Page 37 of Save Me

“Well, neither am I.” As if that were obvious and his pointing it out was ridiculous. Jamie leans in and kisses me and I melt against him, my heart so full of love for this crazy man it might burst. “I love you, Seumas MacDougall.”

He grins like a fool, and I love him all the more for it. “And I love you, Ash.” He clears his throat and a soft blush covers his cheeks. “But, um, it’s not Seumas MacDougall.”

“I beg your pardon?” Has he been lying to me this whole time? I’m flabbergasted. I have no idea what to say.

“Not anymore.” I scowl at him, and he pulls a packet from behind the sofa cushion. It looks eerily like the one Volker handed to me. “My name is James William Weston. Born in Richmond, Virginia, to Martha and Peter Weston.”

I shake my head in wonder at this man who loves me enough to give up everything to be with me. “Thank you.” I hold Jamie’s gaze.

“For what?”

“Mostly, for loving me.”

He leans in and rests his forehead against mine, and I wonder if someone can actually pass out due to sheer bliss. “Ash, you’re so easy to love.” Jamie tilts his head and kisses me softly. I’m definitely going to die of bliss.

Jamie groans and shoves himself to his feet. “Okay, I’m going to go take a shower, and then call my boss and make sure I still have a job after I asked for two weeks off.”

“Only if you want to.” I choose my words carefully because this could be tricky. “If you could do anything, if money was no object, what would you do?”

“As a job?” I nod and Jamie shrugs. “I guess I always assumed I’d go back to the farm. It’s peaceful there, slower paced. It’s tough work but rewarding. So, I guess I’d be a farmer.”

I grin. “Then be a vintner. Help me with the grapes.” He’s silent so I keep talking. “We’ll find a vineyard, we’ll maybe get a few goats, you could run the growing end of things and I would be responsible for the winemaking part. What do you think?”

Jamie considers it. “I don’t know much about grapes, but I do know growing. I’m sure with a little help I can get the hang of it. But how would we afford something like that? Vineyards are expensive.”

“Okay, hear me out. Oliver left me a stupid amount of money. Even after we buy property, neither of us has to work another day if we don’t want to.” I hold up my hand when Jamie looks like he’s going to say something. “I will completely understand if you want to do something other than winemaking and grape growing. We can buy some additional land and you can farm to your heart’s content. Get cows. Or bees. Or whatever.” I reach out my hand for him and he takes it. “Whatever makes you happy, Jamie.” I tug him back down to sit next to me on the couch and practically crawl into his lap. “I want this to work. I want us to work. I don’t want you to end up hating me because of any of this.”

Jamie laughs and hauls me the rest of the way into his lap, settling his arms around my waist. “I could never hate you.” His lips are gentle, and I smile into the kiss. “You seem to have thought about this.”

“I have. It’s been my dream for a long time.” I caress Jamie’s face. “Oliver would be happy we were living out our dreams.” My heart gives a little lurch, but I smile.

Jamie hugs me tightly. “You gonna be okay?”

I nod. “Yes. I can’t say I won’t be sad when I think about him, but he’s not suffering anymore. I can focus on that.”

“Alright. Well, I’m going to go take that shower I’ve been threatening to take for the last two hours.” He grins and slides out from under me. “Why don’t you make us some tea and we’ll sit on the patio and enjoy the sunset.”

“Maybe make a few wedding plans?” I smile up at him. Jamie nods and kisses me quickly, then heads off to the bathroom. I hear the shower start and unfold myself from the couch. I take the few steps to the kitchen, fill the electric kettle, and turn it on before poking through the cupboards, looking for mugs and tea. I find a box of Darjeeling and it makes me smile so wide my face hurts. While I wait for the water to boil, I collect the pizza boxes and put the leftovers in the fridge.

The kettle shuts off and I pour the hot water into each of the mugs, watching the liquid darken as the tea brews. The shower ends just as I toss the tea bags in the trash and add a splash of milk to each mug. When a freshly washed Jamie emerges from the steamy bathroom in a light gray T-shirt that clings to him like a second skin, and a pair of jeans that ride low on his hips, I hand him his tea and slide my fingers through the slightly damp curls at the base of his neck. I always liked his wavy hair, but I adore his curls. I grin mischievously. “Definitely keep these. They give me something to hold on to.”

“My boyfriend is into beards and curly hair. Got it.” Jamie smiles and takes my hand.

“Fiancé.”

He grins and nods. “Sorry, yes. My fiancé.” He leads me across the room and out through the sliding glass doors onto the patio, then slips his arm around my waist. I’m not quite sure how things turned out so well when they could have gone so horribly wrong so many times. And we’re not out of the woods yet. The cartel may still find me. Only time will tell. But for now, I will not question my good fortune. I’m going to be thankful for it and enjoy every moment we have. I lean into Jamie and take in the riot of purple stripes painted against an orange sky. It’s breathtaking, and peaceful, and for the first time in longer than I can ever remember, so am I.

Epilogue

Five years later

I step into the bright sunshine and the whirlwind of last-minute preparations. In less than an hour our tasting room will be filled with family, friends, and several local wine critics who will be here to taste the first release of what we’re hoping will be our signature Pinot Noir. “Jamie, where’s Ash?”

I turn to see my sister-in-law, Clara, walking across the patio toward me, and I shrug. “If he’s smart, he’s hiding.”

She laughs but nods her agreement. “It is chaotic in there, but Kenna needs him.”

“Actually, I came out here to find him for Kenna. She has more questions about glasses or something. Honestly, I only half paid attention and jumped at the chance to get out of there.”

---