He gathered her in his arms, having no idea what to say to her. He couldn’t very well deny that Roslyn probably did want to keep him from Marley. She knew Marley had stolen from the company, a company that Roslyn was devoted to and had put in a lot of long hours for in preparing the deal that had disappeared along with the plans for the Paris hotel. And now he’d learned that yet another of the Anetakis designs would be going up under the Marcelli name. No matter it was one he’d discarded. Marley couldn’t have known that at the time.
What an impossible situation. Surprising to him was the anger that Roslyn’s words had caused. His first reaction had been to defend Marley and to chastise Roslyn for speaking out against Marley. But how could he when Roslyn was right?
All he knew was that he didn’t want Marley to hurt. As stupid as that sounded given the hurt she’d caused him, he wanted to wipe away the sadness in her eyes. While he couldn’t do anything to erase the past, what he could do was make sure that Roslyn wasn’t a source of contention between them. He would honor Marley’s wishes in this, for they mirrored his own. He didn’t want anything to come between them here on the island. Roslyn wouldn’t return.
Eleven
C hrysander hung up the phone with a grimace and leaned back in his leather chair. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.
He had to return to New York. Piers had called him with the news just moments ago, and Chrysander greeted the fact with a discomfort that was alien to him. Worse, he’d had to inform Piers and Theron that another of their designs had been stolen. They were understandably furious. With Marley. How would they react when they learned he had every intention of marrying her as soon as possible?He was torn between wanting Marley to go with him and wanting to keep her sheltered here on the island. Away from any chance she might remember. Away from the judgment and animosity of his brothers.
The beginnings of a headache plagued him as he considered the selfishness of that particular thought. He knew, though, that when she remembered, and the doctors had assured him she would, things would irrevocably change between them.
He should still be furious with her, and he should be working to maintain distance between them, but she’d chipped away his resistance during their time on the island. As much as it shamed him, it no longer mattered to him that she’d lied, that she’d stolen from him and his brothers. He wanted things to remain as they were, and if she remembered, then they would be forced to face the events of the past.
And he’d likely lose her.
It bothered him more than it should. She was pregnant with his child, he told himself, and that should be reason enough not to want things to sour between them.
His time here with Marley had brought him back to the times they’d spent together before the night he’d discovered her betrayal. He hadn’t really appreciated her before. He’d taken her and her presence in his life for granted, but now he knew how much he’d liked having her there when he returned from business.
She was fun and carefree. Gentle and loving. All the things he’d wish for in the mother of his child.
But she’d betrayed him. It always came back to that even as he wanted to forget it.
“Chrysander?”
He looked up on hearing his softly spoken name to see Marley standing in the doorway, her hand resting on the frame as she peered in. He shook himself from his grim thoughts and hoped his expression wasn’t as brooding as he felt. Things had been strained and tense between them since Roslyn had come to the island. A fact he regretted but was unable to fully remedy when he still carried his own doubts and uncertainties where Marley was concerned.
“What is it, pedhaki mou?”
“Are you all right?” She let her hand fall and started forward, her steps hesitant.
He guessed he did look brooding.
“Come here,” he said, holding out his hand to her as she neared. He pulled her down onto his lap, suddenly wanting her close. “I have to return to New York.”
A shadow crossed over her face. “When?”
“In the morning. My brother called, and a dignitary we are courting for a hotel project is going to be at a reception at our New York hotel. Piers and Theron thought to handle it, but the man wished to meet with all three of us. It’s something I cannot miss, I’m afraid.”
She looked disappointed, and even as the uneasiness over her going back to New York lingered in his mind, he found himself saying, “You could go with me.”
Her eyes lightened. “I wouldn’t be in the way?”
He frowned. “You are never in the way, agape mou. This would be good, I think. We could announce our wedding plans. My brothers will want to meet you,” he said, warming to the subject. “We could even be married in New York with my family around us and then return here.”