Marsala and Magnolias

by SJ McCoy

  “Are you okay?” She looked worried. “That was a big sigh. Did you have a good time tonight?”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked. “I had a wonderful time. It was good to see them all again. I love this place, I love being here, but the best part of all was being here with you. Did you enjoy it?”

  She smiled. “I had a great time, and I agree with everything you said. I love it here, I love the people, I love the place, but the best part was being here with you.”

  He drew in a deep breath and stopped walking. Taking hold of both of her hands, he turned to face her.

  “What’s wrong?” She looked worried again.

  “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s wonderful, but there’s something I need to ask you.”

  She looked cautious. “What?”

  “You said you love it here. You love the people. You love the place.” He hesitated. Was he really going to ask her? Wasn’t it too soon? Wasn’t he supposed to be taking it slowly? He was, but dammit, he didn’t want to. He couldn’t wait. He needed to know. “Do you think you could ever love me?”

  Her eyes widened, and her lips parted in surprise. By her reaction, it really was too soon, but at the same time, it was too late now—he’s asked. He’d get to hear her answer whether he liked it or not.

  She didn’t speak for a long moment. He wanted to say something. To save her and himself from the awkward truth, but he made himself keep quiet. He had to hear it from her.

  Eventually she blew out a big sigh, and then, to his surprise, she nodded slowly. She looked up into his eyes and nodded again. “Honestly? Yes. I do think I could. In fact, I’ll be completely honest with you, Antonio, I know I could fall in love with you.”

  His chest buzzed with happiness and he could feel his heart race. “You do? You are? Mary Ellen …” He cupped her face between his hands. “I don’t want to scare you away, but I have to tell you. I love you.”

  She bit her lip, but he could see she was smiling around it.

  “When I told you you’re perfect, I meant you’re perfect for me. You’re everything I want in this life, and I want to share it with you.” He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed them. “I’ve tried to be patient. I waited as long as I could. I didn’t want to scare you away.”

  To his surprise, she laughed. “This is patient? This is as long as you can wait?”

  He nodded uncertainly. She was laughing at him?

  She surprised him again by bringing their joined hands up to her lips, so she could kiss his knuckles. “You beautiful, ridiculous man. We’ve been seeing each other for one whole week. Do you know how crazy it sounds?”

  “I do. I know, but it’s true. It’s not like we were strangers when we met. We’ve known each other for a long time, and the heart doesn’t know time in the same way the mind does. The heart just knows.”

  She looked shocked, as though he’d said something horribly wrong.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  To his relief she smiled and shook her head, then she laughed, almost in disbelief. “My mind has been trying to stick with the conventional sense of time, and I’ll be honest, it’s been trying to protect my heart, too. But I just remembered something that I told both Cameron and Chelsea recently.”

  “What?”

  “I told them that falling in love isn’t a decision that you make with your head according to some predetermined timeline. It’s something that happens inside your heart that you can neither control nor deny.”

  He grinned at her. “Then there’s our answer.”

  She nodded slowly, but she didn’t look convinced.

  “You don’t think so?” His heart was racing again, but this time with fear—fear that she might change her mind already, tell him it was some mistake, that she could never love him.

  She smiled and kissed his hand again. “I do think so. It’s just … you know how I work. My mind likes to be in charge; it likes predetermined timelines and being in control. I can’t deny what I feel, but I’m not used to listening to my heart—no matter how right it might be.”

  He nodded and drew her to him, wrapping her in a hug that for once wasn’t about getting his body as close to hers as possible. This was about getting his heart closer to hers. “I understand. You need time, and you can take all the time you want, but now I have hope. I know that we’re heading where I want to go.”

  She looked up at him. “Just so I’m sure about this and so I don’t second-guess myself later when I’m alone and get to thinking that I made all of this up, where do you want this to go?”

  “I want you to marry me, Mary Ellen. I want you to live with me and be my wife. I want us to have babies and grandchildren and grow old together. Oh, and I want us to buy a house here, so we can come visit whenever we like.”

  She laughed. “I’m glad you added that last part—take the pressure off a little, why don’t you?”

  “The rest feels like pressure?”

  “No. Not really. It’s just a lot to take in.”

  “I know, but if it’s what we both want, then why waste time? We should get started on our life together as soon as we can. In fact …” He knew he was getting carried away, this wasn’t taking it slow by any stretch of the imagination, but he couldn’t help it. “When we go back, why don’t you move in with me? You already spent every night with me. It was good, don’t you think?”

  She nodded. “It was good, but …” She shook her head. “Give me some time to get my head around it? Part of me loves the idea—but another part of me wants to run away screaming. It’s all happening too fast. If we really do have the rest our lives to figure it out, why not take a little time to get it right?”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry. You’re right. We should take all the time you need. I just need you to know that it’s what I want. It’s not lines or bullshit. This is for real, Mary Ellen. My love for you is real, and I promise you, it will last a lifetime.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at him. “You have no idea how much I want to believe that.”

