Page 117 of A Vine Mess
Several tears overflowed from the well in her eyes, and I leaned in, kissing them from her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, voice watery. “I…overreacted.”
“I know why you did, and I’m not begrudging you your feelings. But you can’t run away from me, Ella. If this is going to work, you have to talk to me. Stay. Be here with me. Believe me, and trust me. That’s what you were doing, right? Running?”
She nodded. “My car is supposed to be here…” She grabbed her phone from where she’d tossed it on the bed and tapped the screen. “Now.”
I shook my head, a soft chuckle escaping me. “You Delatou women work fast.”
Ella finally smiled, and it was the same as the sun coming out on a cloudy day. A welcome, warming appearance.
“Think we could get a second seat on that flight?”
She held up a finger, as if to sayhold please, then began tapping away at her screen. A moment later, she glanced up at me. “I’ll do you one better, Wills. I upgraded us to first class.”
The anxiety that had been holding my chest in a vice grip since I rushed back into the reception and realized she was missing loosened its hold, and I gathered her into my arms.
“I love you, Ella Delatou. Promise me you’ll talk to me the next time something sets you off like this.”
“I promise,” she assured me. “And I love you, William Danvers. What do you say we head home?”
Home.
Damn, I loved the sound of that.
FOUR MONTHS AFTER THE TRIP
The casual way Istrolled into Blossom’s that crisp September afternoon completely belied the nerves that had taken root in my gut. I was about to do something categorically insane, but…well, I’d never exactly been in my right mind where Ella Delatou was concerned.
“Just a moment!” Fanny called from the back when the bell over the door tinkled with my entrance.
Hands shoved deep in my pockets, I wandered around the room, running over my plan in my head while I waited.
At last, Fanny appeared. “What can I—oh. Hi, Liam. Ella’s not here. She’s—”
“At the winery,” I smiled. “I know. I’m actually here to see you.”
“Okay…” Fanny had every right to be suspicious. I’d never spent much one-on-one time with the woman, not in the five years I’d lived in Apple Blossom Bay, and certainly not in the fourmonths since Ella and I had returned from our trip.
“I need to buy some flowers.”
Her forehead creased in confusion. “Why couldn’t this be taken care of when Ella was here?”
“Because they’re for Ella.”
“Okay…” she said again, stepping deeper into the showroom floor. “Which ones do you want to buy?”
I grinned. “All of them.”
“All…of them?”
“Yes, Fanny,” I confirmed. “Everything you’ve got. And then, if you wouldn’t mind, the guys will be here shortly to help me bring them all upstairs.”
Fanny’s gaze narrowed. “What are you up to, Liam Danvers?”
I shrugged, affecting a nonchalance I certainly didn’t feel. “I’m proposing.”
“You’rewhat?” Fanny gasped. “Oh my god. Let me see!”
