Page 28 of The Billionaire’s Siren (S.E. Smith Signature Romance: Heart & Soul #1)
Laughter shimmered through the warm evening air like champagne bubbles, floating across the terrace of the Kallistratos villa.
Strings of fairy lights glowed in the tropical shrubbery, casting a soft shimmer over linen-covered tables and tumbling flower arrangements in soft pinks, creams, and coral.
Guests mingled beneath the stars, their silhouettes flickering in the glow of candlelit lanterns hung from the pergola and carved wall niches.
Alexandros stood at the terrace’s edge, the sea breeze tugging at his tuxedo jacket—but it was the vision beyond the archway that stole his breath.
Dani.
She was in his father’s arms, her ivory silk wedding gown shimmering like moonlight against her sun-kissed skin. Christos twirled her expertly, her laughter ringing out like music, as the soft hum of a bouzouki and violin played an old love song across the stone-paved courtyard.
Alexandros’s heart squeezed with the force of everything he felt for her.
“Not bad for a mechanic,” Stuart said beside him, swirling a glass of dark red wine with a satisfied grunt. His cheeks were rosy, and his tie hung loose around his neck.
Alexandros frowned, startled from his reverie. “Excuse me?”
Stuart chuckled, nodding toward Dani with a wistful smile. “She’s glowing. You did that. So… thank you.”
Alexandros blinked. “For what?”
Stuart dropped into a cushioned chair and leaned back, one hand folded over his full stomach like a man savoring a good life. His silver brows relaxed, his eyes locked on his granddaughter with pride so deep it seemed to anchor him to the earth. “For loving her just the way she is.”
Alexandros looked back at Dani. The sweep of her dress. The flash of her grin as she teased his father. The wild red curls pinned with jeweled combs, half slipping free from the elegant chignon.
His voice was quiet. Honest. “That’s the easy part.”
He paused, drawing in a deep breath. They hadn’t shared that she was expecting yet. Dani had wanted to keep it between themselves until they knew for sure. The doctor had confirmed it yesterday.
His eyes burned as he thought of the ultrasound and the first faint photo of their child. He kept a copy of the scan tucked in his wallet.
“I’m the lucky one.”
Stuart snorted. “I’ll remind you of that the first time you find a carburetor next to your croissant.”
“I can always help her put it together.”
Laughter rumbled between them before Stuart waved him off with a grin and raised his glass in approval.
As the song came to a close, Alexandros stepped forward, drawn to his new wife like the tide to the shore. She saw him the moment he moved, her eyes lighting up like she’d waited her whole life for him. Christos released her with a kiss to her hand, and she drifted into Alexandros’s arms.
“Everything alright?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“It is for me.” He glanced around, his lips twitching as he paused on the silhouette of a man standing off to the side. “Though I’m not sure my brother is feeling quite as celebratory.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Theo?”
He nodded discreetly toward the edge of the garden.
Dani followed his gaze, her lips parting with a soft ‘oh’ before laughter bubbled out of her.
Theo stood rigid beside the stone balustrade, clearly trying to disappear behind a potted lemon tree while Gina Rossi—draped in a crimson gown so tight it could double as shrink wrap—chatted animatedly to his shoulder.
“I think he’ll survive,” Dani said, still laughing. “He’s quick on his feet. Besides, he owes me for not warning me you snore.”
“I do not snore.”
“You purr like a sinusy dragon.”
“Only when you over exhaust me with your demands,” he countered, before he added, “And in case you didn’t know it, I’m not the only dragon with a cold.”
He buried his face in her neck, chuckling when she scoffed at his suggestion that she snored. He pressed a kiss to the delicate skin just below her ear. His hand slid instinctively to her stomach, still marveling at the hidden treasure growing inside her.
She giggled, catching his hand. “I’m fine. It was just this morning so far. If I’m lucky, it will be the only round of praying to the porcelain gods I have.”
His chest tightened at the memory. He still hadn’t fully recovered from seeing her so pale, curled up in his arms. He would have traded anything—his fortune, his company, his name—if he could have taken the sickness from her.
