Alex and I met a lot of people that night; Daphne’s youngest daughter, Callie, and her son, Stephen, along with her husband, Luke. It was a little awkward to meet her eighteen-year-old daughter, considering I was only four years older than her and I was married to her uncle. But honestly, everything went really well given the circumstances.
Kassandra was desperate to get to know me, so we played a sort of game where we struggled to understand each other’s broken translations with gestures and only minimal real translation from Daphne and Alex. In the end, she seemed completely taken with me, just as I was with her, and she took great pains to teach me her Avgolemono chicken soup recipe – one that Alex raved about and was clearly thrilled that I now knew how to make it.
Dinner turned into drinks, drinks turned into cards, and eventually we were all comfortable enough with each other to joke around and spend most of the rest of the evening together.
Laughter carried through the house while the five of us sat at the dining table playing biriba and drinking heavily. I leaned against Alex’s side, sleepily watching him shuffle his cards around. Daphne sat across from us, mulling her cards over while her husband finished off the Retsina wine.
The kids were long gone; their son had taken one look at the wine and beelined for the stairs, probably not willing to see his parents get drunk and talkative with friends. The daughter stayed longer, but I’d glanced over and seen that she was texting with some that had a lot of heart emojis instead of a name on her phone – she was gone pretty quickly after that with a bright pink blush and a faint smile.
Luke glanced around the room, as if just noticing that she hadn’t come back. “Where did Callie go?” he asked suddenly.
Daphne shook her head. “She went to bed an hour ago, where have you been?”
“Well, I thought she was coming back to play with us.”
“At…” she trailed off and squinted at the display on her phone. “Twelve thirty? You know she’s got better things to do then hang out with us old folks.”
“Christ, is it that late already?” Alex asked.
His mother smacked the side of his arm and waggled her finger in his face disapprovingly. I smiled to myself and leaned forward, resting my chin on my arms while he apologized to her profusely for taking the Lord’s name in vain. I wondered what it was like to grow up in a house like this; three generations under one roof, with their two youngest kids speaking about as much Greek as I did. It was like Lena and Iva, since they lived with one of my uncles, his wife, and my Yaya. I couldn’t imagine living with Dad’s parents, Mama probably would have wound up on the evening news if we did.
Glancing out the window, I studied the dark sky and swaying lights in the breeze. I wonder what Mama is doing right now. Probably looking for the keys to Alex’s study no doubt, but she was also likely to have one of her sisters at the house right now, since I told her she had free reign until we got back. Maybe Marie had come to stay with Peter after all and she’d run into the two of them. Chills ran up my spin as I imagined that confrontation.
“We should head out soon,” Alex said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Your mom is probably wondering where we got off to.”
“Oh, come on,” Daphne complained. “It’s so late, it’ll take two hours just to get back to Athens – why don’t you two stay the night? We’ve got the space.”
Alex glanced at me and set the rest of his cards down on the table before leaning back in the chair. “That’s up to you.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. He hadn’t drank much, only one glass, but I was pretty far gone and the two of us were obviously tired. And it wasn’t like I was scrambling to get out of here; I loved Kassandra and Daphne’s home. Daphne’s kids were nice and welcoming, her husband didn’t even blink when he came home and found us making dinner together, and Kassandra had made sure I was involved and included in every conversation since we got there. I felt like I was home.
“I don’t mind,” I answered easily. “I already texted Mama earlier, I can text her again and let her know we’ll be back in the morning.”
“Alright, then I guess we’re staying.” Alex pulled me to his side and kissed the top of my head.
Kassandra began talking at us and I glanced at her curiously as she pushed herself up from the table.
“She wants to show us to our room,” he translated, getting up as well. “Are you two staying down here?”
Daphne shook her head and stretched slowly. “No, I think I’m done for the night.”
Luke agreed, his wife immediately got up and came over to give Alex another hug. He held her and they swayed back and forth slightly while her hands rubbed across the back of his shoulders. She hugged next and I didn’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her in return. I have a sister now. A real sister – not one by blood but one that I instantly trusted without knowing her at all.
When I pulled back, she kissed both my cheeks and I returned the gesture before wishing them both a goodnight. Afterward, Kassandra led me and Alex through the house to the main floor guestroom sandwiched between an office and the guest ensuite.
We thanked her and once again I found myself in a tight hug and having my cheeks kissed repeatedly. Alex seemed reluctant to let her go, holding her hand for another fraction of a minute before letting her go. I let them take a moment to say goodnight and took a walk around the bedroom. The stucco walls were a beautiful seafoam green, the dark floors matched all the dark furniture, including the dark metal frame on the canopy bed. My fingers glided across the glass top of the dresser while I admired the large landscape painting of the West Santorini coast line with crashing waves. I scrutinized the picture; eyeing the tiny details on the houses and the beautiful cliffside when Alex closed the door.
Turning, I watched as he raked a hand through his hair tiredly. Without hesitating, I came up behind him and gently massaged his shoulders; he sighed and lolled his head back as I kneaded the tense muscle and kissed his bicep.
“Did you have a good night, Zander?” I teased.
He smirked and glanced at me from the corner of his eye before turning around. “I like it better when you call me Alex.”
“Really?”
He nodded and pulled me closer. “It’s very American, and you’re one of the few people that call me by it.”
I leaned up on my tip toes and narrowed my eyes at him, trying to look as annoyed as I could. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Alex laughed, hauled me up against him, and carried me to the bed despite my protests. When he let me go, I flopped back against the softest, most pillowy mattress in the world and stretched languidly.
