Chapter 9

WITH A SHIVER ALEXIS rubbed the goose bumps on her upper arms regretting her choice of the silk sleeveless blouse. She loved the turquoise and yellow pattern and, with the heat she was expecting, it should have been the ideal choice. It went so well with her cream slacks. Nevertheless, she'd forgotten how chilly airplanes were.

Alexis was blind to the majestic beauty of the blue Aegean Sea passing below the wings of the Airbus A318. She wasn't watching the intriguing display of Greek islands dotting the Sea, infamous islands of Greek legend; Mykonos, Milos, Serifos and Sifnos. Her mind was busy with other, more personal issues.

Hugging herself, Alexis wondered why she'd caved to Weather. In fact, she was still angry she'd acceded and absolutely flabbergasted Weather had resorted to blackmail; "Come to Santorini, Mom, or I won't come home, I'll stay here." Alexis knew Weather too well to underestimate her determination. It was one of the character traits she liked in Weather. So, angry and afraid of losing her daughter, she'd reluctantly agreed.

A stab of fear intruded on her dark thoughts. She was going to see Aidan. What would he look like now, a fifteen years older and no longer a young man? The prospect of having to face him brought butterflies to her stomach. Her mind slipped back further, way back.

Eleven years old, living in Accra, Ghana, Daddy posted to the new diamond mine. She'd been so scared, the local men with such dark ebony skin drunk in the middle of the day and leering at her as she walked home from school, hugging her satchel tightly and trying to ignore their dirty comments about a white girl. She remembered one reaching and grabbing her shirt, and the spurt of acidic fear she'd felt. She remembered Aidan appearing, a fifteen-year-old hitting a twenty-something year old man and pulling her away to safety. Aidan had always protected her, been with her, her brother the most important person in her life after Mom and Dad. But that event and the way he hugged and comforted her had been the beginning.

She was twelve years old when she'd fallen in love with Aidan. He was tall and slender and feisty and funny. Living back in the States, Dad at Head Office finally, Aidan had kept her company until she gradually made friends with other girls. It was his eyes, steel-gray, Dad's eyes, and the way he would completely focus on her, wrap her in the warmth of his attention so that everything else in the world, shyness, angst, worries, and fears, would simply fade away. In the comfort of Aidan's attention Alexis felt at peace. Yes, twelve years old and with puberty raging through her, Alexis fell in love.

The Airbus banked, a Greek announcement of imminent arrival at Thira squawked over the intercom. Alexis missed it. She felt fear again. How could she face Aidan? She'd been responsible for him leaving University, for abandoning his PhD, for forcing him to leave everything behind. She'd ruined his life all because of a selfish moment of weakness.

But, the pain of loss, of putting Mom and Dad to rest and Aidan's eyes, so loving and caring, and the love she'd carried for eight long years, the dreams of kissing Aidan, of feeling Aidan's love, had finally overwhelmed her. Despite all the amorous and lecherous advances she'd had from men and women, she'd never been attracted, never been interested. There was only one man she loved. And, when he'd held her so gently as she cried letting her agony out, when he'd looked so deeply into her eyes with such love and caring, she'd broken down and sinned. She'd kissed Aidan. And, even worse, she'd seduced Aidan. She'd been a virgin, twenty years old and still a virgin. But he was everything she'd dreamed of, kind and gentle, loving.

When she'd woken towards dawn, feeling so peaceful in his arms, reality had rushed in. Suddenly, in the cold light of day she realised she'd committed incest and forced Aidan to sin! Her shame had driven her from his bed and away, far away, back to University. And even worse, she'd gotten pregnant! In her muddled state she'd rejected Aidan, afraid she'd hurt him more if he was near her. She'd refused an abortion, it was Aidan's child, Aidan's! She couldn't get rid of it.

Alexis trembled. She didn't feel the Airbus begin its descent to Santorini, the sudden weightlessness, or grind of flaps extending. She smiled remembering Weather, beautiful Weather, Aidan's gift to her. In Weather she was forever close to Aidan, seeing those magnificent eyes. She saw Aidan in Weather, the love and inner strength, the sudden storm of anger that would appear, powerful and raging, lightning bolts of fury flashing and then fading as fast as it had arrived. Alexis smiled to herself. Weather had inherited her stubborn streak and her father's temper. She was a force of nature when she wanted to be. There wasn't anyone in the world that could resist her when she set her mind to something, except, perhaps, Aidan.

