The Marakaios Baby (The Marakaios Brides 2)

‘And there was no one but you for me, Leo. You do believe me?’

‘Yes.’

He spoke with such certainty that she relaxed once more into his embrace. Just asking the question had made her tense.

They lay there in a comfortable silence, as the sweat cooled on their bodies and the fire cast its shadows, and Margo felt completely, wonderfully content. This, she thought, was what a true, loving marriage could and should be. If only it could last...

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A FEW DAYS after Christmas Antonios and Lindsay came to the villa, all the way from New York. Margo had spent hours getting ready: supervising the preparations for meals, tweaking the decorations, and finally seeing to her outfit. She was nervous about meeting Leo’s brother and his wife—both for her sake and his.

Their relationship had been growing stronger in the last few days, but it still felt fragile. They hadn’t said those three important words, and Margo quaked inwardly to think of actually committing herself in that way to Leo, of making her frail hopes real and spoken. Of losing it all.

She’d known the worst to happen so many times; she couldn’t help but expect it now.

With Antonios’s upcoming arrival, Leo had withdrawn a bit, spending more time in the office, coming to bed late at night. At least they now shared a bed. They hadn’t discussed it; Leo had simply joined Margo there on Christmas Eve, after they’d made love. And he’d continued to join her every night, much to her relief and joy.

The night before she’d turned to him, smoothed a thumb over the furrow in his forehead. ‘Tell me what’s going on,’ she’d said quietly.

Leo had twitched under her caress. ‘Nothing’s going on.’

‘Are you worried about seeing Antonios again?’

‘I’m not worried.’

‘But there’s something. You haven’t been yourself, Leo—’

‘I’m fine.’

He’d rolled onto his side, away from her, and Margo had sunk back against the pillows, more hurt than she’d wanted to admit even to herself.

‘Leave it alone,’ he’d muttered, and they’d gone to sleep in silence.

Now she stood on the portico, shivering slightly in the wintry breeze, as Antonios and Lindsay’s hired car came up the estate’s sweeping drive. Leo joined her on the step, his expression inscrutable as the car came to a stop in front of them.

Margo had felt a distance between them this morning; apparently their new relationship didn’t extend to the kind of honesty and intimacy she’d been looking for last night. Lesson learned.

Lindsay got out first, waving her welcome. She was beautiful in a pale, almost ethereal way, and she smiled at Margo. Leo had told her a few days ago that Lindsay suffered from social anxiety, but with Antonios’s help was able to manage it. Margo wanted to make things as easy for her new sister-in-law as possible and she started forward, smiling her own welcome.

‘I’m so very glad to meet you.’

‘And I you. Although I haven’t heard that much about you.’ Lindsay gave Leo a teasing look, and he smiled back tightly.

Margo knew Lindsay had no idea about their complicated history; she certainly wasn’t going to mention it now—not when she was wondering yet again just what was between her and Leo.

‘Come inside,’ she said, drawing Lindsay up the steps towards the villa. ‘It’s freezing out.’

Although Antonios was only just getting out of the car Margo could still feel the tension emanating from both of the brothers. Better, she decided, for them to have their reunion   in private. Leo had already shown her he didn’t want her involved.

Lindsay came behind her into the villa, stopping to admire the garlands of greenery looped over the banisters and along the doorways. ‘Oh, but it’s beautiful! Did you do this?’

‘Yes, I wanted a proper Christmas,’ Margo said, feeling rather shy.

Lindsay beamed at her. ‘I love it. I wish I could make our apartment back in New York look half as nice. I’m hopeless with decorating and things like that. Hopeless with almost everything except for numbers.’

‘I doubt that.’

Leo had told her that Lindsay was a brilliant mathematician, and was currently teaching at a university in New York City. Looking at her sister-in-law, Margo couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated. Lindsay might have social anxiety, but she hid it remarkably well. Margo was the one who felt and no doubt looked anxious...about so many things.

Xanthe, Ava and Parthenope came into the room, greeting Lindsay with warm hugs, reminding Margo that she was still on a somewhat fragile footing with Leo’s sisters. It would come right in time, she told herself, and sat down on a settee while Maria came in with coffee for everyone. Just as things would with Leo. She had to trust that—had to believe that things would work out this time.