Chrysander bent over her, his face close to her ear as he strained to see the monitor.
“Would you like to know what you’re having?” the doctor asked with a broad smile.
Chrysander looked at Marley, and she held her breath for a moment, excitement making her pulse race. “I do,” she whispered to Chrysander. “Do you?”
He smiled and brought her hand to his lips. “If that is what you wish, pedhaki mou. I, too, would like to know whether we’re having a son or a daughter.”
Marley turned her head to look at the doctor. “Yes, please. Tell us.”
She watched as the screen changed, blurring in and out as the probe moved over her belly. A few seconds later, the image slowed and then became clearer.
“Congratulations, you’re having a boy.”
Marley’s breath caught in her throat. “Is that him?” she whispered as she viewed what appeared to be two legs and round buttocks.
“Indeed it is. Handsome devil, isn’t he?”
“He’s beautiful,” Chrysander said huskily. He bent and brushed his lips across Marley’s cheek. “Thank you, pedhaki mou.”
She twisted to look up at him. “Why are you thanking me?”
“For my son.” His gaze was riveted to the screen, and delight shone deeply in his eyes. He was clearly enthralled with the tiny baby, and her heart squeezed with emotion.
“We’re finished here,” the doctor said.
Chrysander gently arranged Marley’s clothing and then put an arm behind her back to help her sit forward again.
“Was everything all right?” Chrysander asked the doctor.
“Quite so. Make sure she checks in with an obstetrician when you arrive in Greece. I don’t anticipate any problems. She and the baby appear perfectly healthy, but it’s a good idea if she has regular care during her pregnancy.”
“I’ve arranged for a private physician as well as a nurse to remain on the island as long as we do,” Chrysander said. “She will be well looked after.”
The doctor nodded his approval and then smiled at Marley. “Take care, young lady, and best wishes on your pregnancy.”
Marley returned his smile then took Chrysander’s hand as he helped her from the table. He ushered her out moments later and helped her into the waiting limousine.
“Are you feeling all right?” Chrysander asked as they pulled away. “The plane is waiting at the airport, but if you’re tired from your appointment we can take the flight after you’ve rested.”
“Are our bags already there?” she asked in surprise.
He nodded. “I had them brought over while you were at your appointment.”
“We can leave now. I can rest on the plane.”
He leaned forward to tell the driver to take them to the airport, and then he closed the privacy glass between them.
She gazed at him, suddenly a little shy. “Are you happy about our son, Chrysander?”
He looked startled by her question. Then he pulled her closer to him, until she was nearly in his lap. He cupped his hand to her belly and rubbed tenderly over the swell.
“Have I given you reason to think I am not happy about our child?”
She shook her head. “No, I just wondered. I mean, now that I know what I’m having, it suddenly seems so real.”
“I couldn’t be happier about our son. I would have loved a daughter just as well. As long as our child is healthy and safe, I am very content.”
“Yes, me, too.” She sighed. “Now if only I could remember, things would be so perfect. It’s been such a good day.”
He put a finger over her lips. “Don’t spoil it by lamenting over things that are out of your control. It will come. Don’t rush it.”
She grimaced. “You’re right. I just wish…”
“What do you wish, pedhaki mou?”
“I wish I could remember loving you,” she said quietly.
His eyes darkened, and for a moment, what she saw sent a shiver down her spine. There was such conflicted emotion in the golden orbs.
“Maybe you can learn to love me again,” he finally said.
She smiled. “You’re making it easy.” She settled against him, content. But then an uneasy thought assailed her. She’d spoken of loving him, something she couldn’t remember, but felt that she had, but there had been nothing said of his love for her. Not once had he voiced words of love, and shouldn’t they have come? When she was in the hospital. Weren’t reaffirmations of love common after a scare? Wouldn’t he seek to reassure her that he loved her when she couldn’t remember their life together?
She raised her head to ask him, to seek confirmation of that fact, but the question died on her lips when she saw his attention was already focused on the small television screen in the corner of the large compartment of the limousine.
She let the question die and contented herself with remaining snuggled into his body. The next thing she knew, they were arriving at the airport.
“We are here,” Chrysander said.
She nodded, and Chrysander stepped from the limousine. He reached in and helped her out, and she blinked as the bright sunshine hit her eyes. The wind blew, and she shivered against the slight chill.
Chrysander wrapped an arm around her and hurried her toward the waiting plane. The inside was warm and looked extremely comfortable.
As he guided her toward a seat, he said, “There is a bed in the back. Once we’ve taken off, you can go lie down.”
“That sounds lovely,” she said with a smile as he settled into the seat next to her. She turned and looked out the window and then glanced toward the front of the plane as she saw several of Chrysander’s security detail file into the cabin.
“Chrysander, why do you have so many security people?”
He stiffened beside her. “I am a very wealthy man. There are those who might seek to harm me…or those important to me.”
“Oh. Is the danger very high?” she asked as she turned her gaze on him.
“It is the job of my men to ensure there is no danger. Do not worry, Marley. I will see to the safety of you and our child.”
She frowned. “I didn’t mean to imply that you wouldn’t. I’m merely trying to understand your world.”
“Our world.” He stared pointedly at her. “It’s our world, Marley. One that you are very much a part of.”
A blush colored her cheeks. “I’m trying, Chrysander. I’m trying very hard. It’s difficult when I’m in a place but can’t remember any part of it. Please be patient with me.”
“If I spoke too harshly, then I apologize,” he said soothingly. He reached across her lap to pull her seat belt over her waist. With a click, he secured it then pulled it snug. “We’ll be taking off soon.”
A few minutes later, the plane began to move, and she settled back in her seat, trying not to think too hard about the uncertainty that lay ahead.
They landed at a small airstrip in Corinth several long hours later, and Chrysander helped her down the few steps onto the concrete runway. He urged her toward a waiting helicopter several feet away. When she looked questioningly at him, he leaned in close and said, “The island is a fifteen-minute ride by helicopter.”
She glanced appreciatively out the window of the helicopter as it rose over Corinth