Chapter 8
He would not listen to reason and there was no moving him. She tried pleas which fell on deaf ears. When she resorted to anger, it was met with stony silence.
"This is not up for negotiation. We're getting married." His implacable tone told her that it was final.
"You don't know what you're getting into." He simply lifted a brow and continued to stare at her in silence.
"I'm going to make you a lousy wife." She held up her hands and dropped them. "All right fine. I'll give up my place and live with you full time. Then later on, we'll revisit this marriage business."
Two days was enough to be lying flat on her back, but the doctors had insisted on a week. It was driving her nuts.
"No."
"You cannot force me to marry you." She snapped, glaring at him.
"If it comes to that, but I doubt it will. We love each other."
"No, we don't."
Biting back an angry retort, he pressed on. "I love you and you have the hots for me. I can live with that."
"And what happens when I no longer have the hots for you?" She asked heatedly and earned a smug smile.
"You can wipe that expression off your face, you're not irresistible."
"Want me to prove how irresistible I am?" he asked softly.
He had been by her side every day, even when she told him she was fine. "I'm surrounded by a medical staff every damn hour of the day. You don't have to be here." He had simply ignored her.
Armed with his devices, he worked quietly, leaving the room only to make calls. His assistant, an efficient no-nonsense looking woman frequently dropped by to bring him documents. He had been assigned a room where he was able to do his work.
His family dropped by frequently, including the children who had started bringing her little gifts like hand painted cards. She was overwhelmed by the attention.
"Go away, I'm tired." Folding her arms over her breasts, she turned away.
Putting aside the laptop, he rose and walked around to sit on the bed.
"I know what's bothering you." He told her quietly, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.
"So, you're a mind reader now."
Ignoring her waspish tone, he continued to rub her arm. "I cannot begin to understand anything about your mother and how much you must be hurting."
"I'm fine."
"Please don't do that." His calm tone had the tears burning the back of her eyes.
He had come into the room and heard the conversation. She had called to tell her mother she was in the hospital and that she was planning on getting married.
The answer had been expected, but that had not stopped the hurt. She had been told in no uncertain terms that she was on her own.
"I have an obligation to my church sister who is bedridden and needs my help. I told you before that I want no part of that kind of situation you've gotten yourself into."
"It doesn't matter." She said hoarsely.
"Of course it does. She's your mother."
"She never was." She blinked at the tears and hated herself for the vulnerability. "These babies are going to be her grandchildren, and it does not matter. Your family are constantly here, giving their support. Because of you. I have no one. Do you know how that makes me feel?"
"Look at me." He demanded.
When she did, he felt his heart wrenching at the despair and sadness in her magnificent eyes. "Never let me hear that from you again. You have me and our babies and my family. I want it to be enough for you. You'll never have to wonder if you're loved."
He tucked a hand under her chin and used his thumb to wipe the trickle of tears that had escaped. "It's her loss. Baby, please don't cry, you're breaking me in two. Let me be your husband, I want that more than anything else in this world. Let me show you how loved you are."
Digging her hands into the material of his sweater, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed brokenly.
*****
"I'm trying to calm down enough to call her." He had left the hospital, telling the doctors to call him if there was any problems. They had ended up giving her a sedative to make her sleep after the violent crying jag.
"The way I feel right now, I want to jump on the plane and find her and give her a piece of my mind. How can a mother be so damn callous? And what's worse, she calls herself a child of God. I want to wring her bloody neck for putting Leanne through this."
He had called a family meeting and as usual, they had come. All of them had left what they were doing and were gathered inside the large conference room assigned for board meetings.
The Friday morning had dumped several inches of snow from the sky, giving everything a glistening white fairytale look. But the beauty of it all was lost on him. Dropping into the chair next to the window, he raked restless fingers through his hair.
"I'm prepared to offer her money, anything it takes, just for her to be here for her daughter."
"That would only make matters worse for you and Leanne." Andreas sat next to him, touching his arm lightly.
