Tiana (Starkis Family #3) (26 page)

“I can see how that would be a definite perk,” I said, grinning at her enthusiasm. My phone rang, and I frowned when I didn’t recognize the number. Thankfully, Andra was returning, so I could excuse myself to take the call without leaving Dalia alone.

“Hello?” I said, when I was seated at the back of the small plane alone.

“Is this Damon?”

I recognized the accent but not the voice. “Yes, who is this?”

“My name is George Litras. I am Eleni’s father.”

“Her father?” I was stunned. “Why are you calling me? More importantly, how did you get this number?”

“I called your office and spoke to your sister. When I explained to her that I was Eleni’s father, she was kind enough to give it to me.”

I would deal with Tiana later. For now, I had to deal with the man who’d made Eleni’s life a living hell for so many years. “What do you want?”

He coughed, a bone-rattling sound that seemed never-ending. “I have tried to contact Eleni, but she won’t take my calls.”

“Can you blame her?” I didn’t intend to cut the man any slack after the stories Eleni had told me about him.

“No,” he said, sighing. “I don’t blame her, but…”

“But what?” Before he could respond, I asked, “How did you know your daughter and I are close?”

“You’ve been photographed together. Online reports say you are dating.”

“Look, if you’re calling me because you think I’ll talk Eleni into talking to you, you’re wasting your time. After the things she’s told me about you, I wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to see you again.” I was being ruthless, but I needed an outlet for my anger and frustration. Since he was the reason Eleni was so reluctant to trust anyone, he seemed like the logical target.

“Do you love my daughter?”

The question stopped me in my tracks. I wanted to tell him he had no right to ask, but I put myself in his position and thought about how I would feel if my daughter were involved with a man I would never meet. “Yes, I do.”

He sighed, and the breath contained a definitive rattle. “I am so happy to hear that she has someone in her life.”

“I said I love her, not that we’re together.” I looked up to see Dalia playing a game on her mother’s iPad. My heart clenched when she threw her head back and giggled while kicking her little feet.

“The reason you’re not together…” The silence stretched on, almost as though he expected me to confide in him. “Is it because of me?”

“You give yourself too much credit.” Eleni had so much pride, and I didn’t think she would want her father to know the impact he’d had on her life.

“If you love her, you will come and see me, Damon. Before it is too late.”

“Too late? What are you talking about?” When he surrendered to another coughing spasm, I understood. “You’re sick?”

“The doctors tell me I have a few more days at most. That is why I have been trying to get in touch with my Eleni.”

I wanted to tell him that she hadn’t been
his
Eleni in years, if ever, but it seemed cruel to remind a man on his deathbed that he had no one. Or so I assumed. For all I knew, he could have started a new family and built a new life after his wife and daughter had left him.

“Damon? Are you still there?”

“Yes.” I pinched the bridge of my nose when a headache closed in on me. “I don’t know why you need to see me, Mr. Litras. If you need to get a message to Eleni, perhaps you could write a letter or send her an email?”

“We both know she would never read it.”

I suspected he was right. “But—”

“Damon, I owe this to you and to her.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Maybe if I can help you understand what happened when Eleni was a child, you will one day be able to help her understand. She may not be willing to hear anything about me now, but maybe someday, hmm?”

If my time in therapy had taught me one thing, it was that you can’t move around pain. You have to move through it, and Eleni had been trying to avoid facing her painful childhood for a long time. “Where are you?”

“I’m at the hospice in Long Island City.”

“Hospice? You’re not in a hospital?”

“There was nothing more they could do for me. They would have sent me home to die, but since there was no one there to take care of me… I had to come here.”

“Do you mind if I ask…?”

“Lung cancer. The doctor told me those damn cigarettes would kill me one day, but I was too stubborn to listen.”

I wondered how Eleni would feel if she knew her father was running out of time. Would she want to have just one more conversation with him? Could she find it in her heart to forgive him, knowing it was her last chance?

