Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm about to make you late for lunch," he growls, pulling me into him. His lips come down on mine in a heart-stopping kiss…and I don't tell him no.
"Someone is late!" Lucy sing-songs when I scurry into the restaurant twenty minutes late, still smoothing down my hair.
I fall into my chair with a groan, still trying to fix my clothes. Ridley messed them all up. Twice. That's not me complaining. I'm just saying, maybe I should stick to skirts from now on.
"Blame your brother-in-law," I say, letting out a soft cry when I see the basket of bread on the table. I snatch a piece up, chomping into it. "It's his fault."
"Mmhmm," Lucy teases, grinning at me. "I just bet it's his fault."
I toss a tiny piece of bread at her, making her laugh. "Did you know about the wine?"
"Um, you're going to need to be a little more specific than that, P. There's wine all over the damn place here."
"Ambrosia Kisses."
"Oh. That wine."
"You knew?"
"Oliver told me about it. I guess Ridley basically turned into Bastian when it came time to import it from the vineyard in Veneto. He wanted to handle everything himself, and nothing was good enough." A light laugh spills from her lips. "Bastian actually wanted to kill him a few times, so you can just guess how he was."
"He said he made it to taste like me," I whisper.
Lucy's eyes widen. "Like your…?"
"No!" I bury my face in my hands, laughing loudly. "God, no. I don't even want to think about what a wine inspired by that would taste like."
"Right now? Probably like Ridley," she says, deadpan.
I shoot her a death glare through slit fingers, which cracks her up.
"I'm just saying." She shrugs. "You're the one doing the deed all over the vineyard. So, it stands to reason…"
"Stop talking."
Another savage laugh escapes her lips.
"I meant, he made it to taste like kissing me."
"Oh." Her expression softens. "That's really sweet."
"I might have told him that I love him."
"What?" Lucy practically shrieks at me. "You did? When?"
"While we were tasting the wine. You need to help convince him that they need to sell it, by the way."
"It's good?"
"Really good. It might be the best one they have."
"Damn," she whispers, clearly impressed. She knows just how good their wines are. They win awards, for crying out loud. "So…did he say it back?"
"He did."
"I feel a but coming on."
"There isn't one."
"Liar," she says softly. "You're still worried, aren't you?"
"No. Yes." I huff out a breath before snagging another piece of bread from the bowl. "It's been so long since I felt this happy. I guess I'm afraid that it's going to be ripped away again. My future is a great big question mark right now, just like it was last time. What am I supposed to do?"
"You're supposed to stay."
"I don't have a job."
"So? All kinds of law stuff happens around here." Lucy waves her hand dismissively. "I'm sure something will come up if you're patient enough."
"I can't just not work." My dad and grandpa would lose their minds if I just decided to skip out on a job for a while. They nearly lost it when Pierce joined the Navy instead of following in their footsteps, and then we lost him. If I tell them that I've decided to take a gap year or whatever, they'll cut me off just to make sure I have no choice but to work. And I can't just depend on anyone else to support me. I wasn't built that way.
"You can do whatever you want," Lucy says softly. "It's your dream."
I bite my lip. "What if my dreams don't look the same anymore, Luce?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I guess I spent so long buried in law school and in putting one foot in front of the other while I followed in their footsteps because it kept me sane, but…I think maybe I've just been telling myself that's what I want," I whisper. "It doesn't feel like it fits anymore." I shrug helplessly, not sure how to explain. I don't want to give up law. I'd never give it up because I do want to help people. But I guess maybe I don't want to shape my life to fit that dream. I want the dream to fit my life for once.
"You're allowed to change, P. You're allowed to want something different. If Ridley is part of that, then talk to him. It's going to keep eating at you until you do."
"I know," I whisper because she's right. I need to talk to him. Last time I didn't talk to him, everything imploded. I don't want to travel that same broken road this time. I want to do it right. I'm just…scared. I guess a tiny part of me feels like this is all too good to be true. It's just waiting for the other shoe to drop.