Finding Opa! (20 page)

“I am so sorry to hear that. What did he do for a living?” Mrs. Fourakis asked, patting Stacey’s hand.

“He was one of the country’s leading astrophysicists. He was a member of the launch team that sent the first aircraft to Mars a few years back.” Stacey sighed and looked up at the chandelier above her. “He was a good man.”

The room buzzed with intrigue. Mars?
Who was this woman?
Suddenly,
medicine
didn’t sound as important as
space travel
.

Stacey looked around and continued. “And to answer your question…Rhea. It is
Rhea
, isn’t it? I haven’t told my family, which only consists of my father. He’s back in Harlem. I plan to take Hunter to see him while I’m out there next month.”

“Oh, how wonderful,” Mrs. Fourakis said, picking up on Stacey’s ability to control the room with ease. Everyone had suddenly gone docile.

Still in shock, Rhea didn’t respond. Instead, she looked over at her brother who had gone pale. Evidently this Douglas person had some serious clout in Paris’ life. This was the first time in years she had seen him speechless.

“Yes, I’m going to sign my rights over to ParaWorld for my first book,
Love Knocks
.” Stacey leaned over theatrically. “We finally settled at six point five million dollars last week. It was such a relief to get that over with.” She turned back to Paris. “Douglas will be handling some of the legal components of the deal.”

Stacey had one intention, to make them see that they were all just people and that no one in the room was any better than she. She knew that it went completely against her current humble way of life to boast on such a ridiculous level, but she also knew that sometimes in order to win, one had to fight fire with fire.

“That’s your book?” A woman said from across the room. “I see that book every time that I’m in the bookstore.”

Stacey smiled proudly. “That’s me, but after Drew’s death, I completely shut out the outside world. Now, with Hunter’s help, I’m
reintegrating
. No pun intended.” She grinned and pushed the water jug to Mrs. Fourakis, who took the jug and poured herself a glass of water. “He’s a great man, and he cares an awful lot about you. That is why today was so important for him. He’s seeking something that only you can give, Mrs. Fourakis.”

“What is that dear,” Mrs. Fourakis asked.

Stacey leaned in and whispered to make sure that no one else could hear her. “Your blessing, of course.”

Stacey knew that she had made her point, and with Hunter never being the wiser. She had, after all, been the wife of an astrophysicist and entertained the governor, senators and other doctors of prestige at her own home. If there was one thing she could do, it was hold her own.

***

“Think of what you are doing to your family? To mix cultures like this, it’s absurd,” Dr. Fourakis battled Hunter.

“Cultures my ass. We had the same conversation about Corina and how she wasn’t good enough because her father drove a taxi!” Hunter put up his hands. He was done with the miserable man and this miserable conversation. “Don’t you see that I don’t need your approval? You will need me long before I need you. And since you can’t accept her, then you won’t be seeing me.”

“This is the road you have chosen?” Dr. Fourakis exploded. “To walk away from everything you have been taught to be with some black romance writer?”

“Yes, it is. She is my life now – not you. Now, I’m going to get my fiancée and get the hell out of here. You can explain to Mom why her Mother’s Day was ruined and why you just lost a son,” Hunter said, grinding his teeth.

“I did what you did once. I started to accept this culture and forget my own. That is how you and your sister ended up with
American
names instead of strong Greek names. It’s why you are so full of these
American
ideas about family, marriage and life. But trust me, boy. You will come running back to your Greek heritage long before this world bends to your will. This marriage will never work. It should never happen,” Dr. Fourakis said angrily.

Hunter walked to the door and stopped. Turning around, he shook his head. “She’s carrying your only grandchild. It’s a shame that you’ll never see him. You would rather hold on to your
culture
than embrace your family. The only thing I see here is a tragic old man.” Opening the door, he pushed past the men who eavesdropped outside and went to the dining room to collect Stacey.

As he entered, Mrs. Fourakis and Stacey were laughing along with the rest of the room.
And to think that he was actually worried about leaving her alone.
Walking up to the table, he kissed his mother on the head and then leaned over to Stacey’s ear. “We’re leaving now,” he said, grabbing her hand gently.

“But we just got here.” Stacey looked up confused.

Dr. Fourakis came barreling back through the door and made eye contact with his wife, who looked over at him angrily. Now Hunter was leaving? “What have you said to him?” she asked, standing up.

All eyes turned to Dr. Fourakis. “I told him the truth. This marriage can never be. But now I know why he wants to do it so badly.” He looked over at Stacey. “She’s pregnant.”

Hunter helped Stacey with her purse and ignored his father. Pushing her seat up, he headed with his fiancée out through the back way. He’d get out of this place if it was the last thing that he did.

“Pregnant?” Mrs. Fourakis said with tears in her eyes. Turning to Hunter, she pleaded. “Wait! Wait! Please!”

Hunter stopped and turned around with Stacey locked in his embrace. This was his mother. He could stand to scream at the old man all day, but there was no way he could be too cruel to his loving mother.

Mrs. Fourakis moved from the table over to him quickly. “Don’t go,” she said, touching his face. “I know what troubles we put you through with Corina, but as your mother I promise, you will not face them this time.” She looked over at Stacey. Tears ran down her cheeks. “I have no grandchildren. Not one. If what my husband is saying is remotely true, then you have both given me the best mother’s day gift I could ask for.” She motioned back at the table. “Please…don’t go. You are welcome in my home. You are my son. She’s is your future wife. You are welcome here.” Her voice cracked with pain. Tugging at her son’s arm, she tried to get him to sit as the tears rushed down her face.

