A light knock sounded at the door, and to her surprise, Piers’s brothers and their wives crowded into her room. She must have looked as mortified as she felt because Piers squeezed her hand.
“Don’t worry, yineka mou. You look beautiful. They won’t stay long enough to tire you. I’ll see to it.”
He was lying through his teeth, but she loved him for it.
The thought hit her between the eyes and was more painful than the stapled incision in her belly. Love? Dear God, she’d fallen in love with him.
She tried to smile, but what she wanted to do was crawl into a deep, dark hole. How could she have allowed herself to fall in love with him—with any man? Apparently she hadn’t had enough hurt in her life. No, she obviously wanted to pile on more pain and disappointment.
It was all well and fine to want to be loved, but to offer her love on a silver platter? She was just asking for rejection.
“Jewel? Have we come at a bad time?” Marley asked quietly.
Jewel blinked and saw that the two couples were standing at the foot of her bed, studying her intently.
“No. No, of course not. I’m sorry. I’m still a bit muddled. It’s probably all the pain medication they’ve funneled through me.”
Beside her Piers frowned, and she just hoped he’d remain quiet about the fact she hadn’t had pain medication in three days. The doctor hadn’t wanted her to be on any narcotic for an extended period of time. It was too risky for the baby.
She smiled brightly at Bella and Marley and opted to keep her gaze away from Chrysander and Theron. They intimidated the hell out of her, and she wasn’t in the habit of giving up that kind of advantage to anyone.
“How are you feeling?” Bella asked as she moved forward.
She perched on the side of Jewel’s bed and flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder.
“Has Piers been bullying you? Marley and I can take him outside and rough him up for you.”
Jewel smiled and swallowed to keep from laughing.
“Don’t make her laugh,” Piers growled. “It hurts her too much. Besides, I have you and Marley wrapped around my finger, remember?”
Chrysander let out a loud guffaw. “Don’t let him fool you, Jewel. All either woman has to do is look at this idiot brother of mine, and he gives them whatever they want, much to mine and Theron’s dismay.”
“As if you both don’t spoil them shamelessly,” Piers said dryly.
“That may be true, but a woman can never have too many men at her disposal,” Marley said cheekily.
“There is only one man at your disposal, agape mou,” Chrysander growled. “And you would do well to remember that.”
Jewel watched the interaction between the three brothers and Bella and Marley, and for the first time, she didn’t feel like an outsider. The horrible feeling of intense longing didn’t hit her like it did the first time she’d met them. This time she felt more of an equal, as if she belonged in this intimate circle of family members.
“You must be feeling better,” Bella said from her perch on the bed. “You’re smiling so beautifully. You look quite radiant for someone who has just undergone surgery.”
“It’s the pregnancy,” Theron said slyly. “A woman never looks more beautiful than when she is pregnant.”
“Nice try,” Bella said dryly. “Your flattery will get you nowhere. And if you start lusting after pregnant women, I’ll make it so you’ll never be able to father children.”
Jewel couldn’t help but laugh when Theron all but paled. She put her hand over her belly and groaned, but even amidst the pain, it felt so good to laugh. She felt lighter than she had in a long time.
“Are you all right?” Piers asked quietly.
She waved him off. “I’m fine. Truly.” Then she turned to Bella. “Why do I get the feeling this is an ongoing battle between you and Theron?”
Bella grinned. “If Theron had his way, I’d have already popped out a veritable brood of children, but I’m too young, and we have so much to do together before I think of having babies. I’ll eventually give in and fill his nursery, but until then I live to torment him.”
Jewel studied Theron’s face as Bella spoke. His eyes shone with love for his wife, and she knew that he didn’t exert any real pressure. It was obviously a long-standing joke between them.
“Besides, Marley has taken it upon herself to provide enough Anetakis children for both of us,” Bella added with a smirk.
Piers eyebrows shot up. “Marley?”
Marley blushed while Chrysander smiled smugly and wrapped his arm around her waist. It was a possessive gesture not lost on Jewel.
