Daddy's RockStar Friends

by Amanda Horton

  Leo spun around.

  Gemma stood in the doorway, supported by the arms of his father and his mother. Leo’s cousin Kassi held Damien by the hand and from the look of pure joy on her face, she’d already fallen in love with his son. My son! Not Alexi’s. Mine. Leo felt his heart surge watching them, knowing the sacrifice he’d just made was completely worth it.

  He looked at Gemma. “What are you doing out of bed? The doctor said…”

  “The doctor is waiting downstairs. He felt that I was strong enough to come up here and save you from yourself. Now, gentlemen, if you will allow me…”

  She let go of his parents’ elbows, walking around the table until she was face-to-face with Petrina. “What you did to me should land you in prison for a very long time. However, because of your long-standing connection to this family, I have talked with Leo’s parents and we have come up with a solution.

  “It is clear that you need to figure some things out. The doctor has suggested a stay in a counseling center might help you and those around you.” Gemma paused and then added, “I will agree not to press charges against you for attempted murder, provided you leave now with the doctor and allow him to oversee your treatment.”

  “You think I’m insane?” Petrina sneered. Her face contorted into a very unbecoming mask of fury.

  “Insane? I don’t know. Unbalanced? Most definitely.” There was no hint of compassion on Gemma’s face. “Your answer, please.”

  Petrina tried unsuccessfully to pull herself away from the security guards’ hold. “I would never survive in prison.”

  Gemma directed the guards to escort her downstairs to the waiting vehicle, recommending place her in restraints before handing her over to the doctor. “I don’t want the man to get injured while playing the Good Samaritan.”

  She waited until they had left the room to return to walk to Leo’s side. She nudged him. “Close your mouth. It was high time someone put that woman in her place.”

  Leo leaned down and kissed her in full view of the board members. “I couldn’t agree with you more. Now, can you go back home and get your rest?”

  Gemma started to shake her head. She grabbed his arm for support. “Not just yet. I have one more thing to do.”

  She looked at the board members. A folder appeared in front of her, slid there by Tressa. She murmured her thanks and then addressed the table of men, “Gentlemen…Kassi, would you mind translating for me?”

  Leo murmured, “I could do it.”

  Gemma smiled at him. “I’d rather you just listen, but thank you.” She squeezed his arm and then began again. “Gentlemen. I have thought long and hard about what I am about to do, and I do this not for you, but for the man standing beside me.

  “This man and I have had our share of problems. However, I know he is a good man and has changed over the last week for the better. He’s recently discovered he has a son, a child he thought was sired by his twin, but he was willing to raise as his own. Not many men would be willing to do such a thing.

  “I’ve also come to realize that he loves me. The first time he told me that I found it hard to believe, but I know it to be true. So, as for your ultimatum, consider it answered. I will be marrying Leo as soon as it can be arranged. Not because you demanded it of us, but because I love him and cannot imagine my life without him by my side.”

  Leo stared at her. She ignored him, focused on the task at hand. “As for the stock certificates…I have signed them all over to our son, Damien Moustakas. His name will be changed officially and I have designated Leo to act as his proxy vote until such time as he is old enough to do so himself.”

  Leo’s uncle surged to his feet, his expression livid. “She cannot do that! The bylaws state that she cannot transfer those shares—”

  “You didn’t object to the way Alexi transferred his shares and I won’t hear another word about this situation,” Vasil told his brother. He stepped forward, laying a hand on Gemma’s shoulder. “This is the finest woman I could have chosen for a daughter-in-law. Welcome to the family, Gemma.”

  She turned and allowed Vasil to hug her neck. Leo couldn’t wait any longer. He swept up his future wife. Leo looked around the room. “Any other questions?”

  When no one answered him, he grinned. “Meeting adjourned.”

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later…

  Gemma stared at the large diamond on her left ring finger in awe. She and Leo had been married in a simple ceremony an hour earlier. She was happier than she could ever remember being. Leo was now carrying his son around and introducing him to one and all. He was a proud father. Gemma hoped that after she shared her secret with him that evening, he would be even prouder.

