Contract for Marriage (16 page)

“Seems they’ve interviewed a disgruntled ex-manager from one of your Melbourne resorts,” George said, flicking through another paper. “He says, and I quote, ‘Christo Mantazis is a man with an immigrant’s chip on his shoulder. He’ll push everyone and everything aside to get what he wants, including a brand new wife and baby.’”

Christo knew exactly which worm that would be. The one he’d fired then sued for the sexual harassment of one of his best personal trainers.

“What would you like me to do?” George sat back in his chair.

Ignoring the question, Christo leaned across his desk and pushed a button on an intercom. “Patrice, get me Lorenzo Cacciatore on the line.” He pulled in a sharp breath and leveled his gaze on the pile of papers on his desk. “I need to find Ruby. Make sure she’s protected from those parasites. Her uncle will know where she is.” The thought of her dealing with all of this alone caused anger to fill the part of his soul that had felt empty all week.

A moment later his phone buzzed, and he picked it up.

“Christo.” Lorenzo’s strong accent came down the line.

Christo leaned his elbows on the desk, a fist clenched in an open palm. “Lorenzo, tell me where Ruby is.”

The older man cleared his throat. “Ah, Christo, I’ve wanted to call and offer my condolences for what has happened with you and Ruby, but Maria asked me not to. I wish I could help you both.”

“Thank you for the thought, Lorenzo. I need an address where I can find her.”

Lorenzo’s voice grew more desperate. “I wondered about telling you, but Ruby said she needed some time alone and that she didn’t want anyone, especially you, knowing where she was.”

“I’ve stayed away at her wishes, but things have changed.” Christo squeezed his fist as he watched George pile the papers. “This story has become huge, and she may be dealing with the media fallout on her own. I need to find her before they do.” The thump in his head got stronger.

There was a pause, and then Ruby’s uncle spoke again. “It’s too late for that, Christo. The media have already found her.”

Christo powered to his feet, blood pumping at his temples. “What do you mean?”

“She was on the midday television news half an hour ago.” The older man’s voice wavered. “She gave an interview.”

Five minutes later, Christo had Googled the television news story and waited while the video footage rolled out. He’d sent George to find the person who’d filed the story, but in the meantime he wanted to see the evidence for himself. As he sat in his office chair he gripped the armrests. She shouldn’t have to deal with this by herself. He should be there to protect her. The empty feeling grew wider and he flicked the mouse on his desk, impatient for news of her.

The newsreader’s face filled the screen of the computer, but as the story was being introduced, Christo’s gaze was drawn to the image behind him.

A wedding snap of Ruby filled the rest of the screen and all air was sucked from his lungs. He hadn’t had time to look at the prints the photographer had sent through last week, but someone had gotten hold of them. And this one was incredible. Ruby’s honey-blond hair was draped over her shoulders, the delicate veil she wore misting her face. He was surprised at the way he stood, his arm dragging her closer as he looked into her eyes. Her perfect face was lit with a smile. Now the hole in his chest widened, pouring a deep, pervading ache through his whole body, and he steadied himself against the desk.

“…And earlier today, our reporter, Rose Coppen, was at the scene and filed this report.”

Christo was glued to the screen, and when he saw Ruby emerge from the front of a tiny house his heart rate spiked. He curled a fist as he whispered her name. The house looked grimy and run-down, and the noise of traffic in the distance indicated it was inner city.

She stood on a top step, a light cotton dress fitting across her slight shoulders and hugging the perfectly curved shape of her belly. He swallowed. Hard.

God, he’d missed her. The clean, lavender scent of her shampoo when he buried his face in her hair, the sight of her making jewelry at the kitchen table, the feel of her ripening body as he wrapped his arms around her… His mind flashed to her in his bed, to the sound of her sighs as she snuggled into him after they’d made love, and to their bodies fitting together like two puzzle pieces. But she didn’t want a life with him in that house.

A dull throb began at the base of his skull, and he pushed his fingers against his eyes. She wanted more than he could give, and it killed him.

“Mrs. Mantazis,” a voice was saying and he focused back on the screen. “As he’s done right throughout his career, Christo Mantazis has refused to answer any questions about his personal life. Is it true that he left you homeless and pregnant after only weeks of marriage?”

Flashes went off as a scrum of photographers moved forward, and Ruby’s eyes rounded as her lips parted. Christo moved closer to the screen, cursing those strangers for wanting something from her that she shouldn’t have to give.

