Husband By Request

“Don’t you know that when a woman is happily married she wants everyone else to be happily married too?”

Her answer must have satisfied him. Andreas closed the zip, then whirled her around. Their mouths met and clung feverishly.

“Kalispera!”

“Uh-oh. That’s sounds like your father.”

“They’re early. I bet they’ve been counting the hours, anticipating this evening.”

“I hope so. While you shower, I’ll serve drinks.”

“Not so fast,” Andreas murmured, giving her one more passion-filled kiss before reluctantly letting her go.

She went out to the living room, positive his parents would see the flush on her cheeks.

Once again her appearance created a minor sensation.

The second Andreas’s father saw Dominique, his mouth opened. If Eli had been puffing on a cigar, it would have fallen out. He looked like a typical movie producer—horn-rimmed glasses, slightly balding, not quite as tall as his son, but very solid.

She walked over to him and kissed his cheek, then turned to hug Bernice, a striking woman who’d bequeathed he

r attractive facial features and black hair to her son.

“I’m so glad you could come over tonight. Please sit down. Andreas has only just got home from work and will be out in a minute.”

While they found a place for themselves on the couch, she poured them some lime slush from the glass punch bowl she’d placed on the coffee table. Once she’d served them, they complimented her on the taste, but nothing else was forthcoming.

They were too polite and formal, so she decided to plunge in and break the ice.

“I don’t know what Andreas has told you, but I want you to know that I love your son, and I’ve come back to Greece to try to make our marriage work.”

His father’s black eyes stared hard at her for a moment, reminding her of Andreas. “That’s good,” he finally said.

“You hurt my Andreas very much when you went away.” This from Bernice.

“I hurt myself more,” Dominique confessed. “But I had a lot of things to work out.”

“My son lost weight in the last year, but you’ve gained some. You look lovely,” the other woman commented. “I know it’s early days, but do you think you might be able to give us a grandchild?”

Dominique knew what she was really asking, and reached out to press her arm gently. “I’m cancer-free, and I hope with all my heart that we can have a baby soon.”

The news seemed to work a special magic. They both smiled and relaxed, giving her the impression she’d been wrong about their judgment of her. Andreas had insisted her perception of their feelings had been skewed by her own sense of inadequacy. It was humbling to know he’d been right.

Oh…there was a lot of work to be done to help them grow into a close-knit family. Tonight couldn’t have come any sooner.

“When our other guests arrive, we’ll eat.”

Bernice blinked. “Who else is coming?”

“Olympia, for one.”

Dominique didn’t miss the worried look the two of them exchanged. It was time to clear the air about that.

“Months ago I realized my mistake in not trusting my husband. There’s been a lot of pain, but that’s behind us now. I know Olympia has been like another member of your family, so I asked her to join us and bring Ari. He’s so cute.”

“You’ve seen the baby?” Eli sounded shocked.

“Yes. When I was trying to find Andreas I discovered them on the yacht. Paul’s so taken with Ari, I invited him for dinner too. In fact I think they may have arrived. Excuse me for a minute.”