She shrugged. ‘I mean, it wasn’t the nicest thing I’ve ever read, but it’s not like I’m under any illusions here. I know what I am, and what you are. That article’s probably been the closest to the truth since our “whirlwind romance” was announced.’
That caused his frown to deepen.
‘You’re not dowdy.’
‘Well, I’m probably not now, after your whole Cinderella treatment today,’ she said with a small laugh, and began to walk again, but it was Dimitrios who caught her wrist this time, holding her still.
‘You never were. I didn’t arrange that because I thought you needed to change.’
She lifted a brow, his denial unexpected. ‘No? So why did you?’
He lifted a hand as though to cup her cheek but dropped it again. ‘Your poverty made you an easy target. I didn’t like to see you being bullied like that. I don’t like to think of Max hearing that kind of thing said about his mother.’
Ah, Max. Of course. All good deeds came back to Max—just as they should. And, though he hadn’t referred to Lewis, she was sure that promise was there too—a desire to look after her simply because she was Lewis’s sister.
She smiled again but this time it felt a little brittle. ‘Well, thank you. I didn’t expect to find a wardrobe the size of my old apartment here, nor that it would be stocked with such incredible clothes. It was very generous of you.’
His eyes wouldn’t shift, though. They stayed locked to hers so swirls of emotion spun through her belly.
‘It wasn’t generous, so much as appropriate. You must start thinking of yourself as my wife—all that I have is yours.’
‘For as long as we’re married,’ she couldn’t help quipping, but she said it with a wink, to show she was joking. ‘And thank you again. It’s going to take me some time to get used to that. Actually, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that, but I do appreciate you trying to make me feel comfortable in this palace.’ She gestured around them, her eyes following the lines of the room. ‘It’s just—’ she added and then stopped.
He put a hand on the small of her back, guiding her deeper into the lounge and across it, to where a bar was set up.
‘Yes?’ he prompted as he opened a decanter containing an amber liquid and poured two measures, handing one to her. She expected the fragrance to be an assault but it had a honey-like quality that was gentle.
‘A week ago, I was furiously budgeting to work out how I could get Max what he wants for Christmas.’ Her voice was rueful. ‘I know that must seem strange to you, but it’s why the last few months have been so tough. He’s such a smart kid and I don’t want him to miss out on stuff because I can’t—couldn’t—provide him with the material things a lot of his friends have.’ She lifted her slender shoulders in a shrug. ‘It’s not as though he’d asked for anything extravagant, but for me even normal things are hard to afford. So, yeah, this is going to take some getting used to.’
‘What did he ask for for Christmas?’
‘A remote-controlled car and a train for his tracks that has a motor, so he can set it going and watch it travel in circles.’ She smiled indulgently. ‘What can I say? He’s an automobile kind of kid.’
Dimitrios’s eyes glowed with something she didn’t understand. ‘You don’t need to worry about anything like that ever again. Whatever you think he should have, consider it done.’
‘But I don’t want him to be spoiled,’ she said quickly.
‘No.’ Dimitrios sipped his drink then gestured towards the deck. It was a beautiful night, the stars twinkling above Sydney, the Opera House gleaming like a pearl in the moonlight.
She walked beside him, wondering at the surreal nature of this. Why did it feel so natural for them to be together like this? There was a level of comfort between them that she hadn’t been prepared for.
‘What is Christmas usually like, for you and Max?’ Dimitrios prompted conversationally, guiding her to a bench seat that overlooked the view.
‘Quiet,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘We go to church in the morning, then come home and Max opens his presents. I can usually pull together enough to buy him two or three—just small things. Mum and Dad send something—though it’s usually practical, like clothes, because they know he’s growing like a weed.’ She breathed out so her side-swept fringe shifted, catching the moon’s golden light across her hair. ‘I make something special for lunch, something we don’t have any other time of year—salmon or turkey—and then we watch a movie and have a little piece of pudding each. Pretty normal.’
Then, with a smile, she turned to face him, crossing one leg over the other. ‘Though, I suppose “normal” is a very relative term. Your Christmases are probably very different to mine.’
He smiled, but it was constrained. ‘Actually, our Christmases are usually quiet too. Zach hates Christmas—always has, probably always will. And Mum has her step-kids, who make a huge fuss of her, so she generally lets us skate by without expecting us to visit or anything.’
Nerves spread through Annie like wildfire. Somehow, for some reason, she’d thought of Dimitrios as existing in some kind of void. She hadn’t followed through the idea that, by keeping Max from Dimitrios, she was also keeping him from Zach and their mother, and any other family members who might feel that they wanted to get to know Dimitrios’s son.
‘Is she angry about me keeping her grandson from her?’
Dimitrios took a sip of his drink. ‘No.’
Annie found herself leaning closer, though she’d heard him fine. ‘How can she not be? After what you’ve lost, and what she’s lost?’
‘Because I’m marrying you, and she knows better than to complain to me about my choice of bride.’