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We’d been fairly quiet about our relationship up until now, in deference to our jobs and her parents. My name had never been mentioned in any of the TikTok videos that featured me, despite heavy implications in the comment sections. But now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag, I wanted to hard launch. I wanted this girl to beminein every sense of the word. I wanted her in my bed, in my life, in my fucking soul—forever.
There was no way I was letting her go another moment without knowing I was fighting for her, forus.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “Watermelon tutti frutti.” Bringing her hand to her forehead, she heaved a sigh and started again. “I’ve worked a lot of jobs around here over the years, but there was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to be involved. I always knew being here”—she swept her arms out at the vineyards that stretched far into the distance to her right—“spending my days surrounded by these fields and the people I love most was my dream job.”
“I love that about you,” I said. “How loyal you’ve always been to this company—and your family. How much work you’ve done behind the scenes.”
Amara huffed a breath but ignored me.
“I would’ve been happy not to go to college at all when that time came, honestly. I didn’t think there was anything I could learn atsome state schoolthat I couldn’t learn simply by working side by side with my father every day.”
I bit back a chuckle.
There she is.My girl was still in there. Mad as hell at me, but still there.
“The London School of Business, right?”
The crowd gasped, exchanged impressed glances and murmurs with their neighbors.
“Well, I went to Tennessee first,” she said with a smirk. “Daddy wanted me to get out and experience being a regular college girl before I…what was it you said, Dad? Oh, right. Shackled myself to this place for the rest of my life.” More laughs, and I smiled, easily able to imagine that conversation between them. Stubborn Amara, wanting to get to work immediately, and equally stubborn Leon telling her no. Sending her away couldn’t have been easy for any of them, but I’d admit—it had all worked out perfectly.
“So I went to UT,” Amara continued. “Joined a sorority, though those sisters could never replace my real ones.”
“Became president of your chapter too, didn’t you?”
Yet another thing I’d managed to learn in my extensive deep dive into her social media, though I wished she’d felt safe enough with me to share these things herself. In hindsight, I hadn’t always made it easy for her to be vulnerable, and I could see why she hadn’t told me. In her mind, telling me something like that only opened her up for further ridicule. And honestly, the guy I’d been four months ago certainly would’ve fit the information neatly into the party princess picture I’d already painted of her.
“I did, Calvin. Thank you for pointing that out.”Calvin. God, my name on her lips again was a balm to my soul. “And then, as Calvin so graciously pointed out, I moved to London, where I attended the London School of Business during the week and spent my weekends…” She trailed off, tapping her finger to her chin as though she couldn’t quite articulate what she wanted to say next. “Help me out here, Calvin. What did I do on the weekends?”
She was baiting me, and I’d happily engage if it kept her talking to me. “You traipsed around Europe partying.”
She offered the group—ever single member of which swiveled their heads as we volleyed back and forth—a self-deprecating little smile and shrug. “Thatpartyingpaid off, though, because it increased our international distribution by three hundred percent in the first year.”
A staggering number, one I still hadn’t quite believed even after running the figures five times to confirm they were accurate.
My woman was damn good at her job.
“I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” I said, taking a step closer to the stage where she stood. “I love you, Princess, and I’ll spend forever proving it to you.”
Amara held up a hand, halting my progress, and she covered the mic with her hand to whisper to me. Though the party was so quiet, I doubted anyone missed her words. “I love you too, but this is not the time for this conversation.”
I gave her a mock salute even as my grin nearly broke my face. Hope and joy and an effervescence that was pureAmarabloomed in my chest. I remained where I stood, watching her finish her speech.
Someone pinched my elbow, and I whirled to find Brie standing behind me, arms crossed petulantly.
“What happened to the plan?” she hissed.
I winced. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I saw an opening and I took it. But how’s the cake look?”
In a smooth move, she grabbed the towel draped over her shoulder and whipped it at me, the sting on my arm making me hiss in pain as I rubbed the spot.
“The cake looks amazing, you jackass,” she said, then stormed away, muttering about how men would be the death of her.
At last, Amara wrapped up her talk to thunderous applause.
I had a feeling the Q4 numbers for the winery would be through the roof.
Not that I was surprised.