“There’s a reason why Mr. Mantazis doesn’t want to discuss the breakdown of our marriage.” She paused and for a heart-stopping second Christo willed himself through the screen to protect her and that precious baby she was carrying from this outrage. What he wouldn’t give for the chance to take her in his arms and take her away from all that.

“The reason he doesn’t want to speak about it is that it was my decision. I asked Christo for a divorce.”

Chatter broke out and more questions began firing from every direction. “Was that because he’d misrepresented himself to you?” someone shouted. “That he wanted access to your family estate? Was Mr. Mantazis untrustworthy, Mrs. Mantazis?”

Ruby clasped her hands in front of her and turned her face to the camera. “My name is Ruby Fleming.” Her voice was rock solid and it caused pride to burn through him. “And there’s not a man in New Zealand who’s more generous, more caring, or more trustworthy than Christo Mantazis. He’s offered my baby and me a home. He’s followed through on every promise he’s made since I’ve been back in New Zealand. He didn’t speak to the media about our marriage breakdown because I asked him not to.”

She really thought those things about him? After everything that had happened, she was prepared to stand up and put the record straight?

Christo’s chest hollowed and words Ruby spoke a long time ago came racing into his head. ‘
Faith is earned through identifiable actions
,’ she’d said. And in her actions right now, in standing up for him when he most needed her, she was showing her faith in him. She could have used this as an opportunity to say that their marriage had been all an act, that she’d gone through with it to get what she wanted—just as she’d thrown at him years before—but she hadn’t. Confusion roiled through his whole body and it felt as though a whole new Ruby had reached in and kissed his heart. A new sensation began to fizz within him, filling his limbs, his chest, and his throat. It made him want to stay and fight for her.
Show
he had faith in her and so much more.

“Is there any possibility of a reconciliation, Mrs. Mantazis?” another reporter asked and Christo drew closer to the screen, every muscle tightening in his body as he drew a deep breath. Her face was in extreme close-up. The blue of her eyes dulled, but the resolution in her voice was crisp and definite. “No, there isn’t. Christo and I want very different things in life. We always have. Christo’s found what he wants, but I’m still looking. I offer him my very best.”

Blood roared in his ears, and he had to force himself to continue listening.

“What’ll you do now, Mrs. Mantazis?” another reporter asked.

“I’m going back to New York to resume my publishing career.”

Christo clicked off the screen and stood, fingers curling around the desk as a realization came to him. Ruby wouldn’t be leaving New Zealand. She wouldn’t have to give up the house that she’d grown to love. It was the thing that Ruby wanted most in the world for herself and her baby.

And he was going to give it to her.

Chapter Twelve

As dusk painted the summer sky a rich tangerine, Christo pulled his car up to the house he’d seen on the computer screen earlier in the day and got out. He’d had one of his contacts at the TV station provide the address, and it was as undesirable as he’d expected.

He’d wanted to get to Ruby sooner, but he’d had to speak to his mother, visit a number of people, including his lawyer, and have papers drawn up. It had all taken time, and his head was thumping. When he saw Ruby, he would put this whole damn mess right. Maybe then the cavernous hole in his chest that had grown wider in the last few days would subside.

He would do,
could
do the right thing. Ruby had taught him that. If she believed actions spoke of faith, and trust, and love, then he couldn’t wait to show her what he’d started.

The media had dispersed save for a lone paparazzo who was already snapping pictures of him from the opposite curb. He’d considered summoning Ruby to a secret location so that none of this could be scrutinized, but then he’d decided, why bother? Few members of the public would still be interested in his marriage break-up thanks to the way Ruby had set the story straight today.

A vision of her on the TV news raced through his mind, and the same feeling he’d had when she’d stood up for him in front of all those people touched him now. Humbled, proud, and… He took a deeper breath. Another feeling sent deep and aching need pounding through his body each time he thought of her.

Love.

He loved Ruby for her selflessness, for the way she fought for what was right, the way she walked her talk about actions counting more than words. He loved Ruby Fleming for making him look deep within himself and for giving him the courage to trust again.

Suddenly, the resolve he’d felt only hours ago when he’d put alternate plans into place wavered. He had to give Ruby a choice, show her he trusted her judgment when it really counted. That he would wager his future on her wishes alone.

What if she chose the plan that would drive a stake straight through his heart? He rubbed at his throbbing temple and put every ounce of faith he had into believing Ruby would make the right decision. If she was capable of standing up for him, he was ready to fight for her.

