One Hour to Midnight

by Shirley Wine

  "And for that I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to with-hold that report from you."

  "Why did you?" Veronica stared at their joined hands.

  "When you were pregnant, Yannis and his activities were still very much under investigation. The inquest wasn't held until two years later."

  "Why wasn't I subpoenaed, like those other women?"

  "Our lawyers managed to keep your name under the radar on the grounds of the effect it would have on Jordan."

  She leaned back against Leon, savouring his nearness. "And I'm so grateful for you doing so. I'd never grieved for Yannis, yet he was once a pivotal part of my life."

  "Flynn warned me when you came back to give you that coroner's report. Hell I should have ensured you received a copy at the time. As you pointed out it was your right to know."

  "Would it have made any difference?" She sat up, looked at him, fiddling with a button on his shirt. "I'm not sure. It may have made me pull my head out of the sand, who can tell now. All I know is your reappearance shook me out of a rut."

  He frowned. "I ensured you had counselling, Veronica."

  "Counselling only works if the person is ready for it. I took what I wanted from it and created a scenario that worked for me."

  "In what way?"

  She looked at him, and knew it was time for total honesty. "Do you know anything about how a young girl's mind works?"

  When he shook his head, she just smiled sadly.

  "Julia had every right to be worried about me," she admitted with painful honesty. "I used to sit in that summerhouse and dream about you and me making a home for my baby. I imagined you as my white knight come to rescue me from the consequences of my own stupidity. Right up until the moment I handed Jordan to you and Julia, I didn't believe those dreams wouldn't magically come true."

  "Veronica." Leon huffed out a sharp breath obviously at a loss.

  "I know, pathetic isn't it?" She glanced at him and then looked away, embarrassed. "Over the years Julia and Yannis, both, grew into ogres in my mind. And all the while..." she broke off unable to continue.

  "All the while—what, Veronica?"

  She took a deep breath praying for courage to make the most damning admission of all. "I nurtured a hopeless love for you. And I hated you for not choosing me and Jordan over Julia. In my mind you were the biggest ogre of all."

  Leon remained silent for so long Veronica became afraid. Was this the moment their shaky marriage would collapse? Filled with tension, she glanced at him.

  "What about Yannis?" he asked at last.

  "He was my protest over my upbringing." She gave a bitter little laugh. "Have you any idea what it's like to grow up in a school, to have no one, no place, to call your own?"

  Leon's arms tightened around her and Veronica leaned into him, savouring the wonderful sense of belonging. Never would she take it for granted. This was Leon's gift to her and more precious than gold.

  "What were your parents thinking?"

  "I don't know. And I guess I'll never know," she said on a soft sigh. "Thankfully, they made Kathleen my legal guardian, and that saved me from foster care. She was stern, but fair."

  "How do you feel about Yannis now?"

  "I thought I loved him, but it was more that he gave me a small corner where I could create a home. When I learned he was married, the foundations of my life crumbled. There was no substance to grasp."

  "What he did was iniquitous," his voice rumbled with fury.

  "Yes it was and this was why I latched onto you. You had this wonderful old place," Veronica's voice hitched on a sob. "You were solid and stable, and so kind to me, my fantasy in the flesh."

  "Don't tear yourself apart over it, Vic," he whispered, rubbing a hand over her back. "I knew and understood."

  "I truly never meant to hurt Julia," she sat up, scrubbing her hands over her cheeks to wipe away tears.

  "She realised that," Leon said soberly, lifting her chin with a gentle hand. "She worried about you, especially when she knew she was dying."

  As she looked into his face, Veronica knew it was the truth.

  Under all the angst and unhappiness, she did know his wife cared.

  I trusted Julia with my baby because I knew she would love him as if he was the child borne of her own flesh.

  And that suddenly, Veronica knew, without question that Julia had not conspired with Yannis. Had her spirit conjured up that wiliwili? Was that her way of protesting her innocence?

