Page 8 of Loving the Greek Billionaire

The elevator chimed, and he turned to see Rose stepping into the main room, with Kyrene, both of them chatting rapidly in French.

“Another good day?” he asked.

“Kyrene’s been very thorough in my education.” Rose set her handbag on the coffee table.

“Rose, it’s been my pleasure.” Kyrene kissed both of Rose’s cheeks. “Keep in touch, and we’ll get together again once your nanny duties are complete.”

“Of course.”

Kyrene nodded to Leo. “Stavros, lovely to see you again.”

“And you,” he said. “Your fees are in your account.”

“Thank you, though I would’ve done the tour for free. Rose is a pleasure, as I’m sure you’ll figure out soon enough.” She hefted her rucksack from the floor next to the elevator, and with a chime of the doors and a wave, Leonidas was alone with Rose.

“You’re done early today,” Rose observed, joining him at the window.

“Yes. I wondered if you’d like to have dinner with me and tell me about your adventures.”

“Like a date?” She raised a brow.

He pursed his lips. “Like two friends sharing about their day.”

She smiled. “I accept. I don’t think it would be seemly to date another member of the staff.”

“No, of course not,” he said. If she thought a date with the head of security was a no-no, then a date with the boss would be off limits.

“But friends having dinner is harmless. Is there a reservation, or do I have time to freshen up?”

“No reservation, though I can make one. Would you like to eat here or in the dining room? Or we can go out?”

Her cheeks tinted pink. “Actually the dining room. Kyrene recommended a dish that she says they’re world famous for.”

“Very well.” He tapped a few screens on his tablet. “All done. They’ll have a table for us in thirty minutes.”

She nodded and slipped toward her side of the suites, with a wave.

Leonidas watched her go, conscious of the light sway of her hips. When had he started to notice her hips? While he waited for Rose, he sat on the sofa and distracted himself with making a memory book of the children’s stay with their grandparents. He sorted through the pictures on his tablet, loading them onto the site, then laying them out in the book, and adding captions and anecdotes.

He paused a moment to study Nefeli. She was growing up . . . without a mother. In a few short years, she’d have questions about how bodies changed and how relationships worked between men and women. Those duties would fall to him. He sank his head into one hand while he traced the outline of her straight nose with one finger. She had Nia’s nose, mouth, and dark brown, wavy hair. He felt inadequate when faced with the task of being both father and mother. While Nefeli had grandmothers and aunts and nannies to seek advice from, it wasn’t the same as a mother, and Leo knew it. Lately the longing to have a companion at his side had increased, a sensation he’d thought, four years ago, would never consume him again.

He focused on Adonis. Those eyes struck him whenever he looked at his son, as if he saw an echo of Nia in them. He smiled. Adonis had never known Nia. Complications from childbirth had taken her life two days after he was born. All he knew were pictures of a mother whose touch he didn’t remember. And though Leonidas had tried with all his might to forge a posthumous relationship between Adonis and Nia, he knew his efforts were failing. Even Nefeli’s memories were dim.

Leo turned off the tablet and set it on the coffee table. He leaned his head back against the couch and stared at the ceiling. Some of Nia’s last words echoed in his head.

“You have a great capacity to love, Leo, and the children will need a mother. There’s a special woman out there destined to help you raise our children. Find her. Love her. Hold her in your arms. I will help you from the other side.”

“I can’t think of marrying again when you’re . . .” Tears tracked down his cheeks.

“Dying.” She stroked his hair, and he pressed his cheek into her palm. “Being your wife and their mother is my greatest joy. Help them remember me, but fill their memories of their future with her.”

He shook his head.

“Promise me.” Her breath rattled, and she coughed. Nia’s body spasmed. “Promise me.” She gasped for breath.

“I promise,” he whispered in her ear and held her close to his chest.

Nia’s heart rate slowed.

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