Page 15 of The Nicolaides Baby

“So I’ve heard.” She frowned but cleared her expression before looking back at her companion,

He smiled at her again and touched her shoulder. “May I walk you up to the villa?”

She glanced at Leo and Gia walking out of the mausoleum, him giving her one final brief look over his shoulder. His jaw tensed before turning away.

“Thank you, but I… I’d like to have a few moments alone.”

Xander gave her a slight nod. “I understand. I’ll see you in a little while then,” he said, with a touch of disappointment in his voice while dropping his hand.

She breathed out a sigh of relief when he walked away. Good grief. She did not need any added complications during her stay, so she hoped his attention was just an attempt at being polite.

Several men in groundskeeper uniforms entered from a side door, drawing her attention back to the vault where they went about the task of laying out the tools needed to seal it.

She didn’t want Mara waking up to clanging, but she lingered anyhow. It was silly—her sister wasn’t truly there—but she was loath to leave. A soft touch brushed over her arm. “We’re going back up to the main house for a meal.” Libby stood beside her, her clear blue eyes still teary and light olive complexion slightly pale. She glanced first at the vault and the workers and then back at Rowan with a sad smile of understanding “It’s tradition.”

Rowan nodded and reluctantly followed Libby outside, blinking in the bright sunlight while pushing the stroller with a rousing Mara inside. “Mama?”

“Right here,” she said stopping and pulling back the folding canopy.

“Out,” Mara said, reaching her arms to Rowan.

“I’ve got her,” Libby said, smiling and crouching down next to the stroller. “Wanna walk with me?”

“Libsy!” Mara laughed and grabbed hold of Libby’s outstretched hands, letting herself be lifted from the stroller. “Gotta pee.”

“Oh—”

“I’ll run her to the house,” Libby said, grabbing Mara’s diaper bag from the stroller. She then took off at a trot across the lawn toward the big villa, with a bouncing and giggling Mara on her hip. Rowan smiled after the two. It was a shorter distance cutting across the grass, so hopefully they would make it in time. If not, Mara had on throwaway training pants.

Rowan pushed the empty stroller and kept her eyes on everyone in front of her, but she stopped again when another path branched off through a line of wispy branches of Norfolk Island pines toward Sierra and Andreas’s villa. Even though it was thesmallervilla, it was still rather impressive.

“You should stay there until you leave.”

Rowan pulled her gaze away from Sierra’s home to see Mrs. Nicolaides had left the group still walking ahead of her to come and stand by her side. The older woman’s sad gaze went past Rowan down the hill toward the home. Leo’s mother had been so kind to Rowan—even in her own grief—and had tried to convince her to stay with them in the main house, but with Leo living with them since the accident she hadn’t considered it a good idea.

“There’s no sense in you spending money on a hotel,” Mrs. Nicolaides said, “when there’s a place you and Mara could stay comfortably in for free.” She hugged Rowan close. “I think your sister would have liked knowing you were staying there.”

She was probably right. “I’ll think about it.” She smiled at the Leo’s mother as they fell into step with each other and walked up the slightly inclining path.

“Leo says he’s leaving in a couple of hours to have a visit with Lukas.” Mrs. Nicolaides finally said, with one brow raised and a speculative grin spreading over her face. “I’m assuming you’re going with him.” They stopped at the steps leading up to the back terrace of the sprawling white villa belonging to the elder Nicolaides.

Rowan tucked her short, wavy hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know.” She rolled the stroller under an awning holding several bikes and scooters. “I’m assuming I will,” she said, as they made their way up the stairs. “Mara—”

“Can stay here,” Leo’s mother said with a smile when they reached the top landing—her gaze going over the tables where some had already filled their plates and were eating. “We won’t be flying over to Athens today—much as I hate to miss seeing my grandson.” She wrapped an arm around Rowan’s shoulder. “He’s changed so much, even after so few days. Don’t you think?”

Rowan smiled and nodded. Lukas had changed. He’d not grown, so much as perhaps filled out some. He definitely looked healthier.

“I just want to hold him so badly,” Mrs. Nicolaides said, her face crumpling.

“I do too.” Rowan hugged her close. “He’s just so—”

“Charlotte,” Gia all but purred, walking up on Mrs. Nicolaides’ other side and tugging her away from Rowan to give her a loose hug and say something to her in Greek.

Leo’s mother tensed in the other woman’s arms and pulled away. “English, please, for Rowan.”

Gia gave Rowan a tight smile. “Oh. I’d just assumed…” She gave Rowan a dismissive look and then focused her attention on the older woman. “So, how are you holding up?”

I guess I know where I stand.

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