Page 178 of Lovestruck at Sundown
Arabella’s texts were hard to forget, and I knew that was just the tip of the iceberg. There must’ve been so many things William didn’t share with me to protect my mental health. I trusted that he always handled things in the best way possible, but even if I was proud of his accomplishments as an actor, I hated that he was part of such a toxic environment.
“It was fun for a while—the fame, the parties, the attention, the money,” William continued. “I won’t lie to you and say I didn’t enjoy all of it. But I’m done. You’re the one real thing I have besides my family, and the thought of losing you to myacting career is ridiculous and unbearable.” His eyes and words conveyed the sincerity I needed to grasp the depth of his feelings.
Aside from being entertaining, films can be inspiring, poetic, and artistic; they can change people’s lives, but at what cost? The duality of that world was mortifying.
“Besides, I can’t let you run the winery on your own, can I?” William added with a hint of playfulness.
“What winery?” I laughed between the tears, feeling a mixture of disbelief and joy.
“Remember the two sets of documents I made you sign on my birthday?”
I nodded.
“One of the folders contained the documentation to formally establishNemorino’s Wine, where we share equal partnership,” William explained. “I’ve wanted to do this from the moment you told me Adina and Nemorino’s story on the rooftop four years ago. And I remember thinking how fucking epic and fun it would be to make this wine in The Hamptons and market it as a love potion. That’s why I started playing around with a label design on your 21st birthday.” He swiped his thumb up and down my cheek. “But it only made sense if we did it together.”
“So we’re business partners?”
He nodded, excitement taking over his features.
“But I don’t know shit about how to run a winery.” I laughed, looping my arms around his neck.
“I don’t either,” he said, even though I knew he’d probably already investigated everything we needed to know about running a winery. “But we’ll figure it out together.”
I liked the sound of William and I working together on something that was ours and that we could make into whatever we wanted it to be.
“And what about the other papers I signed that day?” I asked.
“Oh, that was to open a savings account in your name where I deposited the rent money you paid every month,” he explained, pressing a soft kiss on my lips. “Including Nina’s portion when she lived with you.” He kissed me again. “There must be over seventeen grand in there.”
My jaw dropped. William’s stubbornness was going to be the death of me. There was no way I would ever win against him, even when I thought I already had.
“What?” He chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You didn’t think I’d actually take your money, did you? You said you wanted to learn to be financially responsible, and I think I was a great teacher. I should even be rewarded for my excellent performance.”
I pushed William back on the bed, and the sky was painted in multiple shades of orange, yellow, and pink, the subtle brightness of it filtering through the round window beside us, gifting us with the most impressive sundown. William’s face glowed with the golden light hitting his face in all the right angles, making him look unfairly unreal.
I straddled his hips with my legs. “But I’m a millionaire now,” I revealed. “My dad wrote me a check for the amount he sold you the apartment for, claiming my mother would’ve wanted me to have it.”
I didn’t doubt my dad knew my mother well enough to know that’s what she would’ve wanted, but I knew it was his way of supporting me while finally granting me the freedom I’d always wanted—with no strings attached.
“You are awhatnow?” He grabbed my waist and flipped me in a quick single movement that had me on my back before I could even draw in a breath. “It comes at perfect timing now that I’m retiring from acting. We can now live off of your savings.” He tickled me, and I let out a scream before I started laughingand trying to make him stop.
“It won’t last much with your lifestyle,” I said between laughs, taking a half-breath and begging him to stop tickling me.
“Mylifestyle?” he scoffed but stopped tickling me. “You’re the one with the twenty-thousand-dollar cameras, tailor-made designer gowns and jewelry to match, fancy private jet trips to exclusive sporting events, a personal chef, and private security,” he teased, and it made me laugh.
“The personal chef is free,” I reminded him, playing along to his game. He’d always been the one to spoil me with gifts, even when I kept insisting none of it was necessary.
I grabbed his face between my hands and brought it closer to mine. The last rays of sunlight were sinking rapidly into the ocean on the horizon.
“No, it won’t be for too long,” he warned, lifting an eyebrow. “Now that I’m earning my chef degree, my services will come with a cost proportional to my title and expertise. So I’m sorry to inform you that I’m not in the business of giving away my work for free anymore.”
“I thought you might be interested in settling the cost of your services with an alternate method of payment,” I whispered in his ear, sticking my hand inside his t-shirt and sliding down from his chest to his abs, running a finger along the waistline of his joggers. William let out a delicious groan and fisted my hair in his hand, slightly pulling at it, enough to make me writhe against him with overflowing desire.
“Very interested,” he replied, pressing himself against me in slow, circular motions.
“Why?” I asked, my gaze wide with lovestruck fascination, looking at how his eyes stared down at me, penetrating my soul with a familiar but powerful intensity. He’d know what I meant with that simple but layered question.
Why do you keep surprising me with your endless kindness and generosity?
