A hiccupping sob escaped my lips followed by tears that streamed down my cheeks. Garrett tugged on my hands, and I skidded forward a few steps until I was almost flat against his chest. He leaned forward and brushed a gentle kiss on my lips before pulling back and leveling me with his serious expression. “And I’m planning on paying back all of the money you loaned me to make this all possible.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with a hard kiss that made my panties wet and knees weak. Garrett dragged his mouth from mine and then bent to scoop me up into his arms. I let out a surprised squeak as I anchored my arms around his neck. “You better not drop me,” I said with a laugh.
Garrett carried me up the seemingly endless driveway to the front porch of the house. He set me down gently before digging the keys out of his pocket. With his back keeping the screen door propped open, Garrett unlocked the front door and pushed it open. I started to walk forward, but he stopped me.
“We’re doing this the right way, baby,” he told me with a wink. I was confused momentarily until he scooped me easily back into his arms, and together, we crossed the threshold of our new home.
When my feet touched the hardwood floors of the foyer, I adjusted my T-shirt and looked around, letting those words – our new home – settle in my mind. I took one step forward and then another, absorbing the enormous step we’d just taken together. I didn’t start living and my heart didn’t start truly beating until he came into my life. All the pain from the past year dissolved as I let my fingers trail along the walls and countertops and windowsills.
“What are you thinking about?” Garrett’s voice was quiet, and I could hear the hint of worry in his voice.
I turned to face him. When I was toe to toe with him, I took his hand in mine and brought it up to my chest, placing it directly over my heart. “You made this possible,” I whispered. His brow furrowed with confusion. “The day we met, you woke up every inch of my body. Every beat of my heart from that day forward was because of you.”
Garrett ran his free hand up my cheek and through my hair, his eyes searching my face. “How did I get so lucky?” he murmured before leaning forward to place a soft kiss on my lips.
We stood quietly in the hallway, our breaths soft and our foreheads pressed together. A single tear slipped down my cheek. There was so much heaviness still in my heart from the past year, but being here with Garrett in our new home, beginning our new life together, eased some of the weight.
Garrett and I walked slowly back down the driveway, hand in hand, soaking up the beauty surrounding us. We were lucky Garrett’s uncle accepted our offer because I couldn’t imagine starting over in any other place. We climbed back into the hot cab of the moving truck and drove the short distance up the gravel driveway. We spent the next few hours unloading the truck, placing our meager belongings in temporary spots until everything was unloaded.
When Garrett brought the last box from the truck inside, we collapsed onto the small couch that came with us from my apartment.
“Tomorrow, the real work begins,” Garrett declared. “But tonight, we celebrate.”
He stood and started moving around the house, collecting items and stacking them near the front door.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I reluctantly got up from the couch and walked toward the growing pile of items. There was a picnic basket and blanket I didn’t remember seeing in any of our belongings alongside a small shovel.
“You might want to change your shoes,” Garrett said with a glance at my flip-flops. He already had my tennis shoes in his hand and held them out to me.
“Where are we going?”
“To get to know our new vineyard.”
I followed him up the slight hill to the top of the property. The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, setting the Russian River below ablaze and bathing the acres of vines in a golden glow. Garrett shook out the blanket and arranged it on the ground before indicating I should sit down. He took out the small shovel and started dragging it through the gritty soil. From the picnic basket, he pulled out a glass vial with a cork stopper.
“My mother was obsessed with the land that belongs to Hammond Wines. She studied the mineral composition of the soil and helped my father figure out what to grow. He used to call it witchcraft,” he said with a lopsided smile. He gathered up a handful of the dirt in his hand and let it sift through his fist and into the glass container.
“Is that what you’re going to do? Have the soil tested?”
“Yep,” he said as he tucked the container of dirt into the picnic basket. He pulled out a bottle of wine and two stemless wine glasses. “This is from my Uncle Charlie’s label. Let’s see if he really knew what he was doing.”
Garrett and I enjoyed the bottle of cabernet sauvignon while we watched the sun set behind the Fitch Mountains. Garrett glanced over, and I recognized the hungry look of desire in his eyes. Within seconds, I was flat on my back with his hand drifting slowly between my thighs. His lips traced wet paths along my jaw and neck and his hands roamed under my T-shirt, cupping my breasts.
“I want to taste you,” he said huskily. He sat up, giving me space to unbutton my shorts and shimmy them down my thighs. He watched me with a careful eye while he sipped the rest of his wine.
Garrett didn’t bother to wait for my panties to come off before covering me with his mouth. He simply tugged them aside and began feasting. He groaned with satisfaction after he took his first taste.
He looked up from between my legs and smirked seductively. “Your pussy pairs well with this cab,” he said.
I threw my head back and laughed until Garrett’s mouth reclaimed me, and my laughs dissolved into moans of desire. His tongue flicked at my clit and lapped at my sex, letting my juices roll into his mouth. I arched my back, and my mind drifted off into nothingness as I lost myself completely to the sensation of Garrett’s hot mouth.