  Aimee and Tyler had flown over for the ceremony. She’d been elated to hear that Leo had taken the matter of her brother’s finances into his own hands and settled things in a very satisfactory manner. Tyler was looking forward to finishing his degree and taking a position with Moustakas Shipping, and she no longer had to worry about where his next tuition payment was going to come from.

  Aimee had come for an extended vacation and was not going to be returning to the States until the end of the summer. Three whole months to explore her new country and make memories with her best friend. It was a dream come true. Gemma pinched herself. “Ouch!”

  “Still think you’re dreaming?” Leo stood beside her, chuckling at the disgruntled look on her face.

  “Just a bit. You have to admit, this is all a lot to handle.”

  “Yes, but you’re doing so beautifully.” He snagged her around the waist and maneuvered her behind a large column.“Have I told you today how beautiful you are?”

  “Only fifty times.”

  “Well let’s go for fifty-one. Kanis tin zoi mou pio omorfi.”

  Gemma smiled. “Okay, I caught the word beautiful, but nothing else.” She’d been working with anyone and everyone who would teach her, determined to master the Greek language. Especially now that she was bringing another small life coming into the world. But that was a secret for another time.

  Leo kissed her forehead. “I said, you make my life more beautiful.”

  Gemma decided now was the perfect time to try out the new phrase she’d memorized. “Ise to alo mou miso.”

  The look he gave her more than justified the effort she’d put in to mastering the phrase. “And you are my other half. Together, we make a whole. Nothing can stop us or come between us.”

  Gemma leaned up and kissed him, loving the way he held her still as he deepened the kiss. “How much longer do we have to stay here?” Their wedding reception had already gone for an hour. They were heading to the island once again for their honeymoon only this time Kassi had volunteered to keep Damien close beside her at all times. Damien adored Kassi and she him, and Gemma had immediately fallen in love with the young woman.

  “Not much longer. Let’s mingle a bit more and then we can leave.”

  Gemma allowed him to lead her around the room. As they greeted their guests, they were suddenly interrupted by a business acquaintance.

  He insisted he’d met Leo while on a humanitarian trip several months’ earlier. “You called yourself Edward. Remember? It was after a large magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami that created devastation in the region of Oceania.”

  Leo shook his head. “I believe I would remember if we had met. Where did you say this meeting took place?”

  “One of the Solomon Islands, just east of Papua New Guinea. The natives call it Ranongga.”

  Leo shook his head. “I’ve never travelled in that part of the world. You must have me confused with someone else.”

  “I don’t think so. In fact—” The man pulled out his cell phone. After tapping the screen several times, he turned it around so they could see the picture it displayed. “Here’s a picture we took during my visit.”

  Leo stared at the phone. Gemma saw him struggle to breathe. Alarmed, she gazed at the screen.

  The man in the picture
was very tanned and dressed in nothing but a simple pair of cutoff shorts. He was the exact image of Leo.

  Gemma tried to form a coherent sentence, but before she could Vasil and Tressa joined them, obviously alarmed by Leo’s strange expression.

  “Why, Leo! I half expected you and Gemma to be off on your honeymoon by now.” Tressa tried to joke, obviously worried about her son. As she glanced at the phone to see what held him so spellbound, she gasped.

  Vasil pushed his son aside, addressing the man holding the phone. “Where was that picture taken?”

  “Ranongga Island, near the Solomon Islands.”

  Vasil looked at Leo, Gemma and Tressa. “That is Alexi. I would stake my life on it.”

  *****

  The young man, who went by Edward, pulled in the fishing line. He smiled at the fish that would soon become dinner. He’d been living on the island now for about a month and a half, and while pieces and parts of his past had returned, the sudden influx of memories earlier this morning had sent him off to think alone.

