At First Blush

by Marianne Rice

  Off to the side of the building sat a quaint stone patio with four sets of black wrought iron tables and chairs where a couple and a party of five were enjoying their bottles of wine.

  And his favorite, a water feature made out of a wine barrel. Rustic, rural, beautiful, and serene. The Le Blancs had outdone themselves.

  Hemmy came around the corner and greeted him with a bark and a nudge to his leg, begging to be petted. Ben squatted, often a challenge with Sophie strapped to him, and gave the dog some attention. Curious about the bundle attached to his front, the dog sniffed Sophie’s legs and gave her a sloppy lick.

  Laughter, soft music, and smells of oak, grape, and apples greeted him when he opened the door to the tasting room a few minutes later. There were subtle changes in here as well. A cabinet against the wall held Maine-made products, as did a large table in the middle of the room.

  The bar to the left was the same, as was the petite, gorgeous woman standing behind, pouring wine for the four people sitting on handcrafted barstools.

  Alexis looked up quickly with a smile that turned upside down the second she saw it was him.

  “The last sample is our Coastal Sunset.” She said to the two couples as she poured a taste in each glass. “It’s a lovely blend of our St. Vincent and Marquette grapes, and boasts the taste of cherry and ripe berries.” She capped the wine and added, “It also makes a wonderful sangria.”

  The two women in the group ahhed. “Sheryl, we can make sangria for Emma’s bridal shower.”

  “Oh, and we can have bottles on each of the tables as door prizes.” While the women planned, Ben could see pride in Alexis’s eyes.

  Not for the monetary reward, she’d been clear from day one that money was never her focus, but the reward of making someone happy with her wine. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at creating a product from something she’d planted, cared for, raised, and blended being appreciated by others.

  Ben cradled Sophie’s bum in his hands noting the similarities in her love for her job as his love in being a dad.

  When the couples finished their wine and Alexis had their orders boxed and paid for, she offered to bring them on a tour of the barn, to show them the winemaking process.

  “Oh, we’d love that.”

  “Mind if I join you?” The group looked over his way, noticing him for the first time and welcomed him along.

  “You’re bringing a baby on a wine tour?” Alexis wiped down the counter, still avoiding eye contact.

  “I promise she won’t disturb you. She’s fast asleep. If she cries, I’ll leave.”

  “The barn or the premises?” Ben smiled at her sass. “I’m not worried about her interrupting, I just don’t think a winery is a good place for children.”

  “I grew up in a large vineyard.”

  “That explains a few things.”

  Ben laughed and directed his attention toward the tourists. “Alexis doesn’t like me very much.”

  She gasped and tossed the rag under the counter.

  One of the ladies, Sheryl, he presumed, cooed at Sophie. “Your daughter is gorgeous. Look at all that hair.”

  “Thank you.” He kept his gaze over the heads of the admiring women and finally locked eyes with Alexis. “Sono inamorata di te.”

  “Oh.” Sheryl lifted her head and blushed, then turned around and looked at Alexis. “Oh.” She placed a hand over her heart and sighed. “That is so romantic. Michael, why can’t you learn Italian? It’s so sexy.”

  It wasn’t the response he was hoping for but he looked at the woman and smiled. “You speak Italian?”

  “Some. I spent a few years in Italy after college. I know a handful of phrases.”

  “Where she sowed her wild oats, and then came to her senses and settled down with me.”

  “Italy was fun. You’re my forever. Sono inamorato di te.” She kissed her husband and took his hand in hers.

  “What does that even mean?” he asked.

  Sheryl looked from Ben to Alexis and whispered in her husband’s ears.

  “Ah. I see. Why don’t we open a bottle of wine out on the patio and let these two lovebirds have a moment? We can go on the tour when you’re ready. No rush.” He tapped Ben on the shoulder and whispered loudly, “Good luck.”

  When the couples left and Alexis and Ben were alone—well, except for Sophie—he slid out a barstool and gently nudged Alexis onto it.

