The Greek Billionaire’s Love-Child Page 15

  ‘Suddenly it feels like the right thing?’ His handsome face was devoid of expression. ‘I’ve been asking you constantly. Why now?’

  ‘Because now I know it’s what I want.’

  ‘You mean that having had a taste of the lifestyle that serious wealth can buy, you think you’ll enjoy being my wife?’

  Ella felt the colour drain from her face.

  ‘You know that isn’t how it is.’ Her hands shaking, she curled her fingers into the white bedspread. ‘How can you say that to me? Why does it always come back to the money for you?’

  His entire frame shimmering with tension, Nikos dragged his hands through his hair and muttered something in Greek. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said harshly, spreading his hands in a gesture of apology. ‘I suppose I was surprised by your sudden change of heart. Given that nothing else has changed between us, it seemed like the most likely explanation.’

  Ella stood up, trying to think beyond her bruised feelings. ‘Or perhaps I just saw you with your family and realised what sort of person you are underneath that icy exterior.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘You love them, Nikos. It shows in the way you talk to your parents, the way you indulge your nieces and nephews. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you show warmth and affection.’

  His eyes were hooded. ‘I have been showing you affection continually for the past few weeks.’

  ‘That isn’t affection,’ she croaked, ‘that’s sex. It’s different. You keep yourself shut off. You don’t confide in me—you never have. You’ve never told me anything about who you really are. But today I saw that you were capable of opening up. I’m absolutely sure you’ll be a good father to the baby.’

  He didn’t love her, that was true, but she knew now that he was going to love his child.

  And she wasn’t going to deprive her child of that love.

  He took her face in his hands, his eyes serious as they swept hers. Searching. ‘You’ll marry me?’

  ‘If that’s still what you want,’ she said softly. ‘Yes, I’ll marry you.’

  He lowered his head to hers and kissed her. ‘Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that?’

  Ella closed her eyes, filled with happiness, sure that she was doing the right thing.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  HER happiness lasted until they walked back into the house.

  The moment the car pulled into the drive Ella felt dread building in the pit of her stomach.

  ‘You’re quiet.’ Nikos switched off the engine and glanced at her. ‘Tired?’

  ‘Yes,’ she lied, searching for a reason not to leave the car.

  When she’d been in Greece, she’d felt as though she’d started to put her past and her fears behind her, but now she realised that it was all still there.

  She glanced down at the diamond ring on her finger, hoping that it would give her courage, but the feeling of sickness intensified.

  In Greece she’d felt optimistic and positive about the future.

  Here, with the house frowning down on her, she realised that she’d been fooling herself—seeing things the way she wanted to see them, not the way they were.

  Had he said ‘I love you’?

  No.

  But that wasn’t the biggest problem.

  There was still so much she didn’t know about him—facets of his past that he refused to share. How had she managed to persuade herself that it didn’t matter?

  How could she risk her future knowing that he was withholding such a large part of himself?

  ‘Do you want me to ring and say you can’t work this afternoon? It was stupid of us to say that we’d work a late shift.’

  ‘No. I want to work.’

  Nikos frowned. ‘If you’re tired…’

  ‘I’m not tired.’ She didn’t know what she was saying and she saw the question in his eyes.

  ‘All right.’ His tone mild, Nikos reached across and un-fastened her seat belt. ‘Shower, change, lunch. Then, if you’re up to it, work.’

  Ella sat rigid, unable to force her limbs to move.

  ‘No,’ she croaked, and he lifted an eyebrow.

  ‘No to what? No to work?’

  ‘No to marriage,’ she whispered, emotion rushing towards her like a tidal wave. ‘It’s—I can’t, Nikos. I’m sorry. I was wrong about everything. I thought we would be fine, but we won’t be—It can’t—Just forget it.’ Mumbling incoherently, she yanked the ring off her finger, thrust it into his lap and then opened the car door before he could stop her.

  Legs shaking, heart pumping, she tore down the drive, away from the house.

  She didn’t even know where she was going.

