by Holly Rayner
His eyes darkened. The caramel color I loved so much had turned dark in the setting sun. Whatever Andreas was about to tell me, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, anymore. Still, I was too caught up in the story to stop him.
“She was afraid I would turn her into a trophy wife who trailed after me at events and parties, smiling and shaking hands. She was afraid that I would forget who I was as soon as I took over from my dad. As we pulled up to my parents’ house, she lost it. She kept trying to pull me back into the car, saying we could go back to the boat and figure everything out, but I refused. I told her that we couldn’t stay out on the water forever, and I gave her an ultimatum: come inside and tell my parents the news, or the engagement was off. She cried and begged me to get back in the car, but I pulled away from her and walked inside. That was the last time I ever saw her.”
“What happened?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“No one is really sure.” He shrugged. “The only thing we know for sure is that she took the boat back out on the water and she never came back to shore.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “That’s horrible.”
He shook his head, lost in memory. “I should have stayed with her. She was fragile and upset and I left her. What kind of man does that?”
“None of this is your fault,” I said.
He shook his head again, gazing out at the water. “It’s okay, Maxine. I know the part I played in all this.”
I reached out and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me. “No. Listen to me. Victoria’s death isn’t your fault. She made choices and they had horrible consequences, but you had no way to know what she would do.”
“I did, though. I knew when she left that she would take the boat back onto the water, but I assumed she would come back. I assumed I would have a chance to talk to her, to find some closure. I never thought she would die.”
“Even if you did know what she was going to do, how would you have stopped her? You have to forgive yourself, Andreas. Since the moment I met you, I’ve tried so hard to understand why such a fun, kind, smart man would be so closed off from the world. And now, I learn it’s because you feel guilty about something that was never your fault to begin with. You have to forgive yourself, if you’re ever going to move forward.”
“I’m not sure if I can,” he said with a sigh.
“Do it for your child, Andreas. For the wonderful new human you and I are going to welcome to the world. I know you’re just coming to terms with the idea that you will be a father, but I know you are a kind, loving man, and that when you see your child for the first time, you will want to give him or her your whole heart. And you can’t do that if you’re weighed down with guilt. Let it go and have hope. Because I know you have a very bright future ahead.”
Andreas reached towards me and brushed the back of his hand across my cheek, grabbing a strand of my hair and tucking it behind my ear.
“For our child… for both of you, I will try.”
Chapter 17
Andreas
I’d carried Victoria’s death with me for so long that the guilt felt like an appendage. By the time both my parents had passed, a few years later, I’d closed myself off from life. I let myself believe that a life of loneliness and solitude was what I deserved for not following after Victoria when she’d left that day.
Now, with Maxine’s encouragement and a child on the horizon, it felt like maybe there was a chance I could finally let go of the pain.
We went back to the yacht after our dinner on the beach, and Maxine went to the guest room, which made sense. We had a lot of decisions to make and things to sort through. The last thing we needed was to complicate things by spending another night together the way we had in Barkas.
Except, I wanted to. Being so close to her, but still not able to touch her or be with her the way I wanted was torture. I got in bed, but I tossed and turned so much that I eventually began to pace my room. By morning, I was sure there would be spots in the floor where I’d worn the carpet thin.
I went down to the deck just as the sun was coming up. I drank coffee until my hands began to tremble and my vision felt blurry around the edges. But I couldn’t settle. I was nervous. More nervous than I’d been in a long time.
Finally, I heard soft footsteps padding down the hallway and then the sliding glass door from the living room to the deck opened, and Maxine was there.
The sun had been up for almost an hour, but it felt like it didn’t rise until the moment I saw her. Her blond hair was twisted into a single braid and she wore a loose white dress that hung around her mid-thighs. Her feet were adorably bare.
“Good morning,” she said, already clutching a mug of coffee in her hands. She sat across from me and I couldn’t help but stare. I’d done nothing but think about this moment all night.
“I’m going to be there for you, Maxine,” I said abruptly, startling her.
She used her thumb to mop up the coffee that had sloshed over her cup when she’d jumped and then looked up at me. “I know, Andreas. You said so yesterday.”
“I told you I’d be there for the baby,” I said carefully, wanting this to go as well as it had in my head. “But I want to be there for you, too. Wherever you decide live and whatever you decide to do, I will be there to support you.”
Her eyes went glassy with tears and she smiled. “Thank you. That means so much.”
My chest swelled with pride. “I went ahead and called my lawyer last night to have him draw up some documents just to get the basic idea out on paper.”
“Your lawyer?” she asked, eyebrows pulling together.
I pulled the papers out from my bag and slid them across the table to her.
“Yes, it is a basic agreement. It outlines how much money I will pay per year to care for the child, and how often I will host you and the baby here in Greece. Hopefully you will agree that it is more than enough for you to live comfortably. For both of you to live comfortably.”
