Chapter Seven
A few hours later, Ari lay in Grace’s bed with her snuggled close against him, her arm around his waist. The full moon through the window caused everything in her room to glow silver—a reflection of the light pulsing inside him right now at being here with her.
“Thanks for tonight,” he said in a quiet voice, unsure if she’d already fallen asleep.
“It was beautiful, wasn’t it?” she said sleepily. “Everyone got on so well, and I even saw your mom and dad talking to each other at the end of the night.”
She twisted around and rested her head on the pillow so she was now looking directly at him. “How did you feel with everyone back together again?” she asked as she stroked his chest. “Was it weird or good?”
“Surprisingly good,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady as the pads of her fingers trailed featherlight across his skin. “I can’t believe how much has changed in less than a year—it’s like we’ve all finally grown up.”
“I’ve been wondering something,” Grace said as she gently touched his arm. “Why do you have those words pinned to your walls?”
He smiled down at her. “Promise you won’t laugh?”
Her mouth turned down. “When have I ever laughed at you?”
“Never,” he conceded, “but it sounds kinda crazy when I say it out loud.”
She gave him one of her sparkling smiles. “Try me.”
“I never used to buy people birthday cards because I’d get the words wrong, but then when my sister got sick, I wanted to write her, so I needed a way to teach myself.”
“Oh, that’s beautiful,” Grace said. “But how did you do it?”
“I listened to songs and picked out the words I liked, then I found the lyrics online and copied the words. Crazy, right?”
Grace looked down for a moment, then back at him, her eyes glossy. “It sounds exactly like the sort of thing you’d do.”
“Yasmin likes that sort of thing,” he said, embarrassed. “Much easier to just phone.”
She must’ve sensed the way he felt because she changed the subject. “Have I told you how much I love these tattoos?” she said, before planting a gentle kiss on his shoulder. “Tell me the story behind them. They’re Greek gods, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I got my first one, Zeus, the big guy in the middle, when I first left home. He’s the father of the gods, so I guess it was kind of me carrying a father figure with me when I struck out on my own.”
“That’s so cool,” Grace breathed. “And who are these men and women around him?” She marked a circle around his heart, and his chest expanded. “His children?”
He held her hand and traced around each of the figures, etched deep into his skin. “On his right, there’s Herakles, for his strength, and on his left, Athena and her owl representing wisdom.”
“I’m glad you included a woman,” she said in a teasing voice.
“She’s also a warrior, and I liked the idea of coming from warrior stock.”
“And below them?” Her voice was lower, sexier.
“That’s Atlas.”
The warmth of her honey-breath against his skin was almost too much to bear. “Just like you.”
He chuckled. “You think I have some things in common with Atlas? My godlike looks perhaps?”
She laughed then spoke more quietly. “Carrying the world on your shoulders, maybe.”
He hugged her closer.
“I can see your strength in them. How you carry loyalty and duty around with you,” she said.
He nodded. “Yeah, but they didn’t stumble through life like I’ve done. They were worthy and strong.”
“You’re more than worthy,” she said as she moved her hand lower to stroke his arm.
“Hearing you say it makes me wish it was true.” He didn’t mean it to sound the way it did, but he wasn’t hiding anything from Grace anymore.
She propped up on her elbow, resting her head on her hand. “You know what I just realized?” she said, moonlight splashing across her face.
“What’s that?”
“Your gods are kind of like my star signs.”
“How do you mean?” he asked, linking his fingers through her free hand.
“Maybe we’re both looking for some guidance in how we should navigate our way in the world.”
He kissed her forehead. “You know, when I first heard you talking about star signs and character traits, I thought you liked to put people in boxes. But maybe you’re right. Maybe we’ve both been trying to find out more about ourselves.”
“Funny,” she said, as he kissed her ear. “That’s exactly what I thought about you when we first met. That you put people in boxes, wanted them all to be the same. But now that I know the real you, I can see that’s not true at all.” She moved closer and soon their bodies were intertwined again. “Who’d have thought,” she whispered in his ear, “that a guy who I imagined was my complete opposite would help me know myself better than I ever had before.”
…
Saturday August 19th
Grace looked at the clock on her office wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Thirty minutes until the Williams wedding began. This was the point of no return. As it was in all the weddings she’d ever planned, there was a point in the day when the clock would race, a time when there was nothing more she could do. The day would go ahead now, and she had to trust that everything would be perfect. She’d coached Polly to take things from here while she rushed over to O’Malley’s, but she could get back to the Palace if anything went wrong.