  "Julia never conspired with Yannis, Leon," Veronica said with gripping his hands, willing him to believe her. "Yes, she pressured me to give up Jordan, and yes she misconstrued a lot of things you asked her to relay to me, but she would not deal with your brother. She had her faults, as we all do, but she despised Yannis. My pregnancy was his brainchild, not Julia's."

  Leon lifted a hand and wiped it over his eyes, the breath leaked from his lungs in a drawn out sigh. "And you know this, how?"

  "I took flowers for Julia today," she said simply. "An apology and a peace offering. I misjudged her and she let me know it."

  With a gurgle of laughter, she told him about her question and the sudden appearance of that wiliwili.

  He shuddered. "That is too damn spooky for me."

  "Me too."

  Leon's grave look was warning enough that he wasn't ready to let this painful subject drop. "If I live to be a hundred, I will never forget the look in your eyes when you gave us Jordan. I pray to God I never have to face such a dilemma again."

  Veronica was stunned into silence. Leon looked down at her, his eyes glistening with tears.

  "Yannis and I both robbed you, Veronica. He stole your girlhood, Julia and I stole your heart when we took your baby."

  His expression made her very afraid. "It wasn't your fault, Leon, none of it. Do you know what I finally realised alone up there in the hills?"

  He gazed into her eyes, his expression unreadable. "You tell me."

  "We were all in a very bad place. Yannis was your brother, a brother you loved despite his faults. Julia was desperate for a baby she couldn't conceive. I was young, stupid and incredibly cocky. Kathleen warned me but like most teenagers, I thought I was bullet proof." Veronica took a sharp breath amazed all over again at her stupid naivety. "The only innocent in the whole darn mess was Jordan."

  Leon nodded very sober.

  "What I realised, up in your hills, was that while I was young and stupid, my one absolutely right choice was letting you and Julia raise Jordan."

  Leon gripped her shoulders. "Do you really mean that?"

  "I mean it. Geeze Louise, I was seventeen, Leon, little more than a child, myself. Julia was so right, what did I know about raising a baby?" She gave a broken laugh that sounded off even to herself. "I would have managed somehow, but Jordan would have suffered. You and Julia gave me the chance to grow up and finish my education. And that was something I needed to do."

  Veronica sat up and held her hands to her hot cheeks. Once the words started, she couldn't seem to stop them spewing out. "When I returned, when Jordan was so sick, I was terrified when you expected me to be his mother. You saved the poor kid from being traumatised for life."

  "Veronica, you're too tough on yourself. You've done wonders with Jordan. That boy loves you to bits."

  "Does he?"

  "How can you doubt it," Leon gave her a little shake. "Why else would he refuse to sleep anywhere else other than in your bed the whole time you were away?"

  "He slept in my bed?" she asked, watching him eyes wide.

  "He did. I can understand that, he missed you, but not as much as I missed you in my bed," he growled in a husky voice. "Mind it could be about this project you're both so secretive about. I tried to prepare him for the possibility you may not return, but he was adamant. He never doubted that you'd come back because you loved us both. Do you? Love me that is?"

  "Do you love me?"

  "I asked first," he countered softly.

  She looked up into his eyes,
blazing with the intensity of his desire. He's so…intense. So passionate. And if I'm honest, it scares me that he reads me so well.

  "Once I had such a crush on you," she said in a breathy rush.

  "A crush," he growled giving her an offended look. "A crush?"

  Veronica couldn't help it. His affronted tone made her laugh.

  "A teenage crush," she reiterated, her smile mischievous as she lifted a hand and cradled his cheek. "But now I love you, you with a grown woman's love and passion."

  He placed his hands on either side of her, effectively bracketing her against the window seat. She shivered with a wild anticipation that sent warm, liquid need deep into her belly. The dim light surrounded them, cocooned them in secrets.

  Grey eyes soft, glittering with intense emotion, he framed her face with his big, gentle hands. "We made a crazy bargain, you and I. We've made mistakes, but never doubt it Veronica, we belong together."

  He smiled. That wonderful smile that made her toes curl.

  "I never set out to risk my heart, I was done with love. But you came into my home, stole past all my defences and imbedded yourself deep in my heart."

