Only With Me

  I lifted her chin up so she would look me in the eyes. “Because of the condom thing?”

  Her eyes widened in shock. “He told you?” she barely said.

  With a nod, I replied, “He’s just as scared, but Charity, he really likes you and wants you to call.”

  Her eyes closed and a tear slipped out and slowly made a path down her cheek. It killed me. I hated seeing women cry.

  Hated. It.

  “Don’t cry, Charity. I know you think he’s a player, but honest to God he hasn’t stopped talking about you.”

  Her eyes opened and with a trembling chin, she said, “Today I found out I’m pregnant, Nic.”

  I dropped my hold on her and took a few steps back. “What?”

  She nodded.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Cole really liked Charity, but I wasn’t sure how he would react to this.

  “That’s where I was today. I went this morning for the sonogram, I just walked around. I didn’t know what else to do. I sent Cole a text and asked if we could meet for dinner. I . . . I don’t . . . I don’t know what to do.”

  Her face buried in her hands and I went to her again, pulling her into a hug and whispering that everything would be okay. I had wanted to drill her about Gabi, but now was not the time. I was going to have to figure that shit out on my own.

  “I’ve known Cole a long time. He’ll stand by you, Charity.”

  She stepped back and wiped her tear-soaked face with her fingers. “I know he will. The last few weeks we’ve spent together have been great. It’s just . . . I feel something with him, Nic. Something that has never happened before.” She covered her mouth to hold back her sob. “I knew there was something between us, but I got scared. That overwhelming feeling I had when he made love to me was almost too much. Then when we realized what he had done, I really freaked.”

  “He freaked too, Charity, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be there for you.”

  She sunk down onto the sofa. “I don’t want him to think I want money.”

  “He won’t.”

  With a halfhearted laugh, she looked at me. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure most men in this situation would think that.”

  “The only way you’re going to find out is to talk to him.”

  Her arms wrapped around her waist. “I’ve never really told Gabi or anyone this, but I come from a pretty wealthy family. I’m not worried about money. Jesus, I’m not ready to be a mother. I’m too greedy. This is my time to have fun and do fun things, not sit home with a baby.”

  She gasped then dropped back and covered her face and moaned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Her hands fell to the sides of her onto the sofa. “The Knitters are Purls.”

  “Your knitting group?”

  The only reason I knew about the group was because Gabi dragged me there last week to meet Lou, Beth, Karen, and Nancy. Charity bitched the entire drive there and back home.

  She nodded.

  “What about them?”

  Sitting up, she shot me a look like I was a dumb ass. “They’re going to start knitting me shit! Oh my God! Blankets and baby booties.”

  I laughed. “Well, it could be worse, they could be knitting you a sweater like they are me.”

  When her face cracked into a smile, I felt a little better. “That’s true,” she said.

  “Want a drink?” She tilted her head and scrounged her nose. “Shit. Right. Want a water?”

  Laughing, she nodded her head. “Please.”

  After pouring her a glass of water, I sat down across from her.

  “Will you do me a favor?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  Charity chewed on her lip. “Don’t tell Gabi. I broke down with you and let it slip, but I need to tell Cole and figure out where we go from here before anyone else knows.”

  I nodded. “I won’t tell a soul.”

  She smiled.

  I flashed her a grin, but then let it drop. My tone turned serious. “Will you do something for me now?”

  Setting her water down, she looked me straight in the eye. “Please tell me you’re not breaking up with her.”

  For a moment I was taken aback, but then I could see how she would think that. I was waiting in Gabi’s apartment, and I had just gotten serious on her.

  “No. But I need to know something.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  I hated doing this. It felt like a dick-move. In my heart, I knew she would never cheat, but then again, I didn’t really know Gabi Mandola or really anything about her past.

  “Is Gabi seeing another man besides me?”

  Her face dropped. The shocked look on her face turned to anger. “How could you even think that! I haven’t seen her date but one other guy in the four years I’ve known her. Besides, she would never cheat. That’s not who she is.”