Hunter did not move. “And what about him?” he asked, looking at his father.

“My word has not changed,” Dr. Fourakis said, still standing at the doorway.

“Then neither will mine,” Hunter said, holding Stacey’s hand. He pulled it up to him and kissed it. Looking into her eyes, he smiled. “It’s just you and me.” All eyes focused on the couple. Not a single sound was made, except for Mrs. Fourakis’ sniffling.

Stacey shook her head silently. She knew that from the very beginning, but she was hoping to come here and pull one ally. Looking at Mrs. Fourakis, she knew that maybe she had managed to do that. Stacey knew that the woman loved her son and would do anything to keep him in her life.

Hunter turned to his mother and kissed the crown of her head. Smelling her perfume, he hugged her tight. “I love you, Ma,” he whispered. “But you and I will have to celebrate some other time. Maybe you can come over and teach Stacey how to fix a good Greek meal.”

Mrs. Fourakis cried. Holding on to her son, she shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Hunter. I’m so very sorry.”

Hanna watched with tears in her own eyes. She looked around at Paris, Rhea and her father in disgust.
What had they done?

“It’s okay,” Hunter said, pulling away. Giving his mother a reassuring, bright smile, he touched her chin. “I’ll call you, okay?”

Mrs. Fourakis nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

Taking her hand again, Hunter led Stacey out of the house. He had said what he had to say. This was his wife, his life, his choice and no one was going to take that away from him – not even them.

Epilogue

One Year Later…

Santorini, Greece

120 miles from Greece’s mainland on a sunny picturesque Saturday evening, the bells of the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral boomed through Fira as the doors of the majestic white church opened to present to the world Dr. and Mrs. Hunter Fourakis.

Running out, hand-in-hand in the warm tranquil breeze with close friends and family following with cheers, Hunter and Stacey kissed on the steps of the church and waved at baby Corina before they loaded into their white Mercedes and zipped off down the cobblestone streets of the seaside city to the first-class
Aressana Hotel
.

Cuddled up in each other’s arms in the back of the car, Stacey looked up at her new husband and smiled. Her long elegant gown flowed around her brightening her glowing face and sandy dreads pulled up into beautiful curls on her head.

“We did it,” she said, rubbing through his copper-colored curls.

“I know. How does it feel to be Mrs. Fourakis?” he asked, kissing her lips again.

“Wonderful,” she said, beaming with joy. “Do you think baby Corina will be okay with your parents for an entire week?”

“Are you kidding? Did you see them? Papa and Mama where practically fighting to hold her. Trust me. She’ll be fine…maybe a little more spoiled when we get her back. But for right now, I just want you to relax. It’s our honeymoon. We’re going to get massages, eat great dinners, watch the sunset, make love and spend some much needed downtime alone.”

Stacey loved the way that sounded.

The last year had been an absolute world wind. With the release of her second book, which instantly became a hit and a
USA Today
and
New York Times
bestseller, she had gone on an extensive book tour right before Corina’s birth. However, she had warned Valerie, who had even shown up to the wedding, that the tour would be the last for a while.

Stacey had also been on the set of
Love Knocks
as a consultant and preparing for the movie to hit theatres in a month. And because of their trip last year to Athens, Stacey, Hunter and Rapture had permanently relocated to Greece to raise baby Corina.

As it turned out, Hunter had been right. While Stacey had visited France, England, South Africa and Spain before, she had never seen a place more beautiful than Greece. It was biker’s paradise and writer’s utopia. Every day, she found herself overwhelmed with ideas, never wanting for passion again. The people were warm and welcoming, always interested in sharing their culture and learning more about hers. She couldn’t believe it, but she was actually becoming an extrovert again.

When she agreed to move to Greece, Hunter quickly shut up shop in Seattle and started a small doctor’s office in the heart of Athens, not far from their new home, a villa with red rooftops, a sprawling lawn and plenty of space for future Fourakis babies. Their new life was like a dream. God had blessed them with a piece of heaven right here on earth, and they treasured every moment of it.

Corina had given them new energy with her birth. A fat, bubbly child with copper-colored curls and emerald green eyes like her father and an angelic golden bronze complexion, perfect heart-shaped lips and her mother’s humor, she was the apple of her parents’ eyes.

When they were not working, they spent their days doting after her, taking walks, riding bikes, shopping in the markets and watching her grow. Their evenings were devoted to cooking great Mediterranean meals, reading good books, entertaining their new friends and being a family.

The only thing in life Hunter wanted that he didn’t have was marriage to bind him to his perfect family. Stacey had insisted that they wait until after Corina’s birth to ensure that they could enjoy their honeymoon. At first, he thought she had just found a way to put him off again, but after he saw her walk down the aisle this afternoon in her angelic white dress, he knew that it was worth the wait.

Stacey had felt the exact same joy as she stood beside him at the altar. Never had Hunter been more handsome than in his black tuxedo. His hair smelled of a fragrance that she couldn’t place, his skin smelled of sandalwood. His olive-colored skin was toned, vibrant and absolutely beautiful. His eyes shimmered like the Aegean Sea. And he and baby Corina were all hers for the rest of her life.