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“But you do not want a house that could accommodate this?” he asked.
“I like the penthouse. I l
ike especially that it’s so easy for you to come home to.”
Understanding flared in his gorgeous gaze. “You think if we buy a house that will require any sort of commute that I will not come home as often?”
“Yes. Even Palaio Psychico would require a fifteen-minute drive in good traffic.” If they moved there, her super busy tycoon husband would have no hope of popping in for lunch when his schedule had an extra hour in it.
“And that is thirty minutes more than you want to spend away from me each day?” he asked, sounding pleased rather than like he thought she was needy and demanding.
Which gave her the courage for honesty. “Closer to an hour with you coming home in congested traffic, but yes.”
“And perhaps you are worried that if I have to work late into the evening, I will be tempted to stay here rather than drive to our home?” he guessed.
She shrugged. They both knew that was more probability than possibility.
“I assure you that it would never happen.”
That was nice of him to say, but she had her doubts.
They must have shown on her face because he frowned. “In essence, you do not want to pick out your dream home here in Athens because you do not trust me to place a priority to spend time there with you and our children?”
He wasn’t sounding so pleased now.
“You’re a workaholic, Alexandros. Pretending otherwise won’t change the truth.”
“I explained that.”
“You explained not being around for my first pregnancy. And I understand it now, even if I wish you’d been forthcoming at the time. But Alexandros, you have always worked long hours. Since our move to the villa, you spent at least one night every week here in the penthouse. Sometimes multiple nights.”
“That cannot be true.” Now he was giving her the look, the one that said she was too demanding and needy.
Polly pulled her defenses around her, reminding herself this was why she could no longer trust him with her love. “If you don’t believe me, look at your pilot’s log. It will show you the truth.”
He grabbed his phone, she was sure, doing exactly that. He no doubt thought he would prove her wrong, but his expression changed to one of chagrin as he read the pilot’s log.
She waited in silence for him to acknowledge the truth.
He put the phone down, his expression easily read. Her super smart, super competitive husband did not like being wrong.
“Well,” she prompted.
“Not every week.” He sighed. “But as good as. And I now realize I spent multiple nights here in the penthouse far more often than I should have.”
She said nothing. She’d known that. She hadn’t needed to read the pilot’s log. Why? Because she had missed Alexandros when he was gone. Obviously, he had not been as afflicted, not even realizing how much time he spent away from her and Helena.
“Nevertheless, a fifty-minute helicopter ride is not the same as a fifteen-minute drive,” he claimed in the growing silence between them.
“But an unnecessary commute, in any case.”
“We cannot do the type of entertaining expected of a man of my stature in the penthouse.”
“We still have the villa. We can continue to entertain there when necessary and host the local events at the same facilities we’ve used in the past.”
“But that was when our home was in the country. We are talking about my family living full-time in Athens.”
“So, buying a house here in Athens is about your consequence?” she asked quietly, not surprised, but a little disappointed by that fact.
