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‘It is if you don’t understand the importance of a father in a child’s life,’ Theo said. ‘My son will not grow up under a different roof from his father. He will always know that I love him unequivocally and unconditionally. He will never, ever doubt my love for a single second of his life.’
Kerry stared up at him, feeling the passion in his voice rumbling through to her very soul. She knew that he meant every word that he said. He’d only known his son for an hour but already his love for him was burning brightly, shining out like a beacon.
Out of nowhere she felt tears welling in her eyes, and she turned away so that Theo wouldn’t see them. How could she deny her son such powerful love?
She didn’t even know who her father was. She had never felt love as all-encompassing as the love Theo was expressing for her son. How could she deny Lucas that?
‘Lucas needs both his mother and his father,’ Theo said. ‘Despite the fact that you have tried to keep me out of his life, I can see how much you love him. I love him too, and want what’s best for him. That means we must marry.’
Kerry blinked to clear her eyes, then turned back to face Theo.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘I will marry you.’
The following day they flew back to Greece. Theo took them to the family’s private island residence, saying that the peaceful isolation would be ideal for father and son to get to know each other.
Kerry could see the benefit of staying somewhere quiet, because Theo was always busy when they were staying in one of his many hotels. But it would mean that he was free to spend every minute with them, making it impossible for her to relax and let down her guard.
The only respite for Kerry that day was the time he spent on the telephone, enquiring after Drakon’s health. He was still determined to acquire the old man’s island, and did not intend to let the slightest window of opportunity pass him by.
The next day, despite his good intentions to spend time with Lucas, Theo found he had to return to Athens on business. Kerry was secretly pleased. As she watched the helicopter take off she felt the knot of tension in her stomach start to ease. They’d spent most of the previous day travelling, and she was exhausted. And on top of that the atmosphere between them had become increasingly strained, making her feel that more trouble was brewing.
It was a welcome relief to spend the day playing with Lucas on her own. In the afternoon she decided to take him swimming. The huge infinity pool, where Theo habitually pounded through length after length, seemed far too big for them. But there was a smaller, child-friendly pool, shaded by an awning on one side. It seemed much more suitable for splashing about in with the six-month-old.
Kerry looked at the choice of swimwear that the housekeeper, Sara, had laid out on the bed for her—there was nothing but bikinis. At home, when she took Lucas to the local pool, she always wore a one-piece costume, but she had forgotten to bring it. Pregnancy had taken its toll on her body, and she wasn’t completely back to her previous shape. And, to make matters worse, the lower part of her stomach was covered with red stretch marks.
Being on her own, she hadn’t thought about them much. She’d always been too busy taking care of Lucas or working. Now, even though Theo was away in Athens, she was reluctant to leave her stomach uncovered. But she didn’t want Lucas to miss out, so she slipped on a bikini, wrapped a towel around herself and carried him outside.
The water was gorgeous—just the right temperature and crystal-clear.
‘Do you like that?’ She laughed as Lucas giggled and splashed while she walked around the pool, pulling him through the water. He was already kicking his legs strongly, and she had a feeling that he would grow up to be a powerful swimmer—like his father.
After a while she took him over to the wide shallow steps that led into the pool and set him down on the top step, up to his waist in water. She sat on the step below, holding him up so that he could play safely with the little boats and balls she had found.
She knew the toys must belong to Nicco, and that made her think about Hallie and Corban. She deeply regretted what had happened on her last night in Athens, and she was nervous about seeing them again. But as they were away, travelling around Europe, she wouldn’t have to face them for some time.
‘Here’s the little boat,’ she said, floating the toy Lucas was playing with back towards him. He squealed with delight and batted it again, making a big splash. ‘It’s blue,’ she said. ‘A blue boat.’
She found herself thinking about her decision to marry Theo. It was always there, in the back of her mind, and it had been weighing on her constantly.
She was worried that she was taking a risk—that their marriage might be part of Theo’s plan to get Lucas away from her. Once he’d established himself firmly as Lucas’s father, maybe he intended to cut her out of his life. She knew that he’d encouraged Corban to take Nicco away from Hallie.
But, from the impassioned way he’d talked about a child needing both his parents, she didn’t truly think that he would do that to Lucas and her.
The situation with Hallie had been different. Theo had been concerned that she was not a fit mother. Even though in Kerry’s eyes that didn’t justify his intended actions, she could understand his motivation. It also meant that she knew that she must never give Theo any grounds to doubt her own ability as a mother.
Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of a helicopter caught her attention. She looked up and saw that it was leaving the island—she must have been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard it arrive. Theo was back on the island.
‘I managed to get away earlier than I expected.’ His voice right behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin.
‘Hello.’ She twisted round and looked up at him. He loomed over her, dressed in a dark business suit, with dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. His hair was ruffled from the helicopter’s downdraft, and he had loosened his tie, but he didn’t look remotely approachable. In fact he looked even more steely than usual, and the knot of tension started to tighten inside her again.
‘I’ll change, then come and join you in the water,’ he said.
‘No!’ Kerry’s voice squeaked unnaturally high in response to Theo’s words. The idea of being semi-naked with him in the pool sent a wave of panic through her. ‘No—I mean, we’re coming out now. Lucas is getting tired.’
Then, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she remembered her stretch marks. She didn’t want Theo to see them. They were unattractive, and she was already self-conscious of the way her body had changed after her pregnancy. She couldn’t get out with him standing there—she’d left the only towel on the sun lounger a couple of metres away.
‘Would you pass me that towel?’ she asked, thinking that she could hold Lucas against her shoulder as she stood up and let the towel drape across his body and down past her stomach. She looked up at Theo expectantly—there was no reason he shouldn’t do as she’d asked—but she got the impression that he wasn’t really listening. The expression on his face seemed intense, but she had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. ‘The towel?’ she repeated hopefully.
