“Maybe your parents were afraid you would leave them.”
“That’s still no excuse. It didn’t have to be an either-or decision, but in the end they made it one. And now...now I don’t know if my baby, um, our baby will know its grandparents.”
“But I thought you were moving home.” Was there a chance she’d changed her mind? Was she considering making her life here in Greece—close to him?
Lea stopped just outside the door to their bungalow and turned to him. “I haven’t decided. Just because I return to the States doesn’t mean I’ll live near my parents. I could live in downtown Seattle, where I went to college. I still have friends from school there.”
He reached out and gently traced his finger down the side of her beautiful face. “Or you could stay here where you have friends that care about you. And you’ll have me.”
She lifted her chin until their gazes met. “Do you care about me?”
For a second, his heart stilled. She was calling him out—making him confess feelings that he hadn’t even admitted to himself. But if he wanted her to stay—to make a family with him—then he was going to have to take the biggest risk of his life.
He swallowed hard. “Yes. I care about you. And I want you to stay.”
She didn’t turn away. Her eyes widened with surprise. Had he kept his evolving feelings so far under wraps? For him, it felt like his heart had been hanging on his sleeve. It was a new feeling—a vulnerability that he’d never allowed himself to feel until now.
She continued to stare into his eyes as though searching for the truth of his words. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. He wasn’t sure how she would react.
At first, she stood unmoving, as though she were in shock by his admission. Maybe he was acting too swiftly. Perhaps he should slow this down and let her absorb what he’d said to her.
He started to pull back, but her hands moved with lightning speed. Her fingers clutched the lapels of his jacket, pulling him back to her. This time she took the lead. As her mouth opened to him, his tongue delved inside, tasting the sweetness of the champagne from the wedding reception.
But it was her kiss that was intoxicating. His hold on her waist tightened. Her curves fit so perfectly against his. As their kiss deepened, he realized he would never get enough of this—enough of Lea.
Hand in hand they stepped inside the bungalow. Not bothering with the lights, they headed straight for Lea’s bedroom.
With the moonlight filtering in through the window and illuminating them, Xander stared at Lea. She was so beautiful. He was the luckiest man in the world.
His heart raced and his need to pull her close mounted. But there was something he needed to say first. “Lea, is tonight what you want? What you really want?”
She nodded. Her gaze never strayed from his. “You are everything I’ve ever wanted.”
His head dipped, and he claimed her lips. No one had ever said those words to him or made him feel the way she did. He was falling hard for her.
Correction: he’d already fallen head over heels.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I CAN’T LEAVE NOW.”
Xander gripped the phone tightly as his sister insisted he drop everything and fly to Italy. Normally he would do anything for Stasia, but after spending the night with Lea in his arms, he felt torn between his brotherly responsibility and cementing this blossoming relationship with Lea.
“I don’t understand this,” his sister said. “What could possibly be more important than business? I swear it’s the only reason you get out of bed in the morning.”
Xander raked his fingers through his hair. He had yet to tell his sister about Lea and the baby. He still felt protective of the relationship and didn’t want to expose it to other peoples’ criticisms.
“Maybe it’s time I take some time for myself,” he said, hoping she’d drop the subject.
“Hmph...” His sister didn’t sound convinced. “So you’re trying to tell me that you’re on vacation?”
“Yes.” He jumped at the answer, perhaps a little too quickly. “I’ve decided I need to slow down a bit.”
“Uh-huh. And where would you be vacationing?”
“In the Mediterranean. On an island.”
“Could you be any more obscure? I mean, what if there’s an emergency and I need you.”
Since their parents had passed on, there was just the two of them. “You can call my cell phone.”
“Xander.”
In his mind, he could imagine his sister with her hip thrown to the side with a hand resting on it while she glared at him for being difficult. She’d mastered that posture when they were kids and it still worked on him.
“Fine. I’m on Infinity Island.”
His sister gasped. “You’re on a wedding island? You’re getting married and you didn’t tell me?”
“No. No. Calm down.” He couldn’t believe his sister had heard of the island. Apparently it was renowned, just like Lea said.
“Well, what else would you be doing there? People only go there to get married or attend a wedding. And I know you hate going to weddings because you feel awkward attending solo and you don’t want to ask any of your lady friends to be your date because they might get the wrong idea and start thinking you’re open to making a commitment. So what gives?”
Xander really did want someone to bounce ideas off. And his sister might be able to lend some advice where Lea was concerned. And the truth was Stasia was going to learn of the pregnancy eventually. He’d rather it came from him.
“Initially, I came to Infinity Island to buy it.”
“I take it that’s not why you’re there now.”
