He had a very special evening in mind for Popi. It was his way of thanking her for giving him a new outlook on life. And he’d worked on this plan all day, including a trip to the barber. His longish hair was now cut short. Everything had to be perfect for her.
As afternoon faded to evening, he rushed through the shower, shaved not once but twice and dressed in some dark jeans and a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He stopped in front of the mirror, which was something he seldom did, but tonight was different. Tonight he had to look decent—no, he had to look good. Really good. Popi deserved nothing less. He swept his fingers through his hair and then he was out the door.
He located Popi in the nursery. She placed the baby in the crib for a nap. Seb had a set routine. A nap before his evening feeding and then he’d stay awake for the late show and go down for the night, not waking up again until morning.
“I was looking for you,” Apollo said.
Popi put a finger to her lips. “Shh...”
Apollo mouthed sorry.
She nodded in understanding, but didn’t speak until they’d quietly backed out of the room. With great care, she eased the nursery door closed.
She turned to him. “What did you need?”
“You.” He’d already made sure the nanny would keep an eye on Seb for the rest of the evening.
“Me.” Her beautiful eyes widened. “For what?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I... I don’t know if I’m up for it.”
“Sure you are. Come on. I promise you’ll like it.” At least he hoped she would.
He didn’t give her time to talk herself out of joining him. He took her hand in his, liking the way her skin felt next to his. He laced his fingers with hers as though it was something they’d been doing for years. And then he started for the grand staircase.
At the top of the stairs, Popi stopped. “Wait. I don’t even know where we’re going. Is it dressy?”
“Not unless you want it to be.”
It was then that she noticeably took in his attire. Her gaze skimmed down over one of his dressier shirts and down to his newest pair of jeans. When her gaze finally met his, there was a hint of pink in her cheeks. The color only enhanced her beauty.
“See anything you like?” He couldn’t help himself from teasing her.
“You...you’ve changed. Your hair is all cut off. You even shaved. And you’re dressed up. You look incredibly handsome. Did you do all of this for me?” When he nodded, her cheeks turned a deeper hue of pink. “Then I have to change. I can’t go anywhere like this. I have baby drool on my shirt.”
“I promise no one will notice.”
She frowned at him. “I’ll notice.”
She pulled her hand from his, turned and then headed back down the hallway.
Apollo sighed. He didn’t have the patience to wait around for her. Actually it was more than that. He was afraid the baby would wake up and then Popi would refuse to leave Seb until he was asleep again.
But Apollo knew his anxiety ran deeper than that. He was afraid he would come up with an excuse not to follow through with his plan. It felt like he was standing at the edge of a two-hundred-foot cliff and getting ready to step off with nothing but water to catch him.
Even though his gut was twisted up with nervous tension, he couldn’t walk away. He had to see if this thing growing between them was real or not. Because today marked six weeks since Seb’s birth, and Popi had just been to the doctor’s and gotten the all clear. Apollo no longer had to hold her at arm’s length or worry about things getting out of control between them. Tonight was a new beginning for them.
While Popi changed clothes, Apollo rushed to the kitchen just to check on things. Nothing could go wrong with this evening. He owed Popi a memorable night.
To his relief, the food was all on track. Now he just hoped Popi didn’t change her mind. However, when he returned to the foyer, he found Popi standing there in a sleeveless black-and-white high-low dress. With her hair pinned up, she looked like a runway model. She took his breath away.
“I hope this is all right,” she said. “I picked it up when I was in the city.”
“It’s better than all right. You look stunning.”
His compliment brought a smile to her kissable lips, and his heart thumped against his ribs. It was all he could do to hold himself back and not take her in his arms right then and there. But he assured himself there would be plenty of time for that later.
He stepped up to her and pulled a black silk handkerchief from his pocket. “Turn around.”
The smile fell from her face. A worried look reflected in her eyes. “What’s that for?”
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if you saw it.” When his words did nothing to ease the stress lines etching around her eyes, he said, “Trust me. You will like this.”
Her gaze moved from the blindfold to him. “Couldn’t I just close my eyes?”
He smiled and shook his head. “You’ll peek.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Liar.” He sent her a teasing smile.
Her mouth gaped in mock outrage.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said. “We’ve been living together for a while and I know that you’re terrible with surprises.”
“I am not.”
“Really?” He arched a challenging brow. “Then how come you told me that I couldn’t see the nursery before you’d finished with it, but then you showed me the paint and then the crib and then—”
“Okay. Okay. So I get excited sometimes and it’s hard to keep it to myself.”
“Uh-huh. Hence the blindfold.” He gestured for her to turn around.
She hesitated.
“You don’t want to miss the surprise, do you?”