He leaned over me and froze, my lips parting as I gazed up at him. Did he know how he looked from this angle? With his hair carelessly messy, his gaze dark, his corded, powerful arms on either side of my head?
“Hello,” I said with a giggle.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Hello to you too.”
“Are we going to bed?”
“Well, yes, I was under that impression.”
I flung my arms wide. “Help me get undressed.”
His eyes glittered and he stood back up, reached for the buttons on my jean capri and roughly undid them. I lifted my butt and squirmed while he pulled them off but had to do my bra myself. Alex was close behind me and quickly turned the lights off just as he slipped into the bed.
We curled up facing each other, my arms around his neck and his around my waist. I could barely see even just his outline in the dark room, but it was enough just to feel his warmth. My fingers twirled his hair loosely; it was just a little long now, longer than he usually kept it and it reminded me of the photos downstairs.
“Thank you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine. “For bringing me here, for trying to make me a part of your family, and for helping build mine. I don’t think I can really convey how much this means to me, glykia mou.”
“I’m glad I could do something,” I whispered back, feeling my heart soar at the joy in his voice. “I know you always hated talking about your family with me, but I just wanted to be a part of your life.”
Alex gave me a chaste kiss and I felt his thumb stroke over my cheek. “You are, you always will be too. You have to see that it was hard for me after everything and feeling like there was no way to fix it.”
I nodded even though he probably couldn’t see me. “I do.”
He kissed me again and I held him tight, trying to memorize how it felt to be with him like this, to remember the way his muscle melded to by body and the way his heart beat hard enough to faintly feel it under my touch.
“I love you.”
I smiled and tucked my head under his chin. “I love you, too.”
“Daphne said she would come to the wedding, so did Ma.” He was quiet for a minute and I could feel the tension in him, clearly preparing himself to ask a question. “Daphne and Luke offered to be our Koumbaro and Koumbara for the wedding. I thought that might be nice, if you didn’t have anyone else in mind anyway.”
The Koumbaro and Koumbara were the best man and maid or matron of honour. I’d originally thought that I might ask Jazmin, since we were speaking again pretty regularly, but she wasn’t Christian, and more importantly – not Orthodox, the only requirement for the position. She did promise to come for the wedding though, which is all I could really ask for after two years of lost contact.
I didn’t really have to think about Alex’s request; I was more than happy to have his sister and brother-in-law act in such an important role in our lives.
“Of course, I don’t mind,” I told him without pause. “Can I ask for one thing? Not in return, but just in general.”
“Anything.”
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and closed my eyes. “I don’t want Peter and Lena at the wedding. I don’t want to separate you from your son, he can come to the reception, but I don’t want him at the ceremony.”
Alex rubbed my back and hummed for a moment, the question hung in the air and for a second I was worried that I had overstepped. “I can do that for you.”
Thank you. I pulled away pushed myself up the bed to give him a proper kiss, letting my fingers knot into his hair. I couldn’t even begin to tell him how thankful I was that he wouldn’t invite Peter to the ceremony. I wanted them to work on their relationship, but I wasn’t interested in doing the same – even with Lena.
“Chloe,” Alex murmured, disapproval lacing his tone. “I get the impression that you’re not telling me the truth about him living in the bungalow. Are you okay with him being there?”
No, not even a little. My confrontation with Peter had been cathartic, it made me feel free, but while I didn’t think I would have an issue with Alex visiting his son to see his grandchild, I had started to become more aware of what that would really entail when we met Alex’s nieces and nephew. And then there was Lena, and my freak-out during her ultrasound. Seeing the physical confirmation of her betrayal and feeling like she had purposely chosen to rub that in my face, had hurt more than I thought it would. I couldn’t handle seeing her go through her entire pregnancy, seeing her and Peter live their bliss. I couldn’t handle him living in the bungalow, especially if Marie really was coming to stay with them in the guest room for a while.
“No,” I told him honestly. “I thought I would be, and I wanted him to be there because I thought it would be good for you, but I don’t want them there.”
Alex rolled on top of me, guiding my legs up around his waist. He kissed my cheek and moved down, kissing my jaw, neck, and collarbone, making my head spin as he pushed my shirt up my stomach.
“I think we should go on another honeymoon,” he began cryptically. “We’ll leave right after the reception, and I’ll let Peter know that he needs to find a place before we come home. That way I know both he and Lena have a place to go, and I can keep you far, far away from them for as long as I want.”
I laughed in surprise and pulled him down to me, nuzzling against the side of his face. “I like that idea, like, a lot.”
“Good.” He stopped toying with the hem of my shirt and pulled away just enough to rip it off and toss it across the room haphazardly. “I want to see you half-naked on a beach for as long as I want, not just a weekend.”
“You have work,” I reminded him. “You have an office and staff and people to talk to – we can’t avoid that much longer.”
He laughed and buried his face between my tits. “Oh, agápi mou, I can do whatever I want. I have a management team to do my work for me while I’m gone, and with the rate they’re getting paid right now, they don’t care if I’m gone a few more weeks. Maybe a few months. Or maybe it’s just time to retire.”
Ooh, endless alone time? I could get on board with that. “I like the sound of that.”
His fingers brushed over my nipples and I shivered unintentionally. “Do you like that?”
“Yes,” I whispered, tipping my head back.
“What else?”
“Your mouth on my tits,” I answered quickly.
He didn’t hesitate to take my nipple into his mouth, I moaned quietly and raked my nails through his hair. Of course, he was going to give me a preview of the honeymoon, how could I expect anything less?