  I nodded.

  She shook her head. “Nic, where is this coming from?”

  I swallowed hard. Did I tell her? I had to. Maybe if I said the name, it would spark something. “I’m asking you to do the same thing you asked me. If I tell you, please don’t say anything to her.”

  Wringing her hands together, she reached for her glass and took a drink.

  “Okay, I promise I won’t say a word to her.”

  “I overheard her talking on the phone about her trip to Italy. She told some guy by the name of Antonio she couldn’t wait to see him and that she loved him.”

  Charity gasped and covered her mouth. Then she dropped her hand. “Wait. She has family over there, Nic. Don’t you think she might have been talking to a cousin or something?”

  “She said something else. That she told me and you she had extended family in Italy.”

  “Huh? So does she not have family over there or does she?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck as I processed her conversation again.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure. I get the feeling she does, but she made it seem like there was a different reason she was going over there. Maybe to see this Antonio guy.”

  She shook her head. “No. It has to be family. I cannot for one minute see Gabi cheating. She loves you, Nic.”

  Deep down I knew that was true, but she was still hiding something and I was no longer able to keep pushing it aside. I was determined to find out what she was hiding.

  I smiled. “You’re right. I’m over reacting.”

  “Yes. I think you are.”

  The door opened and Gabi walked in. The second she saw me, she smiled.

  Charity stood and shot me a quick look. I leaned over to her and said, “Forget we even had that conversation.”

  She nodded. “I will.”

  I made my way over to Gabi. She threw herself into my arms.

  “I hadn’t heard from you. I was worried,” she said softly.

  What a dick. I meant to text her when I got to her place, but then the whole thing happened with hearing her on the phone and it slipped my mind.

  “I’m so sorry, prinkipissa. I was so tired and I came here but you were down at the bakery and I crashed in your bed.”

  Her eyes turned dark. “Well damn, had I known that I’d have taken a long lunch break.”

  Smiling, I pulled her to me and cupped her face in my hands. “Gabi,” I whispered.

  Searching my face with her beautiful eyes, she grinned bigger while holding onto my forearms. “Nic.”

  My lips pressed against hers as we exchanged a slow sweet kiss. When I pulled back, she winked. “I better go get ready if we want to be at your parents’ place on time.”

  I let go of her and watched her walk to her room. Turning back to Charity, I took in her sad eyes. “Are you going to be okay?”

  She nodded and inhaled a deep breath. “I think so. Thank you for being there for me, Nic. It really means a lot.”

  “Listen, I know Cole. I’ve been working alongside him a number of years. I have a feeling this evening is going to turn out very different from what you expect.”

&n
bsp; Her eyes filled with tears again, but she quickly got her emotions in check. “I hope you’re right. Have fun tonight.”

  Walking up to me, she reached up and kissed me on the cheek then patted me on the chest. “I’m going to go check on Gabi and make sure she isn’t freaking out with the whole meeting the parents and family thing.”

  Laughing, I replied, “Good idea.”

  As I watched Charity walk away, I couldn’t help but smile. No matter what Cole said about loving his bachelor ways, he was going to be over the moon with Charity’s news. I didn’t know Charity well enough to know how she was feeling . . . but the sadness in her eyes told me enough.

  MY EYES WERE fixed on the string at the bottom of my skirt. I kept staring at it. Do I pull it? Leave it? Ask Nic for scissors?

  Holy crap’ole. Why in the hell am I worried about a string?

  The truck came to an abrupt stop as Nic said, “What in the fuck?”

  Snapping my head up, I looked around. “What? What’s wrong?”

  He stared over at a house that had a ton of cars in the driveway and out front. My heart started beating faster.

  Oh. No. Please God no.

  Nic put the truck in reverse and started speaking in Greek. My insides started to swirl, and it wasn’t from nerves.

