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But what good is the vineyard if I don’t have him?
I’ve been so busy with the fight here that I’ve neglected other areas of my life—the most important area, if I’m being honest.
And I realize only after hearing her words that every time I think of the future of this place, I picture him as part of it.
I don’t want to inherit Newlywed if I don’t get to stand on my back deck watching my children in the old tire swing while my husband presses a glass of malbec into my palm.
Tears spring behind my eyes as I realize what I’ve done.
“You’re right,” I finally say, and I pull her into my arms and squeeze her tightly. “I’ve been trying so hard to beat Amelia so you would see I’m the obvious choice to inherit this wonderful land that I forgot that it isn’t worth inheriting if I don’t have Spencer.” I pull back and shake my head as her eyes meet mine.
I realize something else, too.
If I walk away, Amelia will stop. She’ll stop feeding details to the media. She’ll stop having paparazzi follow Spencer everywhere. She’ll stop making our lives miserable.
She’ll stop coming between us.
All I want is to have a future with Spencer. The love we share is way more important than the dream I once had to run the vineyard, and all it took was one conversation with Nana to realize it.
“You should give the vineyard to Amelia. I have to go.”
Her eyes twinkle as she nods. She squeezes me once more, and then I race over to my bungalow. I check flights to San Diego, and there’s one that leaves in ninety minutes—just enough time to get to the airport, park, and make it onto the plane.
I book the ticket.
I toss some clothes into my backpack along with my toothbrush and a few essentials, and then I hop in my car and rush toward the airport. It’s a race against the clock as I hit some traffic. The minutes seem to tick by more quickly than their usual sixty seconds, and I pull into the parking garage that lets me know it’ll cost me thirty bucks a day.
Fine. Worth it.
I find a space and race toward the terminal.
Why security has a line at one-thirty in the afternoon on a Monday is beyond me, but here we are.
I tap my foot as I wait, wishing I would’ve been smart enough to book an appointment to get my TSA pre-check done so I didn’t have to wait in this line.
It’s a five-minute wait that feels like freaking forever, and then I’m randomly selected for the Explosive Trace Detection test. The agent selected to swab my hands certainly isn’t in the same rush I happen to be in, but I force myself to smile and bear it as nerves race through my spine that I’m not going to make it.
I run through the airport to my gate, which naturally is all the way at the end of my terminal, and my flight is still boarding.
Thank God.
I’m panting from my sprint across the airport as I get in line. I blow out a huge breath as I try to calm down, but my heart is racing and I’m nervous and excited all at the same time.
Did I really just do that?
Did I just tell Nana to give the vineyard to Amelia?
I did.
I don’t want it if it’s at the expense of my relationship with Spencer, and I feel positively sure in that decision, even if it’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.
I take my seat, and that’s when my mind starts to race with all the thoughts I didn’t give myself the time to consider.
What if I get there and he doesn’t want me?
What if I just told Nana to give the vineyard to Amelia, only to lose both my dream and my husband on the same day?
If that’s what happens, so be it. I refuse to live my life with regrets, and the biggest regret of all would be throwing away the beautiful thing Spencer and I have built.
