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“Yes. He knew I was waiting for your phone call. He was concerned about me.” And even on the verge of making love to her, Zephyr thought to call his friend and settle his mind.
Maybe he’d wanted to share his news, too.
“You’re a special man, Zephyr Nikos. Is he happy for you?”
“For us both. He and Cass will take us out tomorrow to celebrate if you are willing.”
“Of course. Though I’ll have to work during the day. I’ve taken way more time off than I should have.”
“Do you think Brandi will relocate to the island with Cerulean Designs?”
“I’d like to ask her, but I don’t know if I can continue to pay her salary once I cut back on my client list.” Piper decided to begin undressing and remind Zephyr why he’d carried her in here to begin with. “I don’t want to work anywhere near full-time if I don’t have to.”
Chocolate-dark eyes ate her alive as she peeled off her comfort jeans and T-shirt. “I am very pleased to hear that. We will work something out regarding Brandi.”
“You mean you’re going to offer to pay her.” She paused in the act of unhooking her bra.
He could try to deny it, but she knew him. And his expression said he was already busy trying to come up with a compelling reason for doing so, given enough time.
“Why did you name your company Cerulean Designs?” he asked in an obvious bid to change the subject.
“Nice feint, but don’t think I’ve forgotten this discussion.”
“You haven’t forgotten we were about to make love, either, have you?”
“I’m not the one still completely dressed.”
“I can fix that quickly enough.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“DO IT.”
Zephyr kicked off his designer loafers with two audible thumps as they landed somewhere on the carpet.
“After everything went down with my ex, I didn’t have a lot to smile about, much less laugh,” Piper said, answering his previous question. “I was watching a gay romance movie when the guy planning the wedding started yelling at his fabric supplier. The wedding planner was incensed that the supplier didn’t know what cerulean was, much less how to spell it. I realized I didn’t know what cerulean was, either, and I was an interior designer. I learned later it was the same shade of blue as my eyes, which I thought was sort of prophetic. Anyway, I started laughing at the movie, really amused, for the first time in too long. I named my company Cerulean Designs to remind myself that no matter what was going on in my life, there was always a reason to laugh.”
Zephyr stopped undressing and stared down at her. “That’s a great story.”
“It’s a good memory. It doesn’t hurt to have the everyday reminder that I don’t know all there is to know about design, either.”
“Keeping you humble and positive at the same time. That’s a lot of mileage for one business name.” He pulled off his unbuttoned shirt and suit jacket in one go.
“Your turn.”
“I’m already undressing.”
“I mean to answer a question.”
“Oh, okay. What?”
“Why Stamos and Nikos Enterprises as opposed to the other way around?”
“It was nothing so meaning-driven,” he said as he pushed his slacks and boxers down his legs with impatient speed.
“What was it?”
“We flipped a coin for it. Neo won the toss.”
She was still laughing when he came down over her completely, deliciously, wonderfully naked, and kissed the joy right from her lips. It tasted good, better than good—it was perfect.
“So, it doesn’t bother you that we’re getting married so close to you and Neo?” Piper asked Cass the next day when the other woman called to congratulate her.
“Not at all. I think it’s fantastic you two want to get married in Greece. As you know, we’re going to be there on our honeymoon, anyway.”
“Zephyr’s flying my parents and sibs to Athens for the ceremony.” She’d been happy when they had all promised to attend. Of course, a paid-for vacation to Greece was nothing to sneeze at. And didn’t that make her sound as cynical about money as her groom-to-be?
“Neo said Zephyr’s inviting his own family,” Cass said, unaware of Piper’s cynical thoughts. “Neither of us even knew he was still in touch with them.”
“His relationship with his mom is pretty complicated.” Zephyr had taken Neo out to lunch and told his best friend the truth of his past, so Piper didn’t have to sidestep the issue, but she didn’t want to get into it too deeply, either.
Cass whistled softly. “You can say that again. I’m not sure, but I think Neo might have been better off losing his mom to an overdose than to a better life. That had to do a real number of Zephyr’s ability to trust.”
To love, as well, but Piper wasn’t getting into that. “Between our two families, there will be less than two dozen guests. You’ll be okay with that, won’t you?”
“I am.” The satisfaction and shy pride in Cass’s voice was a truly lovely sound. “My agoraphobia is so much better now. I’m not about to book a concert tour, but my new agent isn’t pressing for one, either.”
Piper laughed.
Then silence fell for several seconds. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but she felt like she wasn’t supposed to break it.
“I wanted to offer to play at your wedding, if you’d like.”
“Are you serious? I thought you didn’t perform anymore.”
“It’s not a performance, it’s a gift. I’m…” Cass’s voice trailed off then she took an audible breath. “I’m working on a song for you both.”
“As in composing us a song?” Piper asked in shocked awe.
“Um…yes. Is that all right?”
“That’s fantastic. I don’t know what to say. Thank you seems so inadequate.”
“I’m really happy to do it. Zee helped Neo see what was important and stopped the stubborn idiot from breaking my heart.”
“Zephyr did?” Piper asked in even more shock.
“Oh, yes. I think men are just smarter about other people’s relationships than their own.”