  “I can’t sit. I’m working.”

  “They’re fine.”

  “What do you want, Ben?”

  “You.” He bent down and lowered his head, taking her mouth between his lips, sipping her sweetness. It was heaven kissing her again. Hooking his hand behind her neck, he held her still while he molded her mouth with his, wanting to fist pump the air when she moaned and parted her lips to him.

  A squirming in his chest and a kick to his ribs had him pulling back. Sophie woke, not appreciating being sandwiched between them, and let out a howl.

  “I’m sorry. Did I hurt her?” Alexis stroked Sophie’s head, and a sense of belonging, of knowing all would work out in the end, flooded him with content.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong.” There was more than one meaning behind that statement. Comforting Alexis with one swift kiss, he stepped back to loosen Sophie from the harness.

  “Can I help?” Alexis held down the straps while Ben unbuckled and lifted his daughter, her dress bunching around her waist.

  “Thank you. Four hands are definitely easier than two.” He straightened her outfit and held Sophie to his chest, rubbing her back until she stopped crying.

  Alexis sat on the stool and stared straight, which kept her eyes locked on Sophie’s legs. She reached out and stroked them and Ben stayed quiet.

  “Her skin is so soft.” Sophie, draped over Ben’s shoulder, settled back down into her afternoon nap. “And that’s it? She just falls asleep like a sack of potatoes?”

  “Well, not exactly,” Ben chuckled. “For two months if she wasn’t sleeping she was crying. The doctors called it colic.”

  “Is that why…”

  “Why I stayed at Felicia’s? Yes. I slept on the couch with Sophie on my chest most of the time. Actually,” he paused, rocking back and forth. “That’s a lie. I spent most of my time rocking her, pacing the halls. She likes movement.”

  “Can I…can I hold her?”

  Ben’s heart swelled with pride as he handed Sophie off to Alexis. She fumbled at first and quickly recovered, clutching the sleeping baby to her chest.

  “She’s warm.” She rubbed her cheek against the baby’s head and kissed it. She walked around the tasting room, rocking back and forth and he stood back mesmerized with the scene. He’d never loved two people more than he did at this very moment.

  Sophie only stirred to cuddle deeper into her and something inside Ben calmed. He heard the sound of crushed rock under tires and he knew their alone time was limited.

  “I won’t bother you on your tour. I came to see the changes. All the work you’ve done around here looks wonderful, Alexis.”

  “Oh. Um, thank you.”

  It was too tempting to be in the same room with her, unchaperoned. She responded to his kisses easily, and he had a feeling he could take things farther, but only when Alexis was ready. If he pushed too fast, he’d lose her. This time around, he wasn’t fighting time, only his own impatience to be with her.

  Alexis couldn’t focus on her work for the rest of the day. She’d called her father to take over the tour and stayed in the tasting room, trying to keep herself distracted by being social with the guests. It worked for a bit, and then there’d be a lull when she’d picture Ben in the doorway, his daughter strapped to his front.

  He should have looked silly, a big, handsome man carrying a baby like a kangaroo. Only he didn’t. Fatherhood suited him. His eyes lit up when he talked about Sophie, and when he held her and comforted her.

  There was unconditional love and trust with the baby. It was beautiful.r />
  And confusing. Why dangle his sexy smile and adorable daughter in front of her when he knew they couldn’t be together? And he seemed so…smug about it all. After their smoldering kiss she thought he’d push for more, or at least a date. A promise to see her again.

  His visits in the past were short, their time together limited, and he made a point to spend as much time with her as possible. Unless stealing a kiss was enough for him now?

  Well, it wasn’t enough for her. She wanted Ben, whether it was a wise decision or not. She was still angry at him for keeping the pregnancy a secret. He should have come clean about fathering a child, but she couldn’t blame him now. He’d stepped up and taken on his responsibility like a man should.