  Damn that was hot hearing him talk in Greek.

  “Stop,” I said.

  He stopped the truck. Shaking my head, I added, “No, stop talking in Greek.”

  “Shit. Sorry, Gabi. I’m slightly annoyed and didn’t really want you to hear all the things I was calling my mother.”

  My hand covered my mouth to hide my smile.

  “It was turning me on.”

  Now he really stopped the truck. “What?”

  Chewing on my lip, I shrugged. That’s right. I was a nervous, horny Italian woman who wanted her very handsome Greek boyfriend to take me right there in his truck.

  “You’ve got to stop looking at me like that, agapiméni.”

  My tongue ran along my lip. “And if I don’t?”

  “I’m going to fuck you in the backseat of my truck.”

  A small moan slipped from my lips. “Nic.”

  He quickly parked and before we had a chance to do anything, a knock on the driver’s window caused both of us to yell out.

  Turning, Nic cursed when he saw Thano standing there with a huge smile on his face.

  “Let’s go, Gabi. The faster we do this the better.”

  “Wait, why are you frustrated with your mom?” I asked as Nic jumped out and pushed Thano out of the way. Not waiting for him to come around to open my door, I jumped out.

  “I could have told you this was going to happen,” Thano said. He was holding his five-year-old daughter in his arms and it had to be the sweetest thing ever.

  Kilyn came walking up to me wearing that sweet smile of hers. She had a flush on her cheeks and I couldn’t help but return the gesture. Grinning, I gave her a hug.

  “You look beautiful,” we both said.

  Laughing, I shook my head. “Do you have any idea why Nic would be so mad? He started talking in Greek when we pulled up to the house.”

  Kilyn made a face. “Trust me, you’re about to find out.”

  As we walked behind Thano and Nic, I leaned closer and said, “That’s their house?”

  She nodded. “Yep.”

  “It’s beautiful. Why are there so many cars?”

  Kilyn looked at me and said, “Because Greek families don’t know how to do small, Gabi. When Nic said immediate family only . . . his mother heard invite the whole family! The more the better.”

  I laughed. “It can’t be that bad.”

  She looked at me and flashed an evil smile. I had a feeling she was going to enjoy this.

  “You came at the perfect time,” she said with a giggle.

  Before I had a chance to ask what she meant, the front door of the two-story stone house flew open. “She’s here! She is here!”

  Nic stopped and waited for me to walk up next to him.

  “Whatever happens tonight, know this. I promise to give you the best sex of your life tonight if you don’t run from this house screaming.”

  Thano laughed and hit his brother on the back as Kilyn groaned. “Nice. Promises of hot sex to smooth it over. I should have thought of that.”

  Kilyn hit Thano on the chest. “Hush! Your daughter is in your arms, Thano!”

  They started walking up and Katerina quickly kissed the three of them before making a straight shot to Nic.

  Oh no, wait . . . shit. She was coming to me.

  The next thing I knew, at least twenty more people came flooding out. All of them making their way to me.

  “Help,” I whispered.

  Nic looked at me and said, “We’re past that phase, baby.”

  My head was spinning. After being hugged by probably every Greek woman in the state of Colorado, I was ushered into the living room where Katerina promptly brought me up to a man who I instantly knew was Nic’s father.

  Nic took over. “Dad, this is Gabi. Gabi, this is my father, Dimitris.”

  The older version of Nic took my hand in his and lifted it to his mouth. He smiled then kissed the back of my hand.

  “You have eyes like the color of the ocean. The deepest of blue.”

  I smiled. “I got them from my father.”

  He nodded then glanced over to Nic. “Nicholaus, she’s beautiful.”

  “And Italian,” Katerina added with a smile.

  “Ah . . . Italian food is just like Greek.”

  I waited for him to finish the rest of it, but he didn’t. He simply smiled at me and then winked at Nic. Maybe having Kilyn for a daughter-in-law made him more open minded.

