Everything—every single thing, from the surprise wedding to Cassie and Braden’s first dance to Blue’s signature ballad to the way Alex and Grace had fallen into bed together last night—had been perfect.
Alex couldn’t remember ever feeling so complete, so whole, so utterly where he belonged. Here. With her. Cooking for the most demanding clientele and working together as a team.
So where was she, and why couldn’t he hold her and tell her that right now?
The dogs, of course. They probably had to go out, and Grace had kindly let him sleep.
And now he kindly wanted to hold that woman and tell her all about his ideas for their future. He rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt from a pile of his clothes that had started slowly growing on a chair in her bedroom.
He didn’t mind that, either. Sleeping here every night, waking up with her. Yes, their romance was new, and they were a little infatuated, but now what? The “event” was over. She’d hire another chef. He’d go back to Santorini’s. They could see each other when they had time, which would be tough, or…
As he walked down the stairs, moments from yesterday filtered through his mind, none as clear as when he’d escorted his sister to her groom, his gaze on Gracie. His lost girl, his orphan, his lover, his friend. His…everything.
He wanted her to be everything. Not exactly sure how that happened, but it had.
The realization propelled him to the terrace, which needed some serious attention and cleanup, but showed no signs of woman or dogs. He tried the office, the kitchen, even the front of the winery, but no Gracie.
He walked down to the path, and as he got to the bottom, he heard a dog bark by the cook’s cottage. He followed the sound and found the puppies playing in the yard and the front door wide open.
He bent down to love on Jack and Gertie, smiling at Bitsy, who romped around the perimeter of the little grassy area.
“Your momma inside?” he asked Gertie as he lifted her and kissed her head, then set her back down. They stayed on the grass, close to the door, already having learned this small freedom.
In the cottage, he found Grace sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter, sipping a cup of coffee, her look far away.
“There you are,” he said, stepping inside. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She smiled at him, pulling herself to the present from wherever she had been. “Just tired. You?”
“Wiped.”
“I figured. It’s why I let you sleep in.”
“I missed you.” He came around the counter to stand behind her. “You like to come down here, don’t you?”
“Guilty. The dogs like the yard, and I’m…digging for a memory.”
He looked around the small and sparsely furnished rooms, which were clean and bright, but utterly devoid of personality. More like a short-term rental than a home. But this was where she’d spent her first two years of life.
“You were awfully young when you lived in this little house. I doubt you’ll remember anything.”
“I guess you can’t remember what happened when you were two,” she agreed, glancing at the cushy sofa in the living room. “But I can’t help imagining what it was like to toddle around this place with my mother, the wild child. Did I sleep in that bedroom with her? Sit in a high chair right here? Take my first steps on this very floor?”
He wrapped both arms around her, rocking her back into his chest. “You remember walking through the wine cellar with your grandfather, right?”
He felt her sigh in his arms.
“We’ll find out more, Grace,” he told her. “I promise I will help you learn everything you can about your family, and your father’s family, too.”
She dropped her head back and smiled up at him. “I know you will, but I came to a shocking realization this morning.”
“What is it?”
“I can let go. I can stop dreaming about people I probably made up or who were undoubtedly foster siblings that a five-year-old girl imagined were her real brother and sister. I can let Bitsy and Jack be dogs, not ghosts from my past. And I can stop wondering why I lost everyone I cared about.”
“Wow.” He stroked her hair and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “How’d you come upon this epiphany?”
“Yesterday,” she said softly, turning on the stool to face him. “I saw these families—yours and your new stepfamily and even Scooter’s and Blue’s—and I realized that all I’ve ever done was ache to be part of something like that, and I’ve spent a lot of years longing for something I’ll never have. I want to stop.”
He searched her face. “You could have it. With me.”
Her whole expression softened. “I’ve known you for two weeks, Alex.”
“Two of the best weeks of my life.”
That made her smile, spreading her legs a little to let him get closer. “Yeah, no argument there.”
“Best connection, best sex, best food, best…friend.”
“Oh.” She locked her hands around his neck. “You’re going to make me cry.”
“Go ahead, cry all you want. And tell me I’m crazy since we hardly know each other. But I am crazy, Gracie. I’m crazy about you and what we did yesterday. I’m wild about the possibility of doing it again and again and again. I want to work as a team, live as partners, and…”
She stared at him for a long moment, her chest rising and falling with slow breaths. “What are you saying?”
“That we have something special, and I want more of it. A lot more. For a long time. For as long as we can go and then beyond.” He lowered his face to kiss her, taking advantage of her height on the stool to press their bodies together and hit the perfect spot.
“Alex,” she murmured into the kiss, lifting her knees to wrap her legs around his hips. “You know what’s amazing?”
He slid his hands from her shoulders down to her chest, caressing her breasts and instantly growing harder against her. “This. You. Us.” He gave up on trying to form a full sentence and kissed her again, sliding his hand under her T-shirt to touch warm, sweet, silky skin.
“What’s amazing,” she said, leaning back to speak but arching on a sigh so he could have full access to her body, “is that I’m not scared.”
His hand stilled as he looked at her, sensing down to his bones how much that statement meant.