  He leaned closer, his mouth took hers in a hot drugging kiss. She moaned softly as his lips moulded and caressed, then turned urgent.

  Leon lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Veronica, more than you will ever know. More than I ever thought it possible to ever love another woman."

  "And I love you," she whispered needing him with an urgency that caught at her breath. A hot, feverish hand flattened over his hard chest, her fingers spreading wide until she touched the hard nubs of his nipples through his shirt.

  "I need you." The words came out as a whimper. "Please Leon."

  His tongue touched her earlobe and she gasped as the hot sensation sent her body and mind into free-fall.

  "I can't imagine my life without you in it." His whispered words sent her wild with desire.

  Fire raced through her veins like streaks of lightning. She tilted her hips in an insane need to get closer, to mesh her body with his in a primitive dance. She drew in his fresh male scent until it made her dizzy.

  Gripping his shirt, she ripped it open, buttons flew everywhere. Her hands were on his flesh caressing, kneading and moulding until his breathing became harsh and his heart pounded against her breasts

  With a guttural groan her caught her, lifted her off him and carried her to the bed, ripped back the covers and laid her on lavender scented sheets. Leon stood over her, his eyes glittering with desire, proud and so male. With a small secretive smile she returned his gaze and then lifted her arms.

  "Come."

  It was the last word either of them spoke, lost in the crush of their kiss as the past merged into the future in one glorious starburst of passion.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Veronica surveyed the assembled guests with a satisfied smile.

  Leon was in deep discussion with José and Milas. From their expansive gestures, she guessed some business or political matter was under discussion.

  Kathleen and Cassie were cooing over the baby kicking her heels in the bassinette.

  Tania walked up to her rubbing a hand over her hugely pregnant belly.

  "I could be seriously jealous of you, Vic," she said blowing a fringe of red hair off her forehead. "How come you look so slim and gorgeous six months after delivering a baby?"

  "When your baby arrives, you'll soon forget these last two uncomfortable months." Veronica shepherded Tania towards one of the comfortable chairs that had replaced some of the fragile pieces in the reception lounge. "Sit down and take the weight off your feet."

  Tania sank into the chair with a heavy sigh. "Can't come soon enough for me, I've forgotten what my feet look like."

  Veronica made a show of studying her friend's feet. "They look like normal feet to me, not like blowfish."

  "Very funny. At least these chairs will hold my weight."

  Veronica laughed softly. "During the last semester of my pregnancy, when Leon hosted social events for overseas guests, I issued an ultimatum. Comfortable chairs in this room or he'd be without a hostess!"

  "No guesses about who won." Tania gave her a shrewd glance. "I don't see Sonia."

  Veronica pulled a face. "She's on her way. She's bringing Andreas and Katya."

  "How do you feel about that?"

  "Two years at Craven have changed that young man. I insisted they be invited. A christening is a time to unite families."

  "You are far more tolerant that I would be." Tania wriggled in the chair seeking a more comfortable spot. "Where's your son?"

  "In the circle surrounding the baby where else? He adores her."

  "How is he, Vic?"

  A soft sigh escaped Veronica. Jordan's health was an on-going concern to them all. "So far his blood work is good, and we're quietly hopeful he won't need Briar's cord blood."

  "But it's good to have the insurance."

  "It is at that." Veronica looked up as new guests were ushered in. "I need to go."

  As she walked to greet Sonia and the two teens, Veronica couldn't help reflecting on how much had changed in the past two years. Leon glanced over, his brow furrowed and she responded with a reassuring smile.

  José was beside her as she reached the door, kissing his wife's cheek. "No problems?'

  "I'd forgotten what Melbourne traffic is like."

  "Sonia, Katya, it's good to see you both." Veronica gripped the other woman's hands and kissed her warmly. Two years of happy marriage had cemented a genuine friendship between them.

  Sonia gave her a humorous once over. "I could be seriously jealous looking at you. Six months after having a baby and you look gorgeous."

