A Date with Dr. Moustakas

by Amy Ruttan

  “I will.”

  Naomi nodded and walked away from him. Tears were streaming down her face, but she wouldn’t look back this time. She was tired of looking back. It was time to move forward. It was time to start anew.

  And that wasn’t with him.

  * * *

  Lisa had been giving him the stink eye ever since the encounter in the park and he deserved it. Completely.

  When he’d seen Naomi in the park, all he’d wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. He was so selfish. He couldn’t keep on hurting her.

  So he’d given Lisa the night off and she’d already left to go and spend it with Themo.

  It was just him and Evan in the apartment.

  As he watched his son sleep, he remembered how scared he’d been when he’d found out he was going to be a father. But he’d stepped up and taken care of the son whom he shared with a greedy, selfish woman who was not that different from his own mother.

  And the one woman whom he’d loved had lost their baby.

  It broke his heart.

  He’d put her through so much pain. More than he’d realized.

  He wanted to give her so much. He wanted to be with her. But even if he could deserve her, there was the worry that if it didn’t work out between them Evan would be from a broken family... He couldn’t do that to his son. The pain from when his own mother had left was still fresh. Like an unhealed scar. He was never going to let Evangelos experience that.

  There was a knock at the door. Chris cursed and left his son’s nursery and went to answer it. He peered out through the peephole and was taken aback to see his father standing there.

  He opened the door. “What’re you doing here?”

  “Is that how you greet all your guests?”

  “Unexpected ones, yes, and you are definitely unexpected.” Chris stepped to the side to let his father in before shutting the door.

  “Where is my grandson?” Nikos asked.

  “Sleeping. What’re you doing here, Pateras? You never just drop by.”

  “And you only come to see me if you need money.” His father sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  Chris was even more taken aback. His father never apologized. Not for anything. He watched as his father took a seat on his couch, his head in his hands.

  “What’s wrong?” Chris asked.

  “I want to talk to you about something. Dr. Hudson—is she the one?”

  “The one what?”

  “The one that got away—or rather that you threw away and then started a string of affairs in Manhattan afterward just to get over her.”

  “Why would you think that?” Chris asked.

  “Because I have spies at my beach house and the maid told me the state of the bedroom the next day.”

  “Yes. She’s the one I foolishly left to go and take a job in Manhattan. I thought she’d moved on with another man, but she hadn’t. Instead, without knowing, I’d left her pregnant with my child and she lost it. I am the worst kind of person. You don’t need to tell me about my recklessness. But I am doing right by my son. I’m taking my responsibility as a father seriously. I love Evangelos enough that I will walk away from the woman I love just in case it doesn’t work out—and with my track record, why would it? I don’t want my son to go through what I did when Mother left me.”

  His father sighed sadly. “Christos, she never wanted to marry me. We had an affair and you resulted from that. We married because we had to—her parents insisted and so did mine. Yes, she was a very selfish woman. She didn’t want you and I begged her to keep you. She was totally miserable. She did not want to be a mother or a wife, so I let her go. It was me that got rid of her.”

  Chris sat down, stunned. “Did you love her?”

  “I did. I loved her with all my heart. But she didn’t want me or the life we could have had together. However, it’s plain to me that you want Naomi and she wants you.”

  Chris shook his head. “I’ve broken her heart too many times. She doesn’t want me now. She has a brilliant job offer in Houston. And even if she didn’t go back to America, what if it didn’t work out between us? What if Evangelos got hurt? I don’t want him to carry the pain of rejection around inside of him, crippling him like it has me.”

  “Christos, I’m sorry that your mother leaving you broke your heart. It killed me every day to know that I was the cause of your pain. That I’d sent your mother away. If you’re going to blame someone, let it be me—but there’s a huge difference between your mother and me and you and Naomi.”

  “Oh?” Chris asked. “What’s that?”

  “She loves you. Your mother never loved me. I understand the pain Naomi is feeling. She thinks that you don’t love her and that’s why she’s going to Houston. I had to walk away from my marriage, and at the time I thought that I would eventually be able to move on from your mother. I tried, but it never worked. I could never lay the ghost of my unrequited love to rest. She was always there, haunting every aspect of my life. Including you—which was why I couldn’t look at you. For that, Christos, I’m truly sorry.”

  Chris was stunned by his father’s admission of the reason why he had been pushed away as a child by both his parents. Why his father had always been so cold and distant toward him.

  “Don’t make the same mistake as me, Christos. You love Naomi and she loves you. She would never leave you and Evangelos.”

  “She won’t take me back. I hurt her too much this time. And she’s taking her dream job in Houston. I can’t force her to choose between me and her career.”

  “You’re not forcing her if you give her a choice. Let her choose. Stop making decisions for the both of you. Besides, you could go with her, couldn’t you? What’s keeping you here in Greece?”

  “The clinic—and I want to raise my son here...”