  She just needed to get away.

  ‘Theos mou…’ Nikos was right behind her, his strong hands closing over her shoulders, stopping her flight and steadying her. ‘What is the matter with you?’

  ‘I can’t marry you.’ Her breath was coming in pants and she felt almost hysterical. ‘I can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry. I made a mistake. I was wrong.’

  ‘Ella—you’re not making sense.’ He gripped her arms tightly, his mouth set in a grim line. ‘We have just had a great week together, you chose to wear my ring. What has changed?’

  ‘Nothing. It’s not you. It’s me.’ She covered her face with her hands and he gave a rough curse and pulled her against him, rubbing her back gently with his hands.

  ‘You are very emotional and that’s normal for a pregnant woman. You will lie down in the house this afternoon and I will explain to Rose—’

  Ella drew away from him. ‘No. I’m going to work now. I’ll have a shower and change there. Don’t try and stop me. I’ll come and get my things later.’

  Or maybe she’d just ask Helen to lend her something.

  Nikos inhaled sharply. ‘I don’t understand what is going on here. What am I missing?’

  Ella blinked back tears. ‘Nothing.’ She delved in her bag for her mobile phone, only to find that the battery was flat.

  Nikos raised his eyes to heaven and produced his. ‘Who did you want to call?’ His clipped tone brought her even closer to tears.

  ‘A taxi.’

  ‘To go where?’

  ‘The hospital.’

  ‘You are planning to work in this state?’

  ‘Yes.’ Work meant not having to go into the house. And work usually provided a distraction. Hopefully, by the time her shift ended, she would have decided what to do.

  ‘It hardly seems like a rational decision.’

  ‘Just call me a taxi, Nikos.’

  He pocketed the phone and pulled out his car keys. ‘If that’s really what you want to do, then I’ll give you a lift. But don’t think this conversation is over, Ella.’

  If she’d thought that a busy afternoon in the paediatric emergency department would take her mind off Nikos, she was wrong. Every case that came through the doors was challenging, serious and required his attention.

  And all the time she was aware of his brooding expression and the rising tension between the two of them.

  Why was life so complicated?

  She couldn’t just walk away—she was having his baby.

  And yet how could she marry him?

  Ella was checking the intubation tray in Resus when the doors opened and Nikos strode in. His skin had turned a rich brown after their week in the Mediterranean sun and he looked more handsome than ever before. ‘The paramedics are bringing in a two-day-old baby with breathing problems.’

  Was she the only one who was wishing to be back in Greece?

  ‘Any more information than that?’

  ‘No.’ His eyes dropped to her mouth. ‘And after this we’re going back to the house. You owe me a conversation. Whatever was right in Greece can be right here.’

  Feeling the sexual vibrations, Ella looked away. ‘We can’t talk about this now. We have a patient on the way in.’ And she was already finding it difficult to concentrate.

&nb
sp; ‘The sun has given you freckles.’ He gently pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, the gesture unmistakably affectionate.

  Her heart gave an alarming lurch.

  Why did he have to show affection now, when she was so confused?

  Fortunately for her sanity the doors opened again and the paramedics hurried in with the baby and a very worried mother.

  ‘He didn’t wake up for a feed last night,’ the woman told them, ‘and when I looked in his cot he was this weird grey colour. I picked him up and he didn’t cry or anything…’

  The baby lay still on the trolley, struggling for breath, pale-skinned, displaying all the signs of shock.

  A team of staff joined them and Nikos immediately took charge.

  ‘Call the paediatric cardiologist and phone the neonatal intensive care unit and warn them he’s going to be coming up to them. Ella, can you check his pulses? Brachial and femoral—I’m going to get a line in.’

  Ella attached a pulse oximiter to the baby and then did as he asked. ‘He has a very weak femoral pulse and his lower extremities are cool.’ Which implied that insufficient blood was reaching the child’s limbs. ‘His sats have dropped, Nikos.’

