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"My folks asked us to meet them here," he says. He gives me a side hug and hurries me toward the golf cart.
"What? Why?" As we sit on the golf cart and are whisked up toward the castle, I'm stumped.
"That's part of the surprise." He grips my hand. "I promise, all will be revealed soon."
The golf cart comes to a stop in the gravel turnabout in front of the castle. Up close, the white limestone walls of the castle are pristine, the flower boxes in every window overflowing with trailing red roses, and the castle's ornately carved wooden front door is open. Beckoning us to enter.
"There are no cars allowed up here," River says. "Everything is brought up by golf cart."
I am too busy staring up at the castle's spires, trying to count them. It's one of the most astonishing buildings I've ever seen.
"Pearl!"
I blink and see Sarah rushing out of the castle's open front door, looking absolutely radiant in a peach silk dress. Seeing her, I'm glad that River made me dress up in a spring-green pantsuit.
"Sarah," I say, walking over to hug her. "It's nice to see you. River refuses to tell me why we are here."
I'm only half-joking and Sarah laughs. "Sorry, that was my fault. I thought that you could check this winery out as a venue."
"A venue..." I say, squinting. "Wait, as a place to host a wedding??"
I spin, pinning River with a look. He is smiling with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. As if he were a real fiancé surprising his bride-to-be.
But he's not my fiancé. And surprising me with a wedding venue is something we should've agreed on ahead of time. If this is for real, my family should be here. And if it’s not…
I struggle to keep my expression pleasant when all I really want to do is throttle him.
Smug bastard.
I force a smile to my lips. "We're just researching, right?"
Sarah squeezes my arm. "I'm here to help you. No pressure. The last thing I want is to be a pushy mother-in-law." She pinches her lips together and grimaces. "The castle does have an opening in September, though."
I look at River, in search of rescue. He eases himself between us, giving his mom a hug.
"Let's just enjoy the day. We can talk about dates some other time."
"Now River, if we need to put the brakes on this wedding--" She starts lecturing.
He is fast to reassure her. "Mom, chill. We're at a beautiful place, which we may or may not use as a venue later. Can we agree on that?"
I suppress my rage and bob my head. Inside, though, I'm seething. River doesn't even seem to care that it crosses the line between misleading his parents and outright lying.
"Fine," Sarah says. She makes this funny little indignant expression. Which is basically what I feel, too.
My stomach feels off as I realize that I am really starting to warm up to Sarah. A sigh escapes my lips, unbidden.
Sarah pushes her son aside, takes my arm, and steers me toward the castle entrance.
"Come on. Us girls have to stick together," she says.
I give her a weak smile and let her pull me inside.
The foyer of the castle makes me feel like an actual princess. The impressively high ceilings are a crisp white. A massive gold and crystal chandelier draws the eye as we step under it. There are two uniformed footmen on each side of the red carpet leading up a set of grand stairs.
"Oh my god," I say. "This place really is fancy."
"So fancy," Sarah says. "There are accommodations for two-hundred people to stay the night here. An incredible Michelin-starred restaurant. A huge tasting room and an impressive wine cellar. Plus, they have the most gorgeous indoor and outdoor spaces for events. Oh, and a full-service spa."
