“I love you, too, Jamie.” He kissed her back.
Dorothy started clapping. They pulled away from one another and saw that she’d gotten off the couch and stood a few feet away, smiling and clapping. “That’s much better than the movie, John,” she said.
They laughed as Tyler picked Jamie up off her feet and swung her around, kissing her and telling her over and over that he loved her too.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Alyssa
September
Alyssa hugged Ian and Charlie goodbye. She’d be back in a few weeks and knew she would miss them so much that it ached. Ian was doing extremely well for only being out of the hospital for three weeks. He had been in isolation for two weeks in the hospital after the donation, and he would need monitoring on a regular basis for up to a year. For now, his future looked bright and he planned to start college again after the fall session. The admissions office at UCLA had agreed to let him begin his classes again in January. This would give him time to get stronger and, while he waited to start school, he planned to help his dad and Darren out in their business.
She needed to get back to her business and art classes. She could breathe easier knowing that her son was on the road to recovery. One thing was still uncertain though—Darren. They’d grown so close during this time and spent much of it together. They’d been to lunches, dinners with the family, even a movie to help take their minds off of the heavy situation they found themselves in. There was something there between them, and that something had gotten bigger each day. Alyssa didn’t know if she could give it up, or if she had to, and she didn’t know what Darren wanted. There were so many questions that had gone unanswered. The focus had been all on Ian as it should have been, and now as she felt she could relax some, she had no answers where Darren was concerned.
He’d insisted on driving her to the airport. But first he wanted to take her to lunch at their favorite fish taco place up in Malibu—something she couldn’t pass up.
They’d sat at the picnic table out front eating the delicacy and avoided discussing what they both really wanted to talk about. After lunch, Darren took her hand and they walked down to the beach. This had become something they did together whenever she was in town.
“I want you to stay,” he said.
“I have to get back. I have my gallery and my classes.”
“I know. But I want you to stay.” He paused. “For good. You won’t have to get rid of your place or the gallery even. My job gives me freedom to travel and we could spend weekends, holidays, and summers in Napa. I love it up there. But I want you here with me. With the family. You’re family now, too.”
Alyssa brought her hand up to her chest. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Will you think about it?”
“I, I, are you asking me to move in with you?” she said.
That’s when Darren got down on his knee. He took her hand and she sucked in a deep pocket of air. “I’m asking you to marry me. I know we haven’t known each other long, and I know circumstances have been difficult, but I know that I have never felt this way about anyone before. I love you, Alyssa. I am in love with you, and I want you to be my wife.” He took something from his jeans front pocket—a jewelry box—and opened it. There was a square cut two-carat diamond encased in platinum.
“You’re serious?”
He looked at the ring and his hands were shaking. “I’d say so.”
She fell to her knees. “I did not expect this. No, I did not, but you…oh, boy, you. Yes. Yes. I will marry you.”
Darren took the ring out of the box and placed it on Alyssa’s finger. He held her face in his hands, drawing her into him; he kissed her with a sweetness that warmed her entire body. She pulled away from him and said, “Take me home.”
***
Darren took Alyssa to his home. It was on the smaller side like her cottage in Napa, but it had a view of the Pacific and a modern flair versus her French country style. She loved it—stark white walls with navy blue chenille sofas and butter suede chairs, platinum accents, and an open kitchen with a granite center aisle that mixed dark, blue, black and turquoise, with the cupboards painted in the turquoise and trimmed in black. The art was the deep, dark ocean itself beneath them. Huge glass windows gave view to the splendor of it all.
“This place is beautiful,” she said.
“This is our place now.”
She smiled. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Our bedroom.”
“Our bedroom. Where is it?”
He took her hand and led the way down a short hallway. The room was painted in a soft jade color, the velvet duvet cover was a darker teal and again the view couldn’t be missed. “Boy, you have taste,” she said.
“No. I had a really expensive decorator.”
“I love it.”
“Good.”
Alyssa stepped closer to him, breathing him in, taking this moment in. She unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. Darren started to undress her, but she shook her head.
“Are you okay?’ he asked, alarmed.
“Better than okay.” She pushed him down onto the bed.
He laughed. “I see.”
Alyssa undressed slowly in front of the man she’d just pledged her life to. When she’d been with Terrell he’d healed her from the past, she’d been able to make love and forget what James had done to her temporarily. But with Terrell she’d also given him her power. She’d needed a leader. With Darren she’d found a partner and she’d never felt so powerful and at ease. What James had stolen from her had been taken back, actually given back to her and Darren had been the one who’d assisted her on the journey back to herself.
He reached for her hand and she undid his belt and took off his pants. Naked, they laid in each others’ arms, their bodies warm fit together. She rolled him onto his back and kissed his neck, his lips and then slid her mouth down his body and took him in her mouth. “Oh baby,” Darren said. A few minutes, he touched her shoulders. “Come here,” he insisted.
And she did. He laid her down next to him and now kissed her, taking her breasts in his hands he began to rub her nipples, then tracing them with his tongue and sucking them, Alyssa cried out. Love, power, security, it was all there between them as Darren entered Alyssa and together they moved slowly as the tide rolled in as rhythmically outside the window. With intensity, she urged him on and their rhythm grew faster, more passionate with Alyssa letting go of years of anxiety, pain and fear and Darren’s love flowed through her.
