If he found out my condition, he would wonder if the state of my health affected my suitability as a mother. Unlike my mother, my flaws weren’t outward. For the precious time being, I could hang on to that.
As for when I couldn’t…
‘All you need to know is that Andreos is yours and I’m prepared to return to Greece. If that’s what you want?’
His nostrils flared and his gaze raked my face for long sizzling seconds before his lips twisted. ‘Oh, yes, wife. The time has most definitely come for that. And whatever it is that you’re keeping from me, rest assured, I’ll find out.’
With that he stepped back.
Thinking he was going to leave me to grapple with the turmoil his unexpected arrival had caused, I watched, my heart speeding like a freight train, as he headed to the cot where Andreos slept.
Silence disturbed only by the slow stirring of the ceiling fan throbbed in the room as Axios stared down at the son he hadn’t accepted was his. His jaw clenched tight and his throat moved convulsively as he watched the rise and fall of the baby’s chest.
He remained frozen for so long I feared he’d take root there. When he turned abruptly and tugged a sleek phone from his pocket my senses tripped.
‘What are you doing?’
Eyes the colour of a stormy sky met mine as he hit a number and lifted the handset to his ear. ‘Getting the answers I need.’
The sharp orders he gave in Greek when the phone was answered didn’t surprise me. The irony that the one truth I’d told him was the one he was having a hard time accepting wasn’t lost on me. But, conversely, I understood. I too had wondered why fate would choose to lay both joy and sorrow on me in one fell swoop, leaving me with a choice that had seemed both simple and terrifying.
After all, my actions pointed to behaviour that would’ve left me suspicious too. And, considering what my own mother had done for the sake of freedom and love—an act that was an open secret in Nicrete—I didn’t blame Axios for wanting to verify that the baby he’d helped create was truly his.
When he was done making an appointment for his private doctor to visit his home in Athens the moment he returned, to take DNA samples for a paternity test, he hung up, his piercing regard staying on me as he tucked his phone away.
I ignored the blatant challenge and asked the question more important to me. ‘Is it going to hurt him?’
For the most fleeting second the charged look in his eyes dissipated. ‘No. I’m told all it requires is a swab from his cheek.’
I nodded. ‘Very well, then.’
He frowned, my easy acquiescence seemingly throwing him. But his face returned to its formidable hauteur in moments, and his strides were purposeful as he strode to the house phone and picked it up.
Before he dialled he turned to me. ‘Is the child okay to travel on a plane?’
‘The child’s name is Andreos. And I’d thank you not to make any plans without discussing them with me first.’
A muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘Why? Did you not tell me that you intended to return to Greece?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘When exactly were you proposing to do that? When he was a year old? When he was five or perhaps ten?’ he grated out.
The cold embrace of knowing that time wasn’t on my side stalled my answer for several seconds. ‘I was thinking days—not months or years. My booking at this resort is only for a week. I was going to fly back to Athens from here.’
His lips flattened. ‘I don’t plan on leaving you behind, Calypso. My good faith where you’re concerned is gone. When I fly out of here in three hours you and the child will be by my side. And that state will continue until such time as you choose to come completely clean about your actions for the past year or I furnish myself with the information.’
After that, there really wasn’t much more to say.
Moments after Axios left my suite the head concierge arrived with instructions to get as many staff as I needed to help me pack. I almost laughed, considering my meagre belongings and everything Andreos needed could fit in one small suitcase.
I dismissed the staff and was done with my packing in twenty minutes. The rest of the time I spent sitting beside Andreos’s cot, hoping against hope that my time with him going forward would be just as peaceful as the past precious months had been. Because I didn’t intend to be separated from him for a second. Time was too precious. Too special. And I would fight for every moment.
As if aware he was at the centre of my thoughts, he stirred and woke, his face remaining solemn for a few seconds before a toothless smile creased his chubby face. Blinking back the tears of joy that just looking at him prompted, I scooped him up and cradled him close.
By the time Axios knocked on the door we were both ready.
After another taut spell of staring at Andreos with turbulent eyes, he eyed the single suitcase with grating consternation. ‘This is all you have?’
‘I believe in travelling light.’
His expression darkened. ‘What about safety equipment for the baby? A car seat?’
‘I find it easier to hire what I require as and when I need it. And, before you disparage my methods, I research and make sure everything I use is of the highest safety standard.’
His gaze remained on me for another second before he nodded at the porter.
My suitcase was quickly stowed on a sleek private boat. Within minutes my last sanctuary had become a dot on the horizon.
I’d forgotten just how ruthlessly efficient Axios Xenakis could be. I received another rude reminder when, upon our arrival at the jetty, a smiling courier presented me with a gleaming state-of-the-art buggy and car seat combo, already assembled.
I braced my hand on Andreos’s back, tugged him closer to where he nestled snugly in his papoose. ‘That won’t be necessary. The airline I’m flying with will have all the equipment I need.’
Axios stepped forward and took hold of the pushchair. ‘You think I’m going to let you out of my sight now I’ve found you?’
‘But I have a ticket—’
‘And I have a private jet.’
Of course he did.
I’d blocked so many things out of my mind for the sake of pure survival. But the world had kept on turning. Axios had remained a powerful mogul with looks that weakened women’s knees. And, as a billionaire who commanded an airline empire, didn’t it stand to reason he’d possess his own plane?
A short SUV ride later we arrived at the private area of the airport, where an obscenely large aircraft bearing the unique Xenakis family logo stood gleaming resplendently beneath the French Polynesian sun.
‘So what’s it to be? Athens or Agistros?’ he asked silkily.
I stared at him in surprise. ‘You’re giving me a choice?’ It was more than he had the last time. More than my father ever had. Not that I planned on reading anything into it.
He shrugged. ‘The location doesn’t matter. Whichever you choose will be home. For all of us,’ he added succinctly.
I chose Athens.
A mere twenty-four hours later we drove through the imposing gates of Axios’s jaw-dropping villa. A different set of staff greeted us, and an even more opulent set of adjoining master suites had been readied for the prodigal wife’s return.
I was standing in the middle of cream and gold opulence when I felt his presence behind me. Not wanting to look into those hypnotising eyes, I kept still, my precious bundle safely tucked in my arms.