  “Those are pathetic reasons, Christos. The clinic did just fine without you before, and I’m sure Ares, Deakin and Theo will all understand if you go with Naomi. Evangelos will always have a home here in Greece as you’ll still have your yia-yia’s home on Mythelios. I’ll hire someone to watch it for you. But do go after Naomi before it’s too late.”

  “And if she doesn’t want me?” Chris asked numbly.

  “Then at least you’ll know. Just don’t throw your chance of true happiness away, Christos. You’ve been given a second chance to make things right.”

  His father was right. He had been miserable about his decision not to pursue Naomi. And even though there was no certainty that Naomi would forgive him, or even agree to stay with him, he had to take the risk. He’d taken so many risks in his life leading up to this point—he couldn’t not take this one. The greatest risk of all.

  He had to put his heart on the line for the first time in his life. He had to take a chance on love, and on her, or he would live to regret it forever. And thinking about his life without her in it was just too much for him to handle.

  His life had been so empty once before after he’d walked away from her.

  It would be empty again if he let her go again now.

  His father stood up and laid his hands on his shoulders. “Christos, please don’t make the same mistake again.”

  “I won’t. But I have the baby and...”

  “I can stay with Evangelos.”

  Chris arched an eyebrow. “You?”

  “I have a few things that I’m seeking forgiveness for. And spending time with my grandson is one way I can make amends. I’m sorry too, Christos. Very sorry. And I want you to know that I am very proud of you. I may have been disappointed with some of your choices in life, but I am proud of you. Don’t throw away your love, your life or your career.”

  His father embraced him and Chris hugged his father for the first time in his life. He could feel the carefully constructed walls he’d built as a young child to protect himself fr
om pain start to come crashing down.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Chris ran to the door and grabbed his keys. “There are bottles in the refrigerator and—”

  “Would you go? It may be some time since I did it, but I do know how to take care of an infant. I’m the one who took care of you, after all.”

  Chris nodded and left the apartment.

  He ran down the stairwell to the first floor and out into the street. His father’s limousine was waiting outside for his father to return. The chauffeur stood up.

  “Do you need to go somewhere, Dr. Moustakas?”

  “Yeah, I need you to take me to someone’s house. It’s a bit narrow, down by Plaka, but if you could drop me off near there, I can walk.”

  The chauffeur nodded. “Of course.”

  Chris jumped into the front of the limo. His heart was hammering against his chest erratically as he thought about what he was about to do.

  He only hoped that he could make everything right. That he could fix his mistake and that Naomi didn’t completely hate him. That he hadn’t blown his second chance with her...

  * * *

  Naomi stood in the small garden of her theíos and theía’s house. She was staring up through a thick grove of olive trees at the moon. She’d come to say a final goodbye to her family.

  Her theíos didn’t understand why she was leaving, but she didn’t want to get into it with him. She’d told her aunt and uncle that she’d gotten a really great job offer and that she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take the job. They’d accepted that.

  She was just relieved that Lisa hadn’t said anything to her parents about Chris.

  Now she was waiting in the garden for her aunt to come back from a friend’s so that she could say goodbye to her.

  I don’t really want to leave.

  She wanted to stay here in Greece. She wanted to keep working for International Relief. The board of directors at the hospital in Athens had offered her a job as well—a position as the head of general surgery. It was just that Houston offered her a way to escape Chris.

  Tears filled her eyes as once more she thought about him. About falling into the trap again. Except that she hadn’t really fallen into the trap again; she’d been caught in it years ago. She’d never stopped loving him.

  When she’d lost their baby and been so angry that he wasn’t there for her, she’d still loved him. Even though she’d mourned their child by herself, when she’d seen him with his son, she’d loved him all the more, and she loved Evangelos too.

  She loved Mythelios and her work there. She had family here in Athens. But she just couldn’t stay. She couldn’t watch Chris’s life carry on without her. If she didn’t leave, she’d never be free of him. Even if she didn’t really want to be.

  She had to go to Houston and maybe—just maybe—she’d be able to mend her heart properly this time and finally move on away from Chris. Maybe she would find some sort of happiness and break the curse of loving someone who clearly didn’t love her back.

  “Naomi?” her uncle said from the terrace door.

  “Is Theía back yet?”

  “No, but...”

  He stepped out of the way and Chris walked out onto the terrace. Her heart skipped a beat.

  “How did you know I was here?” she asked.

  “I went to your apartment first, then the hospital, and then I came here. If you hadn’t been here, I was going to go to the airport next.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I came to talk to you.” He looked uncomfortable.

  Good.

  “I’ll leave you two to it,” her uncle said, shutting the terrace door as Chris stepped out into the garden with her.

  She crossed her arms and waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. He just stood there with his hands in his trouser pockets.

  “What do you want, Chris? I have to go home and pack and—”

  “I’m sorry, Naomi.”

