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“You remembered the name.” Her eyes shined, and she interlaced her fingers with his.
“Of course I did. It’s been haunting me ever since you left that I’d thrown away not one important relationship, but possibly two.” He stood and pulled her hand to his chest. “You’ve changed me, Marianna. Fundamentally and irrevocably.”
“Come on, guys,” the other woman said. “Let’s give these lovebirds some peace.”
Marianna reached out and pressed her palm to his cheek as the others filtered into the house. The sweet gesture brought him back to life, erasing the hollowed-out feeling in his chest and easing the pressure on his heart. She traced the line of his jaw. “You’ve got a beard, now.”
“It’s not a beard. It’s just what happens if a Greek guy doesn’t shave for a couple of days.”
She smiled. “I like it.”
“Then I’ll never shave again.” He wrapped his arms around her softly, and she stepped closer, letting her rounded belly press against his. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“I walked away, Nico. Maybe it was selfish, but it was the action I chose because I couldn’t stand to be passive in my own life anymore.” She let out a little sigh. “But with that comes responsibility. We were apart as much because of me as because of you.”
He wasn’t sure how much to tell her, but he felt that this was the moment to share something real with Marianna. Because if he couldn’t do it now, then this whole gesture would be for nothing. “Alethea came to see me.”
“She did?” Marianna looked up at him with wide, curious eyes.
“I wish I could say it was because I went to her, but in reality she barged into my office and demanded I speak to her.”
Marianna smirked. “I like her.”
“I’m trying to forgive her for what happened,” he said. “And to forgive Kosta for kicking me out. And to forgive myself for being heartbroken.”
“That’s wonderful, Nico.”
“I didn’t want to bring my little girl into this world while I had a heart full of hatred and resentment.” He pressed his forehead down to hers. “You helped me to see that.”
“So that’s it? We’re married for real now?”
“If you’ll have me.”
She stared into his eyes, holding his gaze in such a way that it felt more intimate than anything he’d ever done before. But that was Marianna in a nutshell—she busted down his walls and forced him to see things in a new light.
He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her as gently as though she was made of crystal. But Marianna fisted her hands in his hair and demanded more. She opened her mouth and let her tongue slide against his, her hips desperately rubbing against him.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
“I’ve missed you too.” He brushed a thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. “But I really don’t want to do anything with your brothers in the house.”
“We don’t have to go into the house,” she said cheekily.
“I don’t care if we have to wait. I’m just happy I didn’t lose you.” He kissed her again, long and searching, until he wanted to explode from how right it felt. “We’ve got years ahead of us. Plenty of time to make love.”
“Plenty of rooms in our house, too,” she said with a smirk. “I want to have you in every single one.”
“My wife, the siren.”
“Your wife.” She grinned. “I’ll never grow tired of hearing that.”
Epilogue
Five months later…
“Are you ready?” Nico asked as he walked into the nursery. The walls were painted pink and yellow, with one covered in wallpaper featuring a pattern of tiny koalas and gum leaves. Katherine was painted in scrolling letters across the side of a crib.
Marianna looked up, her hands bracing her back. “Not even a little bit. I packed up all my materials at the language center yesterday, but it’s surreal. I can’t believe it’s almost time.”
Her stomach pressed against the soft, black fabric of her maxi dress. Her due date was a mere forty-eight hours away, and they were both on pins and needles, jumping at any slight twinge in her belly. Anxiety and excitement and anticipation filled the Gallinas household, and it would not dissipate until the baby arrived. Probably not even after that.
“I thought we should add one more thing to the room.” He placed the porcelain cat on the chest of drawers, where a photo of the two of them sat. They’d taken it in Paris on their “babymoon,” their smiles so wide they looked like kids in a candy store.
“If you think that’s going to stop me hiding it around the house, you’re sorely mistaken.” Her lip quirked into a cheeky smile. “I haven’t run out of spots yet!”
“It’s the only thing I have to hand down to her,” he said.
Marianna’s smile slipped. She’d known that Nico’s mind was stuck on his lack of family as the due date neared. Some days he opened up, and other days he retreated into his shell…and Marianna let him. It would take years to heal his wounds, and sometimes that meant he needed to be alone with his memories.