  Having a family of her own hadn’t been on her agenda; keeping the family business afloat had been her top priority. But now, seeing him again, and holding his daughter. Alexis wanted it all.

  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop loving him. Couldn’t stop thinking about what a life with Ben would be like. Happy. Content. Fun. Fulfilling. Family.

  His closeness to his family, and to his daughter, was another thing she loved about him. He shared the same loyalty and values that she had. If she’d been cornered in a similar situation, if she’d been pregnant, she wouldn’t give the child away, no matter how unplanned. She’d make it work and love her child unconditionally. Just as Ben had done.

  Three months ago she’d laugh at the idea of him being a father, carrying around a baby like a papoose, changing dirty diapers.

  Alexis couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. She’d have loved to been there when Ben first held his daughter. When he learned how to dress and diaper and feed her. Knowing him, he did it all with ease and grace, never showing his frustration.

  He was good at everything he did, from admitting his mistakes and accepting responsibility to making things right again.

  What was she good at? Making wine? Alexis wanted more on her resume than that. She didn’t know what Ben saw in her but wouldn’t push him away again. She wanted to live up to his expectations. To forgive. To love. To appreciate life.

  Could she give up Coastal Vines and move out west to be with Ben? Her parents wanted to retire soon, and the winery didn’t mean as much to them as it did to Alexis. They could sell.

  Maybe.

  Yes.

  Now that she experienced love and friendship, she realized how integral they were in life. She’d miss her friends, but would keep in touch through social media, and would visit them when she came back to see her parents.

  She loved making wine and could ask to be part of Martevinos. Working with Adrianna would be fun. Watching Sophie grow into a beautiful young woman would be rewarding. Going home every night to Ben would be…amazing.

  It could work.

  If Ben still wanted her.

  No. Alexis locked up for the night and slumped against the closed door. He didn’t. Ben may want her for a romp in the sheets, but he didn’t want a relationship. He’d been quite vocal about it that night in Napa. Yet he looked so confident and comfortable in his role as a father this afternoon. Maybe he was ready to settle down?

  Sinking in self-pity, she skipped out on dinner and retreated to her room, claiming she had a headache.

  An hour later she tossed her book aside, not remembering a word in any of the three chapters she’d read.

  Kicking off her covers, she stared up at her white ceiling and made a mental list of what needed to get done this month. Finding her own apartment was on the top of her list. It should be relatively easy to find a rental after tourist season.

  Feeling guilty about not reading, she reached for her book again, and nearly fell off her bed in fright when a shadow loomed at her window screen.

  “Holy shit.” She clutched at her racing heart. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  “I’m the one who scaled a maple tree and is sitting on a roof twenty-five feet above the ground, and you’re asking if I’m trying to kill you?”

  Alexis sat on the edge of her bed and contemplated not opening the screen. “The first time I met you I asked if you had plans to drag me out to the forest and bury me alive.”

  “I believe you thought I’d kill you first, then bury.”

  “And twice you’ve scared the crap out of me sneaking into my window.”

  “And both times I had no intentions on killing you. Or hurting you.”

  “Where’s Sophie?”

  Ben stilled, the corners of his lips lifting, his eyes opening wider in surprise.

  “John and Melissa are babysitting.”

  “What are your intentions then?” Alexis poked at a tiny hole in the screen, unable to keep eye contact.

  “You haven’t figured it out yet?” Ben sat on the roof, looping an arm around his shins, and leaned his shoulder against the side of the house.

  “I thought I did, and then I didn’t.”

  “Let’s start with what you do have figured out.”

  Alexis nodded and curled up her feet, sitting crisscross on her bed, talking through the screen. “We like wine. The art of it possibly more than drinking it.”

  “That’s it?”

  “We love our families.”

  “Very much.”

  “We fight a lot, but have fun together as well. And even like each other.”

  “It’s a lot more than like.” They sat in silence, Alexis’s heart and mind racing a million miles a minute. “Alexis,” he said, his voice soft and rich and full of Italian. “Amore mia. Let me in.”