Maxine picked up the papers and flipped through them. Her smile flatlined and her eyes took on a hard edge I didn’t understand.
“It’s just a draft for now, so if you have any issues with anything in it, we can adjust it to suit your needs,” I said.
Maxine took a deep breath and then smiled. “Do you mind if I take this back to my room to look it over?”
“Yes, of course. Take all the time you need.”
She left and I sat there, numb and confused. It was a generous offer. More than generous, in fact. They would receive a million dollars per year for the best schools, the best housing. Maxine could start her business. I’d provided for everything, so what could be the problem?
I’d told her she could take all the time she needed, but I’d already arranged for my private jet to take her back to America that night. In reality, we only had a few more hours to be together and sort the situation out.
The excitement I’d had that morning at seeing her turned to a dull, lonely ache in my chest.
Maxine was leaving again, and this time, she was taking our baby with her.
Chapter 18
Maxine
Andreas had said all of the right things, and then he’d pulled out the papers from the lawyer. I didn’t need lawyers being involved in our family. In my mind, we would both love the child and one another enough that none of that would be necessary.
What did it mean that Andreas thought we needed an agreement in place? Did it mean that I would be going back to America by myself to raise our child and he would offer financial support? That was better than nothing, of course, but it wasn’t what I wanted, nor what I’d hoped for.
On one hand, I knew it would be foolish not to sign the papers. If Andreas really wasn’t as invested in our relationship as I was, then it would be nice to have a legal document that ensured he would be a part of his child’s life. At the same time, it hurt to think that our relationship hadn’t progressed to the next level. That instead of asking me to stay with him an
d raise our child together and be a family, Andreas was going to be a long-distance dad.
It was my last few hours in Greece before I’d fly home on board Andreas’ private plane, but I didn’t leave my room. I packed my small bag and then wandered around the confines of my cabin, afraid to leave and run into him in the hallway.
I didn’t think I’d be able to contain my emotions if I saw him. I’d burst into tears and then I’d have to explain how desperately in love with him I was. And I couldn’t do that. I’d flown halfway around the world to tell him about the pregnancy. I’d already put my heart on the line. If he wanted to be with me, it was his turn to be vulnerable.
We took a ferry back to the mainland and then a town car from the dock to the airport. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait in endless lines to go through security, and we were able to just drive right up to the jet. Andreas grabbed my suitcase out of the trunk and wheeled it to the steps for me.
“I saved my number in your phone, and I’ll make sure you always know where I’m at,” he said.
I nodded, tears burning behind my eyes. “I’ll send you all of the updates on the pregnancy and everything the doctor says.”
He nodded, scuffing the toe of his extraordinarily expensive shoes into the ground. “I suppose this is goodbye, then. For now,” he added.
“I suppose so.”
He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in for a hug. His vanilla-tree scent surrounded me and made me want to cry even more. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to get on the plane. I wanted to stay with him. I wanted to go back to the yacht and slap a seasickness patch on my wrist and live there forever.
I wanted to raise my baby with this man, and it killed me that he didn’t want the same thing.
He squeezed my shoulders and I gripped his body with my fingers, hoping my touch was telling him what I couldn’t say in words. Ask me to stay.
Then, he stepped away and smiled. “Have a safe flight. Let me know when you land.”
The flight attendant was a pretty, middle-aged woman in a red pencil skirt, her graying hair pulled into a low bun at the base of her neck. She welcomed me onto the plane and took my luggage. Almost immediately, she offered me a drink and patted my shoulder.
“Behind every great woman is a man who broke her heart,” she whispered. “I don’t mean to put my nose where it doesn’t belong, but it looked like you needed to hear something like that today.”
“Thank you,” I said, croaking out the words before I dissolved into full-on tears.
As the crew prepared for takeoff, I realized that I’d never actually planned on going home. I’d always thought I would end up staying. I’d always thought Andreas would ask me to stay. I’d thought we’d raise our child in Greece together. I’d thought the dream I’d had my first night on the yacht would come true.
I could feel tears pricking my eyes and my throat was threatening to close, but I forced myself to swallow and take deep breaths. I tried to fight it off. I turned to the window for one last look at Andreas. It was of his back as he walked to the car. I thought that maybe that was for the best. Even from a distance, those caramel-brown eyes would melt me. One look in them and I’d never be able to keep my composure.
But then, he was turning around. His eyes searched the windows of the plane until he found me. I couldn’t look away, even though I knew how much it would hurt. We locked eyes and, in a flash, he was gone. He was running back across the air strip, headed for the plane.
My heart thundered in my chest, but I tried not to get my hopes up. I heard the metal thuds of someone coming up the stairs. The flight attendant was talking to someone. I stood up, allowing myself the smallest amount of hope. Was he coming back for me?