A screech of tires and thump of landing brought Alexis back, her stomach roiling. She was going to see Aidan. How much did he hate her? Had he forgiven her?

Stepping out into the radiant Aegean sun, after pausing to look around Santorini Airport, Alexis started down the stairs. The articulated bus waited to carry passengers to the terminal.

She still couldn't believe she was here. She couldn't believe she'd agreed to come. She felt like a virgin on her wedding night; excited yet scared. How much had he changed? How much did anyone change over almost fifteen years?

As she stepped from the passenger bus and neared the entrance to the arrivals hall, Alexis paused. Peering in, she spotted Weather. Her breath caught in her throat. Weather was holding Aidan's hand and with shocked surprise she noticed a familiar old Timex watch she'd given him on his wrist. Alexis looked at Aidan and felt the same old reaction, an ache. He was the only person she'd ever loved and now, at almost thirty-nine, he'd matured into a stunningly handsome man. Even from a distance she could see the crinkle lines that had formed at the edge of his eyes, a sign of laughter being large in his life. Her heart ached when she saw steel-gray. It was as if his eyes were hard-wired to her heart. She felt her face flush when he spotted her and smiled. It was devastating. Her knees weakened suddenly. God, it had been so long, so much had passed, he had so much to hate her for and yet he smiled!

Weather felt Aidan's hand shaking in hers. She saw him smile despite the shaking and followed his stare; Mom. Weather grinned and waved. "Mom!"

I HADN'T BELIEVED WEATHER when she told me we needed to come to the airport. I hadn't believed her when she'd told me Alexis was arriving. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. Alexis hated me; had never forgiven me for what I did to her. She'd never willingly set eyes on me. Yet Weather insisted. I refused, not believing her. And then she'd looked at me, "Please, Dad." So here I was, knees shaking with fear.

And my God, Alexis took my breath away. Tall, elegantly slender and fine-boned, wearing a sleeveless turquoise and yellow silk blouse, cream-coloured slacks and open-toed shoes, with her dark chestnut hair cut to just below shoulder length and pulled back in a neat ponytail, Alexis looked exactly like I remembered her at twenty years old; exactly.

"C'mon, Aidan," Weather insisted, pulling at my hand. I glanced at her pretty, pretty face and felt another surge of fear. What had Weather done? My leaden feet moved reluctantly, the smile of welcome on my face felt like it was painted on. My heart was racing. Alexis was going to kill me.

And then Alexis smiled. It hurt me. It was Weather's smile, big, welcoming, honest.

"Hey, Aidan," she said gently, her warm soft brown eyes watching me without a trace of hate. They almost looked hesitant! Why?

WEATHER STOOD BACK SLIGHTLY, her complete attention on Mom and Dad. She knew Dad loved Mom, he'd admitted it enough times. She knew Dad blamed himself for hurting Mom. But, what Dad didn't know was Mom loved Dad. Weather knew. Things she'd never understood had become clear as she lived with Aidan; why Mom was so unwilling to talk about her brother, why Mom wouldn't talk about Weather's father, and how, when Mom didn't realise Weather was watching, she'd pick up that one photo on her dresser, stare at it while gently caressing it with her thumb, a wistful smile on her face.

Yeah, Weather knew Mom loved Dad, even if he was her brother. And now she watched them. She saw the hesitancy, a smile, and their eyes seeing no one else. She watched, fascinated, as they seemed to edge closer, almost awkwardly, Aidan saying something that made Mom smile, how he gently took her hand in both of his. She watched, waiting for old feelings to emerge, for misunderstandings to be discarded. And finally, Weather sighed and smiled when Mom's arms slipped around Aidan's neck, Aidan's around Mom's still slender waist. Weather wanted to cry with Mom when she saw her tears, Mom's face buried in Aidan's shoulder, her body shaking.