  He closed his arms around her. “But you don’t yet, and that’s okay. I have a lifetime to convince you that it’s true.

  ~ ~ ~

  The next morning, they decided to take a picnic up to Four Mile and hike one of the trails that Smoke had told them about last night. Mary Ellen wanted to explore and get to know more of the area since it looked like she’d be coming back here. She stared out of the window as Antonio drove them up past the new lodge and shopping plaza they’d visited yesterday. It was a lot to take in. Antonio Di Giovanni had told her that he was in love with her—and that he wanted to marry her, just as soon as she was ready. She hadn’t slept too well last night; she’d kept turning it over and over in her mind. What was she waiting for? What time did she need? In the last ten days, her fantasy guy had suddenly morphed into a really great guy who loved her and wanted to marry her. Why wasn’t she planning a wedding already? She sighed. She’d planned a wedding once before. Maybe that had something to do with it. She’d put in so much time and hard work, trying to make sure that everything would be perfect, and it all seemed to be working out wonderfully—right up until the point where David had dumped her. Of course, she’d been the one who’d had to clean up the mess. She’d had to make all the calls to cancel all the arrangements. The chapel, the florist, the caterers. She shuddered at the memory. All those people who’d tried to sound sympathetic to her situation, while still making it clear that she wouldn’t be getting any money back.

  Antonio reached across and took hold of her hand. “Are you okay, bella? Why so sad?”

  She shook her head. She could hardly tell him what she was thinking about.

  He parked the car at the trailhead and retrieved the backpack with their picnic supplies from the back seat. “Ready?”

  She nodded, and they set out up the trail. It seemed that there had been a lot of work done recently to make th
e area around the trailhead into a park. There was a new restroom building by the parking area and a small pond surrounded by picnic benches.

  Antonio raised an eyebrow at her. “Would you rather we stay here?”

  Mary Ellen looked over at the benches. She wasn’t much of an adventurer or a hiker, but she didn’t want to stay in this man-made area. She wanted to go up the hillside, at least a little way, and see the amazing views of the lake Smoke had told them about. She shook her head. “No, let’s go on up.” She could tell by the way he smiled that that was his preference. As they passed the pond, she stopped and stared.

  “What is it?”

  She shook her head in wonder. “I think it’s a magnolia.” He followed her gaze to a small tree with big pink and white waxy flowers. She made her way over to it and smiled. “It is. Wow. I would never have believed that they’d grow here.”

  Antonio looked lost and she smiled at him. “Don’t worry about it. They’re my favorite trees. My grandad retired to South Carolina, and he had several of them in his yard when I was small. I loved them. I always wanted one but until I came to Napa I never lived anywhere where they’d grow. Of course, in Napa I can’t have one either.” She shrugged and gave him a rueful smile. “Sorry. Let’s carry on. It just caught my eye.”

  They set off up the path again and soon they reached a clearing high up above the trees. The view was spectacular. The lake was laid out before them, shimmering blue surrounded by green hills.

  Antonio took hold of her hand. “We need to buy a house here.”

  “I agree. You should.” She might love the idea of coming here on weekends and for vacations. She might love the idea of coming here with him even more, but the idea of them buying a house here was just a little too far-fetched. He narrowed his eyes at her, but fortunately he let it go.

  He selected a spot for them under the shade of some trees and spread the blanket out. The picnic was wonderful. That Ben guy ran the resort well. They’d been able to call the restaurant this morning and put in their order and then pick it up on their way out. The backpack was insulated, and everything was chilled with ice packs. Antonio unpacked sandwiches and salads and nuts and fruit. There was a bottle of water and a bottle of wine, too.

  Mary Ellen picked up the wine. It didn’t look familiar. “A Marsala?”

  Antonio grinned. “I asked them to put it in. Do you like?”

  She nodded. “I think so. I tend to think of it as a cooking wine—and in case you haven’t noticed yet, I don’t cook much.”

  He chuckled. “I had wondered about that. At least it means we won’t fight over the kitchen. I love to cook. So, you can sit and drink wine and keep me company while I do.”

  She nodded. She loved that idea. He was hot, sexy, kind, compassionate. He claimed he was in love with her—and he cooked too? Did it get any better than that?

  He smiled and opened the bottle. “Mostly, I use it for cooking. That drunken chicken we never got around to eating that first night you came to my place …”

  “Oh!” She laughed. “Chicken Marsala. I should have known.”

  He nodded. “Sicilians are proud of our wines, especially the Marsala. Most people think of it as merely a cooking wine these days, but there are still some fine examples. It’s like a sherry, a sweet fortified wine—good for dessert.”

  She had to smile. His passion for his wines was evident. She loved that about him.

  They ate their sandwiches in companionable silence looking out at the lake—blue water dotted with white boats mirrored the blue sky above dotted with white clouds.

