Rebecca Winters - A Forever Family - Reunited By Their Baby

The owner stared at Nik. “You are the new head of the Angelis Corporation. I saw your picture on television.”

“That’s right,” he murmured.

Fran said, “His sister and her husband were killed in the tornado, but the baby survived and will be leaving the hospital tomorrow. I’ll ask them to return the blanket to you.”

“Not to worry about that. We are all very sorry about this tragedy, Kyrie Angelis.”

Nik shook the man’s hand. “Thank you.”

“Can we serve you dinner? It will be our pleasure.”

“We’d like that, wouldn’t we, Mrs. Myers?” The way he included her as if they’d been friends a long time seemed to come out of the blue. Her pulse raced for no good reason.

“Come through to the front desk and everything will be arranged,” the owner said.

“We’ll need two rooms to change in. Later my brothers will be arriving to stay the night.”

“Very good.”

Nik ushered her inside the rear door. His touch might be impersonal, but she felt it in every atom of her body.

Once behind the desk, the owner gave them each a key. “The rooms are on the second floor.”

“Thank you.” Nik turned to her. “Why don’t you go on up while I bring in our bags? I always keep one onboard the plane in case of an emergency. With a change of clothes and a good meal, we ought to be set to spend the night with Demi.”

She nodded and hurried up the stairs. It was hot out and she was eager for another shower. He wasn’t far behind with her suitcase. After walking into her bedroom, his gaze found hers. “I’ll meet you in the back of the hotel in half an hour. After we eat, we’ll take our bags out to the car and leave for the hospital.”

“Demi must be so frightened.”

He grimaced. “My brothers promised to stay with her until we get there. She knows and loves them. That ought to help.”

Her eyelids stung with unshed tears. “But she’ll still be looking for her mommy and daddy.”

He lounged against the doorjamb. “Of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she isn’t looking for you too . See you shortly.”

Fran averted her eyes. He was too striking .

Physical attraction was a powerful thing. Under other circumstances, she could be swept away. Thankfully she’d learned her lesson with Rob. Though he’d been conventionally handsome, she’d discovered good looks weren’t enough to hold a relationship together, let alone a marriage.

For him to have said he’d be willing to adopt and then change his mind had inflicted indescribable pain. Fran had not only lost hope of being a mother, she’d lost the ability to trust.

AFTER A PHONE CALL to the hospital in Athens, Nik showered and shaved. Once they’d eaten a good meal, he felt restored and imagined Mrs. Myers did, too. He’d almost slipped and called her Fran in front of the proprietor, but realized he needed to keep thinking of her as Mrs. Myers, a married woman.

En route to the hospital, he phoned Sandro who told him the doctor had moved Demi to her own room in the pediatric wing. They didn’t have to wear masks and gowns any longer and were able to hold her.

“That’s wonderful,” Fran declared when he’d conveyed the good news to her. “After what she’s been through, she needs to be cuddled.”

Nik’s thoughts exactly. He parked around the side entrance to the hospital with easier access to the pediatric unit.

On the drive over he’d inhaled his companion’s flowery fragrance. By the time they got out of the car and entered the hospital, he could hardly take his eyes off her stunning figure clothed in a summery print skirt and white blouse. She wore white leather sandals. With her hair flowing to her shoulders from a side part, she made an enticing vision of femininity he doubted she was aware of.

He thought about her being in Greece on her own. American women had a tendency to be independent. For her and Leandros’s wife to be traveling alone shouldn’t have surprised him. But he thought Fran’s husband a fool to let his attractive wife vacation in a foreign country without him.

He wondered how Leandros handled being apart from his wife, but he had no right to speculate. The media had painted Nik to be the most eligible playboy in Greece, a label he was forced to wear. But it would do as a cover to hide his real reason for not being married by now. Therefore he wasn’t in any position to judge what went on in another man’s life or marriage.

In truth he felt shame for having any of those thoughts where Mrs. Myers and Kellie Petralia were concerned. If the two women hadn’t been out together, Fran wouldn’t have spotted their precious Demi. That was a miracle in and of itself. So was her desire to make sure the baby hadn’t been left alone at the hospital.

Interesting that it had been Fran, not Kellie, who’d planted herself next to Demi in the ICU. He wondered why…

For a moment Nik’s thoughts flew to Lena, the last woman he’d dated. After two dates she’d suggested they move in together. She was a desirable woman, but he didn’t believe in living together. Because of a painful issue from his past that had prevented him from proposing to any woman yet, he didn’t want to encourage her. In order not to be cruel, he’d stopped seeing her.

In truth, none of his romantic relationships had ever gotten past the point where he’d felt he could take the next step. As for Lena, he couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if she’d been the one who found Demi. Would she have dropped everything and changed her plans in order to comfort the baby? Would she have shown such a strong maternal instinct?

He doubted it, yet the minute he’d posed those questions, he chastized himself. It wasn’t fair to compare any of the women in his past to Fran. The moment she’d discovered Demi in that garden, she’d felt a special responsibility to care for her. The whole situation was unlike any other. She was unique, but his thoughts had to stop there. She was another man’s wife . He needed to remember that before he got in real trouble.

What did he mean by before? He already was in trouble, because deep in his gut, he felt she was the kind of woman he might trust enough to reveal his painful secret to. Why her and why now?

Following his brothers’ directions, he found Demi’s room. When he walked inside with Fran, he saw an exhausted-looking Cosimo walking around holding the baby, but she was fussing. Sandro had passed out in an easy chair brought in for them.

Nik nodded to his brother and walked over to take the baby from him, needing to nestle her against his chest. He was still incredulous she was alive. She recognized him, but there was no accompanying smile because she wasn’t herself. Her world had literally been blown apart.

“It’s me, Demi, your Uncle Nikolos. I’m here.” He kissed her neck and cheeks, careful not to hurt the cuts that were already healing. “Where’s my little sunshine girl? Hmm?” But she still seemed restless, the way she’d been with Cosimo.

Fran walked up next to him and touched her black curls. “Hi, Demi. Do you remember me? It’s Fran.”

The baby heard her voice and turned her head to focus on her. All of a sudden she started to cry and held out her arms to Fran, almost leaping to get to her. Nik couldn’t believe a bond had formed so fast that his niece would go to Fran with an eagerness that was astonishing. Even more amazing was the way Demi settled down and buried her face in Fran’s neck, reminding him of the way she always was with Melina.

Fran rocked her and sang a little song. Nik took advantage of the time to take Cosimo aside and talk to him. “I’ve got rooms for you and Sandro at the hotel where Fran found the baby.” He gave him the directions. “Take Sandro with you and get some sleep. Come back here tomorrow morning and we’ll use the hospital helicopter to get to Thessalonika before we fly home. The bodies should be loaded on the plane by then.”