All the More to Give Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  When He First Beheld Her

  Chapter 1

  Once Broken Never Whole

  Chapter 2

  Welcome Home

  Chapter 3

  Patient Demands

  Chapter 4

  A Cup of Flour and a Pinch of Catty Remarks

  Chapter 5

  The Siren’s Temporarily New Habitat

  Chapter 6

  Entering and… Painting

  Chapter 7

  Business Proposals

  Chapter 8

  Zac’s Whirlwind Effect

  Chapter 9

  Sophia

  Chapter 10

  Another Bump in the Cobblestones

  Chapter 11

  Adverse Reactions

  Chapter 12

  Superiority Has Its Limitations

  Chapter 13

  Baby Battles

  Chapter 14

  The Apple of Discord

  Chapter 15

  First Dates

  Chapter 16

  Margaritas and Fireworks

  Chapter 17

  Serenades ... Out of Tune

  Chapter 18

  The Grand Opening

  Chapter 19

  Hands Off That Backside

  Chapter 20

  Meetings and Encounters

  Chapter 21

  Yelling, Crying and … Thoughtful Gestures

  Chapter 22

  Torturous Thoughts

  Chapter 23

  Crisis Averted… For Now

  Chapter 24

  Cleaning up House

  Chapter 25

  The Past Was My Beginning

  Chapter 26

  Watching Her Go

  Chapter 27

  The Aftermath

  Chapter 28

  My Nightmare

  Chapter 29

  Grand Theft Auto

  Chapter 30

  The Wooing Period

  Chapter 31

  Bumps and Hurdles

  Chapter 32

  The Asshole, the Betrayed and … the Lawyer

  Chapter 33

  Coming Back

  Chapter 34

  Making Up for Lost Time

  Chapter 35

  Inquiring Aprons

  Chapter 36

  Clouding the Sunshine

  Chapter 37

  Never Meant to Be

  Chapter 38

  Not in the Cards for me

  Chapter 39

  Birds of a Feather

  Chapter 40

  Wedding Bells

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Playlist

  About the Author

  All the More to Give

  (Give & Take Duet Part 2)

  By

  Demetra Georgiou

  Copyright

  All the More to Give (Part 2 of the Give and Take Duet) is Protected under the International Laws of Jurisdiction. Copyright© 2019 Demetra Georgiou.

  All rights reserved.

  This book is protected under International Copyright Laws and Treaties. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any form or by no means electronic or otherwise without the prior written permission from the Author unless it’s for a brief use of quotations in a review.

  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then this copy must be destroyed.

  Thank you in advance for respecting the hard work the author has put into this book.

  Disclaimer

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s very vivid imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to other people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The author fully acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products mentioned in this work of fiction which have been used without permission. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorised, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Prologue

  When He First Beheld Her

  Stevie

  Sitting at the playground with the woman you love is pure bliss. This is not the case for me, though. The woman is not mine. She bears the name of another man. The name of a monster. And the child in front of us is his son. He is the son I should have had with her, the woman I love.

  “Why don't you leave him?” I plead for the umpteenth time.

  “I can't Stefanos—" is all she says. This is not the first time we've had this conversation, but the outcome is always the same. She won't leave him. He has her on a tight leash and she can't escape him. What’s worse, she refuses to let me help. I could make everything go away.

  “Sophia, you don't have to stay with him. Look how he treats you, how he treats his own child. Do you want your son to grow up with a man like him?” I have to try, even though I hate to be the cause of her distress. I nearly falter as I watch her tear up.

  I thought I could forget all about her when I set sail around the world. I didn't. When I returned a few months ago and discovered the truth, I didn’t have to think it twice. I handed in my resignation and set out to save the woman I love, and her son.

  “Mum, why are you crying?”

  Her son is her spitting image. He’s close to thirteen now. Thirteen years lost. Thirteen years I should have had with him. My own son. But he is not mine. He has the same blood as him.

  The boy's booming voice sounds again as he stands in front of his mother, ready to protect her. It must have become his habit. His face is flushed from playing football with the other children. Beneath his green eyes, there is a small shadow. A faded bruise. This monster is abusing his child, and no one is doing anything.

  “Nothing, darling, Steven was telling me a sad story.” She soothes him the best she can. The boy seems to buy her story but doesn't leave her side. He has to be sure. “I’m alright darling, see?” She smiles brightly to appease him, but he’s not fooled. The smile never reaches her eyes. "Look, with all the commotion we succeeded in waking up the little one."

  I look to my left and true enough my little girl is awake in her stroller and staring at us, bemused. She seems cranky but doesn't cry. She doesn't cry much these days. I pick her up and sit her on my knee. She’s restless and wants to join the other children on the playground but doesn't throw a tantrum. She never wants to upset either me or her parents. Her eyes land on the boy and she looks at him fascinated.

  “Darling, why don't you take her to the swings?” Sophia suggests to her son. The boy takes her by the hand and leads her to the swings. She follows him without a backward glance. She trusts him.

