EPILOGUE
London, two years later...
“SHE’LLBEFINE,” Leander’s mother assured Ilona. “The nanny is here. We’ll have a little play time, a bath, a story and a song... She’ll wake in the morning and not even know you weren’t here until you’re back.”
“I’ll notice,” Ilona said plaintively.
Leander didn’t admit it, but he suffered hints of separation anxiety, too. It was hard enough to leave Delphine, named for Ilona’s mother, for a few hours when they went to work. Leaving her overnight, even with his mother, was a big step.
It was also something Ilona had told him a dozen times was necessary for him to repair his relationship with his mother. It’s a sign of your forgiveness. She needs to know you trust her. She needs a chance to bond with Delphine, too. This is good for all of us.
He had succumbed to her logic and, truth be told, was already fantasizing about having his wife to himself for a night in a very private and well-appointed hotel room.
First, they had to visit a gallery that was showing Hercules’s latest works, though.
“The car is waiting,” he reminded her. “We’ll leave extra security here if that will make you feel better.”
They didn’t need security the way they used to. Midas had used his last resources to flee to his mother’s New York apartment. He was awaiting extradition to face charges in Athens. He also had various accusations working through courts in a number of other countries, many having come to light as his power to intimidate and retaliate had waned. He would always be a small concern, but Midas had become something unpleasant they only thought about so they could be sure they caught it early, like prostate cancer.
Ilona stole one more pet of Delphine’s fine black hair and kissed her little wrinkle-nosed smile and they were away.
“Finally, I have you to myself.” He picked up Ilona’s hand and kissed her knuckles, noting the coiled ivy climbing toward the knuckle of her index finger. “What’s this? Going somewhere?”
“No. I have two things I’ve been meaning to tell you. First, we have to work out a stretch of time where we can give up both Feodor and Androu.”
“Feodor finally proposed?”
“He did.” She cocked her head and made a face of sweet sentiment.
“Good for them. Tell them to book whatever works. Androu will figure out how to keep us from imploding in their absence. What else?” He gave the ring a small twist.
“Oh. Um. I thought you’d want to know that I, um...” She glanced at the closed privacy screen and whispered, “I had the doctor remove my IUD.”
“You thought you would forget to tell me that?” he asked with amusement and another emotion that was bright and warm. He loved Delphine. Loved her to the moon and back. He and Ilona had talked about more children and he had made it clear he would have a dozen if Ilona was up for it, but he’d left it to her to decide when to try again.
“Sometimes we get carried away.” She rolled her shoulder. “I thought you should be fully informed.”
“We do get carried away,” he acknowledged, tugging her into leaning close enough he could nibble at the edge of her jaw. “Let’s get carried away right now. We don’t really have to see Hercules, do we?”
“I want to make an appearance so there aren’t any hard feelings. Don’t,” she quickly added, holding up her finger between them. “I heard it as I said it.”
A hard feeling was definitely liable to happen. He grinned and snapped his teeth at her finger, so enamored, he was stupid with it. And yes, he was impatient to get her alone, but anticipation had its attractions.
“Do you remember, a long time ago, that you told me the best revenge is to be happy?” he reminded her. “I didn’t know I could be this happy until you came into my life.” Until he had put down his anger and hatred and all the baggage he had carried, and allowed her love to surround him and fill him with this unrelenting contentment. “I’m smug as hell these days.”
She blinked and bit a lip that had begun to tremble with emotion. “We’re a good pair then, because I’m completely insufferable, too.”
“I’m doing it right?” He touched his thumb to the dampness in the corner of her eye. “Loving you?”
“You really are.” She offered her mouth for a soft, lingering kiss that could have turned into more. He couldn’t help trailing his fingertips along her bare shoulder and she sighed a small encouragement as he did, but the car halted outside the gallery.
Ilona drew back and moved her ring to her thumb.
“That’s to remind me we’re only staying a few minutes. We have somewhere important to be. Bed,” she mouthed, as if he wasn’t already on that page with her.
He helped her from the car, so pleased he was obnoxious with it.
*****