Fran averted her eyes. He was too striking.
Physical attraction was a powerful thing. Under other circumstances, she could be swept away. Thankfully she’d learned her lesson with Rob. Though he’d been conventionally handsome, she’d discovered good looks weren’t enough to hold a relationship together, let alone a marriage.
For him to have said he’d be willing to adopt and then change his mind had inflicted indescribable pain. Fran had not only lost hope of being a mother, she’d lost the ability to trust.
AFTER A PHONE CALL to the hospital in Athens, Nik showered and shaved. Once they’d eaten a good meal, he felt restored and imagined Mrs. Myers did, too. He’d almost slipped and called her Fran in front of the proprietor, but realized he needed to keep thinking of her as Mrs. Myers, a married woman.
En route to the hospital, he phoned Sandro who told him the doctor had moved Demi to her own room in the pediatric wing. They didn’t have to wear masks and gowns any longer and were able to hold her.
“That’s wonderful,” Fran declared when he’d conveyed the good news to her. “After what she’s been through, she needs to be cuddled.”
Nik’s thoughts exactly. He parked around the side entrance to the hospital with easier access to the pediatric unit.
On the drive over he’d inhaled his companion’s flowery fragrance. By the time they got out of the car and entered the hospital, he could hardly take his eyes off her stunning figure clothed in a summery print skirt and white blouse. She wore white leather sandals. With her hair flowing to her shoulders from a side part, she made an enticing vision of femininity he doubted she was aware of.
He thought about her being in Greece on her own. American women had a tendency to be independent. For her and Leandros’s wife to be traveling alone shouldn’t have surprised him. But he thought Fran’s husband a fool to let his attractive wife vacation in a foreign country without him.
He wondered how Leandros handled being apart from his wife, but he had no right to speculate. The media had painted Nik to be the most eligible playboy in Greece, a label he was forced to wear. But it would do as a cover to hide his real reason for not being married by now. Therefore he wasn’t in any position to judge what went on in another man’s life or marriage.
In truth he felt shame for having any of those thoughts where Mrs. Myers and Kellie Petralia were concerned. If the two women hadn’t been out together, Fran wouldn’t have spotted their precious Demi. That was a miracle in and of itself. So was her desire to make sure the baby hadn’t been left alone at the hospital.
Interesting that it had been Fran, not Kellie, who’d planted herself next to Demi in the ICU. He wondered why…
For a moment Nik’s thoughts flew to Lena, the last woman he’d dated. After two dates she’d suggested they move in together. She was a desirable woman, but he didn’t believe in living together. Because of a painful issue from his past that had prevented him from proposing to any woman yet, he didn’t want to encourage her. In order not to be cruel, he’d stopped seeing her.
In truth, none of his romantic relationships had ever gotten past the point where he’d felt he could take the next step. As for Lena, he couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if she’d been the one who found Demi. Would she have dropped everything and changed her plans in order to comfort the baby? Would she have shown such a strong maternal instinct?
He doubted it, yet the minute he’d posed those questions, he chastized himself. It wasn’t fair to compare any of the women in his past to Fran. The moment she’d discovered Demi in that garden, she’d felt a special responsibility to care for her. The whole situation was unlike any other. She was unique, but his thoughts had to stop there. She was another man’s wife. He needed to remember that before he got in real trouble.
What did he mean by before? He already was in trouble, because deep in his gut, he felt she was the kind of woman he might trust enough to reveal his painful secret to. Why her and why now?
Following his brothers’ directions, he found Demi’s room. When he walked inside with Fran, he saw an exhausted-looking Cosimo walking around holding the baby, but she was fussing. Sandro had passed out in an easy chair brought in for them.
Nik nodded to his brother and walked over to take the baby from him, needing to nestle her against his chest. He was still incredulous she was alive. She recognized him, but there was no accompanying smile because she wasn’t herself. Her world had literally been blown apart.
“It’s me, Demi, your Uncle Nikolos. I’m here.” He kissed her neck and cheeks, careful not to hurt the cuts that were already healing. “Where’s my little sunshine girl? Hmm?” But she still seemed restless, the way she’d been with Cosimo.
Fran walked up next to him and touched her black curls. “Hi, Demi. Do you remember me? It’s Fran.”
The baby heard her voice and turned her head to focus on her. All of a sudden she started to cry and held out her arms to Fran, almost leaping to get to her. Nik couldn’t believe a bond had formed so fast that his niece would go to Fran with an eagerness that was astonishing. Even more amazing was the way Demi settled down and buried her face in Fran’s neck, reminding him of the way she always was with Melina.
Fran rocked her and sang a little song. Nik took advantage of the time to take Cosimo aside and talk to him. “I’ve got rooms for you and Sandro at the hotel where Fran found the baby.” He gave him the directions. “Take Sandro with you and get some sleep. Come back here tomorrow morning and we’ll use the hospital helicopter to get to Thessalonika before we fly home. The bodies should be loaded on the plane by then.”
Sadness filled Cosimo’s eyes. “You’re sure you won’t need help?”
“Positive. Fran and I will take turns tonight.”
“She’s willing to stay?”
Nik nodded. His brother looked relieved. “But you haven’t had any sleep.”
“I’ll get it now.”
“I’m afraid Demi hasn’t slept. She’s looking for Melina. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.”
“I have a feeling she might get her rest now that Fran is here. You two go on.”
Cosimo nodded and woke up their brother. Nik walked them out of the room and down the hall. After saying goodnight, he went to the desk where he asked for a cot to be brought in.
Within a few minutes, housekeeping delivered one and left. Finally he was alone with Fran and turned off the light. Though he was beyond tired, he still wanted to talk to her before he got some sleep. Heaving a deep sigh, he sank down in one of the chairs and sat back, marveling over her rapport with his niece.
“I think you’ve gotten her to sleep.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “The dear little thing must be so tired and bewildered.”
“With you holding her, it’s apparent she’ll get the rest she needs. When you’re too tired, I’ll take over.”
“I’m not desperate for sleep like you. Kellie and I slept in until ten this morning. Why don’t you undo the cot and lie down? I’ll waken you when it’s your turn.”
“Promise?”
She gave him a half smile. “Believe it.”
In the semidarkness, her generous mouth drew his attention, spiking his guilt for having those kinds of thoughts about her. “Where did you come from?”
“Not