Marie did leave like Alex said she would, and without any complaints to boot. I watched Lena stalk down to the pier with them and then return looking even more pissed. Peter was nowhere to be seen during the whole thing but admittedly I was pretty eager to celebrate getting his mother the fuck off my island and jumped onto Alex the second I was sure she was gone. Mama and Dad had their hands full with my brother which left us with a surprising amount of alone time, and it was probably the best pre-wedding bonding time I could have asked for.
I did help Mama plan the party though, finding a place for balloons, stocking up on ingredients for a massive buffet, outdoor décor, sparklers, the whole nine yards. Usually, when hosting a party for the family we would host it at Aunt Iva’s house. It was the most practical place to do it since my Yaya lived there, so did my uncle and his wife, and it was one of the bigger houses in the family. Except since my parents were staying with me and Alex, and we had the entire island…well, yeah, we had way more space for the party.
Dimitris was thrilled about the whole thing and spent every minute that he could berating me into finding out what I bought him and spoiling every little detail. I held firm and pretended that I had no idea what he was referring to.
“Tell me!” he cried, throwing his arms around my waist. “Please!”
“Tell you what?” I frowned and detached him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“My birthday party! Come on, I just wanna hint.”
I glanced around at the bundles of blue and silver balloons that were scattered around the living room. Several had escaped during set up and were now resting against the ceiling some sixty or so feet up. Crate paper banners decorated every wall and streamers hung on every doorway.
“Is it your birthday? I had no idea.”
“Chloe!” he whined, bouncing up and down.
I picked him up from behind, holding him around the waist while carting him off to the back deck. “I’m going to throw you off the porch for being annoying now.”
“No you won’t.”
“Yeah.”
“No!”
“Yeah!”
Dima thrashed in my arms and I couldn’t stop laughing while I spun us in a circle. He screamed and threw his arms wide, clearly enjoying himself. I teetered on the deck, losing my balance as I got dizzier and dizzier but not wanting to let him go yet.
I stumbled and dropped Dima who fell forward onto his hands while trying to find his footing. Laughter caught my attention and I looked up to see Alex standing in the doorway, grinning ear to ear and watching us casually.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Definitely not.” I tried to make my way to him and tripped over my own feet. I hit Alex’s chest and he crushed me to him in an attempt to keep me upright. Oh, hi there… I blinked and looked up at him. “Why thank you for saving my life, how could I ever repay you?” My fingers traced up his hard muscle at my words and I couldn’t help but run my tongue along my lower lip when he hands pressed into my lower back.
“Your mother told me that would were drinking, not that you were drunk,” he replied dryly, though his dark eyes seemed to have that mischievous glint. “And our presence is being requested at the dock to help bring the rest of the supplies to the house.”
“I wanna come!” Dima cried excitedly.
“How about you go see Lena and let her know we’ll be ready soon if she wants to come over?” I offered, ruffling his hair. “Alex and I will go meet Mama and aunty Iva.”
Dima’s face soured. “I don’t have to talk to the old lady again, do I?”
“Nah, she’s gone,” I assured him. “We’ll be back shortly, just stay out of trouble.”
Dima blew us a raspberry and I pushed Alex into the house, back towards the front door. He bent down just a bit and I grinned as I took hold of shoulders and jumped onto his back, my arms coming around his neck while he carried me out the house and down the path.
I kissed Alex’s hair and squeezed his waist. “Is one of the perks of marrying a rich man that I don’t have to walk anymore?” I teased.
He chuckled and slid his hands back on my thighs. “It’s only a perk as long as you’re the size of a munchkin. Your brother’s almost bigger than you are already.”
“Oh, he is not! He’s like, four-eight, or four-nine, I still have six inches on him.”
Alex scoffed. “You’re tiny, and you’re ninety percent tits and legs which just makes you look smaller.”
“I’m going to remember this conversation the next time you’re trying to butter me up for something and make you apologize for calling me some long-legged munchkin.”