He flicked off a piece of paint peeling from the door and knocked. He’d told her via text that he was coming and the only reply he’d had was
You’ll need to come today, my tickets home are booked for tomorrow
. It was good to think she wouldn’t be staying in this dive much longer. He shoved a hand inside his trouser pocket. No matter which option Ruby chose, she would be back where she belonged—in the house where her face lit up, where her laugh could fly free. Where she could let go of the shackles of the past.

As the door pulled open and Ruby looked up at him with luminous blue eyes, his heart beat out of his chest. He gripped the rough wood of the doorjamb and prayed he could see this through. Her eyes were soft, her face make-up free, her smile glowing and open. A hit of something he hadn’t felt in a decade tore through his veins like a long craved drug. Right at this moment he wanted this woman with every fiber of his being. He wanted to hold her, love her, and be everything she wanted.

But he’d had this feeling for Ruby once before, and he’d run from it when he’d been exposed and vulnerable. This time he’d face it head on.

Ruby and her unborn child didn’t need him to be weak. They needed him to be strong and decisive. When Ruby chose one of his two plans, she could live the life she deserved with her child. The sooner he did this, the sooner this agonizing pain that was gnawing at him would ease.

“Come in.” She waved a delicate hand. Her voice was more fragile than he remembered, and he worried about what all this stress had done to her and the precious baby she was carrying. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m packing and I need to keep going if I’m to get everything ready for tomorrow.” Her hair was caught up at the back of her head, her silky neck exposed with tantalizing wisps of blond hair spilling out at will. A tiny black smudge dusted her perfect cheek, and he burned to drag his thumb across it, then reach down and claim her mouth one more time. But this wasn’t about what he desired anymore. This was about giving Ruby the chance to live the way she truly wanted.

He stepped into a long hallway, and, as she turned to lead him down it, he noticed the swell of her belly. The way her body was rounding made him pull in a breath. An image of the baby on the ultrasound screen whispered through his mind, but he pushed it aside. He had to. The pain was too big to swallow. The thought that he was so close to losing not just Ruby but also this child was too much to think about. “Leave that a moment,” he said as she moved toward an open suitcase in a dimly lit lounge room. “What I’ve come with will change your plans.”

She clasped her small hands in front of her and blew out a breath, the sound like an arrow to his resolve. “I know what you’ve come here to say, Christo.” Determination laced her voice as she shook her head slowly, and another perfect blond ringlet escaped. “You’ve come to try and change the choices I’ve made. You’ll try to convince me that we can make the marriage work, but you’re wrong.” She sat on the edge of an armchair and hugged her body.

“I haven’t come to persuade you to stay with me. I’ve come to give you a choice for your future.” He forced calm into his voice and took the chair opposite. “And whichever option you choose, you’ll have your home back.”

Her lips parted. “What?”

“I’ve talked to my mother and we’ve both signed the house over to you. You can stay. It’ll be solely yours as you’ve always wanted.”

There was silence for a moment before Ruby’s voice wavered. “But wasn’t this all about your mother
having
to stay in the house? Wasn’t this all about you acquiring
her
home? We went through with the marriage, living in the house together because there
was
no other way. What’s changed now?”

Instead of the pain in his chest easing, it was burning sharper, cutting deeper.
I’ve changed
, he wanted to say
. I’ve seen the Ruby I came so close to loving in the past, and I can’t turn my back on you this time
.
But I have to be sure the choice is yours
. He pulled his spine straighter. No matter what she decided, what he was about to say would give Ruby a chance at the life she really wanted. That was all that mattered.

“I’ve always said that my mother would only be happy back in Greece or in your home. But in the last week I’ve realized that she felt so at home in your parents’ house because of the people in it. At first it was your family, then just Antonia. Most recently you. Now Mother wants to be where I am, and I’ve told her that depends on you.”

Ruby’s face paled as she laid a steadying hand on the back of the chair and stood. “Why me?”

His throat burned as the words bled out. “I want you to make the decision about where I’ll live. And there are two options.”

Ruby shook her head in confusion while Christo kept speaking. “The first option involves the fact that I’ve bought the house next door. It’s somewhere Mother knows well and she’ll still have her neighborhood friends. But most importantly it will mean she and I can still be in your baby’s life. We’d be there when you need us, we’d be a part of each other’s lives as we’d planned, but it would give you the space for your own life and your own relationships. That’s choice number one.”

…

Ruby put a hand across her mouth to smother her shock and her grinding disappointment. When Christo had sent the text to say he was coming she’d had the crazy, unwarranted hope that he’d come to persuade her to return to their marriage, and she hadn’t been sure she wouldn’t bend to his wishes.