“I know I could get hurt,” she said. “I know I could face down one more time when I’m not someone’s forever, but it’s worth the risk.” She swallowed hard. “You are worth the risk.”
He let out a breath, shuttering his eyes closed. “I won’t hurt you, Gracie. I won’t—”
“Shhh.” She put a finger over his mouth. “You don’t have to make any promises now.” She pressed her hands against his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss. “Just make love to me, Alex. Give me my first real memory in this house. Make it you and me and—”
He cut her off with a kiss and easily lifted her from the stool. She laughed in surprise as he slipped his hands under her backside and turned. “Bedroom? Living room? Right here on the counter?”
“Somewhere…close. Fast. Now.”
He chose the sofa, which was a soft place to fall and a little short for his six-foot frame, but it didn’t matter. Neither of them opened their eyes except to look at each other as they undressed as quickly as possible. There was no foreplay, no finesse, none of the sweetness they’d enjoyed every other time.
This was raw pleasure and real…love.
Whether she’d agree or not, Alex knew it. He knew it. And as he gripped her body and they joined as one, he had to fight not to say the words out loud.
They’d get there. He’d tell her. Now he just wanted to christen this cottage with a new kind of hope for her and help Grace let go of all the pain and doubt and disappointment that darkened her life.
He whispered her name as she straddled him, taking him inside her as he pressed his mouth to hers with each fiery kiss. She reached a climax almost in
stantly, gasping for air, then greedily hunting the next, bringing him along with sexy words and long kisses.
Afterward, they clung to each other, spent and satisfied and shaking.
“I used to think you were too intense for me,” she admitted on a ragged whisper.
“I used to think you were too cautious for me,” he replied.
She laughed softly. “I knew all that intensity would make you a stunning partner, though.” She threaded her fingers into his hair. “I just worried I couldn’t handle a lover like you.”
“Partner. Lover.” He curled his lip at the words. “Do better, Gracie.”
“Better? What are you looking for, Alex? An official title?”
“Yeah.” He wove a strand of her hair around his finger, knowing he had a tendency to be impulsive and impassioned by the feelings of the moment. But this was real, and he didn’t want to wait one minute more to confirm that. “I want to be yours. Your boyfriend. Your man. Your…however far we can take this thing, Gracie.”
For what felt like way too many heartbeats, she looked at him. Her teal-toned eyes deepened and softened and then lit from the inside.
“I would love that, Alex.” She kissed him lightly, with a sigh that brushed his lips. “I want you to be first in my life. The one—”
Outside, Jack barked, his low pitch always recognizable.
“And outside, there are two, three, and four in my life,” she joked, but then Alex remembered Garrett’s text.
“Listen, Gracie—”
Jack barked again, this time with enough power to make them sit up and untangle.
“Maybe Bitsy is straying.” She gave him a soft nudge, and he instantly reached for his sweats.
“I better get her before she ends up lost in the vineyard.”
“You’re a good man, Alex Santorini. I can tell just by the way you love those puppies.”
And by the way he loved her.
He stared at her, then lightly touched her lips. He wanted to tell her he loved her. Right here, right now. “Gracie, I…” Was it too soon? Would it scare her?
“What?”
Jack barked again, prodding Alex to stand and find his T-shirt. “When I get back.”
“Give me a hint,” she teased, playfully reaching out to flutter her fingertips on his abs.
He took a breath. Maybe he should start with something a little less stunning than I love you. He didn’t want to rush that. But she had to know. “Gracie, I want—”
“Look at what we have here!”
A woman’s voice floated in through the front door, making Gracie gasp and pat the sofa for her clothes. “Oh my God, someone’s here. Who could be here?”
Shit. Alex knew exactly who it was. The owners. Or at least someone who claimed to be.
“Hello? Is anyone here? We’re trying to find Grace.”
As her eyes popped, Alex pulled on his T-shirt, looking at her completely naked body. “I’ll talk to them.” He smoothed her hair and added a kiss, because if these were the puppies’ real owners, it wasn’t going to be easy for her. “And no matter what happens, Gracie, you can count on me.”
She frowned, not following.
“Hello?” A man’s voice this time, loud and impatient, and too close for Alex to take the time to explain with Grace naked on the sofa.
So he pivoted and headed to the door, spying a couple who’d come down the terrace steps and were walking toward the cottage. Bitsy had run to them, and Gertie was making her way closer. Jack, a natural protector, had stayed on the grass, barking out the alert.
Alex picked him up as he walked closer. “Good boy,” he muttered, his gaze locked on the couple. The woman, a slender blonde in an expensive-looking linen jumpsuit, picked up Gertie, turning as Bitsy went romping by.
The man managed to snag the little puppy just as Alex reached them, physically blocking the path to give Grace time to dress.
“Thank you,” Alex called as he got closer. “Bitsy’s a wild one.”
“Bitsy?” the woman asked with way too much interest. “You call her Bitsy? Oh, let me hold that one.” The couple exchanged dogs and the woman cooed at the one squirming in her arms. “Bitsy?” she repeated with no small amount of shock.
Of course. The real owners would react to the “new” names for their puppies, exactly as Braden had said.