  The moment the children are gone I plead with Sophia again. “Sophia, you have to listen to me…”

  “No, Steven, please don’t pressure me anymore or this is the last time you’ll see me. You know very well why I can’t be with you. Zac is nearly fourteen and by law if his father requests custody he has very good chances of getting it since he’s a boy. I won’t leave my child with him. He’s taken everything from me: my money, my dreams… you… but he can’t have Zac. He won’t.” She shakes her head vehemently and I’m rendered speechless.

  I want to scream at her, to tell her that I have the means to help her take full custody of Zac. I have more than enough money to last us a lifetime. I could give it all to for her son if she let me. The argument concludes the same way as always. I may have lost again but I won't stop trying. I never will.

  We sit here, side-by-side in the middle of the busy park, enjoying the summer rays of the sun as they fall on our faces. I watch as the boy pushes the girl on the swing, and she laughs
her heart out as he takes her higher. I can't tell how long I am observing them when it happens.

  “He’s smiling,” Sophia is the first to remark. She sounds as shocked as I am.

  “I’ve never seen him smile,” I comment, frowning.

  There must have been an instance where I have, but no matter how hard I try, no recollection flashes through my mind.

  “He doesn't. Not much anymore,” she admits, resigned.

  I clasp her hands and turn her to face me. I choose my next words carefully. She has to understand I mean everything I say.

  “I love you, Sophia. I’ll free you of him if it’s the last thing I do. I owe it to you and the boy over there who should have been my son,” I promise her.

  Sophia remains silent but I don’t need her to speak. She may not be the carefree girl I fell in love with but she’s still loving, caring, and just wonderful. The woman in front of me still has her spirit. He never succeeded in crushing it.

  Our eyes remain locked until a familiar cry breaks our connection. I look towards the children and see my girl down and the boy above her. He tries to lift her, but she falls down again. My little girl doesn't wail to the sky, she just lets her tears stream silently down her face. I am by their side in an instant with Sophia in tow.

  “What happened here?” I ask looking down at them.

  “I’m sorry, sir, it was my fault. I put her down, but she tried to push the swing and it came back with full force. It would have hit her in the face if I hadn't put my body in front of it. I wasn't careful though; I knocked her down.”

  The boy doesn't look at me. He’s afraid of my reaction and when I bend down to pick her up, he flinches as if I might strike him. I stop mid-air, appalled by the sight before me. He can't be afraid of me. He shouldn't. I’ve vowed to protect him with everything I have.

  My little niece scrambles to her feet and positions her body in front of him. She smiles at him shyly, a moment before she falls into his arms. He catches her without hesitation, as she giggles. It’s the first happy sound I’ve ever heard from her.

  Kneeling by their side, I ruffle the boy’s hair. “It wasn't your fault, son. I saw what happened.” I tell him, happy to see his features relax.

  “I tried to protect her,” he starts again. I suspect he says the same thing to himself every time he fails to defend his mother.

  “No, son, you didn't just try. You did protect her.” I assure him, cupping my little girl's hand, but she doesn't acknowledge me. She is so fascinated with the boy; she can't stop looking at him.

  “I protected her.” He rolls the words in his mouth relishing in the feeling they evoke. “I will always protect her,” he promises, and I believe him.

  I can already discern glimpses of the strong man this boy will become. That's why I have to act soon. I have to give him the chance to become the person he is destined to be.

  “Stevie,” the girl speaks my name for the first time, and I look at her as if she’s the strangest creature in the world.

  “Stevie?” Sophia says and kneels by our children's side. “Stevie suits you better,” she admits with a small giggle I haven't heard in thirteen years.

  The boy is amazed by it as well and can't stop looking at my girl, who said it first. He tightens both of his arms around her to hold her closer to him.

  My nephew and his wife have adopted my little girl recently, and everything is still new to her. But my little Diane doesn't care about the new people she sees every day or her different surroundings.

  She displays her trust and affection unconditionally.

  Chapter 1

  Once Broken Never Whole

  ❦ Diane ❦

  Black and white. Everything around me is black and white with rare streaks of grey. That is what my life has been reduced to. I am sitting on the beach surrounded by miles of golden sand and blue waves, but to me everything is colourless. My beloved sea is unable to ease the turmoil inside me.

  Big droplets of water fall on me and soak my tired body. I’m tempted to stay here and let the sky's tears cleanse me, but I have already been too much of a bother to the people who care about me. I am staying at John's house a few miles away from Nafplio. This is the closest to Zac I can bear to be. All things considered, John has been understanding and let both Chris and I stay here. I’m grateful for his compassion; he helped me when he owed me nothing. I take the path leading to the beach house and let my tears blend with the cold droplets of the rain. All I seem to do is cry these days.

  This is day five of my life without Zac, and I’m not handling things very well. Everything that happened the other day in the bookshop is a blur, but one thing is sure. Chris is a lifesaver. Along with John, he took me to the hospital to stitch my hand. I hadn't noticed, but the glass from the frame I had picked up, cut me deep and the bleeding wouldn't stop. I hadn't even registered the pain.