Without a word, she turned around and let him affix the blindfold. He was careful not to draw the loose curls of her hair into the knot. And then he tucked her hand securely in the crook of his arm. Joined together, he led her outside to the garden.
“Where are we going?” Popi asked.
“You’ll see soon.”
They continued walking. He was careful to keep her from walking into the statues in the garden or from running into any garden walls or vegetation.
“This isn’t the way to the car.”
“No, it’s not.”
“So we’re walking to the destination?” When he didn’t respond, she said, “Apollo, at least give me a hint.”
He stopped walking. He glanced around, making sure that everything was how he’d envisioned. To his great relief, it was.
“Apollo? What is it? Would you say something?” She tugged on his arm.
A smile lifted his lips. “Is someone impatient?”
“Yes.”
She sniffed the air. “Mmm... It smells so sweet.”
He’d made sure to include some aromatic flowers in every part of the garden. He’d wanted it to be a more-than-visual experience.
“Okay. Stand still.” He moved behind her and removed the blindfold.
Popi gasped.
She stepped forward, checking out the table for two in the garden path. The table was set with white linen and candles. She glanced back at him. “You did all of this for me?”
He nodded. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.” Her gaze lifted to the glass lanterns with candles dangling from tree branches.
Those had been a bit more of a challenge than he’d been planning, as he’d had to move the dinner spot to an older section of the garden, where the trees were mature enough to handle the weight of the lanterns. In the background, a romantic ballad was carried by the gentle breeze.
“This is much more than a little something.”
He held his hand out to her. “Would you care to dance?”
Witho
ut a word, she slipped her hand in his and he drew her close. His arm wrapped around her slender waist, while his other hand wrapped around hers. Their bodies swayed together as the sun sank below the horizon and the lanterns cast streaks of light across the garden.
She lifted her head so that her gaze met his. It was then that he realized how close they were. If he were to lean just a little bit forward, he could kiss her. The temptation lured him. But he wondered how Popi would react. Would she welcome the advance? Or would she push him away?
The look in her eyes wasn’t telling him anything. Had he always been this bad at reading women? Or was it his worry about messing things up with Popi that had him second-guessing his every move with her?
“Why did you do this?” she asked. “It’s so special—so amazing.”
“Because I wanted to make you smile.” And it did make her smile.
Before he could say more and explain how much she’d come to mean to him, their dinner arrived. A parade of three servers carried covered trays and placed them on the small table.
Apollo held his arm out to her. “Shall we?”
Popi once more placed her hand in the crook of his arm and let him escort her to the table, where he pulled out her chair. As they enjoyed the meal, the lanterns cast a warm glow around them. It was as if they were in their own secret world.
He glanced down to find her moving the food around her plate. “Don’t you like the food?”
Her gaze lifted. “It’s delicious.”
“Then why are you barely eating?”
“I’m sorry.” She took a bite.
The magic of the evening was slipping away and he desperately wanted to get it back. There was something weighing on Popi’s mind, but how did he get her to open up to him? Was it something he’d done? Was this cozy dinner a bad idea?
* * *
This was the sweetest gesture anyone had ever done for her.
And she didn’t deserve it.
If only he knew the truth.
Popi couldn’t get the conversation with her mother out of her mind. Everyone seemed to think she was someone great, but the truth was she was not—not even close. She felt like a total imposter.
“I think they’re playing our song.” Apollo got to his feet and held his hand out to her.
She didn’t want to dance. She didn’t feel like she belonged here in this scene right out of a fairy tale. Yet she couldn’t turn Apollo down. He’d obviously worked so very hard on this evening. And he’d done an amazing job. He thought of everything, down to the finest detail.
And it would be so easy to be swept away into the romantic evening. But how could she do that when she knew how she’d gotten here? She was living her sister’s life and being showered in baby smiles and giggles, when it was her sister who should be experiencing the joy of raising Seb.
The guilt weighed on her as she once again let Apollo guide her into his very strong, very capable arms. She lifted her gaze to thank him for such a wonderful evening, but when her gaze strayed across his mouth, she hesitated. Maybe it was the soft, lilting music in the background that had her thinking about lifting up on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his. Or maybe it was the way his thumb stroked the small of her back.
As though he could read her thoughts, he lowered his head and caught her lips with his own. Her heart jumped to her throat. This is what she wanted—what she’d longed for all through dinner. She wanted to lean into him and let herself get swept away. His kiss was gentle and coaxing. And it’d be so easy to forget everything except the way it felt to be in his arms...but she couldn’t.
It took all of her determination and a good amount of guilt to pull away from him. Though her heart and body yearned for the warmth of his touch and the heat of his kiss, she knew she couldn’t do this. She didn’t deserve this precious moment—a moment she’d gained at her sister’s grave expense.
