didn’t, finding the action as relaxing as she did.
She was with him now, without arguing.
So, he should be content.
Why wasn’t he?
“What do you mean, we’re getting married?” Chloe nearly screeched as she waved the contract she’d just finished reading at Ariston.
They were in his office again, his lawyer and the Dioletis attorney in the outer office with Jean. Ariston had insisted Chloe read through the contract in privacy before the lawyers witnessed its signing.
No darn wonder. Far from the contract he’d initially told her she would be signing, this one was a clear prenup, with rather generous financial terms, but an entirely unambiguous clause that gave Ariston majority custody of any future children should Chloe leave him or have an affair.
Presumably any other behavior on her part would not be enough to spur him into filing for divorce. She didn’t know what to think.
Ariston, who sat beside her on the sofa they’d made love on her last time in his office, took the papers and set them on the low table in front of them. “I decided there was no reason to hold off on the marriage aspect of our bargain.”
“But you said you didn’t want to get married again until I had successfully given birth to your child.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to marry him at all.
“I may not have considered all angles when I made that stipulation.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I do not joke about matters this serious.”
“Right. Contracts are right up there with God in your book.”
“My grandfather would not appreciate your blaspheming.”
“Takis isn’t here.”
“No, he is in Greece, eagerly waiting to welcome you back into his family.”
Ariston went to brush his hand through her hair and ran into her French twist. His frown looked absolutely thwarted. “I do not like your hair like this.”
“I do.” Before he could pursue further argument over something so insignificant, she said, “So, this is about your grandfather. I knew he wouldn’t be happy with the thought that his great-grandchild was to be born out of wedlock.”
“I never mentioned that particular aspect of our proposed arrangement to him.”
“And you finally realized it would be a bad idea to ever do so, didn’t you?” she couldn’t help taunting.
The man was just too sure he was always right.
“Perhaps.”
“There’s no perhaps about it.”
Ariston was awful at admitting when he was wrong. Probably because the Greek tycoon golden boy so rarely was. There was a reason for his arrogance and it wasn’t just money and genetics.
“I had many reasons for rethinking my position on the timing for our marriage.”
“Did you now?” She wasn’t buying it, not for one single solitary minute.
“I did.”
“Name them.”
“Your health.”
“What about my health?” Sheesh … he acted as if she was just out of hospital or something.
“It could take months for you to gain back the weight you’ve lost since the divorce.”
“So?”
“So, you will not be getting pregnant until that happens.”
“Again, so?”
“It occurred to me that putting off the marriage was unnecessary unless I believed you were going to once again cheat me.”
“I didn’t cheat you—” she began to hotly deny, but he interrupted her.
“So you maintain, but we must agree to disagree on our perception of your actions.”
“How magnanimous of you.” She wasn’t being sarcastic.
For a man of his temperament to agree to disagree was no small concession. The man liked being right almost as much as he liked making money.
“Yes, well … it also occurred to me that you might feel more settled in your return to your normal life with the assurance of a legal bond between us.”
“Wasn’t the contract going to be the legal bond?” she asked with some confusion, while reeling at the reality he considered their marriage her normal life.
What had the last two years been? Some kind of temporary aberration?
“If there is one thing I have come to understand about you in the past weeks, it is that you and I do not place the same importance on a signed contract.”
There was no arguing that point. “So, you’ve decided we should get married now?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t think that maybe you should have asked me if that’s what I wanted?”
The slight flare in his azure eyes said better than words that clearly he had not. “You had already agreed to the terms.”
“Yes, but I didn’t expect to become Mrs. Spiridakou in two days’ time at the courthouse.”
“You never ceased to be Mrs. Spiridakou. You retained my name.”
“Yes, but I dropped the Mrs. and you know it.”
He frowned in acknowledgment of that truth. “Now or later, it should not