Page 47 of Then Came Love
“Now you have.”
They chatted about the venues they’d seen on the drive back to Pleasant Hill, and she asked him where they were going, but he refused to tell her. He followed quiet tree-lined roads up the side of a mountain and turned at a HILLTOP VINEYARDS sign.
“Is this your family’s property?”
“Yes, it is. I used to come here with my mom when she was managing events.”
A massive two-story stone and cedar mansion came into view, with enormous windows and acres of vines as far as the eye could see.
“This is beautiful. Do you want to get married at the winery?”
“No.” He drove around the packed parking lot and turned onto a narrow road that wound up the mountain, continuing down a long driveway before parking in front of a beautiful house.
“Whose house is this?”
“It belongs to a pretty great guy. We’re just going to walk around back.”
“Will he mind?”
“I think he’d be happy about it.” He climbed out of the car and laced his fingers with hers as he helped her out. “Come on. It’s this way.”
The air felt crisper on the mountain, and as they walked around the side of the house, the grassy lawn turned to a stone path between sprawling flower gardens that led to the rear of the property, spilling down the hillside and giving way to a breathtaking view of the vineyard.
“Wow. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. The vineyards look like a painting, and these gardens.” She turned around, taking in more colorful blooms and gorgeous plants, surrounded by lush lawns. She saw a pool, a veranda, and a basketball court, and last night’s tour of Jax’s home came rushing back. “I recognize this. It’s your house.”
“It is.”
“You want to get married in your house?”
“No. I want to get married in my gardens overlooking the vineyard.”
She couldn’t believe it. “You want a garden wedding?”
“Yeah. Something simple, with family and close friends.”
“Why not at the vineyard?” She had to know if Trixie had said something to him, or if their hearts were really that aligned.
“I fell in love with weddings while watching them take place at the winery, and when I was younger, I thought I wanted to get married there. But as I got older, I realized something bigger and more important. I fell in love with love each and every time I witnessed a wedding, but it wasn’t just because of the vineyard. It was the looks on the bride’s and groom’s faces that first second when they saw each other at opposite ends of the aisle. I want that every day of my life. If I get married at the vineyard, I’ll think of that moment often, but if I get married here, then every time I’m outside, I’ll relive those moments with my wife and our kids, our families. And I know those memories will get better every year, as we raise children together, overcome trials and tribulations, and walk them down their aisles. When we’re gray and wrinkled, I’ll remember those young eyes full of hope and brimming with love, and if I’ve been the best husband I can be, then with any luck, I’ll see even more of both looking back at me.”
She wanted that, too. All of it. To be looked at the way he’d described, to feel the love he’d spoken of wrap around her like a warm blanket, and most of all, to stop feeling the bone-deep loneliness she’d felt for the past year.
She swallowed hard, admitting to herself two hard truths. She’d felt lonely for quite a bit longer than that, and she hadn’t felt a second of loneliness since Jax had come into her life.
“What are you thinking, sweetheart?”
That my heart is racing over a man who isn’t mine, and I don’t want it to stop.Disheartened by what that said about her and too confused to think straight, or even to know if she wanted to, she freed her hand from his and managed, “That we should go, so we’re not late to meet Finlay.”
