“Theé mou!” she exclaims while grabbing my hand and taking a closer look at the big diamond. “Who are you marrying?”
“Knight.”
Aunt Marina’s eyes dart to him. “I thought he was your bodyguard.”
“He’s much more than that,” I correct her. “He’s also my second-in-charge and the man I love.”
Her smile widens again. “Congratulations,Agápi mou.” She looks at Knight again. “To both of you.”
“After the wedding, you can come back to Athens with us. It would be nice to have you at the mansion.”
She begins to put some food on her plate then says, “I wanted to talk to you about something, and seeing as you’re marrying Knight, I might as well ask you now.”
“What?” I spear a strip of beef.
“I kept my distance because your father didn’t want me overhearing anything about the mafia, but with him gone, I was hoping to move back. You know, so we’re closer.”
Smiling at my aunt, I say, “I would like that very much.”
“You won’t mind seeing more of me?” she asks, looking uncertain.
“Of course not.” I reach out and place my hand on her arm. “You can stay with us while you bring your belongings from New Zealand.” I glance at Knight. “Right?”
“Definitely,” he agrees, already halfway through his plate of food. “Both of you need to eat.”
Letting out a chuckle, I pop a bite into my mouth, and Aunt Marina does the same.
When I’m done swallowing, I say, “We can get you a place close to ours.”
“I’d appreciate that so much.”
“Or you can live with us,” Knight mentions. When we both look at him, he shrugs. “It would be easier to protect Marina in the mansion.”
God. I love this man so much.
I turn my attention to my aunt. “What do you think? Do you want to ditch getting your own place and move in with us?”
“Really?” she asks, tears starting to well in her eyes. “I’d love it so much,” and then she starts rambling, “I can take care of the house and cook. And when you have babies, I can help. Especially when you’re at work.”
I give her arm another squeeze. “Stop. You don’t have to do all that. We just want you safe with us.”
“Theé mou!I’m going to cry,” she complains while quickly getting up and hurrying to the living room, where she discreetly blows her nose.
I lean over to Knight and whisper, “Thank you,ángele mou.That was so kind of you to offer.”
He nods.
When Aunt Marina comes back to the table, she sits down and says, “I’m so happy.”
While we eat, I tell her, “The wedding will be in Peru at Santiago’s home.”
Her smile widens even more. “Oh, I love him so much. He’s such a positive person.” Her eyes fill with tenderness. “And he was so thankful for the chocolate cake I baked him.”
“By taking the time to bake him a cake, you’ve made a friend for life,” Knight mentions. “Things like that mean the world to Santiago.”
After I take my last bite, I tell my aunt, “I have to pop into the hospital for a check-up.”
She gives me a worried look. “Is everything okay?”