  He remembered the storm. The ship had been badly damaged by the ferocious waves and vicious winds. He remembered the ship going down and how he and his crew had climbed aboard the lifeboat. Two days later, both crewmembers were dead from their injuries. Alexi was all alone, adrift on an endless sea.

  He’d despaired of ever going home again, and then another storm had come up and he’d all but given up. After the raft had capsized, he didn’t remember anything... Not until he woke up five weeks earlier, tangled in seaweed and lying face down in wet sand. He couldn’t remember his name or how he’d arrived there, but the people of the island had taken him in and nursed him back to health.

  Since this morning, he remembered most of what he’d forgotten. My name is Alexi Moustakas and I have a family who loves me. He remembered his parents and his brother. He even remembered his cousin who lived with them all. He couldn’t remember a wife or a girlfriend, and frankly, he was done speculating about that part of his life. Trying to force the memories only resulted in a blinding headache. Right now, he needed to get passage back to Greece.

  After dropping off his catch of the day for the communal kitchen to prepare, he headed for the center of the community. He’d heard a rumour that someone with their own boat was visiting the island. His luck was good. After explaining his plight, he was offered passage back to Greece.

  Saying goodbye to the islanders that had taken such good care of him was hard. Alexi promised to visit and check up on them from time to time. He left Ranongga that evening, determined to never return again unless it was by his choice. There were a few minutes of his life he couldn’t remember. At all.

  But there were some things he remembered all too vividly. He knew he had a life waiting for him in Paris and in Greece. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been gone, he just knew he needed to get back. There was something he needed to do but it had disappeared along with his memories. Time to go home and figure out what I left behind. Alexi smiled, tasting the spray of the waves as the boat shot toward the horizon. I wonder what my brother’s been up to.

  *****

  THE END

  BOOK 2 (Her GREEK PROTECTOR) AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.

  Galatopita Recipe (Greek Milk Custard)

  One package filo pastry dough, partially thawed

  For the filling:

  2 liters milk

  120g corn flour

  100g all-purpose flour

  80g fine semolina

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  320g sugar

  50g butter

  2 eggs

  50 ml extra virgin olive oil to brush on the filo

  For the finish:

  50 ml olive oil

  1 egg

  1 teaspoon grated cinnamon

  Preparation

  Separate the thawed filo dough into 4 equal-sized balls.

  Cover them with cling film and set them aside for 1 hour while you prepare the filling.

  Put 1½ liter of the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and heat it, without bringing it to the boil.

  Beat the 2 eggs, and set them aside.

  In a bowl, mix the remaining 500ml of milk with the corn flour, semolina, sugar, flour and vanilla essences.

  Transfer this mixture to the warm milk, lower the heat and stir for a few minutes.

  Add the eggs to the mixture and beat well and quickly with a metal whisk.

  Add the butter and keep beating until you see the first bubbles and you have a nice, rather thick cream.

  Cover this with cling film thattouches the cream. This prevents it forming a skin or lumps.

  Set it aside while you roll open the filo pastry.

  Roll open the first ball of dough and place it in an oven dish, 38cm diameter and 5cm deep, which has been greased with olive oil.

  Allow some of the dough to go over the edges and leave the rest in the dish, even if it is slightly folded.

  Brush this with olive oil and repeat the process with each of the balls of dough that you have put aside, brushing with olive oil between each layer.

  Remove the cling film from the cream and pour it on top of the filo layers in the oven dish.

  Fold in the excess filo from the edges and shape it with the help of a knife.

  Brush this edge with olive oil.

  For the finish, beat 1 egg well with the 50 ml of olive oil and spread over the cream.

  Sprinkle the grated cinnamon on top.

  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

  Make sure the filo is well baked in the center. To do this, transfer it to the lowest shelf in your oven for the last 5 minutes.

  Apoláfsete!

  Enjoy!

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  Deleted Scene 2: Jacine’s MBA Party.

  Deleted Scene 3: Bob Nyberg’s interview with Cole, Jersey and Rory.

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  4. An exclusive author interview with me

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