Along Came Twins…

Besides her inability to get pregnant, which had tested them to the breaking point, there’d been other side issues throughout their marriage to exacerbate what was already wrong. One of them was Kellie’s insistence that Karmela had a crush on him. Whenever she’d brought it up, he’d dismissed it, telling her Petra’s sister was simply a clingy girl who needed lots of attention. Her behavior didn’t mean anything. In fact, Petra had asked him to be extra kind to her.

But, he remembered, when Karmela had said last night that Kellie wasn’t good enough for him, something in him had snapped. Mostly because in trying to do as Petra had asked, he hadn’t taken Kellie’s concerns seriously enough, he realized.

She got to her feet, as if on the verge of running away.

“I realize it will have to be someone you trust,” he added, “so I want you to pick the therapist.” Leandros knew this was a drastic departure from his former attitude, but he was desperate. Seeing her again proved to him he couldn’t live without her. “We can do it here in Athens, or we can fly to Philadelphia and find someone there. It’s your choice.”

Without saying anything, she moved over to the French doors and opened them to walk out on the patio. He followed her, inhaling her flowery fragrance and the scent of the lemon trees close by. Incredible to think that inside her beautiful body, their babies were already seven weeks old and growing.

“Are you too embittered at this stage to even consider it, Kellie? I wouldn’t blame you if you were…but I’m begging you.”

She clung to the railing. Still no words came.

“I’ve spent the last week doing research on the best therapists in the city and came up with a list of six names recommended to me. Four men and two women. Let me show you.”

He went back inside and reached for his briefcase. After pulling out his laptop, he set it up on the coffee table and turned it on. Kellie came back in and watched as he clicked to the file so she could see it.

“I was going to give you this list when I flew over to see you, but you can look at it now if you want. All the information I’ve gathered is here. But if this doesn’t interest you, I’ll fly you back to Philadelphia tomorrow and we’ll search for a therapist there.”

She shot him a startled glance. “You can’t just go back and forth from Greece between sessions. Therapy takes time.”

“I can do whatever I want. Frato will be running the company for as long as necessary. He knows the business the same as I do. With both our fathers still alive to advise him, along with other family members on the board, the company will function seamlessly. If you and I decide to do therapy in Philadelphia, then I’ll live there and do business. With your help, of course.”

“My help?”

“Yes. You once asked me if you could work for me. I told you I’d rather you didn’t, but I was wrong about that and a host of other things. We can be a team and scout out a property for the first Petralia resort in Pennsylvania. But since you’re pregnant, we’ll have to proceed as your health dictates.”

“You’re not serious,” she whispered.

“Try me and find out.” He fired back the response. “We’ll buy or build a house in Philadelphia near your aunt and uncle, if that’s what you desire.”

She shook her head. “And take you away from your family and responsibilities?”

“You’re my family. No one else is more important. If we decide to live there, I’ll step down as CEO.”

“I wouldn’t want or expect you to do that. Never!”

He stared into her eyes. “Why not? Don’t you realize no place is home to me without you? I’ll do anything, Kellie,” he vowed. “I know we can make this work. It’s not too late. For the sake of our unborn babies, I’m pleading with you to reconsider. If counseling will help us, then it will be worth it for all our sakes. We’ll postpone our divorce while we’re in therapy.”

If Leandros had said these things to her a month ago…

But he’s saying them to you now, Kellie.

For a proud man like her husband to be willing to undergo therapy told her how far he’d come. She moved closer to the coffee table, where she could see the list of names on his laptop. He’d done all this without prior knowledge that they were expecting twins? She couldn’t believe it.

After supplying her this kind of proof that he was serious, she had to believe he’d planned to fly to Philadelphia today. But for Leandros to submit to marriage counseling…It just wasn’t like him.

He was a dynamic wonder in the business world and a law unto himself. He’d probably last one session and that would be it. She couldn’t imagine therapy working on him. But since she’d been the one to suggest it in the first place, how would it look if she told him no?

Kellie knew exactly what he’d think. During one of their arguments he’d told her she was inflexible, unreasonable and didn’t really mean what she’d said. He would have every right to accuse her now of not putting their children first.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized the wisest thing to do would be to try out one of these therapists in Athens. When the counseling didn’t work, then she’d fly back to Philadelphia and the divorce could go through. She’d have to let her aunt and uncle know. The news would be welcome to them, because they adored Leandros and were crushed by the news that he and Kellie were getting a divorce.

He watched as she sat down and scrolled through the list of names. All seemed to have impressive credentials. She was glad he’d included some women. She preferred their therapist to be a female, who would understand Kellie’s point of view about things. Leandros probably wouldn’t like it, but he’d said this was her choice.

She looked at their ages. The first woman was forty-eight, younger than Kellie’s aunt. The other therapist was seventy-six. That sounded pretty old, but she did have a long record of running a practice. At that age she’d probably seen thousands of couples, with every type of problem, enter her office. To still be in business meant she’d enjoyed a certain amount of success.

“Today is a workday.” Leandros’s deep male voice permeated to Kellie’s insides. “Is there a name on the list you’d like to call now?”

He stood behind the couch, more or less looking over her shoulder. Though he’d sounded in control just now, she sensed his impatience for their therapy to get started. Actually, she was anxious, too. The sooner they met with someone and discovered counseling wouldn’t help, the sooner she could go home and start getting over Leandros once and for all.

“I’m rather impressed with this older woman, Olympia Lasko.” She glanced back at him. “The notes say she’s been in practice forty-five years. That’s longer than any of the other therapists’ histories. I think it speaks quite highly of her.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Go ahead and phone her.”

Leandros didn’t act the least upset with Kellie’s choice. If he was, he’d learned how to hide his true feelings. That ability made him the shrewd genius who’d become one of the leading business figures in Greece.

She reached in her purse for her cell phone and made the call. It rang several times before a woman answered. “This is Olympia Lasko.”

“Oh—” Kellie’s voice caught. “I guess I expected a receptionist.” She spoke in Greek.

“I’ve never used one. Your name, please.”

“Kellie Petralia.”

“What can I do for you?”

“M-my husband and I are on the verge of getting a divorce and need marriage counseling,” she stammered. “Could I see you soon to discuss our situation, or are you too booked up?”

“Both of you come to my house tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.”

“Both?” Kellie had planned to talk to her first and explain things.

“I never see you individually. It’s together or nothing.”

“I see.” She bit her lip. “Then we’ll both be there.”

“What’s your husband’s name?”

“Leandros Petralia.”

“Thank you. When you enter the driveway, keep going until you reach the side door. Just walk in.”

The other woman rang off without making a remark about Kellie’s husband. Ninety-nine percent of the time, people couldn’t refrain from commenting on him and the famous Petralia name. Kellie sat there blinking in surprise.

Leandros walked around to look at her. “When can she see us?”

“Tomorrow at ten. We’re to go to her house. She must work out of her home.”