“You were white as a sheet and shaking,” he murmured against her skin. “It scared me.”
Her hand rose to cradle his cheek. “It’s just a reminder of the miracle growing inside me,” she said gently. “I’d go through it all again. For this. For us.”
He kissed her then, long and slow, letting the taste of her settle deep in his bones .
When he finally pulled back, mischief danced in his eyes.
“Do you think we’ve stayed long enough to sneak away without sparking a family incident?”
She tilted her head, pretending to consider it, then whispered, “I know where this cute little dinghy is tied up.”
His grin was wicked.
Seconds later, they were slipping through the side gate, Dani barefoot and radiant, their laughter trailing behind them as they dashed down the moonlit path toward the boathouse.
From the terrace, Stuart watched them go, shaking his head with a smile.
“I wonder how far they get before Demetrius sends out the cavalry?”
Christos lifted his glass. “Not far—but they’ll be discreet. I wonder how long it will be before they tell us she is pregnant,” he chuckled.
Later that night, the soft hum of the engines vibrated gently beneath her as the Kallistratos Challenge glided through the moonlit waters of the Aegean Sea.
They were going to spend the next month cruising the Mediterranean coast. The yacht’s polished decks and gleaming hull were a far cry from the creaky charm of her old trawler.
Part of her still missed the familiar comfort of the aged interior and sun-bleached ropes. But as she lay back against the rich cotton sheets in the master stateroom, her fingers trailing along the broad muscles of Alexandros’s bare back, Dani knew with quiet certainty:
This was her life now.
Not because of the yacht, or the headlines, or the quiet ring of protection against the world. But because of the man resting his cheek against her stomach, whispering to their unborn son in a husky mix of Greek and English, his voice tinged with both laughter and gentle scolding.
“Be kind to your mama, little lion. She already has to put up with me. Don’t make her sick tomorrow, alright?” He paused, pressing another kiss just above her navel. “She’s very, very precious to us. It is our job to take good care of her.”
Dani smiled tenderly, her fingers gliding through his silky hair, massaging gently, while sliding her other hand to rest over the place he had just kissed. A warm flutter answered beneath her palm, as if their son had heard him.
She blinked, surprised by the sting in her eyes. Tears blurred the edges of the stateroom—the soft lamps, the slow dance of shadows on the walls, the elegant carved wood and marble. But it wasn’t the space or the moment that brought the ache.
It was because of her dream.
Last night, she had seen them. Her parents.
And she thought she finally understood.
In her dream, they had been holding each other, arm-in-arm, younger than she ever remembered—her mother’s laugh ringing like wind chimes, her father standing strong and tall, his green eyes full of love.
They had been walking through a garden she didn’t recognize but somehow knew.
The grass sparkled like dew-dusted emeralds, and diamond lights shimmered through trees that swayed as if stirred by memory, not wind.
When they turned… they looked at her.
And smiled.
Not a farewell, but a quiet reassurance that everything would be alright.
She hadn’t wanted to wake. But when she did, the deep, aching hole in her heart felt full—for the first time since the accident.
Because love didn’t end. Not even in death.
A tear slid down her cheek.
He lifted his head, brows drawing together, his hand rising to caress her cheek. “Dani?” Alexandros’s voice was suddenly taut with concern. “What’s wrong, Agapi mou ?”
She looked down at him, his stormy eyes shadowed with worry, and her heart clenched at the depth of his love.
“Nothing,” she whispered, brushing his hair back from his face. “Nothing’s wrong. Not even a little. ”
She cradled his face between her hands. “Everything is perfect.”
Relief flooded his expression. He rose over her, his body warm and solid, his arms braced on either side of her as his lips brushed hers with reverence.
“Yes,” he whispered, his voice low and rough as he kissed her again, his eyes locked to hers, the truth of his love blazing between them. “It is. Just like you.”
And in that moment—wrapped in his arms, their child safe within her, and the stars spilling like diamonds across the dark sea—Dani knew what forever felt like.
She was home. In Alexandros’s arms, and he in hers. They were exactly where they were meant to be.