He yelled out first and she soon after followed, their orgasms in sync, their hearts pounding hard against their bodies—their commitment to love one another cemented in that moment forever.
***
A few days later back in Napa Valley, Alyssa sat in front of her easel, the photo of Louise and Ian pinned up in front of her she went to work, finally finishing her oil Protected. It took hours, but at least she now knew how to complete the painting. The little boy still reached for the wine, the mother’s hand gently pushing it away. From the right top of the painting a smiling face looked down upon the boy, casting light on the mother’s hand. The illuminated face looking down on the scene was the face of Louise—one of Ian’s mothers guiding the other.
CHAPTER FORTY
The Goddesses
Danielle stood over Shannon, who still had on her dress from the baptismal. The poor girl was totally exhausted. She pulled the covers up around her daughter and went to baby Shane. His bottom lip puckered out into a pout and soft whimpers escaped from him. She picked him up, and as always when she held her grandson, she was quickly encased in a field of warmth, and reminded that her little Shane was pure love as he nestled into her chest. She sat down in the rocking chair and whispered to him. “It’s okay, Shane, DeDe is here. Shh, baby boy, shh.” The new nickname for Danielle had come from Shannon. When she’d woken up, she’d looked at her mom and announced, “DeDe. That’s what he’ll call you.”
Danielle kissed the top of Shane’s peach-fuzzed head and rocked him into a sound sleep. After a few minutes she laid him back in his crib and covered him up. She checked on Shannon one more time and then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
She headed back downstairs to where her friends were cleaning up for her. Mark, Tyler, Christian, and Darren were out back drinking good wine and smoking Cubans—doing a total male-bonding thing. Maddie and Amber were watching a movie in Danielle’s room, likely sacked out by now. Brian, Jeremy, Cassie, and Ian were all shooting a game of pool in the game room. It was nice to have all of them together tonight, and to finally meet Darren and Ian, too. With Alyssa moving to Los Angeles, it would change things. But that was life, wasn’t it? Always changing. Never the same.
Danielle stopped and leaned against the wall, watching her friends for a minute. How lucky were they to have each other? She couldn’t have handled the whirlwind of the last few months without them. She didn’t think she could handle the rest of her life without them—her best friends. “Okay, ladies, that’s enough. No more cleaning up. I have something special I want to share with you.”
Jamie closed the dishwasher and Kat turned off the disposal. Alyssa set aside the wine glasses that she’d been drying. “What?” Jamie asked.
“Come with me,” Danielle said and headed out the front door.
They reached the golf cart. Her friends looked at each other. “Get in.”
“I think we better listen to her,” Alyssa said. “She’s a grandma now and you don’t want to mess with a grandma.”
“Shut up, Alyssa. I’m a DeDe.”
Danielle drove them down to the tasting room, a full moon illuminating the pathway. She flipped on the light in the room and walked behind the bar. She pulled out a bottle of wine and handed it to Jamie, then gave one to Kat and one to Alyssa.
They looked at the wines. “What’s this?” Alyssa asked.
“Look at the labels.”
Their jaws dropped. “Danielle,” Jamie cried. “These are…”
Danielle nodded. “They are all three separate vintages. Each vintage and label represents you three. Alyssa, yours is the Goddess of Light.” On the label was a goddess who looked like Alyssa, her arms open and reaching upward, light coming from her hands and surrounding her. “It’s a gorgeous chardonnay that will fit your taste buds perfectly. Bold, buttery, aged in French oak, and is as Californian as they come. To me, you represent the Goddess of Light because you deal with everything with grace and light. You are a true artist whether you’re at your easel or hanging out with us. And now look at you, with what you’ve been through with Ian. You’ve come out of this with your son and the man of your future.” Alyssa smiled at Danielle’s words.
“I don’t know what to say. This is amazing, Danielle. Thank you.” She wiped away the tears that formed in her eyes and glanced at Kat. “All three of you have helped me through such a difficult time and to have this…” She held up her bottle of wine, “To show what I, what we’ve come through is so thoughtful and gracious.” She shook her head. “Thank you.”
Danielle smiled and turned to Kat. “And you represent The Goddess of Love.” On the label was an etching done in gold, purple and red of Kat’s face inside a pink-rimmed heart.
“This I have to hear,” Kat said.
“You do. I’ve never known anyone to love their family and friends as ferociously as you do. Sometimes you love us so much you even get pissed off at us.” They all laughed. “I watch you with Christian and your sons, and now with Amber. And your friends. I’ve seen you forgive people for things that some of us here might not be able to forgive, but you don’t stop loving, Kat. No matter what, when it comes down to it, you love all of us.”
“Ah hell. I do love you all. Sometimes I don’t know why.” She laughed, trying to make light of it.
“We know.” Jamie leaned her head on Kat’s shoulder.