He shook his head before realizing that she couldn’t see him. “No. It’s something more personal. Lea is pregnant.”
“Who is Lea?”
He went on to explain how he’d gotten to know Lea and the fun time they’d had together.
“Pregnant? Wow,” Stasia said. “I didn’t see that coming. I didn’t even know you wanted a family.”
“I didn’t know I did either, not until there was a baby. And now all I can think about is the three of us becoming a family.”
“Xander, slow down. Are you even sure the baby is yours?”
“Yes.” He said it without hesitation.
“How much do you know about this woman? Have you done a background check?”
“Stasia, I’m not doing that. What I need to know, I’ll learn from her.”
“Xander, think about this. You barely know this woman. How do you know she’s not running a scam—”
“Because I know her. Stasia, I told you this because I wanted to share this information with my sister. But if you can’t be happy for me, stay out of it.”
Strained silence greeted him. He may love his sister, but she had to respect his relationship with Lea.
“Xander, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that you’re my brother and I love you. I don’t want you to be hurt. That’s all.”
Xander smiled. “I know.”
“Promise me you won’t go rushing into anything.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” He ended the conversation by promising to call soon.
Now that he was certain he could make this thing with Lea work, he knew words wouldn’t be enough to prove his commitment to her. He had to back up his words with action—something that would show Lea just how serious he was about making them into a family of three.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
AN INTERESTED BUYER...
A lot of mixed emotions came over Lea. Whereas, at one point, she’d thought that selling the island was her only option, now she wondered if she’d been too quick. And did she really want to move back to Seattle after making a life for herself here with so many people around that cared about her?
He
r thoughts circled back around to her parents and how they hadn’t returned her call. Sure, she hadn’t left a message, but the missed call would have shown up on the cell phone. After all, she’d reached out first. That had to count for something.
But their lingering silence was unexpected. Lea didn’t realize how deeply their unhappiness with her went. Right then and there she promised herself that she’d never do something like that with her child. A love fiercer than she’d ever known came over her. She wouldn’t let anyone or anything come between her and her child.
“Hey. Hello.” Popi waved at Lea to get her attention. “What has you so deep in thought?”
Lea gave herself a mental shake. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“I stopped by to ask if you wanted to go over the plans for the upcoming wedding.”
These weddings weren’t just your normal weddings. They were dreams brought to life. And in some cases, they took a lot of construction.
“Remind me of the details?”
Popi gave her a strange look. “It isn’t like you to forget details.”
Lea sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
“You mean that tall, sexy guy sharing your bungalow has you distracted.”
Lea frowned at her friend. “I meant the business.”
Though Popi was partially right. When Lea wasn’t thinking about what to do with the island, her mind was on Xander and how every time he kissed her, it felt like the first time. She lost touch with reality and her feet no longer touched the earth.
Popi nodded in understanding. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”
Lea shook her head. Ever since she’d heard there was another buyer interested in the island, she’d been utterly distracted. As much as she loved the island, if she found a buyer that loved it as much as she did and was capable of fixing it up the way it should be, Lea knew the right thing would be to turn the island over. It would be what was best for everyone. Wouldn’t it?
Popi signaled for her to join her. “Come on. Our babies would probably appreciate the nourishment.”
Lea arched a brow at Popi. She was worried her friend was going to get too attached to her niece or nephew and have a hard time handing it over to its parents. Popi assured her that wouldn’t happen but it didn’t keep Lea from worrying. Lea couldn’t imagine ever parting with the little one inside her.
“Stop worrying,” Popi said. “I’m not getting attached.”
“Uh-huh.” Lea didn’t believe her and she doubted that Popi believed her own words.
“I’m serious. I know this is my niece or nephew. And...and I’m glad I won’t be the one stumbling around in the middle of the night with a crying baby.”
As they made their way to the nearby café, Popi changed the subject. “So, what are your plans?”
Lea’s eyes lit up with interest. “Plans for what?”
“Mr. Hot & Sexy. Are you going to ride off into the sunset with him?”
“No. Of course not.” Although he had asked her to marry him. But he hadn’t really meant it. It had sounded more like a business proposition than anything else. Not wanting to talk about Xander and all of her mixed-up emotions where he was concerned, she said, “But I do have news.”
“Spill it.”
“I have an interested buyer for the island. And I think this woman has real potential to be the right fit. We talked on the phone this morning for quite some time. She had so many questions. She was interested in all aspects of the island.”
Popi paused outside the café. A worried look came over her face. “After walking away from your life—from your family—to claim your heritage, are you ready to give it up so quickly?”
“I have to do what is best.”
“Best for whom?”
