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"But why would you?"
"She told me that last night was nothing more than a regular dinner date that you would not mind canceling."
"She was wrong, but I hardly see how that would lead you to fire her."
"As my personal assistant, there is no way she could be unaware of such a significant date. When I realized this, I had to ask myself what other lies she had told me about you. The more I thought about it, the more I realized there have been many. Since she seems to be the only person who believes you are anything like Andrea Demakis, it follows she lied about that as well."
He did not know why he had forgotten his lovely wife, but if she was the wife from Hades, he was Santa Claus.
Eden swallowed, blinking back more tears. "She was trying to destroy our marriage."
He could not doubt her view of events. Nothing else made sense in the circumstances. "For a long time?" he asked.
"Since the beginning."
"Why?"
"She wants you."
"I do not want her."
Eden looked unconvinced.
He could not fault her for that. He had taken Kassandra's part on more than one occasion since he woke from his coma. He did not know how to explain to Eden the vulnerability he had felt in a world where everyone around him knew a piece of the puzzle that remained a mystery to him…his wife. He had relied on a woman he thought he knew and could trust.
"I am sorry I let her influence me and hurt you."
"You believed she was your friend."
"Only she wanted more than friendship."
"According to her, you had it."
"Once…we had a very short affair about three years ago."
"Right around when we met."
"I broke it off. If it was before or after we met, I do not know, but I do know that I would not sleep with two women at the same time."
His wife nodded, though doubt still haunted her soft gray eyes. "I'll talk to Rachel about leaving Theo with her for our date."
Relief that was out of proportion to her acceptance surged through him. "Surely we have someone who can watch him here."
"I prefer family and so does Rachel…it's worked out well for us in the past."
"You are saying you rarely leave Theo." He smiled, thoroughly approving.
"That's not what I was saying, but it is true."
"Sebastian told me that the trip to New York was the first one you accompanied me on. Was that your decision, or mine?"
"Yours."
His jaw clenched. That is what he had thought from everything that had been said, but he had to be sure. "I see. And you did not mind?"
She turned her head away. "I would rather not answer that."
"Why not?" Damn it, there was so much he did not know.
"It may not have occurred to you, but there is a lot of humiliation for me in our current situation."
"Why should you be humiliated?"
"You're brilliant…everyone says so. You figure it out."
Just then Theo demanded her attention by grabbing her shirt and lifting himself to stand in front of her.
She turned back to their baby. "You're going to be walking soon, aren't you?" she asked with a smile and her heart full of love for her beautiful son.
Frustrated by the interruption, but glad for the progress that had been made, Aristide said, "If he does, heaven help us."
She laughed, the sound not quite natural. "He is one energetic little bundle."
Remembering what it had been like at his brother's that morning when he had gone to pick up Theo, he said, "I cannot imagine having two like Sebastian and Rachel do. Not yet, anyway."
She went all stiff again. "You always said you wanted a half-dozen children."
"Spaced appropriately apart, it is my fondest wish."
Eden put her earrings on with trembling fingers. It took three tries to get the diamond teardrops in place. She was going on a date with her husband and more nervous than a teenager going to her first prom.
He was going to fire Kassandra.
She couldn't take it in. When Eden had criticized his P.A. in New York before he lost his memory, he had staunchly stood up for the other woman. Now, without any prompting from Eden, he was suddenly willing to give Kassandra the heave-ho…all because she had lied and Aristide realized it.
He had no memory of the importance of their anniversary dinner date, but he'd reasoned that Kassandra would. Eden smiled. He really did have a brilliant brain, even if he couldn't figure out why it would bother her to expose the depth of her feeling in contrast to his.
She wished she knew if he was getting rid of the other woman because she had hurt Eden, or because a liar could not be trusted. Eden hoped it was at least a little bit of the former.
Regardless, the wicked witch was being banished and Aristide showed every evidence of truly wanting to make their marriage work. Eden had not been able to accomplish so much in over a year of marriage.
She felt like dancing around the room in celebration.
Okay, so there was a strong possibility that Kassandra would talk her way out of being fired. The woman was a master at circumventing Aristide's good intentions, but Eden didn't want to dwell on that unpleasant possibility. Her husband was too smart to go on being taken in by his personal assistant, no matter how good a liar she was.
Eden went back to her preparations, but a sudden thought froze her in the act of applying a light coat of mascara. If he remembered her and their past together, would he go back to being the way he'd been before the accident? Would their marriage once again take a backseat to his business?
She would rather she remained the forgotten wife than have that happen.
Aristide took her to their favorite restaurant and regardless of how he had discovered which one it was, she appreciated the effort.
She smiled at him as they were seated at their usual table. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"Does it have special memories?" For once the reminder of his selective amnesia did not hurt.
"Yes. The man who owns it has a brother who migrated to New York. We ate at his restaurant on our first date and many times after. You brought me here the first time to celebrate seeing our baby through ultrasound. When you told me the relationship to the other restaurant, I cried like an idiot."
His sexy blue gaze melted her. "I bet I loved it."
She laughed. "As a matter of fact, you did. You hate unhappy tears, but seem to get a very perverse pleasure out of making me cry for sentimental reasons."
He reached across the table and took her hand. "Maybe I just like making you happy."
"Then why did you leave me behind when you traveled?" she asked in a voice laced with remembered hurt, then felt instant guilt.
No way could he know the answer to that one. If she didn't watch out, she was going to ruin the present with pain from the past.
But he didn't look upset by her question. His face wore its usual expression of casual self-assurance. "I do not know. When we were in New York, you said you did not think I was ready for marriage and perhaps you were right. However, I am content to be married now."
"Does that mean you won't travel so much?"
"I have no desire to be separated from you and Theo for long periods of time."
Which wasn't a direct answer, but was a whole lot more promising than his former attitude. Only, how could he be content to be married now when he had been so intent on maintaining emotional independence before? He barely knew her…so what was the difference? Had there been something about her that he had been unable to connect to on an intimate level before? More importantly, would he rediscover that something the more time they spent together now?
"Suddenly you look terrified, yineka mou. Tell me what is frightening you. I do not think it is the prospect of spending more time with me," he said with teasing confidence.
"You called me your woman."
"My wife, my woman., .you are both of these things, are you not?"
"Yes, but you said before that I didn't feel that way to you. That you did not feel like a husband."
"We made love," he said as if that should explain it all— and maybe for him, it did.
Men could be so basic and, for all his sophistication, Aristide had a primitive streak in his character a mile wide.
His thumb brushed her palm and he smiled with predatory intent. "Do not think you will sidetrack me from my question. What had you looking so afraid?"
She bit her lip, thoroughly seduced by this man who had showed more interest in her emotional condition in two days than he had the entire time they had been lovers and then married. "What if you change?"
"Why should I?"
When she told him her reasoning, he frowned. "I know you a lot better than you think I do. Whatever prompted my behavior before, it was not a flaw in your character I am yet to find."
