"Better?" he asked softly and she nodded.
"All right, let's do this."
Ignoring her earlier plea, he pulled her over and kissed her lightly.
"That was for me."
Settling back, he eased into drive and turned into the wide winding driveway.
She had been to the house once but was unprepared for the sparkle of snow on the glass. The sky had darkened, with the lights from a full moon vying with the towering structures holding sconces deep in their depths. Grecian sculptures dotted the immaculate grounds. The stark white gazebo stood to the left of the pool that was now covered for the winter.
"It's lovely," she whispered as he slid to a stop in front of the wide porch. "Like something out of a fairytale."
He stared at the combination of the modern and ancient, and realized that he had somehow started to take it for granted. To him, it was just home. Somewhere he had grown up with loving parents and three brothers who were always up to some mischief. He recalled running through the woods. Fishing in the river at the back of an old shed that had been demolished some years ago. Camping out in the wilds with his father keeping an eagle eye on them.
Sneaking a girl or two inside the barn which no longer housed horses. The place had been in their family for more than a hundred years and gone through various renovations, nothing that would detract from the original structure.
Reaching over, he unhooked her belt and laid a hand on her cheek.
"It was a very good place to grow up in. Ready?"
She nodded.
Letting himself out, he came around and opened her door. Taking her hand, he laced their fingers and turned just as the solid redwood doors swung open.
He felt her fingers tighten on his. Mary-Ann Kostas stood there waiting, slender figure wrapped in raw black silk, blonde hair piled on top of her head. She passed a glance over Leanne, before beaming at her son.
"Right on time."
Stepping back, she allowed them to enter before wrapping her hands around his waist and holding on. Keeping a hand aroundhis waist, she turned to study the woman her son was clearly in love with.
"I know we've met before, but the circumstances have changed."
Leanne jumped slightly when she leaned forward to kiss both her cheeks.
"Welcome to the family madness, my dear."
"I- er- thanks."
She glanced up at Christos as if asking what to do next.
"Come in. We're all gathered in the family room."
Keeping her arm around her son, she led them into what was a very large living room with a fireplace taking up one entire wall.
"Everyone, please welcome Leanne, Christos' girl."
Letting go of him, she clapped her hands and silence reigned.
"We will get the introductions out the way before going in for supper."
Without waiting for a response, she started. It took all of twenty minutes for her to name everyone in the room. The children had started babbling, racing towards Leanne in curiosity and firing questions at her.
Christos rescued her by firmly leading her to a chair and sticking to her like glue.
It was overwhelming and more than a little frightening. They all looked perfect and incredibly beautiful. The first time she had come here, it had struck her that she was the only black person in the room.
One of the things her parents had drummed into her head since she was a child was that there were inequalities in the races.