  ‘Check his blood pressure in both arms and both legs. And let’s give him supplementary oxygen.’ Nikos examined the baby swiftly, his hands skilled and confident as he searched for the cause of the problem.

  ‘His blood pressure is lower in the legs than in the right arm.’

  ‘Which confirms my suspicions. This baby has a coarctation of the aorta.’ Nikos spoke in a calm voice. ‘He’s in shock because the ductus arteriosis has closed suddenly.’

  ‘Do you want to do an echocardiogram?’

  ‘Yes, but first I want to give him a prostaglandin infusion.’

  ‘You’re trying to reopen the ductus?’ Ella prepared what he needed and the team worked to stabilise the circulation with fluids and drugs.

  ‘If necessary, we’ll have to ventilate him.’

  ‘Is he going to die?’ The baby’s mother covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes bright with tears. ‘What are you doing to him?’

  One of the other nurses drew her gently to one side but Nikos frowned slightly and indicated with his head that she was to bring the baby’s mother closer.

  ‘This is frightening for you, I know,’ he said gently, ‘but I am asking you to trust me. Tom has a narrowing of one of the blood vessels leading from his heart—that is why he is so poorly. He is not getting the oxygen he needs, but we have put in place a temporary solution. Come closer. You can hold his hand—that’s good. Is there anyone you want to phone? Your partner?’

  The woman’s eyes filled and she shook her head. ‘I’m on my own,’ she muttered. ‘This is just—well, you don’t think it’s going to happen to you, do you? When you have a baby you just assume that everything is going to be fine.’

  Ella watched the woman close her fingers over the baby’s tiny hand and wondered why it was that Nikos always knew instinctively what would help the relatives.

  This mother needed to touch her baby.

  ‘This problem with his heart.’ The woman’s eyes were fixed on her baby. ‘Can you fix it?’

  ‘My colleague will run some tests, take some pictures of the heart, using sound waves, possibly a few other things and then he will make a decision about how best to deal with it.’ Nikos leaned across to adjust the flow of oxygen just as the paediatric team walked into the room.

  They took over the care of the baby, but once Nikos had handed over the case he drew the mother to one side, taking the time to explain exactly what was happening and why. He answered her questions with infinite patience, sometimes sketching a quick diagram to make his explanation clearer, occasionally referring to one of his colleagues.

  When the baby was finally transferred, the mother was effusive in her thanks and obviously quite shocked by what had happened.

  ‘That must be incredibly hard,’ Ella said. ‘Having a newborn baby and suddenly everything goes wrong.’

  ‘And she had no support—that made it worse.’ His eyes were on hers, cold and angry. ‘Is that what you want? You want to do this on your own? Because you should know by now that that option isn’t on my agenda.’

  ‘Nikos—’

  ‘It’s time to go home. Get changed. I’ll meet you by the car.’

  Her heart felt as though it was being squeezed. ‘I can’t stay with you tonight, Nikos. I’m going to pick up my things and go and stay with Helen.’

  ‘We’ll talk about this at the house.’ Without giving her a chance to argue, he strode from the room, leaving her staring after him in despair.

  They arrived home at dusk and the moment Ella walked through the doors her mood changed. It was like putting on a heavy, dusty cloak, the weight of the past dragging her down.

  The staff had already unpacked her bags so she had to pack them again.

  ‘My mother called to ask your opinion on flowers.’ Nikos reached for his wineglass. ‘I said you were tired and that you’d already gone to bed.’

  ‘I’ll call her tomorrow.’ Ella stood in the opulent hallway, feeling sicker and sicker. ‘I’ll go and pack my things.’

  But walking around the house simply made things worse. Every room she walked into mocked her until her head was ringing and she felt as though she was going mad.

  She locked herself in the bathroom and splashed her face, trying desperately to pull herself together.

  It was just a house, for goodness’ sake. Walls, rooms, windows. Somehow over the years she’d managed to give it a personality.

  It was ridiculous to allow it to get to her like this.

  Cross with herself, she walked into the bedroom they were sharing.