“Just don’t tell your mother, I’ve had enough angry mother’s chasing me away from their daughters without it happening with my wife.”
I tightened my grip and fought to give his cheek a kiss just as we were reaching the dock. “My very own womanizer, what would my parents think?”
“Clo!”
Speak of the devil… Mama, Iva, Eleni, and Dad were unloading food into the grocery carts. Mama had her hands on her hips as she took me in, obviously not impressed with my piggyback ride.
Alex leaned down and I jumped off his back before tugging him along beside me to help bring everything back up to the house. I was almost scared to ask how many people were coming tonight but I knew this was essentially the trial-run for the wedding reception, so I had better get used to it while I had the chance.
The six of us dragged the groceries back to the house,aAs soon as we got in Dad and Alex set to getting more wood for the bonfire and brought Dima along with them, leaving me and the women to work on dinner. Lena joined us and went to stand between Eleni and Iva, where neither of us could start a fighting match. That was fine with me and it made it much easier to throw myself into dinner and enjoy the process, the smells, and the look of every gorgeous plate of food.
The sun went down, and the island lit up with twinkling lights and tiki-torches lining the paths. The firepit in the back yard roared to life and my uncles congregated around it, laughing and joking around with each other while the kids ran around the yard with sparklers.
My aunts and I stood in the kitchen singing along to some horrible song on the radio while Alex laid his head on my shoulder and embraced me. I moved the chicken souvlaki onto a serving tray and raised a skewer up to him.
“Lamb or chicken?”
“I’ll take whatever you want to feed me,” he replied dreamily.
I giggled and let him take a bite before taking one myself. He kissed my cheek chastely as he chewed and all it did was encourage my laughter. The bell chimed through the living room and my aunts glanced up questioningly.
“Who else is it? I thought we had everyone,” Eleni complained, wiping her hands on her hand towel.
“It’s probably the kids playing with the buzzer! Just stop worrying about it!” Iva complained loudly, waving her wine around with the red liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim.
“Why don’t you go check that?” I murmured to Alex. “Just in case.”
“I’ve never had so many people at my house,” he replied, slowly detaching himself from me. “How many more could there be? It’s like half the city has been here tonight.”
He wasn’t complaining, if anything he sounded amazed or excited.
I already knew who would be waiting at the door and waited until he was headed to greet them to turn around and watch for his reaction. Daphne and Kassandra stood in the doorway beaming at Alex. Daphne flung herself at her brother and I watched them hug like it was the first time all over again.
Kassandra spotted me and smiled, holding her arms open. I didn’t hesitate to hug her back, my sweet and kind mother-in-law that, miraculously, wasn’t anything like I had been told they would be. She wasn’t evil or mean, and maybe that was partially because we didn’t speak the same language, but our love for the same man didn’t require a language.
She patted my face and chattered excitedly until Alex finally came over to give her a hug as well. Over her shoulder he mouthed the words thank you at me and there was the unmistakable glint of tears in his eyes. I pressed my hand to my chest and blew him a kiss. Kassandra and Daphne would sleep in our bed tonight while Alex and I would sleep on the couch, I figured he wouldn’t mind.
“Chloe, thank you for inviting us,” Daphne said as she pulled her jacket off and draped it over the back of a kitchen chair. “It means a lot just to be included.”
I brushed it off with a nonchalant shrug. “I’m glad you guys could come. We’ve got food out on the back deck along with drinks, so Alex, why don’t you take them to get something to eat?”
Alex took his mom’s hand in his and smiled down at her while leading them to the backyard. Daphne touched my shoulder as she went and the three of the them were quickly swallowed up into the mass of family and friends outside. Music spilled through to the house and distantly I could see several of my younger cousins lighting up sparklers.
The last time I had seen this many people on the island had been back when Peter lived here alone and threw parties every weekend. That stopped when Marie moved into the main house and I couldn’t help but feel that little bit of satisfaction at opening up our home to so many people and all the love that came with them. Hopefully next time we could include Alex’s nieces and nephew as well, that way it really could be our family.
