not feeling well.”
She wasn’t. Not exactly. But for once it had nothing to do with nausea. She sensed he still didn’t trust her, and could cry her eyes out after the lovely meal at the restaurant, where he’d been more like...like Dev. “I’m fine.”
Stephanie turned her back while he dealt with the saleswoman, then they left the shop.
He laid the dress and veil on top of the other packages before they left for the clinic, which appeared to be closer to the port.
When they went inside to Reception, they learned that Dr. Panos was operating and wouldn’t be available. Not to be thwarted, Nikos made an appointment for her for September 1, a full workup.
With that accomplished, they drove to the parking area at the dock. He let her take a few bags, but he carried the rest, along with her wedding finery. Nikos should have brought his cane and let her do more to help, but that infernal pride of his got in the way.
Odd how she hadn’t seen it manifest itself when they’d been on vacation. He’d been so mellow and easygoing then. She longed for that time to come back, but it never would.
Once he’d carried everything to her bedroom, he told her he’d be on the phone in the lounge if she needed him. For the next little while Stephanie removed the tags from her purchases and put them away in the closet and dresser.
She checked her watch. It was going on five o’clock. By this time tomorrow they would have been married an hour already.
She supposed she should try on her wedding dress, but for the moment she was too tired, and she’d need a shower first. Emotional fatigue had set in. Maybe later, after she got ready for bed, she’d take it out of the plastic cover and see how it looked on her.
With a sigh she removed her jeans, which were too tight, and lay down on the bed for a minute. She turned on her side, while her hand went automatically to the little bulge, which was definitely getting bigger. Tears trickled out of the corners of her eyes.
“All this is for you, my darling. Are you a little Alex who will be impossibly handsome like your father and turn the head of every girl? Or are you a beautiful little Melitta with flashing black eyes and hair like your daddy? Maybe by my next appointment, or the next, I’ll know what to call you.”
WHEN IT GOT to be seven, Nikos hung up the phone with the florist who would bring some flowers to the church tomorrow. All he had left to do was buy a ring. He’d do it in the morning, after Yannis came on board and Nikos had done his exercises.
Now that he’d taken care of everything he could, he got up and walked down the corridor to Stephanie’s bedroom. He knocked, but couldn’t hear any noise. Since he would have noticed if she’d gone up on deck, he knocked again.
Was she sick? She’d eaten more at lunch than he’d expected. Though he was relieved to see she had an appetite, he worried. Being very quiet, he turned the handle and opened the door a crack.
What he saw made his heart fail. Stephanie had removed her jeans and left them on the floor where she’d stepped out of them. Could he hope it was because they were too tight?
She was out for the count, with her long gorgeous legs uncovered. Jet lag had caught up to her. Her gilt-blond hair splayed out on the pillow. He’d seen this sight before, when she hadn’t been wearing any clothes.
The memories came rushing back, increasing the ache for her that had never gone away. Before he lost control, he closed the door and went to the galley to fix himself a cup of coffee and throw a salad together. Anything to keep busy. When she awakened, he assumed she’d want some dinner.
Nikos had just added the feta cheese when she appeared in the doorway. He shot her a glance. She was wearing a new pair of jeans and one of the flowered print blouses she’d picked out, this one in aqua and white. He noticed that she’d brushed her hair. Beneath the light it shone a silvery-gold, and given those dazzling blue eyes of hers, he’d never seen a woman with such fabulous coloring.
“At last.”
“I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”
“You’re still catching up. Are you hungry?”
“I am, if you can believe it. I just took another pill to make sure I stay feeling good.”
“It seems to be working. Come all the way in and join me.”
He’d already set the galley table with fresh fruit and rolls, plus apple juice and water for her. After serving the salad, he poured himself coffee and sat down opposite her. She reached for the water first and drank a full glass before eating a roll.
“The hot weather this time of year will get to you if you don’t stay hydrated.”
“So I’ve noticed. I’ll start carrying a bottle around with me. Thank you for fixing dinner, but I hope you know I don’t expect to be waited on.”
“I enjoyed fixing our prenuptial meal.”
She ate some of her salad, then rested her fork on the plate. “Speaking of our wedding, I’d like to explain about today. I didn’t want to leave the impression that the white sundress wasn’t good enough to wear at the church.”
“You owe me no explanation.”
“Yes, I do.” She wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “The clerk at the boutique mirrored my surprise, but she shouldn’t have said anything.”
“It’s fortunate she did. As I understand it, the wedding day is for the bride.”
Defeated by his attitude, she said, “You’re right. Women are hopeless romantics in that department, but for me it’s more than that. I know you wanted to keep the marriage simple, and I would have been perfectly happy with that if I wasn’t pregnant, and our situation was different.”
“What do you mean, different?” His question came out sounding like ripping silk, alarming her.
“We’re not marrying for the normal reason and I’ve been thinking about the baby. When it’s old enough, our child will want to see pictures of the wedding. Blame it on me for wanting to give it everything I was denied.
“I’m sure there are wedding pictures at your parents’ home, of them in their finery. A child wants to see what its mother and father looked like on that special day, the way they wore their hair, what they were wearing. The moment I opened the closet in the extra bedroom, I could envision you in the navy blue uniform.”
She leaned toward him excitedly. “Think what it would mean to our child to see you in it on your wedding day. He or she will know about your injury and why you had to leave the service earlier than you’d planned. It’ll be preserving a piece of history.
“I have no history from my father, but you can leave some for our child. That’s why I chose the dress in the bridal shop with the long lace veil. I know it was expensive, but the sundress wouldn’t do justice to your uniform. There’s nothing like a handsome man in his dress blues. Any woman would tell you the same thing.”
“Stephanie—”
She took a quick breath. “Don’t deny it. You are exceptional, Nikos. My friends on the island never did get over you. The girl in the bridal shop couldn’t take her eyes off you, either. Our son or daughter will be so proud of you and the honorable way you served your country.”
Nikos jumped up from the table, too full of conflicting emotions to sit there any longer. He’d leaped to the wrong conclusion after she’d chosen the most expensive gown in the shop. How easily his trust had worn thin. But he’d been remembering the conversation with his father.
You’ve never looked at Natasa or any woman the way you’re looking at this female viper. I admit she’s devilishly ravishing in that American