“I’m out of town right now. I hope to be back by tomorrow afternoon. Maybe I could come see you then?” I still didn’t know if it was a good idea, but if Eleni didn’t have the chance to see her father before he died, I wanted to be able to pass along his final message to her, assuming she was open to hearing it.

“I hope you are not too late. You have no idea how important it is to me to get this message to my daughter and to help you understand why…” He cleared his throat. “I cannot get into that over the phone. I hope to see you tomorrow, Damon. Thank you.”

Long after he’d disconnected the call, I heard his words echo in my head. “I
hope
to see you tomorrow.” He wasn’t sure whether he would be alive to greet me. I had the sense this could be one of the most important meetings of my life. With a quick text to my realtor to try to bump up our showings, I settled back in my seat and tried to imagine what I might face when I walked in on Mr. Litras tomorrow.

Eleni

I squealed when I opened my apartment door to find my best friend on the other side. “What are you doing here? You guys weren’t supposed to come home until Sunday.” I squeezed Mia before pulling her inside.

“Deacon had a business crisis,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He promised he’d make it up to me.”

I supposed when you ran a multi-billion-dollar business, a day without a crisis was a rarity. “You look gorgeous,” I said, admiring her tan. “I’m so jealous.” I grabbed her hand and led her into the living room of the small apartment we’d shared before she and Deacon had gotten engaged. “Tell me everything. Did you have a fabulous time?”

“Belize was gorgeous,” she said, smiling. “The weather was perfect, and my husband treated me like a queen.”

I felt a sharp stab of envy, which I told myself was ridiculous. I wasn’t jealous of Mia or the relationship she and Deacon had. No one deserved happiness more, and I was thrilled Mia was finally getting the life she’d always dreamt of with the man of her dreams.

“Hey, are you okay?” Mia asked, her brows knitting with concern as she rubbed my arm.

“I’m fine.” I plastered on a camera-worthy smile. “How did Rosie like staying with your parents? Did she behave herself? I wish I could have kept her here, but I’ve been working almost nonstop since you left. I swear I’ve barely had a—”

“Why are you babbling?”

I should have known Mia would see right through my façade. “What?”

“Something’s wrong.” She led me to the couch and claimed the seat beside me. “Is it Damon? Did something happen while we were away?”

When I looked away, she swore softly, which was so out-of-character for my straight-laced friend that I had to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded, glaring at me. “I’m going to kill that man! I warned him if he did anything to hurt you, he’d be answering to me.”

“He didn’t do anything.” I didn’t want Deacon and Mia to blame Damon for something that was my fault. “I did. I ended it.”

“Why?” Mia’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t tell me he was just like all the rest, because we both know he was different. You’re in love with that man, El. How could you let him go?”

“I had to let him go…” The words still stung, even though I’d been chanting them in my head ever since Damon had walked out the door. “For his sake.” Before Mia could fire off a million questions, I said, “You’re right. I do love him.”

“Then how can you—”

“I love him enough to let him go. I can’t be what he needs.” I closed my eyes when Damon’s image filled my head. I could still feel his hands caressing my body, the whisper of his lips on mine.

“You don’t know that,” Mia said, sounding desperate. “You haven’t even given it a chance.”

“I know you don’t understand, but—”

“Then help me understand.” Mia twisted her diamond wedding band around her finger. “Tell me why you’re doing this.”

I hated to burden Mia with my problems while she was still enjoying her honeymoon with her handsome husband, but I knew she wouldn’t let this go until she was satisfied she couldn’t convince me to give it another try with Damon. I had to convince her it was over, for the sake of peace in Mia’s new family.

“I didn’t know Damon before, but from everything I’ve read and heard, he’s been a different person since he returned from Greece last summer.”

“According to Deacon, he’s barely recognizable.”

I eased back on the small sofa, shielding my body with an oversized cushion. “I think that may have something to do with you and Deacon.”

“Us?” Mia asked, flattening her palm against her chest. “Why would you think that?”

“He confided in me that seeing how happy you’ve made his brother has made him want things he’s never wanted before.”

“He really said that?” Mia asked, smiling. “That’s so sweet.”

