Page 5 of The Nicolaides Baby

“I’ll do my best,” Rowan told her. “Now,” she said, looking between the newly married couple, “don’t you have a honeymoon to get to?”

“Yes, we do,” Andreas said rising from his seat and putting his arm around his wife. He pulled Rowan into their small circle for a hug and brotherly kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your sister.”

“Just love her. Okay?” she said, as a couple of tears tracked down her cheeks.

“I will.”

Rowan nodded at them and dabbed at her face. “Okay, now scoot. Go start your lives together.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Andreas laughed and grabbed Sierra’s hand—much like he had that first day on the beach—and the pair walked away from them with Sierra’s head resting on Andreas’s arm.

Rowan stood watching after them for several seconds, and it was all Leo could do not to stand up and offer her some kind of comfort. Instead he said, “They’re going to be okay, you know? Right?”

“I know,” she said, turning her head toward him and nodding. “It’s just that Sierra and I’ve been together literally forever, and this will be the farthest we’ve ever been apart once I get home.”

“I’ll watch out for her for you.”

“You will?”

“I promise.” And he would keep that promise—anything to take the sadness out of her eyes. He smiled when his answer seemed to satisfy her and she visibly relaxed.

“I need to grab my luggage from the limo,” she said, turning toward the city view.

“Why?”

She smiled over at him. “I’ll need to get a taxi to take me and my luggage to my hotel.”

“Nonsense,” he said, standing. “I’ll take you.”

“But it’s out of your way.”

“I insist.” He reached out and took her hand—something that seemed to surprise them both. “You’re family now, and I take care of family.” She blushed and pulled her hand away to grab her purse, but he could still almost feel her slender fingers in his. “Shall we?” he said, motioning for her to precede him.

The drive to her hotel was a quiet one. Rowan spent her time looking out the window while Leo spent his timewatchingher looking out the window. He shook his head at his own folly. He would be thirty in a few weeks’ time, and here he was mooning over her like some lovesick puppy. Too soon they pulled up under the hotel’s awning.

“Thanks for the lift,” she said, turning to him. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll find a porter to get my things.”

“No, you wait here.” Leo got out of the limo before she could argue—something he’d learned she was good at—and rounded up someone who would gather her belongings and wait to take them up to her room once she’d checked in. After about fifteen minutes he returned to the limo to find her standing beside it with the little overnight bag she had kept with her inside the vehicle. “Why didn’t you wait in the limo? Or at least go inside where it was warm? Aren’t you getting cold standing out here like this?”

“A little,” she said, smiling as a visible shiver ran over her. “I just wanted to make sure I said goodbye before you left, and I didn’t want to miss you.” She looked past him. “The lobby looks pretty busy.”

“We’ll say goodbye inside.” He took off his jacket. “Here,” he said, placing it around her shoulders.

She smiled at him and pointed at the entrance. “The door is just right there.”

He gauged the five feet separating them from the hotel doors and realized she was right, but he wanted to see her wearing something of his. He turned back to find her removing the jacket, but he stopped her by grabbing and pulling the lapels closed—cocooning her inside. “No. Leave it.” He took in a deep breath—knowing his voice had gone rough—while a sense of satisfaction filled him at how their scents now mingled together.

She looked up at him through her lashes. And there went that blush he loved so much. “Okay.”

Leo opened the front passenger door and ducked his head inside, saying in Greek to the driver, “Go ahead home, Kosmos. I’ll catch a cab later.” He shut the door and the limo drove off as he took her bag and placed his arm around her shoulder. He led her through the lobby to the front desk where he stood beside her while she checked in.

Neither of them said a word as they made their way together to the elevator and stepped inside, accompanied by the porter with her two pieces of luggage. They remained silent and ignored the curious side glances from the teenager while the car went up to the fifth floor.

Leo had no idea what he was doing, or why. All he knew was he didn’t want to leave her yet. The elevator door dinged open and they all stepped out, making the short walk to her room. The young man opened the door and waited for them to go in, but Leo shook his head. The porter shrugged while they waited in the hall for him to place her luggage in the room.

“Will you need anything else?” the young man asked looking between them as the door shut once he was back in the hallway.

“No, we’re fine,” Leo said, pressing a generous tip in his hand before Rowan could finish opening her own wallet. Then he took the keycard.

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