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She knew Nikos didn’t like Ari. Her son knew it, too, thus the reason he clung to Stasio who openly adored him. That Nikos couldn’t show Ari affection caused Stella perpetual sadness and made it hard for her to be around him. A long time ago she had decided he didn’t have the capacity to be happy, especially after their parents died.
Perhaps it was wicked of her, but a part of her hoped he might decide not to come this holiday. With the advent of Theo in their lives, Ari had enough going on without worrying about Nikos. But maybe she was getting way ahead of herself. It all had to do with Theo, who was well and truly back in Athens, demanding to spend time with her son.
His son, too, her conscience nagged.
No matter what terrible things had happened to Theo, surely it was too late for him to start up a relationship with Ari that should have begun at his birth?
Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. The agony of his rejection and the desolate years that followed could send her over the brink if she allowed herself to dwell on that nightmare. No more.
All she wanted was to be able to provide a wonderful life for Ari. She wasn’t about to let Theo suddenly show up and turn their lives into chaos. Did he really think she would believe that the letter he’d shown her was authentic? She wiped the moisture from her cheeks before entering the gate that led up the drive to Stasio’s villa.
Apparently she’d arrived in time to join everyone for a motorboat ride followed by dinner further up the coast. It was probably Stasio’s idea because he knew Ari liked to steer part of the time, with Stasio’s guidance of course. Undoubtedly Dax would get a turn, too. An evening out on the water sounded heavenly to her.
Stasio helped her into the boat with a hug. Her handsome brother looked so happy, she knew her secret was safe for the moment.
Theo flew to Andros on Monday at noon. He’d brought a backpack filled with treats and a few other essential items. Not sure what Ari would like to do, Theo had opted to wear casual trousers with a navy T-shirt and hiking boots. Today he would let Ari make all the decisions.
After grabbing a sandwich and a drink at a nearby taverna with Boris, he strolled over to the concession area to watch for Stella’s car. It hardly seemed possible this day had come. He’d been dreaming of it for too long. This morning he’d awakened wired, unable to concentrate on his work.
The beach had filled up with tourists. He would have preferred not to be around a lot of people, but he had to follow Stella’s lead if he wanted to gain a modicum of trust. While he tried to imagine his son’s thoughts, his heart picked up speed as he spied Stella’s car.
Riding with her were two boys of the same age sharing the passenger seat. One dark, the other blond, they pulled into the parking area. Stella had sprung a surprise on him. If she felt there was strength in numbers, that was all right with him. He’d deal with it.
Adjusting his pack to his shoulders, he approached the car. “Hello, Ari,” he said, smiling at his son, who had on khaki shorts and a soccer jersey. He was on the lean side with blackbrown hair; the kind of handsome child every man dreamed of fathering. The sight of him and his mother caused Theo’s breath to catch in his throat.
He studied his son. The only thing that was going to guarantee any success at all was the purity of Ari’s spirit and Theo’s unqualified love for the child who was part him, part Stella. If their boy had inherited her sweetness, her loving nature, then maybe Theo had a prayer of getting through to him. But he knew it would have to be on Ari’s timetable.
“Hi,” he responded without enthusiasm, refusing to look at him.
“Who’s your friend?”
“Dax.”
“Hi, Dax. I’m glad you came. I want to get to know Ari’s friends. I think there’s a character on the Star Trek television series with your name? He has special powers.”
Dax blinked. “I already know that. How did you know?”
“I love science fiction. Especially UFO stories.”
“Me, too. My dad thinks they’re stupid though.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“Rachel knows some real ones,” Ari said, drawn into their conversation in spite of himself.
“Who’s Rachel?”
“My aunt. Her daddy was a pilot in the air force.”
Theo’s eyes took in Dax, who wore jeans and a tank top. Stella had put on trousers and a white blouse that her figure did wonders for. Considering everyone’s attire to be appropriate, he made a decision.
“Your mother told me we would only have two hours today, Ari, but I think it’s long enough to go for a hike. What do you say we all go?”
“That sounds cool,” Dax responded enthusiastically.
Ari stared at Theo in surprise.
“You mean Mom, too?”
“She and I spent all our time outdoors. We must have walked all over Salamis Island. There’s no one I’d rather trudge up a mountain with. In fact, I’d like to see if she can still keep up with me.”
Theo moved around the other side of the car and opened the door for Stella, who looked at a total loss for words.
“I…I didn’t plan to come with you.” Her voice faltered.
“Please, Mom?” Apparently this idea pleased their son. With his mother along, he wouldn’t be so afraid. Theo couldn’t ask for more than that. She would have trouble refusing.
“I second the motion,” Theo murmured. “You know all the secret places around here. I remember you telling me about the deserted lookout on the mountain behind us where you once found an eagle’s nest.”
Again Ari looked surprised. He stared at Stella. “I’ve never seen it.”
“That’s because I’ve never taken you hiking up there, honey.”
Good. This would be a new experience for the four of them. “Let’s find out if it’s still there, shall we? I’ve brought enough goodies for all of us.”