The night wore on with the usual too much food and drink. Empty liquor bottles filled the recycling bin while sticky plastic cups were scattered around the table, lipstick marking the rims of some and others had discarded cigarette butts. Bags of shredded wrapping paper laid against the wall, waiting to be moved to the trash while the toys and clothes that had been inside the wrapping were now scattered across Dimitris’s bed for the time being. Peter surprised my brother with a packet of fireworks and even though I wasn’t Pete’s biggest fan, I had to give it to him for knowing exactly how to complete and eight-year-old’s birthday party.
The last of the rockets shot into the sky and exploded in a flurry of reds, blues, and greens that rained down over the water. I watched from the deck, preparing to join Mama in getting some stuff cleaned up and loaded into the dishwasher. Dima was in the distance, yelling and tugging on my dad’s arm excitedly as they watched the fireworks.
Smiling to myself, I grabbed the tray off the table and turned to take it inside but froze. Marie was standing in the doorway, looking out over the party with a mix of shock and disbelief. This isn’t happening. She was supposed to have left. I saw her leave.
She was staring out over the distance behind me, I turned to see Lena and Peter talking to Iva. The relationship between my aunt and cousin was on the mend, they still weren’t welcome to live in her house but Iva was eager to be in the life of her grandchild. I couldn’t let Marie come in between them, I couldn’t watch her tear Lena and Peter apart over the baby the way she had done to Alex and his mom. Lena and Peter were cruel people, but I didn’t want to see history repeat itself. I wouldn’t let it.
Tucking the pan under my arm, I charged to Marie and grabbed her by the wrist to pull her into the kitchen, away from the party outside and anyone that might peek in the back doors.
“Let me make this perfectly fucking clear,” I snarled at her as I backed her into the kitchen. “You will not fuck with them.Your son acted like a piece of shit because he learned it from you, and I won’t let you poison that baby like you did to him.”
Marie scoffed and jerked her arm out of my grasp, her bangles chiming loudly. “I didn’t do anything to my son and I certainly didn’t poison him.”
I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to one foot. “Yes you did. I don’t know why you’re still here but you need to leave before I make you leave.”
Her face went red, her eyes narrowed, and she took a step towards me. “I know who you are, I figured that out real quick and if you think I’m going to let Zander throw his life away for a prostitute, then you have another thing coming.
Prostitute. My face flamed at the word despite the acknowledgement that Alex did pay me to have sex with him at some point in our past, but that was then and this was now. I was his wife now. Our past didn’t need to matter to anyone else. But more than her attempt at insulting my former career, I was horrified at the idea that Alex needed to have his life controlled like a child. “You won’t let Alex do anything because you aren’t his keeper!” I screamed, completely losing all subtly. “You don’t get to control him anymore; you don’t live here, you don’t speak with him, and you will never get to make him feel like he owes you ever again. Do you understand me?”
She shook her head, red hair flying angrily as she pointed at me with shaking fingers. “You’ll never understand what I had to go through,” she seethed. “Never. He was never here, and the way those bitches spoke to me—"
“I’m sure spending all that money of his while you were in a relationship with other men was difficult, I’m sure it sucked knowing that people loved him and couldn’t stand you.” I squared my shoulders and refused to look away from her even when her eyes started to water and she shrunk back from me. “Alex is the most important person in my life, and I know I’m his. All you need to do is look at how fast he got you out of the house when I came into the picture. He chose me.Prostitute or not, he chose me over you. I’m not letting you come in here and try to control him again.”
The air between us seemed to crackle with tension in the silence that followed my rant. I wanted her to really hear what I had to say, because I wasn’t leaving her without her understanding who the real Head Bitch in Charge was. Alex had come too far with himself; I couldn’t let her drag him back down to that position of guilt and powerlessness that she had preyed on since the beginning. And I couldn’t let her further taint Peter. That was my gift to Lena; the ability to have a more stable relationship than Marie would have let them have otherwise. A better one than she let me have with her son.
