Husband By Request

Andreas was a generous man who liked to give pleasure to everyone. But she’d deprived him of bestowing little surprises on her. Sometimes, like now, she wondered how he’d put up with her as long as he did.

“Do you have to stop in at the office this afternoon?”

“No.”

“Then let’s go shopping in Kolonaki.” It was a trendy residential neighborhood in the center of Athens, full of pricey boutiques, art galleries and expensive restaurants. The kind of place she knew he’d yearned to take her.

His eyes ignited. “We’ll have a meal there too.”

“First I’ll want you to choose some outfits that will be appropriate for me to wear when we entertain guests this month. If we eat first, I’ll need your help to fasten everything.”

His wolfish smile proved that she’d said the right thing. After his talk with the doctor, his angst appeared mitigated. At least for the time being.

Two hours later they’d arranged for an entire wardrobe of dresses, separates and shoes to be delivered to the penthouse the next day. She’d never had so much fun.

Sharing everything with her husband was a new experi

ence she intended to keep alive. And that meant developing a relationship with his parents.

Over a fabulous meal of moussaka, she brought them into the conversation. “I know you have a lot of business and entertaining to do this month, but do you think we could squeeze your parents in one night soon for dinner?”

When he went still like that, it meant she’d surprised him. She could hear his mind digesting her idea while he wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

“Friday night’s free. I’ll call them and arrange it.”

“That would be wonderful. I want to really get to know them. When you introduced us, you told me they were still in so much pain over Maris’s death they weren’t themselves. But I should have made more of an effort to get us together after our return to Athens. The trouble was, no time seemed the right time.”

“That’s because there wasn’t one.”

Andreas spoke the truth. The threat of the trial had loomed too large to deal with anything else.

She gazed at him directly. “Do you think they’ll come?”

“Of course.”

“Even if they believe I’m a poor excuse for a wife?”

“That’s not their opinion of you,” he declared, in that tone of authority he used on his business calls.

Dominique couldn’t help but smile a little sadly. “It’s every parent’s opinion when anyone hurts their child. I didn’t stand by you at the trial. Therefore I failed you, and as a result failed them. I’d like to repair the damage.”

Instinctively Dominique realized their marriage could never be completely happy until she’d been accepted by his mother and father. She had a long way to go, but Friday night could be the first step.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” His eyes were shuttered—his way of veiling his torturous emotions.

“More than anything in the world. My parents think the world of you. I’m hoping that one day yours will feel the same about me.”

His mouth tautened in response. “If you’re telling me the charge of adultery didn’t change their feelings, I don’t believe you.”

She sat forward. “They never passed judgment on you. Not once. You were so marvelous to me after my accident, they’ve never forgotten and refuse to believe anything bad about you.”

After a silence, “I’ve always admired them too. Very much, in fact.”

“Unfortunately your parents’ first introduction to me came as a shock. I was a young American girl, the antithesis of the Greek woman they had in mind for their only son. I couldn’t say more than a few phrases in your language. I certainly didn’t look as if I could produce a grandchild for them.”

His features darkened. “Who told you those things?” he demanded harshly.

“No one. Come on, darling. Admit that’s exactly how they felt about me.”