Chapter 5
He noticed her clenched fists from the corners of his eyes as he navigated the lazy Sunday afternoon traffic. His woman might play it tough and act as if she wasn't afraid, but he knew how vulnerable she was. And knowing it made him want to protect her from everything. He was fierce about that.
"Andreas is the oldest," he began casually, determined to put her at ease.
He slid her a glance as he stopped at the light, smiling at the look of confusion on her beautiful face. The green sweater dress paired with the tan boots made her look sophisticated. The shiny head of hair, brushed to one side, completed the picture. He felt the love swelling inside him.
"He's heading into forty and is married to Lori, his former admin assistant."
"Why-"
"They have two children," he rolled over her as the light turned green. "Dimitri is ten going on twenty, smart as a whip and a perfect foil for his vivacious and adorable sister Evangeline who is eight. She adores me."
He flashed her a grin, noticed that her hands had relaxed.
"Alexander comes next. He's thirty-eight. His wife is Grace, a former criminal defense attorney. They have two children too. Lucas, five and Iris, four."
He touched the left indicator to take the turn for the private road leading to the exclusive and very pricey neighborhood.
"Georgios is thirty-four. I guess the parents decided to take a two year break there.
His wife is Lilly, sweet and serene and a former model.
They have two children as well. Ophelia is three and the baby Theo is only one.
And you already know about mother. Her name is Mary-Ann, the matriarch and powerhouse of the family.
And of course, dad. Petros. A gentle bear. "
He stopped outside the wide arched driveway of the manor and shut the engine off.
"Why are we stopping?"
Her hands were balled into fists again and her heart was pounding. She hated feeling afraid.
Taking his hands off the wheel, he turned sideways so he could face her. Taking her hands in his, he peeled her fingers from her palms and smoothed them out.
"They're supportive."
His eyes stayed on hers.
"Loud, yes, and tend to turn everything into one big argument. But that's our way. We're part Greek and part Irish and part American. It makes for a very combustible combination."
He linked their fingers as if trying to infuse some calm inside her.
"They will love you because I do."
He shook his head when she opened her mouth.
"You're going to have to learn to accept that I'm in love with you and stop fighting it. It's just going to piss me off."
He grinned at the sparkle of temper in her eyes, and decided that was a far better look for her.
"They are intrusive, because they care a lot. As I'm the baby of the brothers and am the only one without a wife, they are focused on me. Annoying, yes, but I've learned to live with it."
Lifting their joined hands, he kissed her knuckles, eyes steady on hers.
"That said, you're the most important person in my life. I will be here for you. They will never harm you. Yes, they might say things out of turn, but they don't mean it in any bad way. I'm here baby and that's where I'm going to stay."
When he started to draw her towards him, she shook her head.
"Don't kiss me."
His words and her shaky composure was more than she could handle.
"Why not?"
She took a breath.
"Because I'm going to be facing your family and I want all my faculties working. Whenever you kiss me, touch me, I-"
She shook her head again as if baffled.
"I cannot seem to function."
His grin widened and made her want to punch him.
He correctly interpreted her expression and held on to her hands.
"I might also add that if they see one mark on me that's not supposed to be there, they'll call for blood."
Her eyes gleamed and she had to fight the urge to grin.
"I just might take my chances."
"Better?" he asked softly and she nodded.
"All right, let's do this."
Ignoring her earlier plea, he pulled her over and kissed her lightly.
"That was for me."
Settling back, he eased into drive and turned into the wide winding driveway.
She had been to the house once but was unprepared for the sparkle of snow on the glass.
The sky had darkened, with the lights from a full moon vying with the towering structures holding sconces deep in their depths.
Grecian sculptures dotted the immaculate grounds.
The stark white gazebo stood to the left of the pool that was now covered for the winter.
"It's lovely," she whispered as he slid to a stop in front of the wide porch. "Like something out of a fairytale."
He stared at the combination of the modern and ancient, and realized that he had somehow started to take it for granted.