Apollo gazed at her with confusion reflected in his eyes. “What’s wrong? If I moved too fast...if I went too far—”
“No. It’s not you. It’s me.” She realized the line was such a cliché, but that’s because it was very accurate, especially in this instance. She lowered her gaze to the ground. “If only you knew what I’ve done.”
Apollo stepped toward her and reached for her hand. “I can’t imagine anything you’ve done that can be that bad.”
“It’s worse than bad.” She pulled her hand away, refusing herself the comfort of his touch.
He cleared his throat. “Maybe you should tell me about it. Maybe we can figure out how to make it better.”
She wished. Boy, did she wish. “It’s not possible.”
He led her over to a bench in the shadows and sat down. She didn’t want to sit next to him because she knew if she did that the whole nightmare would come spilling out. But she’d had it bottled up for so long now. She should have told her mother, but what good would that have done? Her mother didn’t deserve to be burdened with the truth—her truth. It wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring her sister back.
But Apollo was different. He was looking at her as though he wanted more from this relationship than a casual flirtation. And she wanted something more too—something like a real family, a family that her sister and brother-in-law should have had.
And she just couldn’t let things go on like this.
“Talk to me, Popi.” Apollo’s voice was soft and comforting.
“You wouldn’t be so nice to me if you knew the truth.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” When the staff approached to clear their dinner dishes, he sent them away. There was no one around now but him, her and the looming truth. His gaze searched hers. “I promise. Nothing you could say will be bad enough to put that look of worry on your face.”
“You haven’t heard my story yet.”
“Then tell me.”
She searched for what to say—how to begin. “I... I don’t know how.”
“Sure you do.” He took her hand in his. His thumb lightly rubbed over her skin. “Start at the beginning.”
Ever since the baby had been born, she’d been so busy, and at night so tired that she’d been able to push aside the haunting memories. But now that the baby was on a normal schedule and she was feeling better than ever, the guilt had been eating at her.
“It started at the beginning of spring.” Her voice was unsteady as she attempted to keep her emotions in check. “My parents’ fiftieth anniversary was approaching. You do know that my sister and I were adopted?” When he nodded, she continued. “My parents were childhood sweethearts and had married as soon as it was legal. But when they went to have kids, they found that they couldn’t have them biologically. Which was lucky for my sister and me. But by the time my sister and I came along, our parents were older, not that it ever slowed them down.”
Apollo remained silent, but she was certain that when he said start at the beginning, he hadn’t meant to go this far back. But he’d realize shortly that it was all relevant. Or at least it had seemed so at the time.
“Anyway, with their golden anniversary quickly approaching, I wanted to do something super special for them—something they couldn’t do for themselves.”
“I’m sure anything you’d have done for them would have been appreciated.”
“I know. But I wanted—no, I needed—this event to go above and beyond the norm. I wanted to show them just how much they meant to me and my sister. But Andrina was distracted with planning for the baby. I tried splitting up all of tasks that needed to be done for the party, but my sister kept forgetting to do this or that.”
“Was this something unusual for her?”
Popi shrugged. “Not really. My sister wasn’t much of a planner. She liked to do things spur of the moment. Day planners were foreign objects to her.”
“And so she left all of the party preparations up
to you?”
“Yes. But I was busy with the island weddings, plus I had morning sickness.”
“You’d think your sister would be bending over backward to help you—what with you having her baby and all.”
“She was in the beginning. I think as the thought of a baby became the reality of having a baby, she got jealous.” Popi had never thought of it before, but looking back now as the pregnancy had progressed, Andrina had slipped into the shadows of her life. “It must have been so hard for her to face that I could have a baby when she couldn’t.”
“She’s lucky to have a sister like you. Not everybody would step up and have a baby for their sibling. You are special.”
Popi shook her head as though driving away his compliments. “Trust me. I’m not great.”
“So, what happened? Did you two have a fight?”
“Yes. But it gets worse.”
He tightened his hand around hers. “Go ahead. I promise nothing you say is going to drive me away.”
“That’s because you haven’t heard it yet.”
He placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her chin until their gazes me. “We’ll work through this together. Just like on the island, we can do anything together.”
She wanted to believe him. She truly did. But she knew this was going to be a game changer. And not in a good way, like the baby.
She drew in an unsteady breath as she turned her head to stare straight ahead into the black night. She just couldn’t bear to witness the disappointment, the hurt and the anger that would surely cross his handsome face.
She drew in a calming breath. “I had a lot going on that day. I’d been dealing with a rather difficult client who had gone full-blown bridezilla on me. Not that there’s any excuse for what I did.” She sighed deeply in resignation that nothing would undo the past, no matter how much she wished that it were so. “And by the time I spoke with my sister that evening, I was exhausted and had little patience.”
Claiming the Drakos Heir Page 14