  “So you’ve said several times before. You were sorry for leaving me the first time...sorry that I was left pregnant and you didn’t know about it. You were sorry that I lost the baby and you’re sorry for breaking my heart again. I get it. You’re sorry.”

  “Naomi—”

  “No, I’ve heard it all. Haven’t we said enough to each other? Why won’t you let me go in peace?”

  A tear slid down her cheek, but she always cried when she was angry, and she was mad that he was here apologizing to her yet again.

  “I don’t know what you think apologizing to me over and over again will accomplish. If it’s to redeem your guilty conscience, don’t feel guilty. I will be okay. Just go away and let me get on with my life.”

  “No,” Chris said quickly.

  “No?” she asked, her voice rising. “Why?”

  “Because I’m a fool.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “I ran from any kind of commitment, any kind of love, because I was afraid of being hurt again. When my mother didn’t want me, when she left, it crushed my soul. And I saw the way it hardened my father’s heart. I didn’t ever want to have that experience. I didn’t believe in true love. But then I met you.”

  “Why are you trying to explain all this to me again? I get it, but it doesn’t change how I feel. It doesn’t change how you broke my heart. You don’t know what I went through when I lost our child. You weren’t there.”

  “I know,” he said. “And it kills me that I wasn’t there to be with you when I should’ve been. I love you so much, Naomi. I never did stop loving you. I thought that leaving you behind in Nashville would be the way I could get you out of my soul, but you stayed there, and when I thought you had taken up with someone else, it drove me mad, straight into the arms of an unworthy person—but at least she gave me Evan.”

  “All you had to do was call me back to find out what was going on with me, but you wouldn’t answer my calls.”

  “Because I was a complete idiot. I wish that I could go back in time and kick my old self in the head for what I did to you, Naomi. I do. But this time around... I can’t live without you, Naomi. I won’t live without you. It scares me to my very core that I don’t know what the future holds, and that it may never work out between us, but if I don’t take the risk, I’ll never know.”

  “What’re you saying?” she asked brokenly.

  “I’m saying that I want to make it up to you—if you’ll let me.”

  She was stunned as he got down on one knee in the middle of her theía and theíos’s garden and took her hand.

  “I want to marry you, Naomi.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t sure that she was hearing him right. “Pardon?”

  “I want to marry you...if you’ll have me. I may not have a ring, but I want to marry you and spend my life trying to make it up to you. I want to make a family with you and Evan. And I don’t care where that family will be. We’ll come to Houston with you. I just can’t lose you again. Please—give me another chance. I was a fool, but there is no other that I love. I’ll never love any other woman like I love you. You’re it for me, and I can’t live without you.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. “You crushed my heart...”

  “And I will never forgive myself for that. But you have always had my heart safe in your keeping. I should have followed where my heart was leading me three years ago. I was a fool for trying to fight what I always wanted—and that was you.”

  She smiled. She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. “I love you too. I always have. I’ve tried to move on, to forget you, but I can’t.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “You’ll go wherever I need to go? What about the clinic and the house?”

  “They’ll always be there,
waiting for us, but this is your time to shine, Naomi. I just want to share in a bit of your sunlight.”

  He stood up and cupped her cheeks, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

  “I don’t deserve you, but I promise I will make it up to you and be the man you need me to be.”

  “I love you too. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Chris closed his eyes in utter relief and leaned in to kiss her, pulling her close to him.

  “And I’m staying right here,” Naomi whispered when he finally lifted his mouth from hers.

  “What about Houston?” he asked, dazed. “You’re not going to give up the chance to be a head of surgery because of me. I don’t want you to do that. Evan and I can come with you to Houston.”

  She shook her head. “The hospital in Athens has already made me an offer to be the Chief of General Surgery and I want to take it. Besides, I have no family left in the States now, with both my parents gone. Athens is my home now. I was only going to leave because I couldn’t bear to see you around if you didn’t want me.”

  “I want you, Naomi. I’ve never stopped wanting you.” He kissed her again. “I never want you to leave me and I’m going to make it impossible for you to do so. Even if it means constantly wining and dining you at the beach house or on the yacht. I can’t live without you, zoi mou.”

  She kissed him. “That’s definitely a start. And I love you, Chris. But remind me again what zoi mou means? You said it to me on Spritos too. My Greek’s still a little rusty—although it’s coming back to me in leaps and bounds now I’m forced to speak it daily.”

  “It means my life. You are my life, Naomi. You will always be my life, my heart and my soul. I can’t live without you, zoi mou, and when we were apart, I wasn’t really living. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  And they kissed again under the bright Athens moon, sealing their fate and breaking any kind of curse that had held them back. Real or imagined.

  EPILOGUE

  One year later

  LISA HELPED HER finish buttoning up her simple wedding dress and then knelt down to fasten her sandals. Naomi had learned her lesson; she wasn’t taking any chances on the winding streets of Mythelios.