Page 88 of Slightly Married
“I’ll have three scenarios prepared by morning,” I confirmed, making a note.
Living under the same roof while remaining strangers was slowly killing me. We talked about nursery colors, baby furniture, and potential nannies’ credentials, but never about us.
The distance between us would end tonight. I had honored her request for space these past months, wary of causing her stressduring pregnancy. But with our daughter’s arrival imminent, I needed to make my feelings clear.
I pulled out my phone and opened my email. The draft I’d written months ago still sat there, unsent. The words had poured out of me that night, more honest than anything I’d ever written, yet I hadn’t had the courage to send it.
My thumb hovered over the send button. Words like these weren’t meant to be delivered through an email. I should tell her in person, look into her eyes as I confessed these feelings.
Yet something pushed me forward. What if she wouldn’t give me the chance to speak? What if she retreated to her room again tonight before I could say these things?
I pressed send before I could change my mind. If after reading the email and our talk tonight she wanted to try again, I’d spend every day ensuring she never regretted giving us a second chance.
Otherwise, I’d respect her decision, and we’d find a way forward as parents, if not partners. But I couldn’t live another day under these strained conditions.
“Are you even listening?” Dimi asked.
“No,” I admitted. “But I will tomorrow. Tonight, I have something to do.”
Aris cleared his throat. “You’re not invited.”
“Not invited to what?” I frowned, gathering my papers.
“Kayla’s baby shower.” Aris raised an eyebrow at my obvious confusion. “It’s women only.”
“I had no idea.”
“Neither did I,” added Dimi.
“It was a surprise. Simone organized it with Domma.” Aris shrugged. “I assumed you knew.”
“We obviously didn’t,” said Dimitrios. “How do you know? The women tell me everything.”
I didn’t have to ask how Aris knew about the shower. He’d been spending considerable time with Deanna, Tia’s mother, since last Christmas.
No one in the family except Kayla and me knew about their relationship—stemming from that restaurant sighting the previous year. But I wasn’t concerned about my brother’s personal life. My priority was Kayla.
“Where is this shower being held?” I asked, already reaching for my jacket. I hoped it wasn’t at Yiorgos’.
“Thalassía.”
I froze. “You’re certain?”
“Positive. Mother had me fly in Lauren on one of the jets, and they used one of the yachts to get to the island. Irida mentioned the views would be perfect for pictures.”
Thalassía.
Where I’d specifically asked Kayla not to go until after giving birth. Where the nearest hospital was forty minutes away by boat in good weather. Where my thirty-eight weeks pregnant wife was now celebrating with no medical professionals nearby.
“I’m taking the helicopter on the roof,” I said to Dimitrios, already heading for the door. “I need to get to the island.”
“Kos,” Aris called after me. “Don’t crash the party. The women have been planning this for weeks.”
But I was already gone, my mind racing faster than my feet as I calculated the quickest route to my wife.
As the helicopter touched down, I surveyed the island, momentarily stunned by its transformation. The landscapers had worked magic. Native flowers spilled down stone terraces, and olive trees cast dappled shadows across new pathways, all framing the blue expanse of the Aegean.
This island had been my reason for marrying Kayla a year ago. Now, despite its value and my family’s triumph at reclaimingit, the land seemed trivial compared to what I’d found in Kayla herself.
