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; For answer, his baby kicked hard. Vanessa winced, and said breathlessly, ‘With a kick like that he has to be a boy—and a footballer as well, I think.’
‘Do you know? Whether it’s a girl or a boy?’ Markos asked, his hand lifting away.
She shook her head. ‘I didn’t want to know. Would—would you prefer a boy?’
For answer, he leant across and kissed her softly.
‘This one can be anything it wants,’ he said. ‘And, whichever it is, we’ll get a second chance to get whatever it isn’t with our next child.’
‘Next child?’ Her eyes were uncertain.
‘Only is lonely,’ he said. ‘Leo was the closest I ever got to a brother. If you are willing, I would fill our house with children. And every one of them…’ his eyes looked deep into hers ‘…every one would be blessed by the best mother in the world. As I—’he kissed her softly again ‘—would be blessed by the best wife in the world—if she will have me. Vanessa, you set me afire in the first moment I saw you, fighting off those pests in Paris. I wanted you then, and I went on wanting you, even when I was so arrogant and took you for granted; even when I was so stupid and drove you away. I went on wanting you even when you’d left me and didn’t want me near you or our baby. Even when you threw me out, I just went on wanting you. And it isn’t just your beauty, even though it still sets me afire, and it isn’t just my desire for you, though it consumes me. It’s you, Vanessa, and your loving heart, you that I love so much I don’t know what else to do except beg you to marry me, if you will. And if you won’t, then please let me just be with you. As close as you will let me come.’
Her eyes filled with tears again.
‘Oh, Markos—you’re here already, in my heart. You’ll always be there. Nothing can take you out. It hurt so much to leave you, but I knew I had to do it, that there could be no future. You didn’t want to marry me, or to have a baby, and you didn’t even think it was yours—’
‘Don’t. Oh, God, if I could unsay those words—’
‘But even then I went on loving you, Markos. I knew I shouldn’t. I had to tear you out of my heart. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t.’
He drew her to him, sliding his arm around her shoulders..
‘I’m so glad you couldn’t.’ He rested her head against him, one hand holding hers in his lap. ‘Will you marry me before Bump arrives?’
‘We’ve only got a few weeks,’ she said.
He dropped a kiss on her nose.
‘I’ll get Taki and Stelios on to it straight away. I’m sure they can get it sorted.’
‘Or,’ she retorted dryly, ‘we could just organise it ourselves.’
He kissed her nose again. ‘If you insist. It might even be fun, organising a wedding.’
‘Just a little wedding,’ said Vanessa. ‘A very quiet one. With just the two of us.’
Carefully, Vanessa swung her legs out of the low-slung car and let Markos draw her to her feet.
‘A taxi might have been easier,’ she remarked.
Markos glanced ruefully at his low, long red monster, growling at the kerb.
‘I’m making the most of this car,’ he replied. ‘Once Bump is out and about we’ll need something bigger. Probably one of those SUVs, with its own trailer for all the nappies!’
He went back to the driver’s seat to park the car, then came back to his bride, waiting for him by the entrance to the town’s register office. A few passers-by glanced at her—she was difficult to miss now, especially in a cream silk tent—but Markos’s car got most of the attention.
Until, that was, as Markos was about to lead his bride into the register office, the sound of rotors distracted them. They both looked up, and so did the people on the pavements.
The noise increased, and a brisk breeze started to blow that was not the prevailing sea wind.
‘What—?’
Markos’s words were drowned as something swarmed over the top of the building like a giant, angry wasp, sweeping over the roof and heading for the town park on to which the register office faced. At the same time a policeman on a motorcycle pulled up, dismounted, and strode into the park, gesturing with his arms for the central grassy patch to be cleared.
People duly scattered, everyone craning their necks to the buzzing, hovering helicopter.
