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“Sure I am. I always listen to you.”
She blatantly rolled her eyes. Her brother barely heard a word she said and they both knew it. “Please—”
“Okay. Maybe I get distracted sometimes.”
She arched a brow. “Isn’t that how you ended up with your new family?”
“Ah, but see how well that worked out.” He sent her a smile that lit up his whole face. “I saw a good thing and I went for it.”
She couldn’t help but tease him. “Is that the story you’re going with?”
He shrugged and sent her a guilty smile. “It’s how I like to remember it.”
Stasia nodded. She didn’t mind him rewriting the rocky start of his romance with his now wife, Lea. In fact, Stasia found it endearing. Who knew her brother could be romantic? She never would have guessed it till now.
And as much as she wanted to confide in her big brother about her quandary, she couldn’t find the words. She’d been visiting Infinity Island for the past few weeks, reconnecting with her brother and learning more about her sister-in-law, Lea, while playing with the baby, Lily. Stasia had volunteered to babysit while Xander and Lea were working. And though Stasia’s days were now full, she still felt as though she was missing something.
As appealing as it was to remain here on this idyllic island with its clear blue water, gentle sea breeze and charming village, she couldn’t hijack her brother’s life. She’d been here long enough. It was time to head home to Athens.
“Let’s go for a walk.” Stasia took the last sip of her iced coffee.
Xander scooped up the cruise ticket and then got to his feet. “Lead the way.”
She didn’t have any particular destination in mind. She just needed to move. “I’ve never seen you happier.”
“I am happy,” he said. “My life is complete. And...and I feel guilty.”
Stasia stopped walking and faced her brother. “Why should you feel guilty?”
“Because when you were so happy with Lukos, I was being foolish and getting in your way. And by the time I got my head on straight about your husband, he was...well...”
“He was dying.” She never thought she’d be able to say those words without breaking into a fit of tears. The memory of losing Lukos far too soon still hurt. She supposed it always would, but she was learning to live with the loss. “It’s okay, Xander. You can say he died. I won’t break into a million messy pieces.”
The look in his eyes said he wasn’t sure he believed her. “I miss him too. You do know we got to be good friends at the end.”
“I know.” The friendship between her husband and brother might not have happened as soon as she would have liked, but she was grateful they’d worked out their differences. She wasn’t sure how she’d have made it through that dark period without her brother by her side. “Lukos thought of you like a brother when he died.”
Xander reached out and gave her a great big hug. Lukos had made her promise that, no matter what happened in life, she wouldn’t let anything come between her and Xander. She’d made the promise. It hadn’t been hard. She loved her brother and she always would. She couldn’t imagine anything coming between them. He was stuck with his little sister for life.
Xander pulled back and placed the ticket in her hand. “This is your birthday gift. Please take it. I have it on good authority that you always wanted to take the cruise.”
She’d only told one person about her desire to cruise around Greece, Montenegro, Croatia and Italy. It would be her trial run to see if she enjoyed voyages before booking something a little farther from home, say the Caribbean, or possibly something a bit cooler, like Norway.
“Lukos told you?” She said it matter-of-factly.
Xander nodded. “He was disappointed he never got to take you on a cruise.”
Xander’s words took the fight out of her. She’d forgotten all about the things she’d wanted to do before Lukos got sick. They somehow seemed so trivial after all that had happened. Maybe Lukos somehow knew she would feel that way and this was his way of propelling her forward.
And now there were no more excuses—no more reasons to cling so tightly to the past. She needed to fulfill her husband’s final wish. She needed to look to the future and find her new path in life.