Glancing over at his wife, he continued. "You recall how difficult it was for Lori's dad to accept me, don't you?" When his brother nodded, he resumed, sending a tender smile in his wife's direction. "He was a piece of work, and I know my darling wife does not mind me saying so."
"Not at all." Lori crossed the room, to perch on the arm of her husband's chair. "He was a drunken lout who only cared about the next bottle. He constantly embarrassed me. When Andreas told me he wanted to meet my father, I panicked."
"You made so many excuses." He linked his hand with hers. "That I began to get suspicious."
"He never came around." Lori mused. "He never accepted any of you." Her eyes touched the family who had adopted and welcomed her without question.
"When I discovered you were slipping him money, I was so angry and further humiliated." Squeezing her husband's fingers, she leaned over to kiss her brother-in-law's cheek. He looked so tormented that she felt her heart going out to him. "I want to suggest something."
"Anything. I'm open to any and all suggestions. That's why I called this meeting."
"Let me talk to Leanne. Let me tell her of my situation."
He hesitated at that, a look of uncertainty clouding his eyes. "She's very private and stubborn as hell."
"Let me try."
"All right." He nodded. "I'm going to try and reason with her mother, try and have a conversation to see if I get anywhere first. And then we do it your way."
"Are you sure you want to do that?" his father asked with a frown.
"What harm can it do?" he wondered grimly. "I love her and because I do, I'm willing to do anything."
*****
"Who's this?" The strident tone demanded.
After dismissing his family, he had sat here in the conference room, trying to gather the courage to make the call. But first, he had called the clinic and was told that Leanne was still sleeping. That was something at least, he mused grimly.
"Mrs. Wilcox, this is Christos Kostas, your daughter's fiancé."
"What do you want? I already said my piece and there's nothing to add. You knocked up my daughter and have her living in sin. She's a disgrace and I've told her so myself."
He had to take several deep breaths to level out his temper.
"Your daughter is one of the loveliest person I've ever met and I'm head over heels in love with her."
"Good for you. The Bible clearly states that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. If Leanne wants to get mixed up in your sordid life and end up going to hell, then that's her problem."
Deep breaths again as he felt his control slipping away. "The Bible also says 'Judge not, lest you be judged. Matthew 7:1.'" His tone was steely.
"You have no right to cast aspersions on my family. If you did your research, you would realize that Kostas Enterprises has a sterling reputation and that has been the case for more than two hundred years. My ancestor started out producing olives in a little known village in Greece."
"Theodorus Kostas spent most of his life researching his product. We give to charity and our business dealings are always above board."
"The devil quoting scriptures." The woman said sarcastically.
"How can you call yourself a child of a loving God and spout such vile comments?" he demanded, surging up from the chair. "You have a daughter, your only child who needs you right now. She's carrying your grandchildren, doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"She's carrying the spawn of Satan! She got pregnant out of wedlock and is now trying to make things right by standing before God and witnesses to take vows. You're a disgrace."
"Ms. Wilcox." His voice was dangerously calm, his shoulders rigid. "You're the mother of the woman I love more than life itself and for that, I will allow your utter disrespect to slide by."
"But don't you ever refer to my children in that derogatory way again or I swear to the God we both know that I will come after you. And use that money you're so disdainful of to make your life a living hell. Am I getting through to you?"
"How dare you."
"You don't deserve a daughter like Leanne and she's much better off without someone as vituperative and evil as you. And my children will be a whole lot better if you're not in their lives. Good day to you." He hung up before he could say anything more.
His hands clenched and unclenched, his breathing rapid. Walking over to the trestle table, he poured a full glass of water and downed it in one gulp and even that wasn't enough.
He wanted to smash something. The woman was the most despicable human being he had ever had the displeasure of being acquainted with.
It amazed him constantly that Leanne had turned out to be the sort of woman she was, considering the awful home she came from. As much as she tries to deny it and him, he knew she was in love with him.
It was just so difficult for her to say the words, words that had never been said to her by people who were supposed to nurture her. It pissed him off and made him want to just run and snatch her against him and hold her for the rest of their lives.