by Lucy Monroe
"Like you were alone?"
"I had Zee."
"But no parents, no one to cushion your fall if you failed."
"Neither did you."
She smiled, loving the way he always thought of her, the life she'd led and never downplayed it. "No, I didn't. I think Alethea and Sophia would make great sisters to another child."
"You want to have another baby?" he asked carefully.
"Not particularly. I'm not one of those women who loved being pregnant, but more importantly I think our family has a lot of love to give and there are children that could benefit from that love already walking this earth."
"I agree."
"Does that mean we're growing our family?"
"Are you sure you want to?" He couldn't hide the hope that infused his voice.
Not from her.
"Yes, I'm more than sure. I'm positive."
Neo grabbed her close and kissed her within an inch of her life. "I love you, Cassandra Stamos. My wife. My beloved. My everything."
"And I love you, Neo Stamos. My husband. My life. Father to all my children."
#
Erastes looked around the holiday party at the orphanage his dad told him he'd lived in as a boy. It wasn't a bad place he supposed, but the children here didn't have moms, or dads, or grandparents, or aunts, or uncles…nobody that wanted them to live with them and be their family. That made him sad.
He couldn’t imagine life without his strong papa, or wonderful mama. He knew he was lucky to have them for parents. They never yelled the way some parents at the resort did. They didn't want to send him away to boarding school like he'd heard about from some of the children who'd come with their parents to the resort on Erastes' island home.
So, the nine-year-old had known for a while he was lucky to have the mom and dad he did. He'd just never realized he was lucky to have parents at all, not until they came here.
He wanted his own brother or sister, or maybe even one of each. His dad teased his mom with wanting to bring home a whole dormitory, but Erastes didn't think their house needed anymore bedrooms. Wasn't that what a dormitory was?
He noticed another boy, off by himself. His size looked younger than Erastes, but his expression made him seem like he could be older.
Bored with the adults' discussion, Erastes went to introduce himself to the boy. He put his hand out like his papa had taught him. "Hello, my name is Erastes."
The other boy took his hand and shook, but it was like he didn't really know how. "I am Timos." He indicated a tiny girl beside him, with dark curls like his but blue eyes like Erastes' moms. "This is my little sister, Daphne."
"Hello, Daphne," Erastes said to the little girl. "Nice to meet you."
His father said that was the proper way to greet someone new. Erastes thought it was strange. How could he know if he liked meeting someone until he got to know them? Maybe they didn't like playing any of the same games as him. That wasn't really nice to meet was it?
"She doesn't talk," Timos informed Erastes with a scowl.
"At all? Not even to you?" Erastes asked, shocked.
Sophia was really shy, but even she talked to family. Sometimes more than Erastes or Alethea wanted.
"No. She's not broken though," Timos said really loudly.
Erastes looked closely at the little girl, but she didn't have a cast anywhere, so he figured Timos was telling the truth. "I didn't say she was."
"Some people do."
"People say she's broken?" Erastes asked, surprised again. Then he thought about it. "Some people say my aunt is broken, but she's not. Aunt Cass is a master pianist, but she doesn't like to play in front of crowds."
"That's not broken. That's just smart," the other boy said.
Erastes had to agree. "What happened to your mom and dad?" he asked bluntly, then thought maybe he shouldn't have.
Papa said it wasn't polite to ask questions that were too personal.
Mama said no question was stupid, but some could be uncomfortable for other people.
Timos didn't look like he liked that question, his face sort of screwing up in a way that made Erastes think he was trying not to cry. "They're gone."
"I'm sorry."
Timos shrugged. "Why are you here?"
"We're looking for a new brother or sister for me."
"Your parents are rich, aren't they?" Timos asked. "They can take really good care of a little girl."
"Yes."
"Daphne is a really good girl. She never gets into things she shouldn't and she doesn’t break toys."
"You want me to make Daphne my sister?"
Timos' eyes filled up with tears and Erastes felt like he'd hurt the other boy again, but he hadn't meant to. "She needs a better home than this place. She deserves a mom and a dad."
"What about you? Don't you want a mom and dad? Maybe a brother?"
"Daphne is more important."
"But don't you want to stay with her?" Brothers should stay with their sisters.
Erastes still cried sometimes because the baby sister his mom was going to have never came home. He did it at night in his bed, but he thought his mom still knew.
"I can't stay with her. Everybody says that older kids don't get adopted. Daphne is still little. She's only three."
"How old are you?"
"I'm seven."
"I'm nine," Erastes said, to make things even.
"Do you want a little sister?" Timos asked in a way Erastes knew he really hoped he said yes.
"I think I want both."
"Both?"
"A little brother and a little sister. Alethea shares Sophia with me, so we have to share Daphne with her. It's only fair, but you would be just my little brother. I can teach you stuff. Papa says I'm smart and I'll make a really good big brother."
"Who is Alethea?"
"She's my best friend. Her little sister Sophia is four and I like being her sort of big brother, but I want my own little sister and brother."
"Both? You want two? Even though I'm seven?"