Then, I saw him. Andreas Stanis looking gorgeous even in the harsh yellow lighting of his private jet. His eyes were wide and desperate and he crossed the space between us in just a few steps.
I was frozen, still not allowing myself to believe what was so clearly happening, when he grabbed me around the waist, pulled me against his body, and kissed me.
“Stay with me,” he whispered against my lips.
The tears I’d been holding back began to fall.
He kissed me again, this time tilting my head back and then trailing kisses down my neck. “Come live with me, Maxine. You were right. You and our baby are the path to a brighter future. I want to be with you both.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, pulling away from him, still not completely willing to give away my heart. “Have you thought about this?”
“It’s all I’ve thought about, Maxine. Since the moment you left me and since the moment I found out about our baby.” He grabbed both of my hands and brought them to his lips before continuing. “We can take it slow. We can get to know one another in every way possible. I want to be your best friend and your partner. I want to be a parent with you and I want to help you reach your dreams.”
“You want to start a bed and breakfast with me?” I asked, no longer sure whether I was crying or laughing.
“Sure! We can open it on Barkas and spend every evening on the beach. Or, we can open it in the market square. We can open it wherever you want. I own the island, after all.”
I reared back and looked up at him. “What?”
A smile spread across his face. “Have I not told you that before?”
“No! You failed to mention that you own an entire island,” I said, mouth hanging open.
“Well, I do. And we can live there until we are old and gray. And our child can live there with their partner and their kids, if that is what they want. We can be so happy, Maxine. Will you stay with me?”
My heart was so full I thought it would burst. I couldn’t imagine being any happier. “Yes, Andreas. Of course, I’ll stay with you. I thought you’d never ask.”
I threw my arms around his neck, stretched onto my tiptoes, and kissed him. His lips were pliant and soft, but as the kiss deepened, they became demanding. His arms tightened around my waist and he lifted me into the air. My fingers trailed along his jawline and tangled in the soft hair at his neck.
Suddenly, he pulled away, breathing heavily. “We should go home. Now.”
I laughed and nodded in eager agreement.
I’d been under the impression that he’d moved out of his villa on the beach, but he’d kept it, which made sense, now that I knew he owned the island. Andreas carried me through his house and threw me down on the bed where we’d first been together, and where we’d made our child. He kissed my neck and my fingers and my calves. He worshipped every part of my body with his touch.
And we stayed like that, wrapped up in one another, until the water outside the villa’s windows had long turned midnight black.
Chapter 19
Andreas
Six Months Later
Life with Maxine was better than I could have imagined. We sorted out all the legalities of her living on the island within a few months, and she made herself right at home.
Our daily routine consisted of morning walks on the beach, reading parenting books, converting one of the guest rooms into a nursery, and baby-proofing everything. Maxine ate enough loukoumades to send the street vendor into an early retirement, but I still had to special-order sour gummy candy from America to satisfy her pregnancy cravings. We also argued about names at least once a week.
But, more than anything, we got to know one another.
I opened up to Maxine more than I ever had to anyone before. I told her all of my fears and my dreams. I gave her every part of me in hopes that our relationship would strengthen and last a lifetime. In hopes that she and the baby would be my happily ever after.
Then, before we knew it, the baby was coming. We couldn’t realistically expect to wait for a ferry while Maxine was in the middle of labor, so I arranged for a helicopter to take us to the best hospital in Athens where she was attended by the best doctors money could buy. I stood by her bed, feeling useless and terrified while she showed more s
trength and bravery than I’ve ever seen in my life.
When our son was born, and the doctor laid him on Maxine’s bare chest, I couldn’t remember ever seeing anything more beautiful. He had a head of curly blond hair like his mom and a golden complexion like mine.
It took us three days to decide on his name.
“Andreas the Second,” I said for the third time.
“If you say that again, I get to choose his name and you lose the right to veto,” she said, holding the baby against her chest while she cradled his head.
“No, because you’ll choose Cliff or Leif or something that isn’t even a name.”
“Those are names!” she said. “Very popular names, in fact.”
Then, I had an idea. “What about Dimitri?”
We looked at one another for a second and then shook our heads at the same time. Finally, we agreed on Theo.
The day after we left the hospital, I bought every bouquet of flowers I could get onto the island and filled the room with them while Maxine and Theo were napping.
I’d had the ring for months. I’d commissioned a jeweler in Athens to design it the first week Maxine and I were living together. I’d known then that I never wanted her to leave my side. It was an infinity ring with diamonds all the way around the band with one circular diamond in the center, surrounded by a halo of sapphires the same color as the ocean.
When she woke up, I was kneeling down next to the bed with the ring box open. She opened her eyes and blinked several times, trying to decide whether she was still dreaming.
“Maxine White, you are the most beautiful person I have ever met.”
“Oh my God,” she said, cupping her hands over her mouth.