Page 44

Zoe

WASHINGTON D.C.

“I can’t believe I’m hugging you, my baby,” Christos’s mother says, and I find myself smiling because the woman has no restraint when it comes to showing affection.

I watch his reaction. I thought he would be embarrassed by his mother’s over-the-top ways, how she even pinched his cheek as if he were still a little boy. But no. He hugs her, and the kiss he gives in return is long.

I feel my eyes fill with tears, thinking about my two mothers, the biological one and the adoptive one. I would love to get a hug like that too.

“Mom, this is Zoe.”

As soon as Christos parked in front of the mansion, she came running out to greet us.

She is petite, a little chubby, and has gray hair in a shoulder-length cut. She is not beautiful—yes, I have that flaw. Working so much among models who border on physical perfection, I end up analyzing everyone’s appearance, but she’s so full of life that she’s stunning. You can almost touch her life force.

Finally, she lets go of her son and comes closer to me. “My dear, what a pleasure to meet you. I’m so sorry for the tragedy you went through. How are your parents?”

Contrary to what usually happens when I’m confronted with very direct people, I don’t feel uncomfortable. She doesn’t sound like she wants to be nosy, but rather she’s really sorry, concerned for my family.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Danae.”

“Just Danae. I’m not that old.”

“Right.” I smile. “Nice to meet you, Danae. They are as well as they can be.”

“I can’t even imagine the nightmare you went through, Zoe, but they’re all alive and that’s what matters. Now let’s go inside; Alekos is already complaining he’s famished,” she says, referring to her husband.

As if he knew we were talking about him, Christos’s father appears. It’s like seeing an older version of my boyfriend. The man must also have been drop-dead gorgeous when he was younger. Does Danae know how to shoot? If I had to be with her son for the rest of my life, I would definitely enroll in a shooting training course.

The thought spreads a good feeling through my chest, but I push it away. I wish I had more time with him, and I don’t intend to walk away from his life, but I also don’t want to delude myself into thinking we’ll be together forever.

“Alekos, come meet your son’s girlfriend.”

He comes but first stops and gives his wife a kiss on the forehead. Then I realize that, regardless of the man’s beauty, he is in love with this woman. There is no physical difference that outweighs that.

I look over at Christos and catch him watching me as his father hugs me and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

I smile awkwardly, but I am very happy with the warm greeting. Mike only had his mother, and the woman looked at me strangely the only time we saw each other.

I have serious issues with rejection and may never be able to fully get over them. Christos’s parents’ greeting makes my heart calm down, as I now have the courage to admit I was scared to death that they would treat me coldly.

We eat like horses, and I learn what a real Greek-style lunch is. I try moussaka , dolmadakia, and for dessert, portokalopita, an orange cake with cinnamon. It’s tender and very tasty.

By the end, I feel like I’m about to explode, but the three Greeks talk as if this is a common meal for them.

Christos is a chameleon. I’ve been with him in public, both in Barcelona and in his New York office, and I know how powerful and imposing he is in his daily life. But here, with his parents, he seems completely relaxed. I think it’s because he’s among those he truly considers his own.

When she called me, Mom asked to talk to him, and they talked for about five minutes. In the end, my boyfriend wanted to talk to my dad, too, and that touched my heart.

Mike never made any effort to be nice to my parents. Even before the wedding, I never saw him giving them the time of day.

“Zoe, we need to plan a trip to Greece when this is all over. My son’s island is beautiful.”

“She’s doing a photo shoot there, so it’ll be sooner than you think.”

“Excellent. Let’s all go together,” Alekos says, inviting himself, and I feel like laughing. “God knows we need a little break from this chaos the world has become. We can go on your plane, son.”

“I would love to, but first I want to see my parents. I talk to my mom every day on the phone, but I want to see her. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

“Of course it does, sweetheart,” Danae says, taking my hand. “Nothing replaces being face-to-face.”

“I was going to surprise you, but I don’t want to make you anxious,” Christos says.

“ Surprise me ?”

“Yes. When we get back to Boston, we’ll stop by to see your parents. I’ve already arranged everything with Macy. You just won’t be able to have a hug because the doctor is still firm on the isolation, but your father will set up some chairs in the garden and we’ll be able to talk.”