  Katerina took my arm and off we went with meeting the family.

  “This is my sister Maria and her daughters Sophia, Angie, and Maria. This is my sister Agnes and her daughter Maria and son Nick. You’ve met some of them a few weeks back at the cook off.”

  I smiled as I met person after person. “Hello. Hello. Very nice to meet you.”

  My cheeks were going to cramp if I smiled any longer.

  “And this is Maria and her husband, Nick. Their daughter Maria isn’t here tonight.”

  “Lots of Marias!” I said with a chuckle. Everyone stared at me and Kilyn waved her hands in the corner for me to stop talking.

  Shit.

  Taking my arm, Katerina lead me over to another group of people. “This is Phoebe, my son Thaddeus’s wife.”

  Phoebe extended her hand to me and gave me the warmest smile. I knew instantly I was going to like her. Kilyn had already told me how amazing she was. My eyes glanced down to her very pregnant belly and a tinge of jealousy raced through my veins.

  Kilyn walked up and hugged Phoebe. “You look beautiful,” she said with a smile.

  Phoebe chuckled. “I feel like a whale.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “You’re beautiful and glowing.” That’s when I turned to Kilyn. She had the same glow. My heart stopped. She was pregnant too.

  I cleared my throat and pushed away my jealous thoughts. “So, have I met all the important people?”

  Kilyn laughed. “No. You haven’t met Yiayia yet.”

  “Yiayia?” I asked with a questioning look.

  “Watch out. She spits,” Kilyn warned.

  My eyes widened in horror. “She . . . spits?”

  Nodding, she added, “On you.”

  “What?” I asked in horror.

  “They really don’t do that anymore,” Phoebe added. I guess that was supposed to make me feel better.

  “Wait. Who is Yiayia?”

  Kilyn answered. “The guys’ grandmother.”

  “Oh.” It was all I could say. “Do I have to greet her in any special way?”

  Phoebe laughed. “No. Just ignore whatever it is she says to you.”

  My eyes swung over to Kilyn. “She’s going to say something about you carrying a baby.”

 
I swallowed hard. “W-what?”

  She waved it off with her hand. “Just don’t let it freak you out.”

  I was freaked out. Really freaked out.

  My body warmed instantly as Nic wrapped his arm around my waist. “You ladies filling her head with things about the family?”

  Kilyn let out an evil laugh as Phoebe simply grinned wider. “Never,” Kilyn cackled.

  There must have been fifty people in the house, I swear. One after another they came up to me. They all started off with the same first sentence.

  “So, you’re Italian.”

  The best one so far from was from Aunt Maria. No wait. Cousin Maria. No. Maybe it was Maria the best friend. Whoever it was pulled me to the side and asked if I was able to handle the strong arm of a Greek man. She warned me of how possessive they were with their women. I couldn’t help but search out Kilyn and Phoebe. I watched as both Thano and Thad kept their arms on their wives. To me it was more of a loving thing than possessive. Scanning the room, I found Dimitris with Katerina. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. My heart skipped a beat. Their love was evident not only with the way they looked at each other, but in the way their sons looked at the women they loved.

  Glancing over to Nic, I wondered if he looked at me that way.

  Nic placed his hand on my lower back and guided me toward the kitchen. “Time to eat, baby.”

  My stomach growled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I was starving.

  “You up for elk hunting this year?” Thano had asked Nic as we all stood waiting for everyone to file through the kitchen. The food smelled heavenly. I inhaled a deep breath.

  “Sure. We haven’t been in a few years,” Nic replied. They were making small talk and it somehow eased my nerves. Kilyn was holding Kira and reminding her about her manners. I loved seeing her call out to her grandfather and run to him. The way Dimitris swept her up in his arms had my chest squeezing as memories of my own grandfather swirled in my head.

  I jumped when the young lady next to me asked, “Have you had Greek food before?”

  “Um . . . a few times. I’ve tried my hand at cooking a few Greek dishes.”