  As for John, if he hadn’t offered me to stay at his house, I don’t know where I would be. I haven't seen my handyman since the hospital, but he rings me every day with updates about the bookshop’s renovation. Life has to go on.

  The house is quiet at this time of day. Chris hasn't woken up yet and I don't want to disturb him. He’s proved to be a huge comfort even though he doesn't owe me a thing. My mind drifts back in the day when I first heard him singing in the streets. Not even in my wildest dreams have I imagined that he would come to be such a great friend. He’s constantly by my side asking me if I need anything and trying to feed me.

  Chris is a stress-cook, so of course the house smells of his cooking, but I can't stomach anything. I pour myself a cup of coffee – black, like my mood. I ignore the muffins next to the coffee pot and sit down. My phone sits on the far side of the table and stare at it bemused. I haven't turned it on for the past few days. I have obsessed over it long enough. The first day, it didn't leave my hands. I waited for Zac's call or texts, but they never came. That was when I turned it off.

  Outside the kitchen window the sky is angry again. I haven't seen the sun in so long. Zac has taken the light with him.

  “Good morning,” Chris greets me as he comes in. “How did you sleep?” he inquires, and I can only nod. We both know I didn't sleep again. Every night, I lie in bed, but sleep eludes me. I only rest a few hours during the daytime. Ever since we've come here, I never once dreamt of Zac's arms around me. He is absent from my dreams as well.

  Completely gone.

  “When will you be ready?” Chris asks expectantly.

  I’ll never be ready for this. I close my eyes, trying to control the panic this question evokes in me. Yesterday, in a weak moment I stupidly announced that today would be going back.

  I don't think I can do this, but I am surprised when I hear myself answer. “Whenever you are, Chris. I’ll go get ready.”

  My weak self from yesterday was right. I have to at least try. I leave my now cold coffee and head for the bedroom.

  I reluctantly follow my morning routine. I pick a pitch-black bodysuit, but I don't bother with make-up or high heels. I have no one to impress.

  As I zip my bag closed, a thought passes through my mind. Chris went to my house to pack me a bag and I never asked him if he saw Zac there. I stifle the urge to march to the kitchen right now. What if he tells me he saw him with her? After all, the blonde troll is the one he spends all of his time with when he’s not with me. I bet she’s doing backflips now that she has him all to herself.

  When I return to the kitchen, Chris has prepared a full breakfast for both of us. He never stops trying. I sit down, eyeing all this food in front of me. How long was I gone? He has prepared pancakes and French toast, not to mention freshly squeezed orange juice and fruits.

  My eyes land on the coffee pot, but Chris is looking at me with a hopeful gleam in his eyes, so I decide to humour him. I pick up my fork and take a bite of my French toast. It is delicious and my stomach thanks me for it. Chris is satisfied, and I find myself giving him a tentative smile. This is the first smile in
days.

  “So, Chris, what are your plans for today?” I ask him with my mouth full. These pancakes are beyond real.

  “My plans? I’ll accompany you to the bookshop, and then we’ll do whatever you want,” he declares with his brow knitted. I won't have it. I have been a burden to him long enough.

  “No, you won't, Chris. I'm giving you the day off.” My voice holds as much authority as it ever will. Chris' eyes bulge, and as he is about to speak, I cut him off. “You have been a great help these past few days, but I can't keep doing this to you. I’m sure that you've been caught up in much more drama than you’re used to. I want you to take the day off and do whatever you want.” He smiles brightly at my outburst as if I had given him a huge present. I suppose this is a hint of the pre-breakup Diane.

  Perhaps getting back to the real world won't be so difficult after all. All I have to do is to maintain that sombre and aloof look I bet I’m sporting.

  It takes us no time to hit the road and the rest of the day flies by uneventfully. Thank God for small favours.

  My bookshop renovations are nearly finished and the bulk of the work is done. John is a miracle worker. He succeeded in making some considerable progress with the work in the upstairs apartment, too. At least I will have somewhere to stay.

  In the appartment upstairs, the cleaning crew is going hard at it, following my specific requirements. John is a constant shadow behind me. It is apparent he wants to speak with me in private, but I don't need a shoulder to cry on. I value him as a person and a friend, but it wouldn’t be fair to give him hope where there’s none.

  The day winds down and late in the afternoon, I find myself in Stevie's office, lounging on the sofa. I get distracted by all the blinking lights behind the desk. The contraption sitting there is my brand-new alarm system. I ordered it as a precaution prior to the vandalism debacle, and it was only installed today.

  Pure irony.

  My mind wanders and my heart falls at the thoughts dancing around me. I don't want to go to the house that he owns. I’m not ready to face facts after all. Chris left a long time ago along with John and all his workers; the place is deserted. I cherish the solitude. I don't have to be on guard when there’s no one around.