"And my children?"
"Antonio decided to throw up his meal."
He sat up. "Is he ill? Maybe I should fly out..."
"Oh no, you don't," she said with a laugh. "They're fine. We have a doctor and two nurses on board as usual. I tried him with some mango, and I guess he did not like the taste."
"Mango?" Frowning, Christos decided to switch to water in case he had to leave suddenly to join her. "Isn't he a little too young for that?"
"Are you by any chance questioning my expertise as a mother?"
"No. Of course not. I think I should join you. This is the first time you have them all by yourself."
"Your mother and sisters are here as well as my mother and the nannies. Stay at the club and stop worrying. And Christos, if I dream that you're thinking of flying in or driving to meet us, I'm going to be royally pissed. We decided that we both needed this. You have your card game and I have the cruise."
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. She was right. They had both talked about this very thing.
"I miss you," he muttered and wondered when he had become this person. Strange what love will do to you, he thought wryly.
"I miss you too. Darling, it's just for two nights."
"I thought we agreed on one."
"Christos."
"All right. Two nights and don't forget the days. By the time you return, the children won't know who I am." He was aware that there was a sulk in his voice, but he could not help it.
"I'll remind them constantly. Darling, I have to go. We're about to make port now. I love you."
He put the phone aside and was staring up at the intricate carvings of the ceiling when the door was pushed open. With a resigned sigh, he watched as his brothers trooped into the room, carrying a bottle of scotch and glasses.
"We figured you were in here nursing your defeat." Andreas placed the tray on a table close to the window, overlooking one of the golf courses. Even though it was half past eight at night, there were still activities going on.
"And no doubt calling to check on Leanne and the kids," Georgios added sagely with his irrepressible grin. "First time being away from them is the hardest."
"Now you're a pro?" Christos asked sarcastically, sitting up and taking the glass handed to him.
"No. I just called Lilly on some flimsy excuse about an appointment. She saw right through it and hung up on me." He shrugged and went to sit at the edge of the bed. "I decided it was prudent not to place a second call." He lifted his glass to Alexander. "Our brother here got the worst of it. He called and demanded that they return home. Said he read somewhere that the weather was turning."
"What!" Christos sat up so abruptly, he spilled half his drink all over his shirt. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" He started to reach for his phone when they burst out laughing.
"Christ! You have it bad." Andreas tossed him a towel and sat, calmly drinking his scotch.
"The weather is fine. That was just Alexander being an idiot."
Christos felt his heart settling and anger churning as he glared at his brother. "Why the hell would you frighten me like that?"
"Just sharing the joke." Georgios grinned at him, ducking the pillow aimed at his face. "You should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless. I should have captured the moment on my phone."
"Then you would be a dead man." Staring at his ruined shirt in disgust, he swung his legs off the bed and went to change. "And you." He nodded towards a very calm and serene Andreas. "Why are you not up in arms?"
"Because I'm older and therefore much wiser." He gave a smirk as he sipped his drink. "And I was forewarned by my wife that she will take three days instead of the two if she hears from me." His eyes twinkled. "We all know how that goes. Lori has a way of sticking to her guns. So, here I am, just relaxing and counting down the hours."
Dropping back on the side of the bed, Christos grabbed Alexander's drink and swallowed half of it before handing it back. "Christ! When did we become so goddamned pathetic?"
"When we fell in love with strong, beautiful women and became fathers," Georgios intoned solemnly. "That will do it all the time."
*****