Everyone was looking at her. She could hardly say no. Stella would walk through fire to protect their son. “Well, all right.”
While the boys got out, Theo assisted her. The sight of those long, elegant legs covered in khaki raised his blood pressure. When their arms brushed by accident, it sent a rush of desire through his body so intense he was staggered. To his chagrin, everything about her appealed to him more than ever.
“Ari? I bet you know how to put the top up on the car for your mother.” The boy nodded, but Theo could tell Ari hadn’t thought of it until it was mentioned. “That’s good. We want it to be safe while we’re gone. This car’s a beauty,” he said, eyeing Stella. She looked away.
“Will you let me do it, Mom?”
“I’ll help,” Dax volunteered.
“Yes. Of course.” She’d been outvoted and outmaneuvered. Nothing could have pleased Theo more. He helped the boys and made easy work of it.
Once she’d locked the car with her remote, Theo opened his pack. “Give me your purse.” Though he sensed she was fighting him every step of the way, she had to be careful in front of Ari. After she’d handed it to him, he zipped the compartment and eased it onto his shoulders a second time.
“If everyone’s ready, there’s a footpath beyond that copse of trees running up the side of the valley. Last one to the lookout is a girlie man.”
Both boys laughed. Dax asked, “What’s that?”
“A phrase I picked up while I was living in New York. It means wimp!”
Ari’s smile faded. He stared hard at him as they walked. “Mom and I used to live in New York.”
That was where she’d gone? Where she’d been for so long?
It was an astounding piece of news, despite the fact that he knew Stasio did business there on a regular basis. To think Ari had been living in the same city where Theo had worked…So close? It slayed him. “Did you like it?”
“Yes, but I like Greece better.”
“So do I.”
“Come on, everyone,” Stella urged. “At this pace we’ll never get there.” Theo wondered what had made her so nervous that she’d been a little short with Ari just now. A tight band constricted his breathing. By the end of their hike he intended to find out.
“I’ve never been to New York,” Dax muttered.
“It’s an exciting city.”
“I thought you lived in Greece.”
“I did until my twenties, Dax, then I moved to New York to earn my living. Now I have an office in Athens and am back to stay.” Stella walked ahead of him with Ari, but he suspected she was listening to make sure the conversation didn’t touch on things she wanted kept quiet.
“What do you do?”
“I deal in stocks and investments. Some real estate. What does your father do?”
“He owns a bank.”
Of course. Dax belonged to the approved sector of Greek society. “Does your mother have a job, too?”
“No. She stays home with my brother and sister and me.”
“You’re very lucky. Do you know my mother still helps my father run their taverna on Salamis? I can’t ever remember when they weren’t working. Sometimes I wished my mother could stay home with me and my brothers, but we were too poor. She had to work.”
“Is she a cook?”
Theo smiled. “She’s a lot of things. The other day I told her she and papa didn’t have to work anymore because I planned to take care of them from now on. Do you know what she said?”
Dax looked up at him. “What?”
“‘I’ve worked all my life, Theo Pantheras. If I didn’t have work, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.’”
Ari slowed down and turned around. “Do they know about me?” Stella looked back. The pain in her eyes as she reached for their son tore him apart.
“They know all about you and hope the day will come when you might like to meet them.”
To ease the moment, Theo pulled off his pack and opened a compartment. “Let’s see. I’ve got water, oranges, peanuts, hard candy. Who wants what before we race the rest of the way?” The relief on Stella’s face needed no explanation.
Once they’d refreshed themselves, Theo stood next to a pine tree. “I’m going to count to twenty while you two guys head up the trail first. Take my binoculars, Ari. If you see something exciting, shout.”
The second he started counting in a loud voice, they took off on a run. It was steeper in this section and the trail zigzagged up through the forest. “Twenty!” he called out at last, then eyed Stella. “Are you ready to try catching up to them?”
“Just a minute, Theo.”
“What’s the matter? Are you about to tell me I’ve done everything wrong?”
Her chest heaved with the strength of her emotions. “Don’t pretend you don’t know you’ve done everything right,” her voice shook. “Inviting Dax along made Ari feel comfortable.”
“I thought that was why you brought him with Ari.”
“No. I was going to take Dax on a little tour of the island while we waited for you, but your idea was much better.” She wouldn’t make eye contact with him.
“Then you’re angry because I got you involved in the hike. When I saw Ari’s face stripped of animation, I made an impulsive decision hoping it would help our son.”
She wiped the palms of her hands against her womanly hips in a gesture of nervousness he’d seen many times years ago. He would always be touched by her vulnerability.
“Your instincts were dead on,” she admitted. “I didn’t expect him to have a good time today. Instead I…I have the feeling he won’t be averse to seeing you again,” she stammered. “That’s what I need to talk to you about.”
He chewed on some more peanuts. “Go on.”
She cleared her throat. “We’re here on vacation for two and a half more weeks.” After a pause she leveled a guarded brown gaze with its hint of pleading on him. “Before you ask to see him again, would you wait until we’re back in Athens?”
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