“You’re pregnant again?” Piers demanded.
“In seven months she’ll give me the daughter I want,” Chrysander said arrogantly.
“And if it’s another son?” Marley challenged.
Chrysander looked down at her, passion blazing in his eyes. “Then we’ll simply try again until we get it right.”
Marley and Bella both laughed, and Jewel joined them, holding her belly all the while.
What a marvelous family. A family that she was now a part of. It was simply too much to take in.
“We should probably go now,” Chrysander said as he studied Jewel. “You look as though you’re in pain, and we don’t want to tire you out. We simply wanted to come by to check in on you and to let you know that if there is anything you need, anything at all, just let us know. You’re family now.”
She stared back at him, tears in her eyes. “Please, don’t go. You’re not bothering me a bit. I’ve so enjoyed having you all.”
“Tell me,” Bella said, leaning forward to capture Jewel’s attention. “Are they letting you have real food yet? I’m simply dying for some pizza. Theron thinks it’s barbaric, and so I’m shamelessly using you as an excuse to get some really greasy, cheesy pizza.”
“You call that real food?” Theron asked in mock horror.
“Oh I’d love pizza,” Jewel said with real longing. “Double pepperoni and extra cheese. Oh, and light sauce if no one objects.”
“Tell you what,” Bella said. “We’ll order one our way and let the re
st fend for themselves. What you suggested sounds positively divine.”
Jewel looked hopefully at Piers who sighed in resignation.
“What man can possibly say no to a woman when she looks at him that way?”
Both Theron and Chrysander laughed.
Chrysander clapped Piers on the back. “Now you’re learning, little brother. Now you’re learning.”
Fourteen
“I have a surprise in mind,” Piers said as he wheeled her out of the hospital’s front entrance. “It will take a while to execute, so what I want you to do is relax and try to rest as much as possible.”
A flutter of excitement bubbled in her stomach. She felt like a kid at Christmas. For someone who’d never gotten accustomed to any sort of surprise, she was fast finding she liked them very much. Or at least the anticipation of having one.
Piers’s security detail stood outside the limousine awaiting their arrival. One opened the back door, and Piers scooped Jewel up from the wheelchair and carefully placed her in the seat, taking extra care not to jostle her. Then he walked around to the other side while all but one of his security team slipped into a car parked behind the limousine. The last man got into the front with the driver.
“Where are we going?” she asked curiously when they went the opposite direction of the house she and Piers had been staying in.
“The airport.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Where are we going?”
Familiar excitement lit her veins. She loved to travel for the excitement of going to a new place, meeting new people and experiencing different cultures. Only this time she wasn’t going alone, and that thrilled her more than she would have thought possible.
He smiled and reached over to take her hand. “If I told you, it would spoil the surprise.”
“But my clothes, my things. I haven’t packed.”
“All taken care of,” he said smoothly. “This is why I hire a staff.”
“Did you pack my chef?” she asked mournfully. “He made the most delicious food.”
Piers chuckled. “I assure you, you won’t go hungry.”
A while later they pulled up next to a small jet parked on a private airstrip. Piers waited while his security got out and boarded the plane. Then he walked around to her side and picked her up.
“I’ll take her if you like, Mr. Anetakis,” Yves offered. He was the only one who Jewel knew by name. The rest were a mystery to her, but then Yves seemed more of a personal bodyguard for Piers while the rest operated on the perimeter.
Piers shook his head. “Thank you Yves, but I’ll take Mrs. Anetakis to the plane.”
Each step he took was in careful consideration of her comfort. When he reached the steps to the plane, he ducked down and walked inside.
Never before had she seen the inside of a private jet, and if she’d been expecting a smaller version of a regular airliner, she was mistaken. There were seats in the front covered in soft, supple leather that looked incredibly luxurious and comfortable. Beyond them was a sitting area with a recliner and a couch along with a coffee table, television and a mini bar.
Piers followed the direction of her gaze. “After we take off, I’ll show you the rest. There’s a bedroom in the back of the plane that you can lie down in.