Lea’s gaze met her friend’s. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure whoever buys the island keeps the staff. You don’t have to worry. I’ll make it part of the sales agreement.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about, but thank you.”
The meeting with the potential buyer was in the morning. After Xander had been so reckless in front of her other potential buyers, she wasn’t about to tell him about this one. But she needed to make sure he was distracted.
“Would you mind if Xander helped you with some of the reception details?” Lea asked.
Popi gave her a puzzled look. “We have enough staff to handle the job.”
“I know. I just need him kept busy for the morning. That prospective buyer is flying in.”
“Oh. Okay. No problem.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Any time. I’m always here for you.”
That was the truth, and another reason Lea so desperately wanted to stay on the island. But what was she willing to do to make that happen?
* * *
Something was up with Lea.
He was certain of it.
The following day, Xander was bothered by something Lea had said the previous evening. She’d tried to get him to go with Popi to the other side of the island to set up for a jungle-themed wedding reception. Normally he’d have volunteered, but after working on the island, he’d learned a lot and he knew the staging crew wasn’t shorthanded. In fact, he’d more than likely get in their way rather than be of any help. So what had been Lea’s purpose for the request?
She’d brought it up again that morning, but he’d told her he already had plans. And that was no lie. He was working on his surprise for her. Or was that it? Had she figured out what he was up to?
He mulled it over for much of the morning and then decided she didn’t know because she would have said something. Lea was up to something—something that she didn’t want him to know about. And for the life of him, he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind.
With the nursery well underway, he decided to meet up with Lea just to make sure everything was all right between them. He headed toward her office where she spent a lot of her day. It seemed strange to him that living on this sunny, beautiful island she would be stuck inside much of the time. If his office was here, he’d make sure he was mobile. He’d take his laptop and spend as much time working outside as possible.
He really could imagine himself working here. This place and the people that lived and worked on the island felt more like a small, close-knit community than business associates.
As he walked toward the office, he considered inviting Lea to lunch. But it should be something more than lunch at one of the cafés. Perhaps they could get their lunch to go and have it down along the beach. The more he thought about it, the more the details came into focus.
He was almost to the office when he saw Lea exit the building, but she wasn’t alone. There was a woman with her. They were talking and laughing. When the woman turned so that he could see her face, he came to a complete standstill.
Stasia?
What was she doing here?
He immediately knew the answer. His little sister was here to check out the woman who was going to have his baby. Stasia had to make sure Lea was good enough.
He shook his head in disbelief. His sister had crossed the line. He could just imagine her interrogating Lea. He was going to put a stop to it—
“Xander, there you are.”
He didn’t want to stop. He didn’t want to talk to anyone but his sister. But he recognized the voice. It was Popi.
He paused and turned back. “Can we talk later? I was just about to—”
“It’s really important. There’s an emergency.”
He searched her face to see if she was being serious. And by all accounts, Popi did look worried. “What’s wrong?”
“There was an accident this morning. It’s Joseph. I think he broke his leg.”
“Is that why I heard the helicopter?”
“Not exactly. They
delivered a visitor and were on standby when the accident occurred.”
He didn’t have to ask to know that his sister was the one to fly onto the island. Stasia wasn’t wasting any time vetting the new woman in his life. But in the end, he supposed it wasn’t all bad as the helicopter was already on the island, saving lots of time getting Joseph to the hospital.
“What can I do to help?”
“There’s still lots of work to be done and I’m looking for any able bodies to help. We’re running out of time.”
He glanced over his shoulder to where he’d last seen Lea and his sister. They had moved out of sight. Confronting Stasia would have to wait.
And so would the nursery that he had just about finished. He hadn’t even been sure that he’d be able to pull it off with Lea sleeping at the other end of the hallway. But by some miracle, he’d been able to get most of the sawing and hammering done while she was at the office.
And if by chance that wasn’t enough to prove to her that he was serious about them—about their family—he was in the process of having plans drawn up to relocate his offices to the island. He never thought that he’d be happy living outside of the city—with his thumb on the heartbeat of commerce—but Lea had changed all of that.
Now he couldn’t imagine living away from Lea and their child. And there was something about Infinity Island—something that felt like home.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THERE WAS A buyer for the island.
And now she had to truly decide where her future lay.
Lea knew selling the island would be hard, but she hadn’t realized it would be this hard. Even though the woman she’d met with the previous day was really nice, very interested in the island and had promised to keep it running in the same manner as Lea’s ancestors had done, Lea was still hesitant to sell.
Selling Infinity Island would be giving up on her heritage—giving up on her friends that were now her family, giving up on finding out if this thing with Xander was real. It sure felt real to her, but she didn’t know if Xander felt the same way.
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