I placed one hand in Garrett’s hair as he continued to make a meal of me, encouraging him to take whatever he wanted from my body. My eyes popped open, and I gasped as he slipped his fingers inside me, teasing me with short, light strokes before plunging deeply. A loud moan escaped my lips and filled the night air as his mouth and fingers worked in sync. My body shivered and trembled as my orgasm spilled out of me. Garrett’s mouth slowed as my body relaxed in the aftermath of my climax.
“Fuck,” I breathed out. “That was amazing.”
Garrett stretched out next to me and pulled me toward him. He covered my mouth with his, letting his tongue slip inside. I could taste my saltiness mixed with the earthy flavor of the wine. It was an intoxicating combination.
“Who said I was done?” he asked with a wicked smile before sliding down my body and burying his head between my legs for another serving of his sinful treat.
Chapter Sixteen
Garrett
It was Sunday and I had absolutely nowhere to be and nowhere to go except spend the day with the woman I loved. Cami was still asleep next to me, her body covered by a thin sheet. I smirked at the memory of christening our property last night. I hadn’t planned on it, but when I looked over and saw her sitting on the blanket, the remnants of the sun streaking her hair with gold, I felt starved.
Slipping from the bed, I shuffled over the window and stretched. It was sunny and bright outside, the epitome of a perfect day. All the things I wanted to do with Cami ran through my mind. We could go hiking or take a leisurely stroll around downtown Healdsburg and pop into some of the tasting rooms lining the town square. I wanted to spend the day outside with Cami.
I turned back to the bed and noticed that Cami was beginning to wake up, her eyes fluttering open as she turned and stretched out her body beneath the covers. When her gaze landed on me, her lips slowly formed into a lazy smile. My body ached for her, and I returned to bed quickly.
“Good morning,” I said, kissing her sweetly.
“Morning,” she said, her voice still thick with sleep.
&nbs
p; Cami looked damn sexy in just a white tank top and flimsy pair of lace panties. My dick twitched in my boxer briefs, demanding attention. She draped her leg across my hip and pressed her heat against me, and suddenly, all of those plans I had for the day were easily forgotten.
The rest of the day was perfectly lazy. After we showered and ate a late breakfast, we drove into Santa Rosa to shop for the items on a list Cami had compiled yesterday as we unpacked. When we returned home, Cami and I unpacked more boxes until she declared it was time for dinner. She prepared a light pasta dish with a fresh salad that we enjoyed on the patio.
“You look happy,” she said after taking a sip of a crisp chardonnay we’d picked up at the grocery store.
“I am happy,” I confirmed. This was the very definition of domestic bliss. Life had finally started to feel settled. I was no longer waiting for one chapter of my life to close so the next one could begin, which made me feel relaxed.
The next day, however, I had to deal with reality.
Over breakfast the morning after our perfect Sunday, I announced to Cami, “I’m going to see my father today.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Cami reached over the card table we were using temporarily as a dining room table and covered my hand with hers. I picked it up and brought it to my lips.
“Not today,” I answered. “He’s not going to be happy I bought this place out from under him, and I don’t want you caught in the crossfire.”
“Okay,” she said simply. “Then I’ll just unpack.”
I helped Cami clear away the dishes from our breakfast and then made sure to kiss her thoroughly before I left. She stood on the porch with a satisfied smile and swollen lips, waving as I drove down the gravel driveway.
There was no sight of Oliver or Tabitha when I arrived at Hammond Winery, and it was still too early for any of the production employees to arrive. I parked close to the main house and discovered that the closer I got to the front door, the more nervous I felt. The kiss I’d planted on Cami before leaving had been a confidence booster, but now I was starting to regret not bringing her. I felt like I was going into battle, and I needed all the allies I could find to win.
The winery hadn’t changed much in a year. I walked around the massive production building, checking out equipment I’d never paid much attention to before. Now all of this mattered to me. The machines made of gleaming steel were big and industrial, designed to crush the fruit with a massive amount of force in order to extract the most juice.
“I never thought I’d see you in here.” My father’s deep, familiar voice echoed in the room.
“Never really had a reason to come in here,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders.
“You’re back for good?” my father asked me with a narrowed gaze.
I nodded my head. “Yep.” I didn’t elaborate though on what it meant to be back for good. There was no need to start an argument so soon.
“We’re going to have an amazing release this year,” my father said proudly. “Last year’s harvest was good but not as good as the year before it. You’re in for a real treat.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Have you had breakfast yet?”
“Yes,” I answered him plainly
“Well, you might as well come inside. I was just getting ready to eat when I saw you. You’re driving a Prius, Garrett? Really?”
“It’s just temporary,” I reassured him.
“Well, let me know when you’re ready for a real car. I know a guy who will get you the best deal possible.”
I chuckled as I walked behind him and into the house. Of course, he knew someone. Jacob Hammond knew everyone in Sonoma County, and if he didn’t, then they probably weren’t worth knowing. Even though he moved a bit slower, his back was still straight and his hair was still full and dark, just like mine. It would be hard to stop a man like him, I thought to myself.