  It was a beautiful room, with a small balcony overlooking the beach and the deck. As she threw her belongings into her suitcase, she stooped to pick up a discarded shoe from the floor and noticed something sticking out of the bottom of one of the drawers. Assuming it was something she’d dropped, she picked it up.

  It was a photograph, and Ella stared at it for a long, agonising moment before everything went black and she slid to the floor.

  ‘She will be all right now.’ The doctor closed his case. ‘It isn’t uncommon for pregnant women to faint. The baby’s heartbeat is strong.’

  ‘I’m fine, honestly.’ Ella added her reassurance to that of the doctor, hoping that both he and Nikos would leave her alone. ‘I’m just tired. I’m sorry to have worried everyone. I’ll have a sleep and I’ll be OK tomorrow.’

  She really, really needed to be by herself.

  But Nikos showed no signs of leaving. He spoke to his colleague and then asked one of the staff to show him out while he returned to Ella’s bedside.

  ‘You didn’t need to call the doctor,’ she murmured, closing her eyes and curling into a ball.

  ‘Yes, I did. How did you think I felt when I found you in a heap on the floor?’

  ‘Irritated?’

  ‘Stop this. Ella—look at me.’ His voice was infinitely gentle and she felt tears scald her eyelids.

  ‘I just want to be on my own for a bit.’ She kept her eyes tightly shut and then felt his hand slide through her hair, pushing it away from her face.

  ‘I know you feel bad,’ he said softly. ‘I understand that. What I don’t understand is why. And you’re going to tell me.’

  ‘Nikos—’

  ‘Tell me what has upset you so much and we will deal with it.’ His fingers gently massaged her forehead. ‘I will do whatever it takes to make it better, you have my promise.’

  His strength and kindness tipped her over the edge and a tear escaped from underneath her closed lids. ‘This isn’t something you can fix, Nikos. It isn’t a noise in the dark, or a spider.’

  He reached for something. ‘You were holding this when I found you. It is a photograph of three people. A man, a woman and a little girl.’ The hand that had been massaging her forehead gently wiped the tears from her
cheek. ‘Tell me who they are. I want to know why this picture has upset you so much.’

  Ella lay for a moment feeling as vulnerable now as she had when she’d been eight years old.

  She was painfully conscious of Nikos, his fingers moving gently over her head, infinitely patient as he waited.

  ‘Tell me who is in the photograph and why seeing it upsets you. Is it you? Are you the little girl?’

  The question destroyed all the barriers she’d erected around herself and she started to cry.

  She heard Nikos say something in Greek, heard his stunned tone, and then the bed dipped under his weight and he was on the mattress beside her, pulling her into his arms.

  ‘You accuse me of having secrets,’ he muttered, ‘but you are the one with the secrets, I think.’ He didn’t try and stop her crying, just held her tightly until eventually she was drained and exhausted with nothing left inside her except a feeling of emptiness and a pounding headache.

  She lay limp against him, her head cradled against the protective strength of his body. ‘I’m not the little girl in the photo,’ she croaked. ‘But I wanted to be. That’s my dad and his wife. And the child is his daughter. His other daughter. She’s the same age as me. They lived in this house.’

  Nikos didn’t loosen his hold. ‘Your father remarried after your parents separated?’

  ‘No. My father already had a family when he met my mother, but he didn’t tell her. They had an affair. Mum became pregnant with me. For eight years he managed to run two families within ten miles of each other and no one ever suspected.’ She sniffed and rubbed her palm over her wet cheeks. ‘Do you have a tissue?’

  He shifted slightly, yanked one from the box by the bed and wiped her face carefully. ‘But he couldn’t marry her because he was already married.

  ‘I don’t think he ever had any intention of marrying her. It was just an affair that went wrong. When he discovered Mum was pregnant, he set her up in a flat. He spent about half the week with us—the rest of the time Mum thought he was working. She trusted him. She didn’t have any reason to doubt him. She thought he was wary of marriage. It didn’t occur to her that he was already married.’