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At the same time, she ruminated, that prenup agreement she had signed would have to be updated and changed to reflect the major alteration that had taken place in their relationship. Letty looked forward to that. Even when she had believed that she and Leo would never have a normal marriage, it had gone against the grain to sign any document that sanctioned his infidelity. On that soothing thought of what she viewed as an innate wrong being righted, she went to sleep.
When the phone beside the bed rang in the early hours, Letty, inured to wake-up calls and early rising, answered it immediately before it could disturb Leo. It was one of the nannies. Popi had had a bad dream and was inconsolable. Letty crept out of bed and rustled in her suitcase for sensible clothes before allowing herself a last glance at Leo as he slept in a lazy sprawl that had left her sleeping on the far edge of the bed. She smiled as she hurriedly brushed her hair. Even asleep Leo looked gorgeous, a rumpled sheet barely covering his bronzed and muscular length, his black hair and his stubbled jawline very dark against the pale bedding. She brushed her teeth, regretted that she dared not waste time taking a shower and padded out of the beach house to be greeted by Darius, who looked equally tired at the wheel of the beach buggy that would take her up to the villa.
Popi had got herself really worked up and it took time to calm her, and her sobs had wakened Sybella, who curled up at the foot of the bed once Letty arrived and quietly went back to sleep. Letty rocked Popi until she had recovered enough to make herself understood and then it all came flooding out: the argument she had had with her mother the night of the accident, her fear that her bad behaviour could have somehow caused the tragedy. Letty soothed her with the truth that nothing could’ve changed events that fatal night and the assurance that her loving mother would’ve understood her daughter’s disappointment at not being allowed to accompany her parents to the hospital to collect her baby brother and bring him home for the first time.
Leo woke at dawn and sat up, surprised to find himself in an empty bed and then furious, stalking into the shower to cool off before pulling on jeans and a shirt. Letty would be with the children, he knew that, but he also knew that they needed to spend alone time as a couple and if she couldn’t even go a few hours without checking in with the kids, how were they going to get to know each other? Righteously annoyed, Leo left the beach house and found Darius seated bleary-eyed with lack of sleep on a chair on the veranda.
‘Popi had a nightmare,’ Darius told him. ‘The nanny phoned before I could advise her not to.’
‘Go to bed, Darius. You don’t need to be on call twenty-four-seven here on the island,’ Leo responded ruefully.
‘I stayed up to try and prevent you from shooting yourself in the foot,’ his oldest friend admitted ruefully.
‘And how am I going to do that?’
‘You have to share her with the kids and you’re accustomed to women who make you the centre of their world,’ Darius remarked warily.
‘There speaks the father,’ Leo quipped, for Darius had three children.
Darius stood up and grimaced. ‘Children change the dynamics of things,’ he said wryly.
Leo knew all about how the arrival of children changed life, but it still bothered him that Darius had stayed out of bed to intercept him before he confronted Letty for sneaking off before their wedding night was even over. Did he seem that intolerant? Was he, in fact, spoiled by too many women who had unquestioningly put him first? Was he suffering from wounded pride? After all, why was he concerned in any way? Everything had gone according to plan and the sex, the marital sex, had been superlative. Letty was also the one and only woman who had ever been his alone and he liked that; indeed he was surprised by how much he had revelled in being the first.
As Leo appeared at the door of his nieces’ bedroom, Popi held a finger to her lips, urging his silence. Letty was fast asleep on the little girl’s bed with Sybella tucked in at her back. Leo smiled and crossed the room to lift his bride gently off the bed and carry her down the corridor to his bedroom, where he settled her down on the big bed and, as an afterthought, tugged up a throw to toss over her.
Letty stirred, opening drowsy green eyes to take in his vibrant presence.
‘Go back to sleep. We’re heading out shopping later and you’ll need your energy.’
Her smooth brow furrowed. ‘Shopping?’
‘You need clothes,’ Leo reminded her.
‘I should tell you about Popi’s nightmare first.’
‘Later…’Leo stressed. ‘She’s quite happy now.’
Letty subsided back against the pillows.
‘I also thought we could consider consulting the island doctor. You may deem it safer to take the contraceptive pill,’ Leo framed with caution.
‘Yes…that would be a good idea,’ Letty conceded, thinking that the last thing they needed was an unplanned pregnancy but that, in time, she would probably want to have her own baby. A family of five and a career and Leo into the bargain? She almost rolled her eyes at that enormous challenge. Other women coped though and so would she and she could hardly complain when she would have all the help she needed on the home front.
By that afternoon, they were walking into a designer atelier in Athens, where Leo was received like returning royalty. That started her thinking that Leo was disturbingly knowledgeable about where to buy expensive female clothing. The thought made her uncomfortable because it reminded her of her many predecessors. She swallowed hard, conceding that, for a womaniser, such familiarity went with the territory.
She was disconcerted to recognise her aunt, Elexis Livas, in conversation with a fawning assistant, a tall, voluptuous brunette by her side. The brunette instantly gave Leo her attention, throwing him a lingering look and a flirtatious smile before breaking away from Elexis to say, ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you here today, Leo. Elexis has been telling me all about the wedding.’
‘Letty…’ Leo murmured smoothly. ‘Dido Bakas… How’s the theatre run going?’
‘Brilliantly!’ Dido exclaimed, resting a hand on Leo’s sleeve with the familiarity of a lover. ‘You should try to make the show before it closes. I’d love to see you in the audience.’
Letty felt invisible. The other woman had ignored her extended hand and continued to focus solely on Leo.
‘Sadly, I’m a little too busy right now,’ Leo parried as Elexis joined them.
‘I can’t believe you’re out and about the day after the wedding,’ Elexis commented, shooting Letty an amused look as if it were a mortification for a bridegroom to be seen in public so soon after the wedding.
‘Letty doesn’t enjoy shopping, so I’m here to do it for her,’ Leo said lightly. ‘Excuse me. We have a private viewing organised and we’re running a little late.’
