The Greek Rule (The Greek Series) (23 page)

“Gianni is my cousin.” Alexandros did not elaborate why Gianni was there or how he had come to talk to her.

“Oh, he is very nice.” She waited quietly for him to get up, but instead he pulled out the chair beside him and asked her to sit. She sat.

“Athena, I spent the night trying to think what else might be bothering you. I cannot figure it out,
agape mou
. You need to help me with this, you must tell me.”

“I don’t want to discuss it.” She stood to walk away, and he swiftly shackled her wrist.

“I want to discuss it. You’re being totally unreasonable, and frankly, I don’t enjoy drama like this.”

“The problem is the things you do enjoy. That is the problem. And I will not have any of that in my life.” She snapped her hand away. “Now you’re even going back on your word. You agreed to a truce. You agreed that we’d enjoy the wedding in a dignified and mature manner.”

“You mean a cold manner. Fine. If that is what you want, that is what we’ll have. I won’t beg you to explain. You want to be stubborn and act like the world has crashed about you, go right ahead. I will not tolerate it anymore. This is ridiculous!”

The small vein at his temple pulsed. He was angry, and she watched him speechless.

“No one can solve anything without knowing what it is, and I’m no exception.”

“You have no right to speak to me like that. I’m not the one who plays games with relationships. I value the people around me, and I value the man in my bed.”

“And I don’t? I do not value
you?
What do I have to say to convince you of it? I told you I love you. I told you I wanted to marry you. I told you I would go to the other side of the earth for you. I can’t think of anything else to say. I have nothing else to say. I’m done talking. You win. A cold civilized interaction at the wedding it is then.” He grabbed the car keys and started for the drive. “Come on. There is much to do.”

In silence, they drove to Villa
Cardia Mou
. She closed her eyes and tried to control her feelings, not wanting Heather to guess she was upset. When they reached the villa, she hastily opened the door and climbed out. Before closing it, she leaned in and met his gaze.

“It’s not what you said, it’s what you did. Something that would drive me crazy each time you were not with me. That is no way to live. You and I, both, deserve better.” She turned and walked up the stairs into
Cardia Mou
.

“Woman, you’re driving me mad! Perhaps you’re right and this is wrong after all,” he called. “Never in my life have I experienced something like this.”

Never in his life had Alexandros loved a woman as he loved her.

Shifting the car into first gear, he spun the tires out of the drive. He drove fast and sharp, inviting danger with each turn. The small airport came into view, and Alexandros parked to wait for the plane. It landed, and Demo walked toward the terminal. The men greeted each other and headed to the car.

“I guess my sister has bridesmaid duties to do and couldn’t come. Is she still at your house?”

“Sorry, I dropped her off earlier. She wanted to help Heather get ready.” Alexandros tried to sound light, he was honoring Athena’s request.

“You look horrible, my friend. Please don’t tell me you guys had a stag party last night and Costa is going to look as bad as you do. You should never have a stag party the night before the wedding.”

“No, no party. Costa surely looks better than I do. And by the way, thanks for the compliments.” He drummed his fingers on the stick shift.

“What happened? No joke, you don’t look very good.”

“Athena happened, that is what. She is angry for reasons I do not know, and I can’t get her to talk to me. I feel like shaking some sense into that warped brain of hers.”

“Hey, you’re speaking about someone I love.”

“Someone I love, too.” He slowed for the turn. “I swear, Demo, let the earth open and take me if I’m lying, I love her. She is making me crazy and is pushing all my limits. She refuses to talk, or to tell me what bothered her.”

“I don’t know what to say. She looked happy a few days ago. Very happy. Athena looked like she was in love for the first time in her life.”

“She will be angry when she finds out we talked, but she said you could see right through her. So I am asking you—what could make her like this? She admits to loving me, but she doesn’t want me near her.” He spoke in rapid-fire Greek drawing lines of concentration on Demo’s brow.

“Did you ask her straight on? She’s forward about things.”

“I asked her to marry me yesterday, and she said no. Then she admitted she loves me, and that the problem wasn’t what I said. It was what I did.”

“Alexandros, I can tell you that honesty and dignity mean a lot to her.” Demo’s thought lines grew deeper. “I don’t know you well, but I don’t think you’d be dishonest or disgraceful.”

“She must have guessed I would ask her to marry me. I thought she didn’t want to move to Greece and change her whole life. I offered to work out of New York and move with her—”

“No, that doesn’t sound right. That’s just a smoke screen to keep from getting to love. To keep from exposing her heart to hurt. If she said she loves you, she has no problem with Greece and that silly No Greek Romance rule of hers.”

“Did anyone hurt her in the past to cause this?”

“Talk to her, and you’ll work things out.” Demo slapped the other man on the back. “Now trust me, and go get cleaned up. Use some eye drops or something like that, and then go stand beside your brother. I’d choke Tony if he showed up at my wedding looking like you do.”

Demo refused the use of the car and reminded Alexandros he needed a shave before meeting up with the family.

How Alexandros arrived at his father’s house to meet with Costa, he didn’t know. He, like Athena, put on his boardroom face and entered the house. The difference was his family saw right through it. They were not co-workers or casual acquaintances.

****

Athena made her way upstairs and opened the door to the master bedroom. The gown lay magnificently on the bed, and Heather sat in front of her vanity beginning a light application of makeup. She smiled in the mirror at her best friend.

“Good morning.”

“Good wedding morning to you.” Athena hugged her friend’s shoulders. “You are the most beautiful bride. I can’t wait to see you in the dress.”