“And you, Jamie. You represent the Goddess of Life.” The label showed Jamie seated under a willow tree with flowers surrounding her. “I’m pretty sure that you wanted to die right along with Nate. But you didn’t. You found the courage to go on living. You found in yourself the woman who needed to live not just for Maddie, but for herself. You’ve dealt with something we all hope we never have to deal with, losing your soulmate, but you’re living again, loving again, and, if I’m right, I think you’re having a fantastic time doing it.”
Jamie nodded. “You know that I would have never thought I could be happy again. I didn’t think so. It’s different. I mean, there will always be a part of me that hangs on to Nate and feels empty, but through you three and Maddie, and Dorothy, and of course Tyler, I’ve realized that I can be happy and I can love again. This means so much. Thank you. But what about you?”
“Goddess of Faith.” Danielle held up her bottle of wine. “I’ve learned through all of this that the only things you can really count on are friends, family, and faith.”
They all nodded and laughed in agreement, wondering what the next season would bring. Would there be more trauma, more drama? Probably. Or, maybe not. Maybe the four friends would find a lull, some respite from the ups and downs that life had tossed their way over the long, hot summer.
They could hope so.
The trade winds coming off the Pacific Ocean shifted slightly, the soft whispers of fall beginning to maneuver between the lush grapevines. Maybe like the change of the seasons, their lives would soon reflect fall’s ease.
Danielle uncorked a bottle of her wine and poured them each a glass. They took their glasses.
“A toast,” Jamie said.
Holding them high in the air, Danielle said, “To the Wine Goddesses.”
“To the Wine Goddesses,” they repeated in unison, clinking their glasses together.
EPILOGUE
October rolled around and with it came the Harvest Festival, where Danielle’s wines all scored above ninety points and were medal winners. Al’s wines didn’t do so well. Stacey had another girl. Mark and Danielle are dating and he is in back in his own home. Their relationship is blooming and moving along nicely. They are in love with each other and know that their future is together, but are waiting to do anything formal until Cassie is out on her own, and Shannon and the baby have their own home. Shannon is looking to transfer to SFU to finish her degree. She plans to live in the Bay Area and eventually practice law. She has not given up on her dreams, and Shane has only added joy to her life.
Jamie, Maddie and Tyler have dinner with Dorothy and Frank (Harry—who loves that his beloved thinks he’s Frank Sinatra and sings “Blue Eyes”—off-key—and “New York, New York” to her), every Thursday night and lunch on Sundays. Jamie has taken over running Horsemanship for the Handicapped and scheduling riding lessons for the trainers at the ranch, and although the money isn’t a chief editor’s pay, the perks are fantastic. She and Tyler have lunch together everyday at the ranch. Food is sometimes involved. Maddie is becoming quite a horse girl and loves the horses, Tyler, and her new house, where she has a picture of her daddy that she drew on a big white horse hanging on her wall.
Alyssa and Ian hang out and watch Pink Panther movies regularly. He has started calling her Mom, and is feeling fine. The doctors believe so far, so good. He can’t wait to get back to school in the spring, and is looking forward to meeting hot babes. He is a regular nineteen-year-old guy. Alyssa and Darren are planning a summer wedding to take place in Napa and they find every day to be a good one. She has started doing mockups for Darren and Charlie’s commercial productions, and has plans to open a second gallery and give art instructions in a little studio close to the fish taco place in Malibu, where she and Darren are looking to set up house. She makes it up to Napa for an occasional Happy Hour, and when she can’t, she really misses the girls. But she has found her family and she knows her friends are always there for her. They’re constants.
Kat and her family are still completely dysfunctional, but they somehow keep finding the lov
e at the end of the day. Venus and Kat’s dad live in sin together and are having way more fun than when they were married. Kat gave her mom back the book on Tantra and her folks actually use it. Kat’s sex life, though, is no longer sagging. Through hot yoga with Mom, she’s lost fifteen pounds, feels great and enjoys playing spin the bottle with her Irishman. They put a lock on the bedroom door. Amber spends more weekends than not with them. She goes willingly with her mom, but knows that Mommy Kat is always there for her. Jeremy is working at the restaurant with Christian, getting good grades and plays on the water polo team at school. Girls are seriously after the kid, who ironically is shy around them. Brian on the other hand, is not. One never knows how they will turn out. If Kat had to guess four years ago, she would have banked on the opposite being the case. The Sperm Donor is marrying a twenty-year-old ski instructor, and moving to Tahoe. Darn! Brian’s teenage nastiness has now turned its sights onto Dad and Bridgette. When Brian acts like a little jerk, Kat thinks that Bri should probably go spend his Christmas break with the Sperm Donor and fiancée, but that would probably be way too damaging for Brian. She figures that they’ll muddle through the tough stuff. They always do.
And—Happy Hours. Count on them. Sunday evenings. Fun, food, and the best part of all friends.
Recipes and Wine Pairings:
Danielle’s Mexican Style Quiche served with Champagne or margaritas if preferred
pastry dough
1 large garlic clove
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 lb poblano chiles (about 4 large), roasted and peeled
6 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup Mexican crema or heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely grated white onion (using small teardrop holes of a box grater)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lb Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
Special equipment: a 9-inch (2-inch deep) round fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or raw rice
Happy Hour Page 29