"You can play games with me. You're not too little. Alethea will like you too."
"Who is this?" his mom asked from behind Erastes.
He turned to face her. "I found my new brother. He comes with a little sister too. It's perfect."
#
Piper couldn't believe her son had picked out a little boy to take under his wing and that little boy fit so perfectly with their family. Timos was seven years old and had been taking care of his sister on the streets when a good Samaritan brought the two children to the orphanage. The little girl didn't speak, but the director was confident that with speech therapy she would one day.
Erastes was adamant that no other child would do.
They'd been back every day to visit Timos and the tiny Daphne, Piper's heart pierced by the two children her son had led her and Zee to. She noticed that Timos had a friend he was fiercely loyal to, another boy, this one a year younger than him. The two reminded Piper so much of Neo and Zee, she wasn't at all surprised when Cass and Neo talked about adopting Basil.
After two weeks of daily visits and a couple of home visits for the children, the Stamos and Nikos households were enriched by three.
Zephyr and Piper adopted Timos and Daphne, thrilling Erastes, who promised to be the best big brother ever in the history of big brothers. Neo and Cass did adopt Basil and the little boy was so happy to have a family, he cried for a solid hour. He got along great with Alethea and even the very shy Sophia treated Basil like the long-lost brother he'd become.
Piper would never forget the babies she had lost, but she would spend the rest of her life rejoicing in the son and daughter she'd found to share her life with Zephyr and their precious Erastes.
Ariston and Chloe Spiradakou
from Not Just the Greek's Wife (2012)
Four years after the birth of their first child.
Chloe leaned into Ariston, their steps silent on the high-end carpet covering the hallway away from the
behavioral specialist's office. His arm slipped around her waist, offering unspoken support as Chloe held tightly to the hand of their four-year-old daughter, Helena, the reason for their visit. Despite Chloe and Ariston's best efforts, Helena had grown increasingly more volatile and challenging with each passing year.
She'd spoken late, but not so late her pediatrician had been worried. She still preferred body language to words, but Chloe didn't always know what her daughter meant with her gestures and nonverbal demands.
So, they'd sought help, taking Helena to a doctor who specialized in childhood behavior and development.
The results hadn't been unexpected, but Chloe still wanted to talk with Ariston, to process what the specialist had said. Only not in front of the little girl they'd named for the beloved wife of her favorite grandfather. Though she was only four and wasn't anything like a chatterbox, Helena understood so much. Too much for them to discuss what the specialist had said in her hearing.
Chloe knew her grief would come through and she didn't want her daughter to think she was the cause. Because no matter how difficult life ahead for them might be, Helena was no less perfect in her mother's eyes.
"It will be okay." Ariston tugged her closer so their hips rubbed as they walked. "She's smart. She's no less amazing today as the moment she was born. We'll get her the help she needs."
Chloe nodded, looking down at her daughter who played with the tiny toy in her free hand, oblivious to her parents' concern. Helena spent much of the day in her own head, living in a world where her tiny toy figurines were alive to her in a way the people around her often were not.
She was a loving little girl, though she offered hugs to only four people. Her beloved papa, her mother, her pappous, Takis, and her two-year-old brother, Mateo. She enjoyed the company of Chloe's father, sister and her family when they visited, but retained a reserve with them that had always been a part of Helena's nature. Even as a small baby.
Mateo, who was two years younger, already spoke nearly as much as the older sister he idolized. And though he was going through the challenging transition so common at age two, he had less than half the tantrums of his older sister. It was as her son developed and matured, that Chloe had been forced to face the truth that her precious daughter was not developing apace with her age.
Helena had a hard time controlling her urge to lash out physically when she got frustrated, though she did try. She was so loving, but life was harder for her than it was for Mateo. Helena got upset so easily, but craved the approval and companionship of her family.
It broke Chloe's heart to watch her daughter struggle and she was determined to make it better, however she could.
Ariston had not argued when she'd suggested the behavioral specialist. He'd supported her whole-heartedly and made the effort to arrange with his pappous to watch Mateo, with the help of the villa staff, while they were gone at the appointment.
#
The car was waiting for them when they stepped outside the clinic doors. Ariston had started using drivers more frequently when she got pregnant the first time, so he could focus his attention on Chloe and her needs. It had been terribly sweet as she'd suffered badly from morning-sickness that had turned into all-day sickness.
He'd never broken the habit after Helena's birth, choosing instead to be the doting father who often entertained his children on the drive.
The driver had the back door of the limousine open and Chloe slipped inside with Helena, Ariston following them. Helena got into her car seat and buckled herself without complaint. This time. However, when she couldn't find one of her tiny toys, a now familiar wail sounded throughout the car.
Ariston squeezed Chloe's hand, reminding her what the behavior specialist had said, that they needed to ignore the outburst, but as soon as Helena calmed down, they would give her positive affirmation and encourage her to use her words. So, Chloe did her best, though the urge to comfort her crying child was strong.
As soon as Helena's voice dropped to normal levels, Chloe smiled at her oldest child. "I'm glad you're feeling calmer. Do you think you can use your words to tell papa and I what has you so upset?"
