and Chrysander were ushered to an exam room by a young nurse who assured them that the doctor would attend them shortly.
When the nurse retreated, Chrysander lifted Marley and settled her on the exam table. Instead of sitting in the chair to the side, he stood in front of her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a comforting manner.
She leaned into his arms, unable to resist the pull between them. She rested her cheek on his broad chest and closed her eyes as his hands slipped around to caress her back.
The door opened, and Marley quickly pulled away. But Chrysander seemed in no hurry to relinquish her. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him as the doctor introduced himself.
After a few preliminaries and a discussion of her condition, the doctor looked over his clipboard and said, “I’d like to perform an ultrasound just to make sure everything is as it should be.”
Chrysander frowned. “Do you have cause for concern?”
The doctor shook his head. “It’s purely precautionary. Given the fact that you’re traveling out of the country, and that Miss Jameson has recently suffered a trauma, I’d just like to take a look at the baby and make sure everything is well.”
Chrysander nodded and took Marley’s hand. As the doctor left the room, he turned to her. “I will be with you, pedhaki mou. There is nothing to fear.”
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m not worried. I wasn’t even injured in the accident, so there’s no reason anything should be wrong with the baby.”
His expression became unreadable, but his hand remained tight around hers.
A few moments later, the doctor returned and instructed Marley to recline on the table. When he asked her to tug her pants below her waistline and to raise her shirt, Chrysander frowned fiercely.
“Her belly must be exposed in order to perform the scan,” the doctor said, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
Chrysander himself arranged her clothing, only baring the minimal amount of flesh, and he hovered close, his hand resting above the swell of her stomach.
When the probe slid over her belly and the screen lit up with a blurry image that resembled a blob, Marley reached a shaking hand for Chrysander’s. Chrysander bent over her, his face close to her ear as he strained to see the monitor.
“Would you like to know what you’re having?” the doctor asked with a broad smile.
Chrysander looked at Marley, and she held her breath for a moment, excitement making her pulse race. “I do,” she whispered to Chrysander. “Do you?”
He smiled and brought her hand to his lips. “If that is what you wish, pedhaki mou. I, too, would like to know whether we’re having a son or a daughter.”
Marley turned her head to look at the doctor. “Yes, please. Tell us.”
She watched as the screen changed, blurring in and out as the probe moved over her belly. A few seconds later, the image slowed and then became clearer.
“Congratulations, you’re having a boy.”
Marley’s breath caught in her throat. “Is that him?” she whispered as she viewed what appeared to be two legs and round buttocks.
“Indeed it is. Handsome devil, isn’t he?”
“He’s beautiful,” Chrysander said huskily. He bent and brushed his lips across Marley’s cheek. “Thank you, pedhaki mou.”
She twisted to look up at him. “Why are you thanking me?”
“For my son.” His gaze was riveted to the screen, and delight shone deeply in his eyes. He was clearly enthralled with the tiny baby, and her heart squeezed with emotion.
“We’re finished here,” the doctor said.
Chrysander gently arranged Marley’s clothing and then put an arm behind her back to help her sit forward again.
“Was everything all right?” Chrysander asked the doctor.
“Quite so. Make sure she checks in with an obstetrician when you arrive in Greece. I don’t anticipate any problems. She and the baby appear perfectly healthy, but it’s a good idea if she has regular care during her pregnancy.”
“I’ve arranged for a private physician as well as a nurse to remain on the island as long as we do,” Chrysander said. “She will be well looked after.”
The doctor nodded his approval and then smiled at Marley. “Take care, young lady, and best wishes on your pregnancy.”
Marley returned his smile then took Chrysander’s hand as he helped her from the table. He ushered her out moments later and helped her into the waiting limousine.
“Are you feeling all right?” Chrysander asked as they pulled away. “The plane is waiting at the airport, but if you’re tired from your appointment we can take the flight after you’ve rested.”
“Are our bags already there?” she asked in surprise.
He nodded. “I had them brought over while you were at your appointment.”
“We can leave now. I can rest on the plane.”
He leaned forward to tell the driver to take them to the airport, and then he closed the privacy glass between them.
She gazed at him, suddenly a little shy. “Are you happy about our son, Chrysander?”
He looked startled by her question. Then he pulled her closer to him, until she was nearly in his lap. He cupped his hand to her belly and rubbed tenderly over the swell.
“Have I given you reason to think I am not happy about our child?”
She shook her head. “No, I just wondered. I mean, now that I know what I’m having, it suddenly seems so real.”
“I couldn’t be happier about our son. I would have loved a daughter just as well. As long as our child is healthy and safe, I am very content.”
“Yes, me, too.” She sighed. “Now if only I could remember, things would be so perfect. It’s been such a good day.”
He put a finger over her lips. “Don’t spoil it by lamenting over things that are out of your control. It will come. Don’t rush it.”
She grimaced. “You’re right. I just wish…”
“What do you wish, pedhaki mou?”
“I wish I could remember loving you,” she said quietly.
His eyes darkened, and for a moment, what she saw sent a shiver down her spine. There was such conflicted emotion in the golden orbs.
“Maybe you can learn to love me again,” he finally said.
She smiled. “You’re making it easy.”
