I’ll be there in an hour.
After a quick shower, she dressed and told her grandfather she’d be back soon. Dimitra still hadn’t come out of her bedroom when Alexa left for Angelis headquarters.
* * *
The fact that Nico was now CEO of a huge conglomerate hadn’t escaped her. But at seventeen she hadn’t truly realized what his destiny would be. She pulled into the guest parking and walked inside. After introducing herself, the male receptionist escorted her to a private elevator and pressed the button that sent her skyward.
Once the doors opened, Nico stood there wearing white cargo pants and a dark blue polo shirt. He’d always loved casual clothes and had staggering appeal no matter what he wore. Their eyes fused for a moment, t
aking her back in time to that first moment in the Aegean. She’d thought him drop-dead gorgeous at nineteen. He’d only grown more attractive over the years. Nico had exceeded the promise of the breathtaking man in the teenager.
“Thanks for coming.”
“I’m glad you texted me. Our daughter isn’t speaking to me, but I know she’s been with you this week. I hope you can tell me how she’s handling things.” She followed him into his large, impressive office that matched a man of his stature and importance.
He indicated the couch for her to sit, then found himself a chair. “I thought you should know that last evening I took her to meet her aunt and grandparents. It was Mama’s birthday and we had a party on the yacht. Giannina arranged everything. Dimitra has brought them the greatest happiness they’ve ever known.”
“You’ve done the same thing for her, Nico.” Despite the anger he had to feel for what Alexa had done, he’d embraced their daughter and had welcomed her into his family. Alexa had loved him heart and soul years ago. Now she loved and adored him more for the loving father he’d become just knowing of their daughter’s existence.
“It’s especially touching for them since she’s their only living grandchild. I wanted you to know they’ve welcomed her with open arms.”
Marvelous as the news was, Alexa jumped up, too anxiety ridden over her own guilt to sit still. She hugged her arms to her waist. “Dimitra has to be overjoyed to find the missing piece of her life and be accepted so completely. But I can only imagine what they think of me.”
“They know everything.” He stood. “When you went missing, they tried to help me find you.”
Alexa hadn’t known that. Her silence had touched his family too. Her heart hung heavy for Nico. If his wife hadn’t died, there would be two grandchildren for his parents to love.
“I’m touched that they tried to help you. It’s all the more reason why they must despise me for what I’ve done to you and Dimitra.”
“For now they’re reserving judgment because they’re too happy. But there’s something you need to know. A press release will be coming out in the media. I didn’t want you to find that out before I told you. It’s going to affect all of us and the people we associate with, including Raisa’s parents and siblings.”
Alexa’s hand went to her mouth. “The news is going to be so hurtful for them.”
“They knew about you.”
“But not our daughter, who might never get past what I’ve done.”
His piercing dark gaze found hers. “One thing I’ve learned since the dinner at Irena’s. Don’t ever say never.”
She took a deep breath. “You’re right. I never thought I’d see you again and here we are.”
He grimaced. “It was like that moment when you swam back to me at Perea Beach. I feared you were a mermaid who’d disappeared on me and was gone forever until you cried my name. Nineteen years later you appeared once more, this time on Irena’s patio.”
She took a deep breath. “Fate had a way of uniting you with Dimitra. I’m reminded of the Greek myth about the three Fate goddesses who assigned individual destinies to mortals at birth.
“Lachesis, the Alloter, kept all knowledge of Dimitra from you. Yet even Lachesis’s power couldn’t prevent you and Dimitra from meeting.” She cleared her throat. “We have Kristos to thank for that. Maybe it is true love between them, and it’s so powerful it broke the spell.”
“Maybe,” he murmured, putting a hand on her arm. His touch sent darts of awareness through her body. “Your knowledge of the myths is remarkable.”
Little did he know Alexa had made them a lifelong study. She lifted her head. They were so close, she could imagine him kissing her and wanted it so badly she could taste it.
“Nico, thank you for telling me about the party. For Dimitra to be accepted and loved by you and your family will have made her feel reborn. As for being forewarned that there’ll be a media explosion, I’m now forearmed. I can’t thank you enough. Now I have to get back to my grandfather and will let myself out.”
For self-preservation she had to get out of there. Being with him like this was the hardest thing on earth to handle. He ran a hand up her arm before letting her go. The old Nico wouldn’t have let her walk out of there.
As she rode the elevator to the lobby, she had to admit that all these years apart hadn’t changed her feelings for Nico. If anything, they’d grown stronger. Just now she’d wanted to throw herself in his arms the way she’d done years ago while they’d kissed each other senseless.
But the myth about Hera and her jealousy of Io had done its damage, and Alexa had made it worse by keeping quiet. The result had caused her to lose Nico as she’d known it would if he ever learned the truth. If there’d been a glimmer of hope that deep down he still wanted to be with her, he would have pulled her back so she couldn’t leave his office.