“Maybe not all men.”
“But definitely our men,” Cass said emphatically.
Piper wasn’t sure she considered Zephyr hers even though they were getting married. “Is Neo smarter about others then?”
“He knew you were special to Zee the minute he told us he was bringing you to dinner. It took Zephyr considerably longer than a single comment to figure out you were special to him.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“Are things okay with you two?” Cass asked delicately.
“Better than. He may not love me, but he wants me and really wants me to be the mother of his children.”
“You do love him, though.”
“So much.”
“That’s good. I think Zee deserves lots of love and a very special woman like you. Maybe he’ll learn to trust in love by living with it and the positive results of it on a daily basis.”
Piper was certainly hoping that was the case. “Thank you. Ditto Neo about the love of a special woman, even though I’ve just recently become convinced he’s human.”
Cass’s laugh was sweet and light. “Don’t worry. He just figured that out himself recently.”
“You’re awfully good for him.”
“And you’re fabulous for Zee.”
“I’ll try to be,” Piper promised.
“Just be you…that’s all he seems to need.”
And even without the love, Piper thought Cass just might be right.
She had to hope so, because losing Art had devastated her. Losing Zephyr would kill her.
The day sped by as Piper tried to catch up on her work while still coming to terms with the huge changes in her life. Little more than two weeks ago, she had just acknowledged the fact that she had fallen in love with a man who, while having sex with her, did not consider himself her lover. Now, she was pregnant with his baby, engaged to be married and moving in with him.
Love her or not, she trusted Zephyr to be faithful. Her billionaire tycoon was nothing like her ex.
If anything, she felt like she was the one luring Zephyr into marriage under false pretenses. Only she wasn’t. She’d told him she loved him, so it was no secret she had to feel guilty about. Just because she was getting the deepest desire of her heart, or at least its twin, didn’t mean she was taking advantage of anyone. Zephyr wanted to marry her; he wanted their baby as much as she did.
No matter how fortuitous this pregnancy was for her, giving Piper a chance at a lifetime with the most amazing man walking, she had not gotten this way on purpose. Zephyr knew it, too. He even felt responsible.
So why did she still feel as though she was pulling a fast one on him?
Maybe because she knew with absolute certainty that Zephyr would not be marrying her if she wasn’t pregnant. And she wasn’t offering to wait until the iffy first trimester was over, was she?
No.
On top of all that, he had offered her the option of moving to Greece and living on a private island. Was it any wonder she felt like she’d been dumped in a waking dream?
Merely accepting the fact that she was pregnant was hard enough. She didn’t feel any different, but the blood test assured her that she would be soon. Her hand slid to her still flat stomach while she clicked the print function on the presentation she’d just finished.
Brandi had done a lot of the preliminary work and it had only been a matter of changing a few things before it was ready for presentation. Thank goodness. Piper’s mind was scattered to the four winds.
But scattered or not, there was one thing she was sure of: they would be happy together. If she didn’t believe that, she would not be moving in with him, much less marrying him. But she did believe it, deep in her bones. He was perfect for her, even if he had a mental block where love was concerned. And she was perfect for him.
No matter how much everything else scared her, she had to cling to that knowledge.
And right now she had to work.
Giving a final read-through to the design proposal for a local private attorney’s office space, she left her office and headed toward the shop floor in search of her assistant.
“Hello, Pip.”
Piper’s head snapped up at the male voice she had not heard since leaving New York.
Wearing a designer suit from last year’s line and looking years older than the last time she’d seen her ex-husband, Art Bellingham stood not five feet in front of her.
“What are you doing here?” she blurted out, her usual professional persona deserting her completely.
“An old friend can’t drop by to visit?” He tried the smirking half smile she used to find so sophisticated, but now just seemed cheesy.
“You are not an old friend.”
“That hurts, Pip. We were friends once.” Now he was laying on the charm.
It wasn’t working, not even sort of. She shook her head, clearing the cobwebs old memories had spun so quickly the moment she heard that annoying old nickname, and then looked around for her assistant, Brandi. Watching Piper and Art with avid interest, her twenty-two-year-old assistant was standing near a display of sample drapery fabrics.
Piper held the design proposal out to her. “Put this in presentation format and get the color boards we made to go with it. You’ll be presenting it to the client at tomorrow morning’s meeting.”
“You sure I’m ready for that, boss?” Brandi asked, her focus now completely on the designs in her hands.
“Yes.” The younger woman had done supervised presentations with aplomb. She was ready to fly solo.
“Fab! I’ll get right on this.” She rushed toward their work corner.
That took care of one distraction.
“Is this a business or social call?” Piper asked Art, feeling more in control of herself.
“A little of both, Pip.”
“My name is Piper. I hate that nickname. I always did.” And he’d always insisted on using it.
“Hey, don’t get all offended.” He put his hands up in mock supplication. “It’s not always easy letting go of the past.”
She crossed her arms and gave him a look she had learned from Zephyr when he dealt with particularly irritating suppliers. “Funny, after the way you blackballed my name in the New York interior design industry, I had no problem leaving my past behind.”