To him, it was just home. Somewhere he had grown up with loving parents and three brothers who were always up to some mischief.
He recalled running through the woods. Fishing in the river at the back of an old shed that had been demolished some years ago.
Camping out in the wilds with his father keeping an eagle eye on them.
Sneaking a girl or two inside the barn which no longer housed horses. The place had been in their family for more than a hundred years and gone through various renovations, nothing that would detract from the original structure.
Reaching over, he unhooked her belt and laid a hand on her cheek.
"It was a very good place to grow up in. Ready?"
She nodded.
Letting himself out, he came around and opened her door. Taking her hand, he laced their fingers and turned just as the solid redwood doors swung open.
He felt her fingers tighten on his. Mary-Ann Kostas stood there waiting, slender figure wrapped in raw black silk, blonde hair piled on top of her head. She passed a glance over Leanne, before beaming at her son.
"Right on time."
Stepping back, she allowed them to enter before wrapping her hands around his waist and holding on. Keeping a hand around his waist, she turned to study the woman her son was clearly in love with.
"I know we've met before, but the circumstances have changed."
Leanne jumped slightly when she leaned forward to kiss both her cheeks.
"Welcome to the family madness, my dear."
"I- er- thanks."
She glanced up at Christos as if asking what to do next.
"Come in. We're all gathered in the family room."
Keeping her arm around her son, she led them into what was a very large living room with a fireplace taking up one entire wall.
"Everyone, please welcome Leanne, Christos' girl."
Letting go of him, she clapped her hands and silence reigned.
"We will get the introductions out the way before going in for supper."
Without waiting for a response, she started. It took all of twenty minutes for her to name everyone in the room. The children had started babbling, racing towards Leanne in curiosity and firing questions at her.
Christos rescued her by firmly leading her to a chair and sticking to her like glue.
It was overwhelming and more than a little frightening. They all looked perfect and incredibly beautiful. The first time she had come here, it had struck her that she was the only black person in the room.
One of the things her parents had drummed into her head since she was a child was that there were inequalities in the races.
"God made us all equal of course, but that's not necessarily true. White people have a way of behaving as if they are superior."
This was from her mother who had carried her resentment to a new level. They had attended an all-black church, which had been very deliberate.
And when she started dating in college, she steered clear of white men. Until Christos. He was her first and ironically for her, he was the beginning to unravel everything she thought she knew or thought was right.
She was jarred from her introspection when she felt a small body climbing onto her lap. Conversations were whizzing back and forth, and no one noticed she wasn't contributing to any of it. A mild non-alcoholic beverage had been pressed into her hand.
"Pretty."
The little boy she recognized as Theo murmured, touching her face with a chubby finger.
She noticed a pattern with all the male members of the family.
They had inherited the thick dark hair from Petros and green eyes from Mary-Ann.
It was a stunning combination. The girls had hair ranging from blonde to sable brown and different eye colors.
"I-"
"She's my woman, go find your own."
Flashing her a grin, Christos plucked him off her lap and hoisted him high enough to have him squealing in delight.
He was very good with them and his boast about being adored was not an idle one.
The girls climbed all over him, clamoring for his attention and even the sober Dimitri wanted his attention.
They seemed to hang onto his every word, and he did not seem to mind that they messed up his hair or clothing.
He was a natural when it came to dealing with children and it showed. While she was the very opposite. She was awkward around them and did not know how to act or what to say. Which was very sad, since she was carrying three.
When it was time for supper, he kept his hand on her arm, pulling out her chair around the twenty seater dining table and making sure she was seated before pulling up a chair next to her.
Even though he had told her that his mother and sisters-in-law did the whole Sunday dinner thing, she could not help but be surprised that what he told her was actual fact.
As soon as they were seated, the four women bustled out of the dining room and soon came back with trays, loaded with delicious food. They were even wearing aprons.
"We prepared some Greek fare and hope you will be able to keep it down."
Mary-Ann told her as she put her tray in the middle of the table.
The large platter looked so appetizing that Leanne felt her mouth watering.