Something told him there was nothing untoward about this couple. They looked completely legit, and if they answered all the questions and provided the information Garrett had asked the other guy who’d tried to take them, he and Grace would have to let the puppies go.
“I’m Alex Santorini,” he said, looking from one to the other. At their questioning look, he added, “I’m the chef here.”
“We need to see Grace Donovan.”
“Regarding?” As if he didn’t know.
The woman, who looked to be younger than thirty, with stunning bone structure and flawless skin, nibbled her lower lip and stroked the puppy she held in her arms, seemingly unconcerned that Bitsy might dirty her white outfit.
“Regarding why you call her Bitsy,” the woman said, her expression serious enough that Alex knew without a doubt that these were the puppy owners, come to smash Gracie’s heart.
“Hello, can I help you?” Grace came down the path, looking pretty damn together for a woman who’d just lost her heart, body, and soul on the living room sofa. Her T-shirt was smooth, her jeans buttoned and zipped, her hair back in place.
“I’m Grace Donovan,” she said as she approached, extending her hand to the woman. “I’m the owner of Overlook Glen. Are you here for a tour? To talk about our venue?”
The woman didn’t speak for a moment, but stared at Grace as they shook hands, her gaze penetrating to the point of being rude. After an awkward beat, the man next to her, who looked about as young as his female companion, reached his hand out, his dark brown eyes narrowing in a serious expression.
“Jack Carlson of Carlson Woods Winery.”
It was Grace’s turn to suck in a soft breath and stare. “Jack…Carlson…Woods?” Her voice rose with shock, and Alex got that. Carlson Woods had to be one of, if not the, largest Napa Valley wineries. A household name, synonymous with wine, both inexpensive and high-end.
“Oh.” Grace squeaked the word. “Carlson…Mr. Carlson. It’s…an honor to meet you.”
“This is my sister, Libby.”
“Libby Carlson.” Grace let out a nervous laugh. “My goodness. I’m a little starstruck. What brings you all the way to North Carolina?”
Siblings. Well that explained why, despite different hair and eye coloring, they bore a striking, undeniable resemblance to each other.
“Well…” Libby let out a sigh and clutched the puppy she held a little tighter. “Bitsy.” She petted the dog’s head. “You named her Bitsy.”
“Yes,” Grace said. “That’s Bitsy and Gertie and…” She put her hand on the puppy in Alex’s arms, her fingers trembling. She must have guessed why they were here. “This is Jack.”
“Jack?” Libby gasped.
“Are you here to claim them as yours?” Alex asked, sensing he knew the answer but surprised these wealthy winery owners from California would manage to lose three puppies. So he clung to a shred of hope as he added, “If so, we’ll need to see pictures of the mother and of the pups when they were born. You’ll need proof, ma’am, no matter who you are.”
The two people shared another look, and the man nodded imperceptibly at his sister, silently communicating, just like he and John did.
“I have pictures of…the mother,” Libby said. “And the newborns.” She took a step closer and put a hand on Grace’s arm, close enough for Alex to see this woman was shaking, too. “I have pictures of you at four and five, when Jack and I were just babies.”
“Excuse me?” Grace barely breathed the words as goose bumps rose visibly on her arms.
“I go by Libby now,” the woman said, her voice thick with emotion. “But the last time I saw yo
u, I was Bitsy.” She stroked Grace’s arm. “I’m your sister, Gracie. We’re your brother and sister, and I guess…” She lifted the puppy in her arms. “You’ve missed us, too.”
“My brother and…” Grace swayed, but the other woman tightened her grip to hold her steady.
“We’ve come to ask you to come home to California, to help run the largest winery in the country, and finally live with your family, where you belong.”
Every drop of blood drained from Grace’s face as her eyes fluttered, looking like she might truly faint.
As Alex looked at her, something she’d said during their very first dinner together came floating back from his memory.
I’d trade it for a dysfunctional lot of losers. I’d throw in my right arm and last year’s harvest for a couple of moderately interesting siblings and maybe a parent or two.
Right then and there, he knew he’d just lost her forever.
Chapter Twenty-two
The blood rushing in Grace’s head made it impossible to hear anything. The woman’s words sounded like she was talking underwater. Nothing made sense. Nothing.
Except…
“Bitsy?” It was all Grace could manage.
The other woman laughed, revealing a stunning smile, dimples, and dancing green eyes that looked like Alex’s freshly cut mint. And…her mother. And even, in some weird way, the image Grace saw every day in the mirror.
A sister. Chills exploded again while her throat felt like it was closing.
“You can call me Bitsy, if you like.” She tightened an already viselike grip on Grace’s arm. “After all, you named your dog after me.”
“And me.” The other man stepped forward, grinning with those same dimples, his hair and eyes as dark as Alex’s, but somehow looking just like his sister. “Little Jack,” he said softly.
Grace just stared at him, wondering if this tall man was making a joke by calling himself little.
He gave an uncomfortable laugh. “I’ve been told that when I was a baby, you used to read a book to me called A Big Day for Little Jack.”
Three Dog Night (The Dogmothers Book 2) Page 23