“I thought they were still at the clinic. I mean, they were until yesterday.”

“Yes, but when I arranged the clinic, I also asked Yuri to rent a house in case they wanted to get away from the hospital environment for a bit if your mother was well enough to do so.”

I open and close my mouth, amazed. “Is there anything you didn’t organize?”

For the first time since we met, I have the impression that he blushes. “It wasn’t a big deal. I . . .”

Before he finishes, I get up and walk over to where he is, and without stopping to think about what I’m doing, I kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks.”

I get ready to go back to my seat, but he pushes back his chair, pulls me onto his lap, and kisses me on the mouth in front of his parents. “Now, I consider that a thank you.”

I hear Alekos laugh, and I turn away, red as a pepper.

I avoid facing any of them, but I feel the Lykaios family’s eyes on me all the time.

Totally taking me by surprise, Alekos and his son say they are going to clean up the lunch table. Like us in Boston, Christos’s parents only have a maid to clean twice a week to avoid people circulating inside the house, which lowers the risk of getting infected.

Christos has washed dishes at our house, and I have always admired that, as it has to do with how he was raised. I can’t stand people sitting around waiting to be served, but my boyfriend is a man of action in any area of his life.

However, I didn’t imagine that it would be like that in his parents’ house, nor that the oldest Lykaios would take the initiative to send us out for a walk while they took care of everything .

“Do you feel better now that you know you’re going to see your mother?” asks Danae.

“Yes, I do. Life is a very strange thing, isn’t it? I’ve spent the last few years worrying about her cancer, and then this goddamn virus comes along and trips us up. My anxiety right now is about Mom taking a turn for the worse and needing to be admitted to a real hospital if the clinic Christos has provided isn’t enough.”

“Let’s have faith, child. I know we are all uncertain about the future, but we need to stay positive. Getting sick mentally can be just as dangerous for the body.”

“I know, but when I talk about anxiety, it’s not like people usually have it, but something that paralyzes me. That’s why I keep doing therapy twice a week, online.”

I look at her as I speak. I’m not going to pretend to be someone I’m not to win her over. I had depression when I came back from Barcelona, and I thought it was a one-time thing because of everything I’ve been through, but my therapist told me it could happen again.

“There’s nothing wrong with seeking help. I don’t know everything about your life, Zoe, but I’m sure you’re a special girl.”

She takes me to her flower greenhouse, and as we walk around, I decide that I want one like this for myself in the future. I’ve never paid attention to flowers, but Christos’s mother tells me that she considers caring for her orchids a kind of therapy.

“Why?” I ask, referring to her calling me special.

“You’ll hardly find anyone more indifferent to relationships than Christos, and yet here you are.”

“It’s not like your son has much of a choice, is it? I’m staying at his house.”

“You’re a smart girl, so answer me: why is my Christos in Boston and not in New York, where his main residence is?”

I stay silent, understanding what she means. With his fortune, Christos could go anywhere in the world during this crisis, and yet he’s chosen to stay with me.

A twinge of hope begins to grow in my heart.

“Our history is complicated.”

“I have time, and I consider myself a good listener. ”

Their property is huge. We walk, now in the sun, and I explain everything to her, from the moment he caught me in Barcelona taking a picture on a forbidden floor of the ship to my return to the United States without saying goodbye and my meeting with him again.

“The accident you’re talking about, in addition to physically hurting him, messed with my son’s head a lot. Even if he had no reason for that, he blamed himself for the little girl. The man driving the car was drugged. Not only a little, but close to having overdosed. It could have killed them all.”

“I only believed Ernestine’s story because I didn’t know Christos well. Anyone who spends ten minutes with him knows he’s not the type to shy away from responsibilities.”

“You’re in love with him, Zoe.”

“I think I always have been. I didn’t have a choice. From our first exchange, he charmed me.”

She looks at me like she knows a secret, so I continue.

“I’m afraid of getting hurt, though. My fake marriage couldn’t hurt me because I never loved Mike, but Christos could destroy me.”

“I’m not a spokesman for other people’s feelings, kid. Every couple has its own rhythm and story, but my boy feels the same way about you. Although he hasn’t put it into words, I carried him for nine months, and I know Christos. Like his father, he only loves once, and you, my beautiful child, are the chosen one.”