hired to help with the island renovations. But what was he doing here today?
When her gaze returned to his face, she noticed his rounded eyes were blue—not just blue, but a light blue that caught and held her attention. But his gaze wasn’t meeting hers. In fact, his gaze was aimed southward.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “You’re pregnant.”
She stifled a laugh at his obvious discomfort. Had this man never seen a pregnant woman before? Or was she so large now that it bordered on the obscene?
Popi pressed a hand to the small of her back, trying to ease the ache. “You win the gold star for the day. I am indeed pregnant. Very pregnant.” And then realizing that by putting her hand behind her back that her fuzzy robe was straining to cover all her amplified curves, she immediately lowered her arm to her side.
Was it just her or did the man look distinctly pale? Not like he hadn’t seen any sun recently, because he most definitely had a better tan than her, but rather his face had drained of its color.
Struggling not to squirm under his bold stare, she asked, “What can I do for you?”
He cleared his throat and raised his gaze until those dreamy blue eyes finally stared into her own. “Are you Popi?”
“I am.”
“I don’t know if you were expecting me—”
“I wasn’t.” The movers weren’t scheduled to arrive until tomorrow to transfer her belongings to storage. “Today is a really bad day for me.” It was the worst day for a surprise. Her focus was supposed to be on Lea, not anything else. But apparently this very strong, very handsome stranger hadn’t gotten the message.
He had broad shoulders and his shirt clung to his muscled chest, while the short sleeves wrapped snuggly around his bulging biceps. One arm had a tattoo of a map of the world overlaid with a compass. From the looks of this man, he didn’t believe in spending much time indoors. And the sun gods had blessed him with strength and the most amazing tan that accentuated the lines of his muscles.
Popi swallowed hard. Maybe she’d been too focused on her problems lately to notice what was around her. Or else it was the pregnancy hormones. But this guy looked good enough to serve up on the top of a wedding cake.
Realizing she was once again staring, Popi lifted her gaze, finding she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. “You’re early.”
“Early?”
“Yes. You aren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow. I have a wedding today.” But it wouldn’t hurt to get a move on the work, since she hadn’t finished packing, and she wanted to get to the mainland and her parents’ house by tomorrow evening.
Confusion reflected in his eyes. “I didn’t know about any wedding. No one mentioned it.” Then his brows lifted. “Are you getting married?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. Her irritation with him drained away. “Not a chance. It’s my best friend’s wedding and I’m coordinating it.”
“Oh.” He looked caught off guard and unsure what to say or do next.
“No worries.” She stepped back. “Come on in. You can move all the boxes out of the guest room and stack them here in the living room. They’ll be ready for pickup in the morning.”
“You want them moved now?”
“Yes.”
The man’s face creased with worry lines, but she didn’t have time to answer whatever questions he had. How many questions could there be to move boxes from one room to the next?
She checked the time on her watch. “I have to hurry.”
“But—”
“I can’t answer questions now. If it’s too much for you, you’ll have to come back tomorrow.” She turned for the master suite. No moving man, no matter how hot she found him, was going to hold her up. She had a bride waiting for her.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Apollo Drakos stood slack-jawed as the woman sashayed down the hallway, but to be honest her sashay was more like a waddle. A cute waddle, but still a waddle all the same.
How could she still be pregnant?
His attorney had assured him the baby was born, though no one had been able to tell him if it was a boy or girl. Not that it mattered to him. Either way, he was still claiming his niece or nephew.
The attorney had gone on to inform him that Miss Costas would have a strong case to gain full custody of the baby, as well as control over the child’s inheritance. The attorney even seemed to think that with Miss Costas being adopted and not the child’s biological aunt, it wouldn’t be enough to sway the judge from giving her custody. But did Popi really want to take on that responsibility? Or was she doing it out of necessity?
Apollo knew he had no one to blame for this mess but himself. While Popi had been here, helping to make his brother and sister-in-law’s dream of a family into a reality, he’d been off on another adventure—avoiding the fact that he was the unwanted son, the outcast. But he’d come here as soon as he’d heard. That had to count for something, didn’t it?
But how was this going to work now that he knew Popi was still pregnant? Although it did look as though she was going to give birth soon. Not that he was an expert on pregnant women. Yet all of her was thin except for her stomach. It was very round indeed. Funnily enough, from behind you couldn’t even tell she was pregnant. However, the cute little waddle did give it away.
It wasn’t until now—seeing Popi round with a baby—that he realized how much she’d done for his brother and sister-in-law. Not everyone would step up and offer to carry someone else’s baby—certainly not him, if that were even a possibility.
Gathering himself, Apollo pressed his lips together in a firm line. Who exactly did this woman think he was? And where was she moving to with his brother’s baby?
The baby belonged at the Drakos estate, which was situated just outside Athens. It was a place Apollo rarely visited. Though the vast estate was aesthetically beautiful, it held many dark memories. When Apollo was a kid, it felt more like a prison he so desperately wanted to escape. While his older brother, Nile, had been cast as the “good son,” Apollo had been labelled “worthless” by their father.
Apollo slammed the door on the bad memories. But no matter how many times he turned his back on the past, the door would eventually creak open once more. He’d heard it said that you can’t outrun the past. He should know—he’d been trying for years and it was still just a blink away.
He needed to concentrate on the here and now. Everything was such an utter mess. If only he’d have come home when his brother had asked...
But being away on a two-month hiking expedition in the Himalayas, he’d been out of contact with the entire world—including his older brother, Nile. At the time, Apollo found it so freeing. A chance to let go of the ghosts of the