That treacherous voice in her head had said he’d missed her, that he’d wanted to be with her as something so much more than a convenient wife. Deep in her heart she’d let herself hope that Christo had finally realized he could love her and her baby. She’d hoped that instead of removing himself from her as he’d always done, this time he would stand beside her, ready to face the world together.

But he hadn’t come to do that at all. Despite the look of soft strength in him, he’d come to ask her to open her heart wider. Have him so near her life and yet so far away. It was too cruel to contemplate, but not as cruel as what she guessed her other choice would be. He’d said there was only one other place his mother would be happy—Greece. He was going to move to the other side of the world, and she’d be left with the house and the memories of him in every corner.

From somewhere deep within her a sob worked its way up through her body, growing in size so that it blocked her throat, stung the back of her nose, and made her lungs desperate for breath. She pushed it away. He’d never offered her anything more than what they’d had. It was her own fault that she’d fallen in love with him.

“Ruby, what is it?” Christo stood, and the memory of being wrapped in his protective hug caused her throat to close tighter.

“I know what my second choice is going to be. It’s to have you and your mother move back to Greece, away from me and my baby,” she said as tears began to burn. “I know I shouldn’t be surprised by that. I’ve done exactly what I accused you of doing. When the going got tough I turned and ran instead of facing up to love, looking it straight in the eye and embracing it. And now it’s too late. I don’t know if I can bear living in that house with the memory of everything we shared there.”

“No, it’s not too late.” He moved toward her. His mouth curved upwards and light shined in his face.

With every ounce of strength she could muster, she steadied her voice and squeezed his arm. “Thank you so much, Christo. That you would give up the house for me means so much.” She drew a deeper breath. “I’m sure you’ll find happiness in Greece, and I hope with all my heart that you can be a father one day.” She leaned closer and placed her lips on his, one final time drinking in his marine scent, the warmth of his skin, and the certainty that surrounded everything he did.

As her lips began to tremble, she pulled back and looked deep in his eyes. “You’ll make an incredible father. You have so much to offer a child and so much to offer a woman that you love.”

She looked away, knowing she couldn’t hide the tears that were about to fall. Could her mother have imagined this scene when she’d written her will? That Christo would be giving her the house, or that Ruby’s heart would be breaking for the second time in her life over the loss of Christo Mantazis?

Christo gripped her hand, and she lifted her misting gaze to his. “I feel like the father of
your
child. And for that reason the second choice is not Greece. I’m not going to turn my back and run from you the way I’ve done in the past. Ruby, I want to be a part of your baby’s life forever.”

Her heart stopped, and she searched his face. “What do you mean?” she whispered.

He squeezed her fingers more firmly. “When I saw my lawyer today, I not only signed my share of the house to you, I also changed my will. This baby will be my sole beneficiary.” He picked up her other hand. “When I saw that baby on the ultrasound screen, when I realized the love you had for him, I realized I loved him, too. Because you’re his mother. And today I realized that I can’t be apart from him or from you. You’ve moved me, Ruby, to look deep inside and face down my hurt pride of ten years ago, and in doing that I’ve found the sort of love I never knew existed.”

“Oh, Christo.” She pulled him close so that his heart beat next to hers, and she buried her face in his neck. “You don’t know what that means to me. For so long I’ve wanted to hear you say you’d love this baby.”

Christo lifted her chin and with aching tenderness kissed her lips. It was the sweetest kiss they’d ever shared, full of trust and understanding.

“What’s the second choice?” she whispered.

“Your second choice is to give me the chance to be everything you want in a husband and father. I want us to be a family, Ruby. I want to grow with you, learn with you,
be
with you. I want to love you and our baby, but whichever option you choose I want to be near this child forever. I’m done running from love. I’ve found it in you and I’m here to stay. I love you, Ruby Fleming.”

Ruby closed her eyes and let Christo’s beautiful, genuine, heartfelt words wash over her, and then she leaned closer and kissed him on the mouth. “You came here today to give me what I wanted most in the world,” she said through trembling lips. “And now I have it. I see that you love our baby and me. I
see
that you trust me, that you’ll stay around, that you’ll face love head-on, and that you want to build a real relationship with me. I love you, Christo. For all you do, for everything you believe in, and for the way you’ve made me feel, I love you. I’ll take the second choice.”

“I love you, too.” Christo wrapped her in his arms and pulled her into a passionate kiss that took her breath away.