Paying Her Debt (15 page)

Authors: Emma Shortt

“You have me,” he said. “I’m yours, kitten.”

“You mean it, Alex?”

He nodded. It was time his woman knew the truth. Time she
realized exactly where they were going. He thought back to the day he’d asked
her to be his mistress and smiled. Andy
was
his mistress, his lover, his
friend. More than that she was his other half. He might have thought he wanted
a quiet, biddable sort of wife but he’d been wrong. He wanted his sleeping
beauty, fiery hair, disobedience and all. “I love you, Andy. You must know
that.”

She smiled back, a soft, beautiful smile. “I love you too, Alexander.
I’ve known it for a long time.”

Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out the package. The
tissue paper came free and the ring tumbled into his open palm. Even in the dim
lights of Andy’s bedroom the diamonds sparkled. Unbidden the image of his Yiayia
filled his mind and Alex remembered those same diamonds shimmering on her
finger for all the years he’d known her.

He slipped from the bed and down onto one knee, offering the ring
forth. Andy gasped and ran a shaky hand through her hair.

“Alex….” She breathed. “How?”

“We have George to thank for this. He had lookers out in every
pawn shop this side of the coast. They found it last week. He knew before I
did. He sent them the first day I brought you to the hotel.”

“I knew what it was for,” she said. “The first time I saw it, and
I thought you must have someone you wanted to give it to.”

He shook his head. “There has never been anyone but you, Andrea. No
one I’ve ever even come close to wanting to give a ring to.” He paused for a
moment, savoring the feeling running through him. “You will marry me.”

She laughed. “High-handed to the last. Alex, you’re meant to ask
me to, not command it.”

He growled. “You will marry me, Andrea.”

Andy reached out and caressed the sparkling emerald. “You know I
will.”

“It matches your eyes. Honestly,
Gatika
, it’s like she
knew.”

Andy shot him a puzzled look. “Who?”

“My
Yiayia
, my grandmother,” he explained. “She died a few
months ago, and just before she did she made me promise to come to this town
and find myself a wife. She was insistent, and I had no choice but to agree—I
loved her dearly you see. She gave me her ring and told me to give it to the
woman I loved.” He paused, smiling at the memory of the old woman. Like his
Andy, she had been a spitfire in her time. “She was also called Andrea.”

“Wow, that’s….”

“More than a coincidence,” he said. “So take the ring, Andy. It
is yours now.”

Alex slipped it onto her finger before pulling her into his arms.
It fit, of course it did—why was he not surprised? It looked right on her, too,
just like she felt right in his arms, like they’d been made just for her. Which
he realized with a slight jolt, they had.

“Not to ruin the romance, Alex,” she said laughingly. “But you
picked a lousy time to propose. I need to brush my teeth.”

He laughed and squeezed her tighter. “Andy—”

The knock on the door halted his next words. “Hold that thought,
the doctor is here.”

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Andy sat and tried to gather her thoughts. Alex was seeing the
doctor out, probably still grumbling about her throwing him out of the room.
But honestly, who’d want a medical in front of their fiancée?

Fiancée. She savored the word and looked down at her sparkly
ring. Almost too happy to even take it in. Alex loved her. Alex wanted to marry
her. Could it get any better than that? She thought of the doctors words. Yes,
clearly it could.

“What is the matter, kitten?” Alex asked, striding into the room.
“The doctor would not tell me. Is it related to your accident? I thought your
back was all better now? Or some sort of virus? Do not worry we can have you
well again soon enough. I will call my mother down to nurse you. You will like
her. She is very maternal—”

“Alex,” she interrupted. “Stop already.”

“I can go to the pharmacy and get some medicine or—”

“Alex!”

He frowned. “Talk then, woman.”

She growled. “Give me a bloody chance. Geez, honestly Alex, I’m
going to have to whip you into shape.”

He smiled wickedly and ran a finger across her arm. “Anytime,
kitten.”

“So basically,” Andy began, wondering how to break the news to
him. “I did not have a period.”

Alex shook his head, puzzlement obvious. “But the bleeding?”

“Implantation bleeding the doctor thinks.”

Alex bolted upright. Took a step back and then a step forward.
“You don’t mean….”

Andy grinned, her excitement too much to contain. “Yes! Alex we
are going to have a baby. The doctor did a test—good job I hadn’t been to the toilet
yet. Anyway so it was positive. Look here.”

She held up the little stick, and Alex’s eyes widened. “A baby…
Dios
….”

“You’re happy?” she asked. But then she saw the look in his eyes and
knew it was a stupid question.

“Happy? Andrea, you could not have made me any happier. A baby… I
am the luckiest man alive.”

“And I’m the luckiest woman.”

Alex leaned forward and took Andy into his arms. They fit
together perfectly, hearts beating as one.

“It will be a son of course.”

“A daughter, Alex.”

“I will be pleased with either.”

And so would she. “I believe that means I’ve paid my debt,” she
said casting him a saucy glance.

Alex laughed before eyeing her thin nightgown. “I think there
might be interest payments to consider.”

“Well by all means, Mr. Iannou, feel free to collect.”

“Believe me sleeping beauty, I will.”