What would be going on there right now? Erin and Nick’s wedding wasn’t for another three hours, but everything would be frantic. Would Erin be having her hair and makeup done? Would Nick be doing some final practice for his speech?
Ari would be working in his office, not really interested in his brother’s wedding, but ready to show up for the sake of his family. They’d spent a wonderful week together, catching intimate moments during their busy days and spending secret hours together at night. Whenever they were apart, her head was filled with him, and she couldn’t wait until this day was over so they could really spend time together.
She’d popped her head around the kitchen door to check with Pavlo that everything was okay, when there was a commotion behind her.
“Koukla-mou!” Pia came rushing toward her with curlers in her hair, a phone clutched in her hand. She wore a brightly colored, oversize kaftan and bare feet. Her face was white and her voice shaking.
“Grace, I know you are so busy today, but I really need your help.”
“What is it?” she asked, pulling over a chair and guiding Pia into it. “Are you ill? Here, take my hand.”
She reached for Pia’s hand, and the older woman squeezed hard. “Nicky just called me,” she said as she struggled for breath. “Ari has had an accident on his motorcycle on the way from his office—”
Grace’s heart seized in her chest. “Oh my God, is he okay?”
“That is the thing, I don’t know. It was a passer-by who called Nicky. At least, I’m hoping that Ari was conscious enough to give him a number to call. But maybe he just rang the first number he could find in Ari’s phone. I don’t know!” she wailed. “I made Nicky promise he wouldn’t go to Ari. That he would let me find out what was going on so the wedding doesn’t need to be interrupted.”
Cold sweat crawled down Grace’s neck. “Do you know where the accident was?”
“By the Episcopalian church. The man told Nicky that a car ran a red light. Leo has been using my car while I’ve been in Greece, so there’s no way for me to get there. Do you think I could borrow yours?”
“Oh, Pia, I don’t have a car, remember?” As the words came out her mouth, she was riddled with shame and anger that she couldn’t help Ari or Pia at such a critical moment. Why had she believed Mark when he’d said she shouldn’t be let loose on the roads? “Does Mano know about the accident?”
“I don’t know,” Pia said. “I just came straight down here.”
“If an ambulance has been called, then he might already have been taken to hospital, so why don’t we let Mano know and then call the hospital?” As she was saying the words, she cursed herself for not having the courage to own a car and Ari for riding that death machine. She ached to be with him, to hold him and tell him that he made her feel strong and capable and she didn’t know what she would do if she lost him.
The phone in Pia’s hand rang, and she quickly swiped the accept button and put the phone to her ear.
Grace’s mind raced as she tried to work out how she could get to Ari. She’d promised she’d be back at O’Malley’s by three, but maybe Nick and Erin’s wedding would need to be postponed, anyway. Her mind was spinning.
“Yes,” Pia was saying on the phone. “Yes, of course. I’ll wait outside.”
“It was Mano,” she said when she put the phone down. “He’s coming straight here to get me. He says the ambulance is with Ari, so we will go straight there.”
“Did he say anything about how Ari is?” Grace said, trying not to show her desperation for some positive news.
“No, he had only spoken to the man who called Nicky.” She patted Grace’s arm. “You have so much to do here. Don’t worry.”
Not worry? Bile rose in the back of her throat, and she steadied herself against the wall.
“You’ve done more than enough for my family,” Pia said. “I’m sure everything will be fine. As soon as I have some news, I’ll let you know.”
Pia hurried off, and Grace stood frozen. How could she carry on when all she could think about was being by Ari’s side? But she didn’t have the right to do that. She’d been the one pushing to keep their relationship secret, and what might it now cost her?
Maybe it was really simple. Watching Pia go through the gate, she lifted her chin. She couldn’t go on pretending there wasn’t anything between them, and why should she, anyway? Ari made her feel strong and capable. He’d understood why she didn’t want to reveal their relationship to his family, and he hadn’t pushed her on it.
Yes, her business was important to her, but none of that mattered if she didn’t have him in her life. And what if he was lying unconscious in a hospital bed, unaware of what he really meant to her? She had to be with him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. There was nowhere she wanted to be more than by Ari’s side at the hospital. For the hundredth time, she cursed herself for not having a car, and clicked on the Uber app.
The screen flashed to show a call was coming in. It could be Nick with more news. She slid the button to accept.
“Hey.” The second her brain registered Ari’s voice, her body was awash with adrenaline.
“Oh my God,” she said as her free hand flew to her mouth. Her legs were jelly, her heart tripping. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do they need to take you to the hospital?”
