Husband By Request

“He doesn’t know you. Come on, Ari.” He said something else in Greek and plucked the baby from the mattress. Immediately the little guy stopped crying, but he still stared at Dominique as if she were the enemy.

“Well, Uncle Paul…” She delighted in teasing him. “Who would have guessed you have the master touch?”

“Paul’s full of hidden talents.”

Dominique swung around to confront her husband, who was freshly shaven. He’d donned white slacks, and a navy polo shirt covered his well-defined chest. Just looking at his virile face and body drove the air from her lungs.

When her gaze switched to Paul, she caught him blushing.

How could it be that for all the time she’d known Andreas’s friend, a man who’d always seemed rather formidable, she hadn’t understood he was really shy and sweet? The year away had given her second sight about a lot of things.

“I want to check this out.” She opened the little gym and placed it on the tile floor. Padded toys dangled from an arc.

“Paul? Let’s see what Ari does with it.”

“He loves this.”

The minute he set him down, the baby started kicking at the various animals with all his might. He really did love it. While he lay there, Dominique picked out the features that were Olympia’s. His body shape and hairline reminded her of Theo.

A pain pierced her heart to think Theo had cut himself off from his own flesh and blood. Every child deserved its father if it was at all possible.

Dominique adored her dad. He’d always been so wonderful to her, but never more than when she’d cried to him on the phone after finding out she had cancer. When he’d told her she was going to be all right, it had been as if God had been speaking to her.

Little Ari would never know what that was like.

Her eyes smarted for him and Theo.

Suddenly she felt Andreas’s gaze trained on her and glanced over at him. For a second she thought she saw pain.

Was he still worrying that he might have gotten her pregnant?

In therapy she’d learned about the loved ones of cancer victims. They suffered in their own way too, and had to work through their grief.

Dominique could see she’d done a lot of damage in the past by not letting Andreas talk about it and share it with her. He’d had to shut off in order to placate her. Now he didn’t know where to go with all his feelings.

Later, when they were alone, she would force him to tell her everything he was thinking and obsessing about, even if the conversation became repetitive. An open dialogue was the only way to help him cope with the future.

Her attention returned to Ari. Unable to help it, she knelt down to tickle his little tummy. “You cute little thing. You’re adorable.”

He stared at her with large, startled brown eyes.

“Ari doesn’t know what to make of me.”

“My son’s not used to hearing English.” His mother spoke from the doorway.

Dominique got to her feet. “He’s a beautiful boy, Olympia. You’re so lucky to have him.”

“I think so too.”

“It looks like you’re ready to feed him, so we’ll leave you alone.”

“Do you want to give him his bottle?”

Olympia’s demeanor had undergone a change from two days ago. What was going on?

“I’m afraid there isn’t time,” Andreas answered before Dominique could say anything. “The pilot’s waiting to fly us to Athens. I’ve already arranged for your things to be put on board, Dominique.”

They were leaving for Athens right this minute?