Page 40 of The Billionaire's Last-Minute Marriage
‘Okay, it doesn’t suit you. You are the most unattractive sight I’ve ever seen, and I just sat at that table for the past five minutes staring at you...in sheer repulsion.’ He leaned in to kiss her once, then twice for good measure before pulling back to stare once more.
He whispered something into the baby’s ear conspiratorially, his eyes darting back up to meet hers dramatically. ‘What’s that, little one? You want to meet your baby cousin right now?’
She made an urgent shushing sound, looking around them. ‘Xander, it’s far too early to be talking about it in public.’
He ignored her, his eyes now apparently only for his little niece alone. ‘I think it’s a boy too. But it’s okay. I’ll keep going until we get you a girl cousin.’
‘Oh, you will, will you?’ Pandora couldn’t help but grin as her husband’s hand moved to splay across the still-flat expanse of her stomach. She had only just had a positive test days before.
‘You’re sure you don’t want to tell anyone yet?’ he asked, far too innocently. ‘I know they say it’s bad luck, but...’
‘You are like a child, begging to unwrap his Christmas gift early. But no, I don’t think I’m ready to share our news just yet.’ She laughed, covering his hand with her own and feeling a brief intense burst of love for him and the tiny life growing steadily beneath their joint palms.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever even held a baby before today.’ She frowned down at the little girl in her arms. Amara Theodorou blew a bubble and laughed, patting at the beads on Pandora’s dress. ‘I’m feeling a little out of my depth already.’
‘I could tell by the stack of pregnancy books you packed in your overnight bag.’
Pandora looked away, feeling the ripples of uncertainty rise a little higher. She’d made no secret of her compulsion to study and prepare for every possibility of what lay ahead of her. But something about entering into this particular new phase of her life made her wish she were a more easy-going type. Perhaps if she could go with the flow, letting go of control of her body and life as she knew it wouldn’t feel quite so terrifying.
‘Hey, I wasn’t making fun of your books.’ Xander’s palms touched her cheeks, applying gentle pressure and filling her with warmth. ‘Once I saw them I actually downloaded some audio versions onto my phone. I’ve been learning all about the trimesters and stages on my morning runs.’
She paused, looking up into his face and taking a moment to gauge whether or not he was making fun of her. ‘You’ve been studying too?’
‘You’re not the only one who likes to be prepared,agape mou. I have grand plans,’ he murmured against her cheek.
‘You can’t win at fatherhood, Xander.’ She smiled, feeling the tension ease within her ever so slightly. Trust her husband to turn parenthood into a competition with his brother.
She inhaled deeply, leaning forward to touch her forehead gently against his in silent communication of thanks. They had developed these small gestures over the years, tiny movements and touches that needed no words. She’d never dreamed of having such an easy connection with someone.
After a long moment, she looked up into his impossibly blue eyes and smiled, knowing he understood her worries and accepted them just as he accepted everything else about her. In their four years of marriage he’d kept his promise every single day, showing her that love didn’t have to be something you earned or performed for. His love was unconditional and constant, and if there was one thing she could count on it was that Xander would throw himself into fatherhood with that same fierce strength and loyalty.
Warm lips touched hers and she smiled against his mouth, feeling a tentative spark of excitement bloom within her at the idea of them as parents. She’d never dreamed of this life for herself.
‘We’re in this together, remember?’ Xander cupped her neck, kissing her once more. ‘We can always ask my brother if we can take this little one again for practice.’
‘Practice for what?’ A familiar female voice spoke from behind Xander’s shoulder. Priya appeared, her shrewd eyes homing in on their hushed conversation and lowering to where Xander’s hand still rested. Pandora felt her facial muscles freeze a little as her brain struggled to formulate an excuse.
‘Where is she?’ Eros Theodorou appeared, his eyes scanning them all, and for a moment Pandora thought he was referring to her. But then his eyes lit up as they landed on his daughter and Amara was promptly scooped up into her father’s arms.
Xander quickly worked his magic, distracting his brother and sister-in-law with some good-natured ribbing about their extended absence and obviously flushed cheeks but still Priya’s eyes moved speculatively over her more than once.
As the conversation came to a momentary silence, Pandora felt the urge to share their news bubbling upwards until she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
‘I’m pregnant,’ she blurted, much louder than she’d intended, instantly slamming a hand over her mouth. Priya’s stunned smile was instantaneous, her hands clapping together with glee while Eros simply raised one brow in his brother’s direction.
For a moment, the look of surprise on her husband’s face made Pandora pause. She was poised to apologise for her own impulsive move but quickly felt the shudders of Xander’s body crumpling into laughter beside her.
‘And she was worried that I would let the news out.’ His eyes creased as he was engulfed in a hug by Priya and then his younger brother, their embrace a thoroughly masculine movement of back-thumping and grunts but still a hug nonetheless.
Seeing Xander’s relationship with his brother improve to this point had been something she’d never dreamed of, along with so many other wonderful developments that had happened in their family. Their unexpected joining of forces to take over the company had been an instant power pairing, with Eros’s creativity and intuition coupling rather perfectly with Xander’s intensity and ruthless precision in the boardroom. Together, they had cut out the rot left by their father and created something brand new that they could both be proud of.
Despite his refusal to enter into their deal, Nysio Bacchetti had eventually approached his two half-brothers with an offer that none of them could have predicted. But that was a story for another time.
‘I think our secret won’t be a secret for long.’ She laughed as Xander continued to pull her away from the party towards where their helicopter lay in wait, whispering all the things he planned to do to help her relax.
‘That does not sound very restful, husband dearest. In fact, it sounds quite the opposite.’ She raised one brow as they paused under an archway of gloriously vibrant bougainvillea. ‘I think we should plant some of these at the house... I wonder how long they take to grow...’
Xander barely flinched at her rapid change in topic. ‘I’ll order an acre of them.’
