“I have my ways. Don’t ever think of trying to run away from me again, because I’ll find you and bring you back every time. Let’s go home and plan our wedding. The announcement has to go in the paper today so we can be married. My grandparents will be coming for dinner. They want to meet the woman who has turned my life around and brought the sunshine back.”
Her heart was racing out of control. “What wedding? You’re not divorced.”
“But I am. I’ll tell you everything in the car.” In the next breath he straightened and opened the front passenger door for her while the hotel clerk put her bags in the trunk.
In a daze, she climbed in. Andreas brushed her mouth with his before shutting the door. After he got behind the wheel and drove into the main stream of traffic, he grabbed her hand.
“I’m not letting go until you give me the answer I’ve been waiting for.”
Zoe knew the question he was talking about, but her throat had swollen from all her feelings rushing in so that she could hardly talk. “You know I want to be your wife more than anything on earth.”
“Will you marry me next week?”
A few minutes ago she’d thought it was the end of the world. “I’d marry you this second if we could. How did this miracle happen?”
“Yorgos met with Lia’s attorney in the judge’s chambers. Once he revealed her secret, the judge—disgusted by her flagrant lie—shamed her into signing the papers, giving immediate consent to the divorce.
“Even more, he promised to expedite the case through the courts so we can marry and honeymoon. It’s still extremely quick, but we’re going to get our hearts’ desire. We’ll also operate under the eight-day visitation arrangement until such time as more changes are needed.”
“Oh, Andreas. I’m delirious with joy!”
“So am I. Now I’m going to give you another piece of information that’s going to make you happy. Guion met with an attorney. Lia’s attorney just heard from him. Norville has given up his parental rights to Ari with one proviso. That if there comes a day when Ari wants to get in touch with him, he has permission as long as it goes through the attorney and Guion’s wife never knows about it.”
The news caused Zoe to break down again. This time it was in pure gratitude for a prayer answered.
“You got through to him, Zoe.”
She nodded and lifted a beaming face to him. “Somehow I know that one day Ari will have questions and the beauty of it is, he’ll be able to approach his birth father, even if it’s only for one time. Your son won’t have to live his whole life wondering about the man responsible for bringing him into the world.”
“It’s a miracle, and you made it happen. At the lowest ebb of my life, there you were in that taxi, as if you’d been delivered just for me.”
She gripped his hand tighter. “To be honest, I thought maybe the crash had made me hallucinate. The door opened and I saw my idea of a real Greek god who’d come to my rescue.”
“What is this Greek god business you’ve referred to?”
“You have to be an American woman born in my time who always fantasized about a man like you. When my girlfriends and I were young, a Greek god was our idea of male perfection. It’s the reason I was so excited to be assigned to Greece instead of Italy or France. Magda didn’t have any idea how thrilled I was when we were told where we’d be sent.”
His deep chuckle sent darts of delight through her body. “I’m going to have to meet this Magda and thank her for sending you to me.”
“She’ll have a heart attack when she meets you. Don’t be surprised if she asks you to be the leading man in one of her new films. I can promise that your female following will be legion.”
“I only want one female in my life.”
> For such a renowned businessman, Andreas’s modesty endeared him to her. “You’ve got me forever. I’m going to try to be the best stepmother in the world to Ari. I love him already.”
“You’re already winning him over. Did you notice how many times he kissed you in the pool?”
Oh, yes, she remembered, and nodded. “There’s another blessing in all this, too, Andreas. Lia’s parents never need to know what she’s been terrified of them finding out. I’m sure they adore Ari and can go on loving him without her being afraid.”
“A happier Lia will make life so much easier.”
“I agree. She’s a beautiful woman. One of these days we can hope she meets a man she can love. But no woman will ever love any man the way I love you.”
“Our honeymoon can’t begin soon enough for me, Zoe. I need you in my arms and my bed nonstop. I’ll ask Lia to keep Ari for two weeks. I’m going to need that long to believe you’re actually mine. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Where would you like to be married, darling? Anywhere except Athens.”
His first marriage had been celebrated there. “You mean out of all the beautiful places I’ve been while doing my research?”
“It’s your decision.”