“Oliver tells me that you’re engaged,” my father said skeptically as I followed him into the kitchen. I was relieved that this conversation wasn’t going to take place in his office. Even though I was a grown man, that room still intimidated me.
My father opened a cabinet and pulled out two coffee mugs, which he filled. I took one of them and sat down at the kitchen table.
“Yes, I am. I’ll bring her by soon.” I didn’t really want to discuss my relationship with Cami because it wasn’t the reason I came today and discussing it would just postpone the inevitable conversation about my recent purchase.
“I heard a rumor recently,” he said as he moved around the kitchen preparing his breakfast. He was purposely avoiding my gaze, and I had a sinking suspicion he knew what I was about to tell him.
“About what?”
“Your uncle Charlie sold his vineyard, and you bought it.”
I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. “That’s true, sir.”
He narrowed his gaze at me. “Is it? How could you do something like that without talking to me first?”
I nodded and apologized, waiting for my father’s wrath. Instead, he clapped his hands together and grinned. Opportunity twinkled in his eyes. “That’s wonderful! Even though I married his sister, he would never let me touch a single grape that came from his land. Now that you own it, I’ll finally be able to get my hands on all of that fruit.”
“I don’t think you understand,” I said slowly. “I’m planning on starting my own label. I’m not leasing the land to anyone.”
His smile quickly dissolved as hopes for the high-yielding land slipped away. “What are you talking about, son?”
“I’m starting my own label, Dad,” I said again. “I bought Uncle Charlie’s property to start my own label.”
“How could you do this to me? How could you betray your family?”
“It’s not a betrayal.” My voice was firm even though inside, I was scared shitless.
His fist crashed down on the kitchen table. Our coffee mugs jumped from the impact, splashing hot coffee onto the table. I reached for a stack of napkins to clean up the mess and temporarily avoid confrontation. It was almost déjà vu. A similar scene from last year unfolded in my memory. I’d made him a promise, which I broke the day I bought my uncle’s property.
“You don’t know the first thing about running a vineyard or producing a halfway decent bottle of wine,” he sneered. “You’re going to fail and beg me for help.”
I agreed with everything he said. I didn’t know anything about managing a winery. “But I can learn,” I told him. “I can learn all of those things. I grew up on this winery, Dad. I watched you. I went out in the middle of the night and stood next to you, cutting clusters of grapes from the vines. Everything else, I’ll figure out on my own.”
“What about the promise you made to me? That you would come back and help run Hammond Winery?”
“I don’t have an answer for that. I’ve disappointed you, and I’m sorry, but you know that this was never my dream.” I swept my hand around the room to illustrate my point. “Oliver is doing a great job of running things. You don’t need me.”
“You’re the oldest. I expected to pass this business down to you.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing you have two other sons,” I said flippantly. “I finally know what I want in life, Dad. Can’t you be happy and support me?”
His silence spoke volumes. He was done with me and more than likely, disappointed that I wasn’t finally following in his footsteps. I’d broken my promise and betrayed him; it didn’t matter what I wanted because it wasn’t what he wanted. I stood and gave him one last pleading look before leaving.
When I returned home, I avoided Cami because I knew she would try her best to comfort me. She would try to find the silver lining in all of this, and I couldn’t bring myself to think that way. Instead, I threw myself into work. There was a lot to be done.
I stalked through the acres of vines that were heavy with fruit. I needed someone to help me manage the land and to help harvest. Then
I looked toward the production rooms. They needed to be finished because I couldn’t afford to produce wine off-site for very long. The tasting room would need to be finished too. And then we needed another vehicle. We’d towed Cami’s small hybrid down from Washington, but we couldn’t get by with just one car for much longer. All I saw flash before me was dollar signs. All these things required money. We still had some money left to hire a small crew and to purchase some equipment but not enough for everything.
I sat down in the middle of the property and dug my hands deep into the earth. What had I gotten us into?
“You can’t give up now.” Cami’s voice was unexpected but warm. I turned to see her covered in sweat, wearing a pair of running shorts and a sports bra. If I wasn’t so focused on trying to figure out a way out of this mess, then I’d definitely be focused on stripping her bare.
“You’re a mind reader now?”
“No, but I saw you come home and avoid me, which means that your dad must have gotten to you.”
I stood and faced her, ready to show her the ugly truth. “You realize I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”
“Yes, I do, but I have faith that you’ll figure it out.”
I took a step toward her, causing her to move backward. “Renovating the production room costs money.”
“I know.”
“Finishing the tasting room costs money.”
“I know that too.”
“All of this is going to cost a lot of money.” Each step was slow and deliberate, each statement honest but she remained resolute.
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”
“I could fail miserably, and you’d go down with me.”
“It doesn’t matter to me as long as we’re together.”
I reached forward and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her forward. My mouth was on her, claiming her lips in a hard, searing kiss. When we broke apart, I tugged on the sports bra. “I thought I told you never to wear something like this ever again,” I growled.
Just Like Love (Just Like This Book 2) Page 10