“I know what reality is and I know what I feel. And I love you that way, Christos.”
Suddenly nothing else mattered. “You love me?”
She shrugged. “Yes, I do. But I can’t live with you if you are going to lie to me, especially where Theo is concerned.”
She walked past him and out of the room. He just stood there, thinking about her words. She loved him. What did that mean? Was that the emotion that had been buzzing around inside of him? Was that what all the possessiveness and jealousy he felt around her stemmed from?
He realized at that instant what Ava had meant by needing his trust, because there was no way he was ever going to be able to find proof of her love unless he simply believed her.
Ava feltsmall and very much the little girl from the trailer park as she left Christos and went out on the balcony that overlooked the vast, landscaped gardens at the Theakis compound. The house was huge and she had no idea where Theo was, but she wanted to see her son. Wanted to cuddle his little body next to hers and just bask for a few minutes in his unconditional love.
“What are you fighting with my son about?”
Surprised, she looked up at Ari as he came out onto the balcony in his wheelchair. He was the last person she’d talk about her problems with. In fact she suspected he’d probablyapplaud her problems with Christos and have Maria pack her bags and drive her to the airport.
“It’s none of your business,” she said at last.
“Everything that affects the Theakis family is my business.”
“Did you meddle in Stavros and Nikki’s marriage like this?” she asked. Anything to change the topic from her and Christos.
He sighed and for a moment she saw every one of Ari’s eighty-one years on his face. “No. Stavros and Nikki…they had their own way of working things out. I didn’t understand them.”
“Me, neither,” Ava said.
“You got caught in the middle of one of their games.”
Ava knew that but was surprised to hear it from Ari. “What do you know about that?”
“I know everything that happens in my kingdom.”
“This isn’t a kingdom.”
“Stop giving me a hard time. And stop letting the past dictate your future. You married Christos and are his wife—it’s time you acted as if those vows meant something to you.”
She glared down at him, thinking about broken vows, and knew she wasn’t the one who had started this. But then again, this wasn’t an elementary-school game of blame. “I take my vows very seriously, Ari, but some things…I can’t compromise to make my marriage work. It’s silly and probably American, but I can’t change the fact that I want my husband to trust me.”
Ava wrapped her arms around her waist and turned away from her father-in-law. Had her dreams of marriage been too unrealistic? Had she somehow been brainwashed by too many Disney animated films as a young girl? She’d never thought so. She’d seen evidence of happily married people.
And all of her single friends were looking for the same thing she was. They wanted the spouse and the kids and the other crazy stuff that went along with them. Not an idealized version of family life, but the reality of it. And Ava knew that had tostart with trust. Because if she and Christos had a real marriage there were going to be fights, and only with real love could they weather those storms.
“You remind me a lot of my wife.”
“I thought you didn’t like me,” she said.
“I don’t. You’re too stubborn and refuse to do what I say…that’s exactly how Leka was. You have that same fire and passion when it comes to protecting your son and standing up to me.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you look like you are finally thinking of giving up, and that’s not who you really are.”
“Ari, I’ve tried. I can’t make Christos trust me, and without that everything else is built on air.”
“Why do you think he doesn’t trust you?”
“I asked him to believe my word that Theo was his son.”
“The paternity test was legitimate. We had to have it for insurance purposes.”
