A muscle flickered in his jaw. ‘Kelly, four years ago I left you on your wedding day. That is a hard thing to forgive—we needed time, you know we did. I was afraid that if I asked you too soon you’d just refuse. I was terrified that you’d refuse. I was waiting.’
Kelly thought about the way their relationship had deepened over the past couple of months. ‘I kept wanting you to ask. When you didn’t, I assumed it was because you didn’t love me.’
‘I wanted you to be secure in the knowledge that I love you.’
‘Alekos…’
‘You have to know that, just because the wrong thing may have come out of my mouth, doesn’t mean the right thing isn’t in my heart.’ Alekos lowered his head and kissed her, and for a long moment no one spoke.
Then Vivien cleared her throat. ‘All right. Enough of this. It was pretty obvious to me that he loved you, Kel,’ she said bluntly. ‘I mean, you don’t have any money of your own, you’re rubbish at organisation, and although you can look pretty when you make an effort you’re no one’s idea of a trophy wife because you haven’t got that haughty look, and you fall over in high heels, so basically you don’t have much going for you.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Which means it has to be love,’ Vivien said airily. ‘So can we get on with this before the bridesmaid gets sunburn?’
Half-laughing, half-crying, Kelly looked at Alekos. ‘You want to get married right here? Now? I can’t believe that you’ve arranged this on the beach—the flowers, the chairs.’
‘I wanted to give you the fairy tale,’ he said huskily. ‘And, yes, we’re doing it right now. I’m not going to change my mind, Kelly. I know what I want. And I think I know what you want. Neither of us need a crowd. If you say yes, then I have two people waiting in the villa—my head of legal, Dmitri, who also happens to be a close friend, and a man who is going to marry us.’
Caught in a whirlwind of happiness, Kelly gave a faltering smile. ‘I can’t get married wearing shorts.’
‘Told you!’ Vivien said triumphantly and she gestured to a pile of bags folded over a chair. ‘Luckily for you, he’s bought you a dress.’
Wondering if it was by Marianna, Kelly tensed, and Alekos gave a humourless laugh, reading her mind.
‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘It isn’t. In the name of honesty, I have to admit that I did order one, but that was before I kn
ew it would upset you.’ He breathed. ‘I had ten different ones delivered to the villa this morning. You can choose something different.’
‘Ten?’ She stared at the pile on the chair. ‘Ten.’
‘I wanted you to have the choice.’ A flicker of a smile touched his mouth. ‘And I think you’re supposed to surprise me.’
Touched by the thought behind the gesture, Kelly lifted her hand to his cheek. ‘I love you. Thank you.’ Tears spilled out of her eyes and Vivien gave a squeak of horror.
‘Don’t cry! You look hideous when you cry, and I’m supposed to do your make-up. There’s not a lot I can do with super-red eyes. Go for a walk for half an hour, Alekos, so that I can get her into this dress. You’re not supposed to see the bride—it’s bad luck.’
‘I could go to the villa,’ Kelly protested, but Alekos shook his head.
‘I’m not taking any chances,’ he said huskily, lowering his mouth to hers again. ‘I love you and I’m marrying you right now. I’d marry you in shorts.’
‘Alekos Zagorakis, she is not wearing shorts! She has to drool over these wedding photos for the rest of her life, and no one can drool over a pair of shorts.’ Outraged, Vivien gave him a push. ‘All right, compromise—go and fetch your best man or whoever he is and come back in ten minutes.’
Ten minutes later, Kelly was standing under the arch of flowers, wearing the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen, gazing up at the only man she’d ever loved.
Vivien was making eyes at Dmitri.
‘I have a feeling that neither your bridesmaid nor my best man are concentrating,’ Alekos drawled, pulling Kelly against him, ignoring the disapproval of the man who was marrying them. ‘We might have to do this without help.’
Kelly clutched the bunch of flowers that Vivien had pressed into her hands and smiled up at Alekos. ‘I can’t believe we’re doing this at all. I didn’t think it was going to end this way.’
‘Does it feel like the fairy tale? Perhaps I should have laid on a couple of white horses and a carriage.’
She laughed. ‘You’d never get a carriage down to this beach.’ Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him. ‘You got the important bits right.’
‘We belong together,’ he said huskily. ‘For ever.’
Kelly smiled against his mouth. ‘That sounds like the fairy tale to me.’