  Veronica laughed. "And how is Rose? Are you missing her?"

  "We are," José growled, answering for his wife, "but it's only for a week. Her Nonna's thrilled to have sole custody though."

  Veronica looked past Sonia to the tall young man who waited quietly.

  "Andreas." Conscious of her quickened heartbeat, Veronica stepped forward and held out her hand. "I'm so pleased to see you."

  The teen took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Thank you for inviting me, and for giving me a second chance, Veronica. I'm so sorry for the fright I gave you."

  "Everyone deserves a second chance, Andreas." Veronica titled her head a little to one side, and gave him a warm smile. "And I think you managed to frighten yourself."

  He chuckled softly, his pale grey eyes sparkling with amusement. "You're not wrong."

  "Don't take this wrong, Andreas, but you're so like your father, it's uncanny," she said leaning up to kiss his cheek. "He was a charmer, and I'll bet you're already beating girls off with a stick."

  A dull flush spread up under his tan. "Maybe, but I only take after him in looks."

  Veronica gripped the teen's hands tightly, giving them a small shake as she leaned closer, so she wasn't overheard. "Andreas, I will only say this once, you are not your father. He made mistakes and he paid dearly for them. His gambling was a sickness."

  It hurt to see the flash of hope in the in the teen's eyes. "You think?"

  "I know." Veronica said very quietly. "Sometime this weekend Andreas, remind me to tell you about my parents."

  "Parents? They were no more your parents than the moon is made of cheese," Kathleen said with acerbic candour as she came up behind them and caught Veronica's words. "Your daughter wants her mama."

  "Tired of playing Grandma?" Veronica asked with a playful smile. "Kathleen have you met my nephew and niece, Andreas and Katya?"

  Kathleen gave Andreas a studied look. "Well, young man, you going to take after your dead-beat father?"

  Sonia made an agitated movement and Veronica saw José grip her arm, and caught the infinitesimal shake of his head.

  "Not if I can help it?" Andreas met the older woman's eyes without flinching.

  "Good." Kathleen gave him another stern look. "Remem
ber, you're the leader of these young ones. If you don't let yourself down, you won't let them down. There are a lot of people depending on you."

  "Yes, ma'am. I won't let them down."

  "Don't worry about letting other people down, young man. The most important person not to let down is yourself."

  As Veronica watched, Andreas's spine stiffened and he held himself fractionally taller. "I'll do my best never to let myself or anyone else down."

  "That's all anyone can ask of you, Andreas." Kathleen gave him one of her rare smiles. "You'll do."

  She turned to Sonia, giving her the same sort of measuring glance. "And you don't need to spring to this young man's defence, mama. Your job's done, now you must demonstrate your faith and trust in the son you raised."

  Kathleen walked off leaving Sonia spluttering and José chuckling. "That's telling you."

  "Who's she?" Sonia gave Veronica a shell shocked glance.

  Veronica laughed softy. "Kathleen's the mother of my heart, and Briar's Grandma."

  "I could be seriously scared of making that lady angry."

  Andreas's muttered comment made Sonia and Veronica look at each other and burst out laughing. The teenager gave them a baffled glance that only made them laugh harder.

  "Mum, Briar's crying." Jordan came up and tugged at Veronica's arm.

  Veronica glanced over and saw Leon picking up their daughter from the crib. "Your dad's got her. Can you take care of Katya and Andreas, Jordan? Introduce them to your friends and get them refreshments, okay?"

  Jordan took his task seriously. As three youngsters walked across to the buffet table, the two women watched them. Sonia turned to Veronica, "Thank you for insisting they come. How is Jordan?"

  "He has to have blood work done every week, but fingers crossed, so far, so good. And your kids and Jordan have very close family ties." Veronica gave Sonia a sober glance. "Life's far too short for us not to give them the chance to become friends."

  José leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Wise as well as kind hearted.

  Leon walked across to her, jiggling Briar trying to distract her. "Our little princess wants her mama."

  He slipped an arm around her waist, glancing from one to the other. "Everything okay?"