she’d stayed incredibly healthy throughout her pregnancy. She’d never developed the serious problems he’d heard various married business associates talk about. Though she complained of swelling and the chloasma she insisted made her resemble a raccoon, he’d never seen her more beautifully feminine.
It had taken control almost beyond his endurance to stay away from her. Because of his injury she’d wrongly assumed he couldn’t make love to her as he’d done on the island. But only one thing had held him back. Stark staring fear.
She didn’t know what it was like to worry that he might cause harm to her and the baby during a flashback. It was the only force strong enough to keep him locked up in his room night after night. After living together this long without an incident that left bruises on her, he refused to allow anything to go wrong now.
After lunch they were going to do the last of their Christmas shopping. Just a few more presents, nothing taxing. While they were gone, he’d instructed Yannis to put up the little Christmas tree with lights he’d bought and smuggled on board. The lounge was the best place to surprise her. It wasn’t a tradition Nikos followed, but he knew Americans were big on it, and such things were important to his wife.
He darted her a glance before he started the car. “Hungry?”
“You know, for once I’m not? But if you want to eat before we shop, that’s fine with me.”
“What I’d like to do is get the gift buying over with as fast as possible and go back home. I’ll cook today and surprise you with something you haven’t had before.”
She smiled at him. “I’d love that.”
“Good.”
With the much cooler late autumn temperatures, she appeared to thrive. He could only marvel at her energy.
“Let’s shop at the main department store,” she suggested. “That way we can find everything we want under one roof.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He headed in that direction. “Just so you know, Tassos phoned while I was waiting for you. He and Elianna have invited us to their house for their family’s Christmas Day party.”
He felt Stephanie stir restlessly in the seat. “That’s very nice of them, but we can’t go.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
When she remained quiet, he slanted her a glance. “Stephanie? What’s wrong?”
“Nikos,” she began, but her hesitation was plain as day. He saw a guilty look enter her eyes. It surprised him no end.
“You don’t want to go?”
“Under other circumstances I would, but that’s not it.” She shook her head. “I have a confession to make.”
Just when he’d been thinking nothing had gone wrong with her pregnancy, he was terrified she was going to tell him something he didn’t want to hear. On impulse he pulled over to the side of the street and shut off the engine. Turning in the seat, he slid his arm behind her and tugged on a few strands of her hair.
“Are you ill? Is there something you didn’t tell the doctor this morning?”
“This isn’t about me. I...it’s about us.”
In an instant his blood ran cold. “You mean after all this time, you’ve chosen today instead of Christmas to tell me who the father of your baby is?”
“No! Nikos.” Her horrified cry reverberated in the car. “I’m going about this all wrong. Your mother came to see me last week while your father was away in Athens. We had a frank talk about everything. I showed her the sonogram picture. She’s wonderful and I love her already. Before she left, I gave her the wedding album I made for them. She has invited us to spend Christmas Day with your family. I accepted for us.”
After he’d imagined every horrific thing possible that could destroy life as he knew it, her explanation came as a complete shock. It took a minute for him to assimilate what she’d just said. He waited until he’d calmed down enough to talk. “That won’t be a problem. I’ll phone and tell her we’ve made other plans. She’ll understand.”
“No, I don’t think she will. Nikos,” Stephanie said in a tremulous whisper. “She adores you and needs to see her son. They’ve missed out on more than a decade of your life. You can’t disappoint them. Life’s too short.”
He sucked in his breath. “My father’s bias against Castor and his children for being who they are has been unconscionable, Stephanie. After what he did to my mother and the way he spoke to you, I can’t be in the same room with him.”
She put a hand to his cheek. “But she’s forgiven him and so have I. As you told me, he’s afraid and doesn’t know how to make things right. If you don’t show him the way, his fear of losing you will send him to the grave a desperately unhappy man. What joy could there be in that for any of us?”
Nikos felt sick to his stomach. “I can’t do it. Don’t ask that of me.”
Stephanie pulled her hand away from him and stared out the window. “Then you go to Tassos’s family for Christmas. I’ll go to your parents and take your family their gifts.”
Seeing black, Nikos started the car and drove straight to the dock.
* * *
As Stephanie passed the lounge on her way to the bedroom, she saw a five-foot Christmas tree studded with colored lights set up over by the entertainment center. Yannis had been busy while they’d been gone. She walked over to it and examined some of the ornaments.
After the devastating silence in the car while Nikos drove them back to the yacht, the sight of this brought her immeasurable delight. There was no one like Nikos. But the lights brought pain, too, making a mockery of the peace and joy Christmas was supposed to bring. They’d reached an impasse. His mother’s invitation and Stephanie’s acceptance had ruined this beautiful day.
Desperate to make things right between them, she hurried to his room before he could lock her out. That’s what he’d been doing for months. The night before last she’d heard the gut-wrenching moaning and sobbing that came from his bedroom. So far she’d counted four episodes she knew about since their wedding.
When she discussed this with Yannis, the older man said it was a good sign that they weren’t happening as often as they had in the beginning, which could only mean Nikos was slowly getting better. Stephanie wanted that for him more than anything.
He was such an outstanding man; she couldn’t reconcile everything she knew about him with the side of his nature that had caused him to shut down just now. She couldn’t leave it alone. This was too serious. Without knocking, she opened the door, determined they were going to talk everything out.
She couldn’t prevent the cry that escaped when she discovered he’d removed his clothes and had just pulled on his black bathing trunks. With his back still to her, she saw the bruising at the lower part of his spine. Since he’d always worn his wet suit when they went swimming, she hadn’t realized how deep and pervasive his injury had been. To think of his lying in that hospital bed broken and in despair... She couldn’t bear it.
He wheeled around, a live, breathing, angry
