Modern Romance May 2019: Books 5-8 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2019-04-30T18:30:00+00:00

EPILOGUE

AFTER MONTHS OF detailed planning and intense work the neighbouring villa was finally open. The residence was elegant and well-appointed and the gardens a triumph. Christo’s staff had provided expert assistance but it was Emma and her team of locals who’d pulled it all together.

Christo stood in the sunken garden, redolent with the velvet scent of roses, cypresses and the salt tang of the sea. The days grew shorter but, as if ordained by fate, or perhaps his wife’s sheer positivity, the afternoon sun shone bright in a cloudless sky.

His gaze wandered from the draperies of sea-green gauze and silk that led from the shallow steps, past the flowering shrubs, to the pergola where he stood. The place had a festive air.

‘You look like the cat who swallowed the cream.’

Christo turned to Damen, grinning beside him.

‘Can you blame me?’

His friend shook his head. ‘The transformation is stunning.’

Christo knew he was talking about the villa, once sad and neglected, now an inviting showpiece. But the real change, he knew, was within himself. He was a different man from the one who’d flown to Melbourne to secure a commercial property and a convenient wife.

Not for the first time he paused to wonder at old man Katsoyiannis agreeing to the deal. He’d been as sharp as a tack, nobody’s fool, and so protective of his granddaughter. Had he seen what Christo hadn’t? That Emma was the perfect woman for him?

‘Emma’s the one responsible.’ Not just for the renovation, but for the change in him.

‘She’s a miracle worker, and not only with bricks and mortar.’ Damen clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I’ve never seen you looking so relaxed, or so happy.’

Christo shrugged, not bothering to conceal a smile. ‘What can I say? Marriage agrees with me.’ It wasn’t just the fact that he delegated more and worked mainly from their home in Corfu. The life he shared with Emma and little Anthea was filled with joy. ‘You should try it.’

Ignoring Damen’s choke of shock, he turned away.

There was Dora, surrounded by relatives and friends. The familiar faces he’d come to know from Corfu. A scattering of invitees from Athens. On the other side of the garden Emma’s cousin Maia chatted to Clio, both looking effortlessly chic, and both ignoring the attempts of men aged from seventeen to seventy to catch their attention.

Neither woman could hold a candle to his Emma.

‘There she is.’ Damen’s voice made him look past the crowd.

At first all he saw was Emma’s friend Steph descending the steps to the garden. Did that explain the breathless quality of Damen’s voice? Christo hadn’t missed the undercurrent between them.

Then he forgot all else as he caught sight of Emma.

Once again she wore the slim-fitting gown of cream that made her waist look impossibly small and she as fragile as gossamer.

Except his wife was anything but fragile. She was strong and determined, but kind and caring too. Loving.

His breath escaped on the thought.

Loving. That was Emma.

Her head was up, an antique lace veil framing her features.

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