Page 51 of Greek's Temporary "I Do"

‘When Leander left, Leo Liassidis stepped in so that I wouldn’t be humiliated in front of the world on my wedding day. He too wanted nothing more than to help me. And words will never express how much that meant to me,’ she said, her throat becoming thick with emotion.

‘I assure you that the marriage certificate will never be submitted to the registrar’s office and, as such, the ceremony from that day is not legally binding. Leander Liassidis and I are not married.

‘I want to make it very clear that the Liassidis brothers did nothing but try to help a family friend in trouble. They are two of the most honourable men I have ever met and I am lucky to have them in my life.’

Was lucky, she mentally clarified, the thought striking her silent.

‘Are there any questions?’ she asked.

‘Did he sign his own name, Helena?’

She frowned into the crowed, unsure where the question came from and unable to see from the lights that had been set up to point at her.

‘I don’t know,’ she said honestly. ‘I signed first so I didn’t see the signature.’

‘Was the priest involved?’ another faceless questioner asked.

‘Absolutely not. Again, to make this clear—this entire mess was of my making. When Leander and I decided to marry, we couldn’t have imagined the press interest in the relationship, and from there things spiralled out of control. Please know that I am solely responsible for this and the Liassidis brothers have done nothing that I didn’t ask them to do first.’

‘So you have no feelings—no romantic feelings—for Leander Liassidis?’ someone asked, the voice slightly drowned out by other questions, but oddly familiar.

‘No,’ she confirmed. ‘Absolutely not. Nothing has or ever will happen between us in that way.’

‘But what about Leo Liassidis?’ the same person asked, slowly pushing their way through the throng. Helena’s pulse began to pound in her chest, goosebumps rising across the delicate skin on her forearms and the back of her neck.

‘Excuse me?’ she asked, hesitating for the first time since stepping out into the throng of reporters.

‘Do you have any romantic feelings for him?’ the person prompted again, this time the crowd parting enough for Helena to see Leo Liassidis standing before her—in the middle of a sea of reporters ready to cast the news around the world.

‘What are you...?’

Didn’t he realise that she was trying to extricate him from this mess? That she was trying to protect him? He was throwing away everything he had for her when all she could do was ruin him.

‘Do you,’ Leo asked, his eyes locked onto hers, hope and more filling her with every passing second, ‘have feelings for me?’

A gasp of shock rippled through the press watching with unabashed interest.

‘I...’

‘Because I have it on good authority,’ he said, to the general laughter of the men and women around him, ‘that he has feelings for you. Very strong feelings. In fact,’ he said, all cocky arrogance and handsomeness, just like he used to have before the separation with his brother had made him hard, ‘I’m pretty sure he’s in love with you.’

Her heart soared, breaking through the agony of the last twelve hours. Tears came to her eyes and a sob filled her chest, even as her lips pulled into a shocked smile.

‘If you’re only pretty sure...’ she replied with teasing hesitation.

‘I love you,’ he called out loudly, without question and without any of the cocky arrogance from before. The moment was caught by a billion flashbulbs exploding as they stared at each other across the courtyard.

A feeling of effervescent completeness filled her. It was a high that she would never come down from. He was everything she had always wanted. There had never been anyone else for her, no one had made her feel as wanted, as cherished, as loved.

He loved her. He loved her even though she could ruin Liassidis Shipping with the bad press that would surely follow this scandal, and he was smiling at her as if he didn’t care.

‘I love everything about you,’ he confessed. ‘I love how much you care, I love how hard you try, and I love how much you inspire me and others to be better than ourselves. You are funny, and sexy and smart and I want to marry you. Again. Under my own name this time,’ he said to the laughter of the press. ‘I’ve known you for many, many years, but,’ he said, taking something out of his pocket and holding it up, ‘“sometimes you have to go it alone to know your own worth”,’ he quoted.

Helena shivered—it was the watch, the silly watch she’d bought him all those Christmases ago. The battery must have died long ago, but the inscription she’d asked to be put on the back of the watch probably still clear as day. It was an inscription that had been—at the time—about him and Leander, but somehow was even more fitting for them.

‘We’ve both done it alone and we know how strong we are, so now let’s find out how unbeatable we are together?’

Leo’s breath was locked in his chest.

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