Rebecca Winters - A Forever Family - Reunited By Their Baby

Nik wasn’t so certain Demi wouldn’t start to cry the second Mrs. Myers left the room. “Where are you going?”

“Downstairs to join Kellie.”

“Don’t leave the hospital yet. We need to talk.”

“Since I’m their guest, I’m not sure what our plans are now.”

Making one of those decisions on sheer instinct in case she got away, he said, “In that case, I’ll go downstairs with you. I need to call our parents and give them the kind of news that will breathe new life into them. Above all, they’ll want to thank you.” He turned to his brothers and told them his plans before he left for the anteroom with her.

Once inside, he removed his mask and gown while she untied hers. Though she was married, he was a man who enjoyed looking at a beautiful woman and was curious to see what she looked like unwrapped.

Once she’d discarded everything, he discovered a slender figure clothed in a stunning green-and-white-print outfit. She had classic bone structure and a face that more than lived up to the beauty of her eyes. In a word, she stole his breath.

“What’s the verdict?” he asked after she’d studied him back.

Again, he saw warmth enter her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “I happened to see your picture on the cover of a magazine while I was reading on the plane.” Nik’s teeth snapped together at the mention of it. “If you want honesty, then let me say I’m glad your niece received all the feminine features of her parentage.”

He’d been expecting her to say something about his reputation. Instead her thoughts were focused on Demi. Her surprising comment lightened his mood.

“Your sister must have been a real beauty to have produced a daughter like Demi.”

Nik reached for his wallet and showed her a picture. “This was taken on Melina’s thirtieth birthday two months ago. She and Stavros had been trying for four years for a baby before one came.”

Kellie needed to hear that. Not every woman conceived as quickly as one hoped.

Fran studied it for a moment. “What a lovely family.” Her voice shook. “I see a lot of your sister in her.”

His throat swelled with raw emotion. “Yes. She’ll live on through Demi.” He opened the other door. “Shall we go downstairs?”

“I’ll ride down with you,” Dr. Xanthis said. “We’ll need confirmation of your relationship to the baby with a DNA test.”

“Of course. I’ll ask the hospital in Athens to send my information so you can run a test.”

“Excellent. I’ll tell the lab to expedite the process.”

Fran wondered what condition had been serious enough to put Nik in a hospital and to have provided a DNA match, but it was none of her business. She wished she weren’t so aware of him.

Though she’d always thought Leandros was a true hunk, Nikolos Angelis was in a class by himself. Despite the grief lines etched in his striking Greek countenance, he was easily the most attractive male she’d ever met in her life. The photos of him didn’t do him justice.

Besides his masculine appeal, he had the aura of a man in charge of his life—one who could accomplish anything. Kellie’s hope that Fran would meet some gorgeous royal on this trip and fall instantly in love was still laughable, but she had to admit Nik Angelis was a fabulous-looking man.

Standing next to him, Fran thought he must be at least six feet three of solid lean muscle. She wasn’t surprised he was still wearing soiled suit trousers and a creased blue shirt with the sleeves shoved up to the elbows. All three brothers had arrived in clothes they’d worn to work when they’d heard about the tornado. Naturally they’d dropped everything to fly to Thessalonika to search for their family. None of them had slept.

He needed a shave, but if anything, his male virility was even more potent. She noticed he wore his black wavy hair medium length. It had such a healthy gloss that it made you want to run your hands through it. Before the door opened, Fran gave him another covert glance.

Brows of the same blackness framed midnight-brown eyes with indecently long black lashes like Demi’s. Between his hard-boned features and compelling mouth, she had to force herself to stop staring. Until now, no men she’d worked around for the last year had made any kind of an impact.

To be singling him out when he’d just been hit with the loss of his sister and brother-in-law made her ashamed. She rushed from the elevator ahead of him. But just as she was about to turn toward the lounge, he grasped her elbow. A warm current passed through her body without her volition.

“Come outside with me where my cell phone will work better. My parents will want to ask you some questions.”

“All right.”

They walked through the sliding doors into the late-afternoon sun. It was quarter to five already. She watched and listened as he communicated in unintelligible Greek with his parents. During the silences, she read between the lines. Her heart went out to all of them.

After a few minutes his penetrating gaze landed on her. He handed her the phone. “They speak English and are anxious to hear anything you can tell them.”

Fran took the cell phone from him and said hello.

“We are overjoyed you found our Demitra,” his mother spoke first in a heavy Greek accent. In a voice full of tears she said, “Our son tells us you’ve been at the hospital with her the whole time.”

“Yes. She’s the sweetest little thing I ever saw. A cherub. And now that she’s awake, she seems fine.”

“Ah…That’s the news we’ve been waiting to hear,” Nik’s father broke in. “We want to meet you. I told him to bring you and the Petralias to Mykonos when Demitra is released. After the funeral, you will stay on as our guests for as long as you wish. He tells me you’ve just started your vacation. We’d like you to spend it with us. Because of you, a miracle has happened.”

“Someone else would have found her if I hadn’t, Mr. Angelis, but thank you very much for your kind words. Here’s Nik.” She handed him the phone. “I’m going to the lounge,” she whispered.

“I’ll be right there.” His deep voice curled through her as she walked back inside the building.

Once again she found Kellie and Leandros seated on one of the couches. You didn’t have to be a mind reader to guess they were having an intense conversation that wasn’t going well. Judging by Kellie’s taut body and his grim countenance, they were both in agony. But when they saw Fran, they stopped talking and stood up.

Kellie rushed over to her, as if she were glad for the interruption. “Dr. Xanthis came to talk to us a minute ago and said he’ll release the baby tomorrow once the DNA testing is done. I was just telling Leandros that since she’s been reunited with her family, you and I can continue on with our vacation while he flies back to Rhodes.”

Obviously Kellie wanted Fran to fall in with her wishes despite anything Leandros had to say. But her comment caused his firm jaw to tighten, making Fran uncomfortable. “My project supervisor can finish up the work there. I have a helicopter waiting to fly the three of us back to Athens. One of my employees will drive the car home.”

Kellie tossed her blond head. “Don’t be silly, Leandros. I don’t want to interfere with your work. Besides, Fran and I want to sightsee in places where we’ve never been before.”

“Where exactly?” he demanded quietly. Fran had never heard him so terse.

“We’re going to do some hiking, but haven’t decided all the details yet. After dinner, we’ll get out the map to plan our next destination.”

Just when Fran didn’t think she could stand the tension any longer, Nik entered the lounge and walked up to them. He darted her a searching glance. “Did you tell them about my father’s invitation?”