“Well you won’t have to wait long. Did you bring the large curling iron?”

Athena made a grand gesture of removing it from her bag.

“Good, plug it in and start curling the bun. Chop, chop,” Heather said, smiling and snapping her fingers. “Do you think you came with me to spend your time making sweetie eyes at my groom’s brother all day? Nope, you’re here to do my hair.”

The women laughed, but the pain in Athena’s eyes reflected in the mirror. Heather turned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m very excited to do your hair, my lady.” Athena tried to sound funny while avoiding her friend’s gaze.

“Then why are your eyes puffy and dark?”

“That’s an easy one. I spent too much time in the sun and under the water yesterday. I read two books, and I didn’t sleep much because I had to finish the second story to see if the prince got the princess.”

“And did he?”

“In your case, he did.” Athena squeezed Heather’s hand.

“How’s your prince today?”

“He is a toad.”

“So you’re upset. You had an argument with Alexandros. Do you want to tell me about it?”

“No, not an argument. We’ll deal with it later. I promise to tell you how it goes as soon as I know. Now let me get to work. Curling iron please.” Athena held out her hand like a surgeon requesting a scalpel.

“Costa says he really loves you. I agree with him, and I think you love him too. He’s a great guy, and he isn’t bad to look at either.”

“Mmm.” Athena hesitated as she wrapped the first strand around the curling iron.

“I must say this, and then I’ll stop. Don’t,
do not
, cut off your nose to spite your face. Do not close down. Doing so is the only thing that’ll hurt you.”

“Okay, okay. But now we must give our attention to your hair.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Tradition dictated the bride would walk through the town so that everyone could witness her journey to the church. Athena carried the bride’s train as they strolled along the curvy streets and accepted the town’s good wishes for a fertile, prosperous, and happy life. She pasted a smile on her face and nodded to the crowd.

The bright, cheerful interior of the church was full of family and friends. The traditional ceremony was an hour long, and Athena found it hard not to look at Alexandros. Placing the ornate wreaths on the couple’s heads, Athena and Alexandros together crowned them King and Queen to each other in God’s kingdom. They joined the newlyweds in their first steps as husband and wife, and stood beside each other as they sponsored brother and friend.

Athena exited the church on Alexandros’s arm. She forced a smile on her face, while her heart ached from his touch. He was doing what she had asked, no one knew anything, and no one seemed to realize they were hurting.

The limousine pulled away and the guests began to walk towards the reception. Athena dropped Alexandros’s arm and walked toward her brother. Demo hugged her, and she held him a second longer that usual.

Demo brought his lips to Athena’s ear and whispered, “Talk with him, give it a chance.” Then they continued to talk with the other guests.

Spiro stepped up to walk beside Alexandros. “Let her go. If it is meant to be, you will be together in the future.”

“Baba, this doesn’t make sense. I love her. I know she loves me. She completes me, and we need each other. Yet, she doesn’t want to be with me. I cannot understand.”

“Alexandros, it takes more than love to build a true relationship. Compassion, respect, faith and trust are paramount. You compromised her trust when you chose to sleep with another woman.”

“What?” Alexandros stopped mid-stride. “Who told you such a lie?”

The older man looked at his son in dismay. “
Paidi mou
, I am sorry. I’ve misjudged the situation. For the first time in my life, I will break my word, my word to your Athena. I must end this, and you need to know.”

“What are you saying, Baba?”

“The night of the party I found Athena crying in the garden. At first, she wouldn’t tell me what had happened, and I feared the worst. She assured me she was physically fine, just upset. When I told her you would take her home, she became more distraught. She didn’t want you. I could not understand.”

“Baba, get to the point. What happened?”

“She saw you go into the bedroom with a woman to have sex.”

“You believed that? You couldn’t set her straight?”

“Athena heard you say you were waiting for the other woman all night. You locked the door for privacy. Alexandros, I had to offer her my help. It was the only decent thing to do. She was hurting, and I promised not to tell you.”

Alexandros kissed his father heartedly on the cheek. “It’s okay, you were looking over the woman I love.” Relief entered his heart. “I can understand, and this finally makes sense. I have to go find her. I’ll explain later.”

He spotted Athena walking with Demo and quickly made his way through the crowd. Curling possessive fingers around her arm, he dragged her to the side. She tried to pull away, but he held her tight and refused to let her go.

Alexandros met Demo’s gaze and silently expressed he had discovered the problem. Demo encouraged his sister with a pat on the arm and continued walking to the reception.

Alexandros couldn’t wait and locked his lips to hers. She tried to resist, but he would not allow it.

He hugged her closer and spoke into her ear. “We need to clear things now, not later. I love you so much, and I can’t stand to be without you for one more minute. We’ll talk now.”

The other guests passed and they stood alone in the street.

“I can’t share you, it hurts too much.” She turned to hide the tears behind her eyes.

“Athena, I’m yours, only yours. Look at me, and you will see that. It won’t work if you don’t trust me.
Agape mou
, look in your heart and tell me what you see.”

Her beautiful eyes grew big, and she slowly said, “There is pain and love. Love for you.”

“Yes, and my heart overflows with my love for you. Now answer me the most important question. Can that love overcome what has come between us?”

Athena’s face was red with strain. She was hurting, but if she didn’t trust him, nothing he could ever say would ever soothe her. Frustrated, he acknowledged she had to find it within her to trust him.

“I saw you with the woman in the green dress. You went into the bedroom, and you locked the door for privacy. But, I love you too much not to hear your explanation. Yes, I will trust what you have to say. Please tell me.”