His dark eyes gleamed at her. “So we have six minutes?”
“Talos!” she said with a laugh, knowing what he was thinking. “We should welcome our guests to our home!”
“The kids are downstairs,” he growled. “They can do it.”
“You’re incorrigible!” But still, she sighed with pleasure as he lowered his head to kiss her. They had a chaotic, crazy, artistic life full of friends and children and laughter, bright with color and warm with love. Exhausting, but oh, so happy. It was the life Eve had always dreamed of. Even on five hours sleep a night, she felt grateful every morning. She was lucky. Blessed.
After only one kiss, Talos drew back from her, his dark eyes twinkling. “I have a present for you. I wanted you to open it before the Navarres get here and the chaos really starts.”
“For our anniversary?” she said in surprise. She looked around the beautiful bedroom, with its enormous bed where they made love every night, overlooking their private island and the wide blue sea. Every inch of the villa had already all been decorated with white lilies and orange roses for their party. Their home had never looked more lush and gorgeous. And Talos’s four jets were flying in friends and family from all around the world to celebrate with a three-day, child-friendly party that was costing more than she liked to think about. “You’ve already given me so much. I couldn’t possibly want more.”
“Too bad. Open it.”
He handed her a black velvet box. She opened it with an intake of breath. Inside, she saw a beautiful diamond necklace with six hanging emerald-cut diamonds, each as big as her fingertip.
“Lovely,” she breathed, then looked up with chagrin. “But I didn’t get you anything!”
He lifted his eyebrow with a wicked grin. “That’s what you think.” He slowly stroked her earlobe to her chin, making her shiver. Clasping the diamond strand around her neck, he ran his hands over the six large diamonds, caressing the warmth of her bare collarbone. “This necklace represents our family. One diamond for each of our six children.”
“Six?” She frowned. “Have you been glugging ouzo? We have three children.”
With a dark gleam in his eyes, he lowered his head to kiss her, whispering, “So far.”
When the Navarre family came through the front door ten minutes later, they found only children to greet them, cheering and wiggling happily as the dog barked and danced around them amid a profusion of knockedover flower arrangements. Fragrant orange petals floated softly down through the air.
“They’ll be down in just a minute,” the nanny told them nervously.
But Lia and Roark glanced at each other and smiled.
They didn’t need any explanation.