Marie finally opened her mouth to reply and I cut her off, “This is the end, Marie. Peter and Lena are moving, Alex and I are going on our honeymoon – you have absolutely no reason to ever step foot here again after tonight. You’re not welcome in our lives.”
“Listen to me you fucking slag—”
A door slammed and Marie broke off, all colour draining from her face as we both looked expectantly to the hallway. Mama came around the corner with her brow furrowed and an annoyed look about her.
“What were you calling my daughter?” she demanded incredulously. “These walls are paper thin, Chloe, you and Alex should really look into that.”
“I-I was—”
Mama scoffed at the other woman and touched my arm. “Get the drinks, koritsi mou,” she instructed. “We don’t want the ice to melt before everyone gets a glass. You can stay here, Marie – unless you’d prefer me crying to my new son-in-law about how you spoke to my daughter.”
I smirked to myself and grabbed the blue and white serving tray with glasses off the counter. Marie was floundering for something to say, babbling away and Mama just casually led me back out to the deck, leaving the other woman behind.
Everyone was gathered around the firepit further out, I set the tray on the table and pulled Mama into a side hug. I could see Lena and Peter in the distance still talking to Iva while she cooed over the two of them. Dimitris came barrelling through the field with sparklers in hand and Dad close behind, their shouting drawing everyone’s attention and laughter. Alex sat next to his mom and sister, and I was pleased to see the three of them practically glowing with happiness.
“Thank you,” I whispered to Mama.
She smiled at me and pushed a lock of hair back. “I know you don’t think I defend you,” she murmured. “But I do, and I always will.” She held my face between both hands and forced me to look her in the eye. “You’re my daughter and I’m not going to let some British hag attack you, or anyone else for that matter.”
I nodded and pulled her in for a full hug, burying my face into her shoulder. “What did you hear?” I asked her quietly.
“Everything, I was in the bathroom,” she explained. “I get the feeling there’s still a lot you never told me about you and Alex…”
I pulled away tipped my head back to fight the burn behind my eyes. Not tonight. No crying, no whining, just fun. “It’s complicated,” I answered thickly.
She grabbed my hands and threaded our fingers together. “Chloe, there is nothing in this world that could make me stop loving you. Nothing.” The intensity in her dark hazel eyes, the warmth in her hands, all of it made me feel more secure. “I just want to be apart of your life with Alex, even if you’re a world away from me.”
I looked over her shoulder to Alex, he was watching us already and smiled, lifting his drink to me. “Do you like him?” I asked Mama quietly.
She glanced over and eyed him for a second before responding, “He’s been very accommodating with me, you clearly adore him, and he can provide a good home for you. So, yes, I like him, but mostly because you love him, and I have to accept that. I wish he was your age and I wish he wasn’t a divorcee. But I’m glad that he can make you so happy, that’s all I really wanted for you.”
Her acceptance made my barely contained tears roll freely down my cheeks. “Maybe I’ll tell you about everything in the morning,” I told her as I grabbed a drink and looped my arm through hers. “But not tonight, there’s a lot to celebrate tonight.” I wiped my face and led us down the stairs.
She patted my arm and we made our way to the rest of the group. Marie didn’t come out behind us and I could only assume that she left. A little ways off in the distance, Lena caught my eye and even though it was dark and I could barely see her, I could feel her smiling at me.
Alex pulled me down to sit between him and his mom. Mama gave my hair a brush through with her fingers and continued on around the firepit to pull Dad in for a kiss and embraced each other. I leaned into Alex’s side and knotted our fingers together as I gazed at the fire, watching the flames break down a log that crumbled into ash and was absorbed into the rest of the pile. When I looked up again I could see Peter and Lena better; they were standing alone now off to the side with her head on his shoulder and his arm on her waist, and I felt free. Completely free of my anger and jealousy. I looked up at Alex and reached back to toy with his hair, he smiled down at me and cupped my cheek just before his mouth met mine. We’re finally free.