"It's gone." Tears welled up, but Helena didn't start yelling again.
Chloe counted that as a win. "Do you mind if I look in your safety seat?"
Helena nodded her head, dark curls bouncing. "Look, mama. I want Puppy."
Chloe searched around her daughter and found the miniature puppy figurine tucked under the lip of the safety seat. "Here he is. Back all sound and safe."
Her daughter flashed her a smile that was both brief and not as common as Chloe would have liked, but all was clearly right in Helena's world again.
"What do we say now that Mama found our toy, hmm?" Ariston prompted.
Helena looked up from the gibberish discussion she was having with her toy. "Thank you."
"Nicely done," Ariston approved.
"You're welcome. I love you, poppet."
"I no poppet. I Helena."
Chloe smiled at the familiar refrain. Her daughter liked the nickname, but her pragmatic nature wouldn't allow her to allow it without comment. She needed always to point out what she considered to be truth.
"And your mama and I love you very much," Ariston said.
"Love you too." Helena looked at both her parents before returning to her toy.
Chloe took that as another win and flashed her husband a smile she knew the Greek billionaire would understand.
Her own heart warmed when he returned it, his love shining in his cerulean gaze.
#
Chloe and Ariston didn't have the chance to talk until after they'd tucked Helena and Mateo into bed that night. They'd moved to Greece to live with Takis after Helena's birth and Chloe had never regretted that.
The old man needed them, though his medication was still helping with his Parkinson's, Takis Spiradakou deserved to have his family around him in his declining years. He'd been the one truly caring parent Ariston had known, teaching the Greek tycoon how to love, if not how to say the words.
He'd gone to bed early with the children as was his habit these days. So, it was just Chloe and Ariston on the balcony overlooking the sea.
"Are you doing okay, yineka mou?" Ariston asked, sliding his arms around her from behind, settling his chin on top of her head and rubbing in the way he liked to do.
"I know it going to be all right, the speech therapist will help Helena with her verbal and language skills, the counselor will help her learn to deal with emotions that are too big for her."
"Despite your words of assurance, I sense a but."
He was right. Chloe felt nothing resembling equanimity right then, no matter what pep talks she gave herself. None of this fit her view of the way things were supposed to be if she didn't fall into the trap her mother had and Ariston loved her in a way her father had only discovered very late in life.
"Ariston…" She settled back against him, seeking the comfort of his presence. "I thought if I did it right, if I loved my children and married a man who didn't neglect them like my father, they wouldn't suffer pain in their childhood like I did."
He squeezed her, kissing the top of her head. "We cannot protect our children from the happenstance of genetics, or even every circumstance that might harm them, no matter how much we might wish it."
Yeah, right. That's why each of their children had their own bodyguard detail, the giant villa had been childproofed like no mansion before it and even the swimming pool now had an attractive fence surrounding it that the children could not get through without an adult programmed into the biometric lock on the gate.
Still, she knew what he meant. As much as it genuinely pained her tycoon husband when their children fell, skinned their knees and did the myriad of other things usual for childhood, he forced himself to stand back and let them play, let them run. Mr. Control Freak himself did everything in his power to give their children as normal a childhood as possible.
"But I w
asn't expecting this. It was supposed to be not perfect, but not…" Not her child hurting. Not her beautiful daughter struggling to contain the urge to smack her baby brother when she wanted a toy he was playing with. "It was supposed to be…" She let her words trail off, unsure what she wanted to say.
"Happily ever after once I admitted how much and how deeply I loved you?"
"Isn't that the way it's supposed to go?"
Ariston laughed, the sound warm and amused, but not condescending. "Maybe in Disney movies, but in real life? That was just the beginning for us." He leaned down and kissed the side of her face. "And it was a fantastic beginning. We have two wonderful, beautiful children. Yes, Helena needs a little extra help, but that is okay too. We'll make sure she gets it."
The tension that had filled Chloe since the specialist's visit began to seep away. "Yes, we will."
She turned in her husband's arms and smiled up at him. "I'm pretty sure she gets her reserved emotions from you," she teased.
"You mean this difficulty she has expressing her emotions is all down to how hard I found it to say I loved you the first time?" he teased back, clearly not offended.
But still the words struck Chloe in her heart. "No, oh, Ariston, no. I was just kidding."
His thousand-watt smile sent familiar and welcome warmth cascading through her body. "I knew that, pethi mou. When we met, I was broken emotionally, incapable of seeing what had developed between us, much less give voice to it. Our daughter? She's not broken, she simply has a harder time with life than a lot of other four-year-olds."
"You don't regret asking me to be the mother of your children, do you?" Chloe wasn't sure where the worry came from. Except maybe she did know.
"What? Chloe what are you saying to me?" His blue gaze burned hot and dark, insisting she listen. "I love you. I have always loved you, even when I didn't know it. You are the only woman I want, the only woman who could be the blessed and beloved mother to my children."
"You sounded so Greek right then."
"That is because at my heart, I am a Greek man."
"At your heart, you are my man."