“You heard me, will you marry me?”
Her mouth gaped. Where in the world had that come from? And then she wondered if he felt the need to do the right thing because she was pregnant. That had to be it, because there was no other reason for them to marry. It wasn’t like they were in love or anything.
She appreciated how he’d phrased the offer as a question instead of making it a demand. Her parents never stopped to ask her opinion before dictating how things should be. They’d continued to treat her as a child until the day she packed up and caught a plane to Greece—her adventure to find out about the family she never knew existed.
And Charles, had he deemed her fit to be his wife, would have told her they were getting married instead of asking her. Thank goodness that never happened.
Lea shook her head. “It won’t work.”
“It can if we want it to.”
“I won’t marry someone I don’t love.”
The pain reflected in his eyes had her regretting her blunt answer. She just didn’t want him holding out for something that wasn’t going to happen.
Lea got up and moved to the water’s edge. She knew she’d hurt him and that hadn’t been her intention. But in the long run, this would be less painful for both of them.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LAST NIGHT HADN’T gone the way he’d planned it.
Not even close.
Xander had been frowning all day today—at least that was what Joseph had accused him of. Why did Lea’s rejection sting so much? It wasn’t like he was madly in love with her. He was just trying to make things easier for her—for both of them.
Because the baby needed them both. And for that reason, he wasn’t giving up on changing Lea’s mind about marrying him. He would give Lea and the child his name—it would get them a long way in life—plus a sizeable chunk of his fortune. And when the time came, the child would inherit his empire.
Xander, along with a work crew, finished putting a new roof on one of the bungalows. And since it was nearing lunchtime, he decided to ask Lea to share a meal with him. They had barely spoken since she’d turned down his marriage proposal. And now that the sting of her rejection had worn off, he had to take emotions out of the equation and focus on the end goal—creating a family for their baby.
As he walked from the bungalow to Lea’s office, he had to navigate through the throng of wedding guests. They were everywhere—there was even a line of people waiting to be seated at the Hideaway Café. That was a first. So much for his plan of a grabbing a decaf caramel latte for Lea as a peace offering.
Xander continued on to the main offices when he saw Lea step out into the sunshine, but she wasn’t alone. She was with a middle-aged couple. The man carried a briefcase and the woman wore a dark skirt and jacket. They definitely weren’t here for some romance in the sun and he highly doubted they were the bride and groom. So, who were they?
The smile slipped from his face. They were prospective buyers for the island. He was certain of it. Who knew so many people were interested in running a wedding island?
Suddenly it felt like all the progress he’d made with Lea was in jeopardy. The thought of at last having his own family—people he could trust—people that would always be there for him and him for them—was slipping through his fingers. And it was only then that he realized just how much he wanted this—wanted the family he hadn’t known he could have.
He headed for Lea. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He felt a little betrayed that as close as they were growing she still wouldn’t consider accepting his help, but she would consider selling to strangers—people she didn’t know she could trust with her beloved island.
“Please feel free to explore the island at your leisure,” Lea said to the couple with her back to Xander.
“I just wouldn’t take the boat tour, if I were you.”
Lea immediately spun around and leveled a dark, warning stare at him. The look immediately brought him to his senses.
“And why would that be?” the man asked with a concerned look on his face.
Lea turned to the man. “It’s nothing to worry about. Xander was just making a joke. It was something you had to be there to understand. But our boats are all well maintained and available should you like to see the island from the sea. Just let me know. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to have a quick word with Mr. Marinakos.”