are you serious?”. “No.”
“I didn’t think so.” There was a noticeable pause before he asked, “How about I tag along with you?”
“You want to crash a wedding?” She didn’t think it could be possible but things were getting even stranger.
He smiled. “I confess—it’s something I’ve never done.”
“And you plan to get all dressed up?”
“My suit from when I first arrived was sent to the dry cleaners and is now hanging in my closet, all set to go.”
She was running out of ideas to reject this as a bad idea. And it would be fun to show Xander why she cared so much about the island. The happiness, the joy and the hope found at these celebrations was inspiring. It kept her wanting to do better and help more people have a smooth trip down the aisle.
“Let’s do it.” She smiled before setting off side by side with him on their wedding date.