“You heard I had a little disagreement with a blue Chevy?” He chuckled. “I’m fine,” he said. “Just a few scrapes. My bike’s a lot worse off than I am, though. I’m getting the paramedic to clean me up, and then I’ll head over to O’Malley’s.”
The whole of her body shook, and she sank into the nearest chair.
“Grace, are you there?”
“Yes…I…” The words wobbled in her mouth, and she bit her lip.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re busy. I should’ve sent a text instead. What I really wanted to say was good luck for the weddings today. I know you’ve been working so hard to get everything right and it’s going to be incredible.”
She dragged breath into her lungs. “Of course, you should’ve called me,” she said. “I was just about to get an Uber to come over there. I can still do it if you need me. Polly can take care of things here.”
“You were?” he said.
“Of course! Oh, Ari I had visions of you unconscious, never being able to walk again—or worse.”
“They couldn’t get my helmet off so I couldn’t call anyone,” he said. “I thought about texting but knew that would probably bring the whole family running. I asked a guy who stopped to help if he could call Nick for me and let him know I’d be late.”
“Stay there, and I’ll call a cab and come get you,” she said, trying to keep desperation out of her voice.
“I’m fine, honestly,” he said. “I’ll need to get to O’Malley’s before they postpone the wedding. Mom and Dad are on their way here, so I’ll have a ride.”
“Okay,” she said. “But I’m going to meet you there. I want to see for myself that you’re okay.” Her voice cracked then. She could’ve blamed the pressure of running two weddings in one day, or the frustration that she’d lost confidence and couldn’t drive anywhere, but deep down she knew the real reason was she couldn’t stand it if Ari was hurt.
“Sweetheart, it’s going to be fine,” he said in a soft voice. There was silence for a moment. “Trust me to screw up the most important day for my family and for you.”
“You haven’t screwed anything up,” she said fiercely as she brushed her hand across her cheek. “You always put everyone’s else’s needs before your own.” She drew in a breath, and for the shortest moment wondered if she should say what was really in her heart. The words came out before she could make a decision. “Your family loves you, and none of our lives would be the same if anything happened to you.”
There was silence for a beat, and then two. She’d said too much, gotten carried away in the emotion of the moment.
“I have to go. Mom and Dad are here. I’ll see you soon.”
When he’d hung up, Grace stared at her phone. She was glad she’d said what she had. Ari was important to everyone in his family, and in the last few weeks, he’d become the most important person in her life. When she did see him next, she’d lay her heart on the line, tell him what he meant to her, too, and maybe then he could see that they could have a real future together.
…
Ari sat in a room at O’Malley’s Weddings with both his mother and sister fussing around him, his left leg sticking out straight in front of him in a moon boot. The paramedics had said he should have an X-ray, but there would be time enough for that tomorrow. His father sat in a corner reading through his speech. The wedding had been postponed for half an hour so his parents could get ready after their unexpected detour, and all he wanted to do was go and find Grace.
“I’m okay, Mom,” he said as his mother dabbed at a cut under his eye where the helmet had been crushed. “Yas, will you take her out into the garden or something?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” his mother said as she patted his arm. “I always knew something would happen to you on that bike. If only I had come in a car to get you, you wouldn’t have had to ride that wretched thing. I blame myself for all this,” she continued. “If I hadn’t left—”
“Pia, come with me,” Mano said as he stood. “You need to be calm for the wedding. This is one of the greatest days of your life, and you deserve to worry about nothing else. Yasmin will make sure Ari is fine.”
His mother stopped dabbing Ari’s cheek and handed the Kleenex to her daughter. “Just make sure it’s covered,” she said as she patted her son’s arm. We don’t want anyone thinking you’ve been in another one of your fights. And how are you going to walk on that leg? Will we need to have a wheelchair in the front row?”
“I’m okay, Mom. Just go and enjoy the wedding. I’ll be fine.”
His father held the door open for his mother, and Ari smiled at his sister. He’d noticed a closeness between his parents when they’d both come to see him at the accident site. His mom liked to make out that he exasperated her, but when she first got there she’d kissed him and told him she wouldn’t know what to do if anything happened to him. When she’d stepped away, Mano had held her hand, and they were still like that when the paramedics had helped Ari into their car.
“You saw that, too?” Yasmin asked as she lifted her hand to dab something on Ari’s cheek.
He gently pushed her hand away and rearranged his jacket. “Mom smiling at Pop when he opened the door for her? I swear they were laughing when they first arrived here. Pop drove Mom back to the Palace so she could finish getting ready. Maybe they had time to do some talking?”