I rolled my eyes. Mia had always been a Pollyanna, but her relationship with Deacon had almost pushed her over the edge into intolerable territory. I didn’t love her any less, but I would have to learn to tune her out to maintain my sanity.

“You may think its sweet, but it’s ruined everything for us.” It wasn’t fair to place the blame squarely on his shoulders, but that seemed like the easiest way out of this uncomfortable conversation.
Yes, I’m a chicken-shit.
“I could have dealt with a physical relationship, but we crossed that line. He wanted things I couldn’t give him.” I lowered my head. “And he made me want things I can never have.”

“Like what?” Mia whispered.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter now. The point is it’s over. We’re both ready to move on.”

“Are you sure you can do that?”

I laughed without a trace of amusement. “Mia, people who’ve been married for years get divorced and manage to move on with their lives. Damon and I weren’t… well, we weren’t even really together.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

I smirked. “That man of yours is a bad influence. Weren’t you the one who always lectured me about having a potty mouth?”

“I don’t care,” Mia said, squaring her shoulders. “I’m not going to sit here and let you lie to my face.”

When Mia stood, I grabbed her hand. I couldn’t lose her and Damon. That would destroy me. “I’m sorry.” I yanked her back down onto the couch. “You want the truth? It hurts like hell. I miss him every day.” I drew a shuddering breath. “I even cried myself to sleep last night. It’s been a long time since I’ve hurt like this.”

“Since your Mom died.”

Thankfully she wasn’t asking a question, so I didn’t have to lie. When my mother died, I’d thought I’d never have to deal with pain like that again, but fate had other plans for me. “He wants to get married and have kids someday.” I wrapped my arms around my bent legs. “You know that’s not for me.”

“I really thought you’d change your mind when you met the right guy.”

“You thought wrong.”

“So that’s it then? It’s really over with Damon?”

“It is.”

Mia hugged me. “And you’re really gonna be okay?”

I wrapped both arms around her as I closed my eyes. “You know me. Aren’t I always?”

***

Damon

After dropping Andra and Dalia at her dance studio for a visit, I made my way to Nic’s parents’ house. I knew I was the last person he’d want to see, but we had some unfinished business. He was in the driveway, his head buried under the hood of some classic car I couldn’t identify.

“Hey,” I called.

He jumped back so quickly he slammed his head against the hood. With a muttered curse, he used a rag to wipe the grease off his hands before tossing it aside. “What the hell are you doing here, Starkis? How did you even know where to find me?”

“Your parents are in the phone book.” I looked up at the modest brick two-story. “This is where you grew up?”

He scowled. “Yeah, I know it’s not like the fancy mansions you grew up in, but we like it.”

“This is the kind of home your family deserves, you know.” I should have thought that through before I blurted it out. The last thing I wanted was to put him on the defensive. I was there to make him an offer I hoped he couldn’t refuse.

“Who the hell are you to tell me what my family needs?”

“You’re right. You know them better than I do. You’ve raised Dalia since the day she was born, and Andra tells me you were her first and only love.” I was trying to remind him of how much history they shared and how foolish he would be to let her go because of one stupid mistake.

“Until you came along.”

“No, man.” I leaned on the car he’d been working on. “She never loved me. I never loved her. We didn’t have that kind of relationship.”

“So it was all about the sex then?” he asked, stepping closer.

We were approximately the same size, but I had no interest in mixing it up with him. “We were just having a little fun. It was summer vacation. She was—”

“I don’t want to hear about it,” he snapped. “Just tell me why the hell you’re here.”

“I took Dalia and Andra to look at houses this afternoon. Dalia fell in love with one not too far from her school, so I put an offer on it.”

“You what?”

I understood his outrage. I probably would have felt the same way in his position. “Look, my daughter needs a roof over her head, and the last thing I want is to tear her world apart any more than I already have. She needs stability. You can give her that.”

“What?”

I was certain I’d caught him off guard. Deciding to use it to my advantage, I added, “That little girl misses you like crazy.”