  Slowly she stood and lifted the screen, stepping back so Ben could swing his long legs over the windowsill.

  “You do that a lot now. Talk in Italian.”

  “Si.” He cupped her face in his, and she didn’t even try to pretend to pull away when he bent his head and kissed her.

  This time it was more than lust. Her heart beat out of love, of longing. Of needing and wanting to belong with Ben. From the tips of her toes, curled tightly in the rug under her feet, to her scalp being gently massaged by Ben’s caring hands, she loved him more than she ever thought imaginable.

  Her body was weak and strong under his touch. Her mind clear and full. He did this to her, filled her up and relaxed her.

  “What did you say to me earlier today?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  At first it had scared her, the intensity in his eyes, the allure in his voice, the heat that radiated through her. And when Sheryl swooned at his feet, Alexis knew she was in trouble.

  “Yes.”

  His fingers made a gentle path across her face and down her neck, coming to a rest at her hips. “Sono inamorata di te,” he said again, the Italian flowing like a rich, red wine from his tongue. “I’m in love with you.”

  Tears of something filled her eyes. “You’re in love with me?”

  “You have your doubts.” Ben sighed, bending his head to kiss her tears, pulling back a fraction to study her.

  “Like, love, love?” No one besides her parents had ever loved her before. She wasn’t the loving kind. Alexis was the friend, the pal, the tomboy everyone got along with, not loved.

  “Yes, bella. I love you. I’m hoping what you feel for me is more than like as well.”

  “I don’t know.” Ben dropped his hands from her waist and she reached out for them, bringing them to her chest, covering her heart. “I don’t know what this feeling I have for you is. It’s new. I know I think about you every day. Hell, if we’re being honest, every second of the day. I know how happy I am when I’m with you. Well, when we’re not fighting, and even then. I know you’re the only one who stirs emotions up inside me. My brain fogs over and my heart is empty when you’re not around.”

  Alexis lifted his hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles as he’d done to her many times before. “I know my body craves to be touched by you. To be kissed by you and only you. I know I want to be with you. I know I smile more when I’m with you, and I mourn
when we’re apart. I know my heart beats faster when I think of you. Of us. Together. So if that’s what love feels like, I’m in love with you, too.”

  Ben hadn’t shaved since this morning and she could see the pulse in his neck beating at rapid speed. The beautiful blue eyes misted and he blinked back…tears?

  “Mi vuoi sposare? Will you marry me? Will you welcome Sophie and me into your life, make our lives complete?”

  “Marry you?” First love, then marriage. All in one night. Heck, in one minute. She’d thought they’d live together, play house or something. A bubble of hope, of joy, of love danced around inside her chest, her belly. Tingles, chills, and warmth spread through her body. Ben stirred so many emotions in her, and she wanted to feel them all for the rest of her life.

  “Si.”

  “Will you still say things to me in Italian?”

  Those angel blue eyes darkened and he clutched the back of her head in his hands. “Every day. Ti amo. I love you. I’ll do anything you ask, Alexis. Please. Marry me.”

  Alexis nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Ben swooped in, covering her mouth with his, and her body lifted to the heavens. Or maybe that was Ben lifting her and laying her down on her bed, covering her body with his.

  “That’s a yes?”

  “Yes, Benito Gino Martelli. I will marry you.” She clutched her hands behind his neck and drew him to her. “And I’ll move to San Francisco for you.”

  Ben pulled away, propping his torso up with his elbows. “San Francisco?”

  “Yes. We can’t be married and only see each other every few months. Kiss me, please.” She needed his lips on hers more than a grape needs the sun.

  “No.” Ben resisted her tug. “You’re not moving.”

  “Oh.” Her heart sank into her stomach. If he thought she’d settle for a long-distance relationship, he had another thing coming.

  “I sold my condo.”

  “We can find something somewhere else then.”