There was a light tap at the door. When it opened, Grace put her head around. “Okay if I come in?”
Every muscle in Ari’s body strained to be near her, but she wouldn’t want that in front of his sister. “Ari’s fine,” Yasmin said to her. “You must be so busy right now. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”
“Lane’s looking for you,” Grace said. “I think it was something about a corsage for your mom…?”
Yasmin looked first at Ari and then at Grace. “Oh, okay,” she said, smiling slowly. “I’d better make sure that gets sorted out. Will you be okay to get Ari to the ceremony, Grace?”
“I think I’ll manage,” she said with a grin.
When Yasmin had gone, Grace drew near but didn’t get close enough. She had an earpiece in and was dressed in a formal blue suit.
“Are you okay?” he asked, worried that he’d made her day all the more stressful. “You shouldn’t be in here worrying about me when you’ve got so much to do here and back at the Palace.”
She stepped closer, and he could see there were tears in her eyes. “Don’t do that to me again,” she whispered, her lip trembling. “You probably think I’m just emotional and stressed out because I had so much riding on today, but you know what?” She drew in a deep breath. He tried to stand up, but she was beside him in an instant. “No, don’t. Please.”
“Hey, what is it? What’s wrong?” he said as he stroked her arm.
“I just don’t know what I’d do—” She gulped. “I don’t think I can handle the thought of you riding that bike any longer.”
Ari opened his mouth and then closed it. Had she really said that? He sat straighter in the chair. “Honey, it wasn’t the bike that was the problem, it was the driver of the other car.”
“Promise me,” she said as she threw her arms around his neck. “Promise me you’ll put the bike away.”
Ari stilled. “I’m fine,” he said. “Honestly, it wasn’t my fault, and nobody was really hurt.” This wasn’t the Grace he knew talking.
She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, and he could hear her intake of breath as their skin touched.
“Hey, Grace,” he said as he pulled her away. “What is it?”
Her eyes were glossy and her face pale. “Hearing that you’d had an accident just made me realize what you mean to me.”
It was the stress of the weddings talking. Later on, she would be back to the confident, in control Grace he had fallen for.
“I’m glad it didn’t make you hope me being laid up would give you an easy out,” he said, trying to make a joke.
Her face was still serious, so he held her chilled hands. “I’m not going anywhere, Grace. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be around for a while yet.”
Her dusky pink lips tilted in a watery smile, but the look on her face still unsettled him.
“I should go,” she said. “And so should you. The ceremony will begin in half an hour.”
“All the best,” he said. “I know that you’ll make Nick and Erin’s day perfect.”
She leaned down and kissed him firmly, and he cupped her face as he kissed her back.
“When can I see you again?” she whispered. “Tonight?”
“You’ll be too busy, won’t you? And I guess I should really get some rest. Why don’t you come by tomorrow night?”
“It’ll be late tonight,” she conceded. “And I guess you’ll want to go to the barbecue Erin’s parents are putting on here tomorrow.”
“You know I’d come and get you tomorrow if my leg wasn’t banged up,” he said.
“I know.” She smiled, a real Grace smile this time. “You don’t have a spare key, do you? So I don’t have to wake you up?”
First, she was telling him that she didn’t want him riding his motorcycle, and now she wanted a key to his apartment? When had she started to care about him so much?
“Sure,” he said, reaching into his jacket pocket. He removed his key from the keyring and handed it to her. “I’ll call the janitor and tell him I’ve lost my keys. He’ll let me in.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.” She waggled her fingers at him before she turned the door handle. “I’ll send Yasmin in to collect you. Have a wonderful time at the wedding.”
“Oh, I’m sure I will,” he said with a grin.
“Just don’t spend too much time dancing with those bridesmaids.” She gave him a cheeky grin. “Maybe I am glad you can’t walk.” That was the Grace he knew.
“I’ll spend all my time thinking of you coming to my bed tomorrow night,” he said.
She blew him a kiss and was gone.
Ari stared at the closed door and tried to ignore the icy sense of dread beginning to run through his veins. Something had shifted between him and Grace just now. For a few moments, the fun and the laughter and the sheer thrill of being together had been replaced with expectation and assumption, and it didn’t sit right. He wanted the confident Grace back, the one who liked him to be daring and carefree, the one who was independent and strong and lived for the here and now.
She cared about him, that was clear—more than he imagined possible—but just how he felt about that, he wasn’t sure.