  When she’d finished eating, she smiled at him. He was quieter today and she had a feeling that he was nervous about their conversation last night. “I could get used to this.”

  He grinned. “I hope you’ll want to.”

  She nodded. “I do want to, Antonio. It’s all so fast and a little hard to take in.”

  He nodded solemnly. “Hard to believe for you, I guess. You know me to be a certain way and that isn’t as a guy who’s looking to find the love of his life and settle down.”

  She nodded, glad that he understood.

  “I know that with time I can show you who I am; I can earn your respect.” He frowned. “Do you want to know what I’m not so sure about?”

  “What?”

  “I know I can do my part to prove to you that I’m for real, but I don’t know that I can ever get you past the hurt you’ve known. Some people never trust again after they’ve had their heart broken.”

  She reached up and touched his cheek. “I don’t think you’ve got much to worry about there.”

  “No?”

  She smiled. “No. David did a number on me, I’m not denying that, but the way I’ve been since then has been more of a logical choice to avoid hurt, than an emotional need or fear of getting hurt.”

  He looked puzzled.

  She shrugged. “He knocked me down, but he didn’t destroy me. I was able to work through my hurt, and I made a conscious decision not to put myself out there to experience it again. I’m not some broken fearful woman. I’m perfectly capable of choosing to trust again—to love again. It’s just a matter of risk versus reward.”

  He smiled and planted a kiss on her lips. “I’ll do everything I can to minimize the risk and maximize the reward.”

  Mary Ellen sipped her wine and stared out at the lake. A big part of her already trusted that he meant it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I can’t believe we’re in for another laid-back Monday.” Daniel eyed Antonio warily. “You have seen the numbers from Sicily, right? You’re not just blissfully unaware?”

  Antonio gave his assistant a half smile. “I’ve seen them. I know it’s not good, but me throwing my arms in the air and ranting and raving isn’t going to make them any better, is it?”

  Daniel shook his head. “I know that. It’s usually me telling you that, but damn, Antonio. Things are going down the pan over there. What’s going on with Marcos? It’s not like him to let things slip this badly.”

  Antonio shook his head sadly. “He’s finally getting divorced. I’m sure he has a lot on his mind and a lot to deal with.” He didn’t like to add that he was more concerned about what Marcos had said last time they spoke—about maybe not getting his passion for the wines back. If he didn’t—and if it didn’t happen soon—Antonio was going to have to step in. He had no intention of going home to take things over, but he might have to visit for a while until the business was back on track, and either Marcos was back on form or they found someone to replace him.

  “I’m sure he does, but still …” Daniel looked uncomfortable. “It’s going to make things more difficult for us.”

  “It is.” Antonio smiled. “But, hey, we’re good. We can handle it. If my brother needs us to pick up the slack for a while, we’re up to the task, right?”

  Daniel blew out a sigh. “Of course we are. We can handle it.” He met Antonio’s gaze. “I take it you had a good weekend? You’re not phased at all, are you?”

  Antonio grinned. “It was the best weekend ever, and no, I’m not phased, because I know my life is coming together, so a little road bump with the business isn’t a big deal.”

  “You took her to Summer Lake, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah. It was amazing. In fact, can you find me a realtor up there? I want to start looking.”

  Daniel laughed. “Are you serious? The shit’s hitting the fan here and you want to start looking for a vacation home?”

  “I do.” He turned back to his computer. “And do you know of any good nurseries?”

  Daniel looked totally confused. “Nurseries? You mean for kids or for plants?”

  Antonio laughed. “Just plants—for now.”

  “Yeah. I do, as a matter of fact. I took my dad to one just yesterday. Why?”

  “I need to buy a magnolia tree.”

  Daniel ran both his hands through his hair. “If this
is what love does to a man, then I hope it never strikes me. If I promise to track you down a magnolia tree by the end of the week, will you please focus and sit down with me to figure out how we’re going to cover the losses on the Sicilian distribution?”

  “Sure.” Antonio smiled. “Let’s do that.” He wasn’t nearly as worried as Daniel seemed to think he should be. It would be easy enough to turn things around at the winery at home. He’d step in if he had to, but first he wanted to talk to Marcos and his parents and find out what was going on.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mary Ellen popped her head around Cameron’s door. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself. Come on in. How was your weekend?”

  “It was great. How was yours?”

  “Quiet. We kicked back at home and made the most of some downtime.”

  She smiled. “And you didn’t harass Piper too much with wedding plans?”

  Cam pursed his lips. “No. I didn’t. I’m starting to think she doesn’t want to marry me.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s crazy talk.”

  “Is it? She never wants to talk about the wedding.”

  Mary Ellen shook her head. “Wanting to marry you and wanting to have a big wedding aren’t the same thing, you know.”

  Cameron frowned. “You think she doesn’t want the big wedding? She keeps saying she’s fine with it. I’m only doing it for her.”

  Mary Ellen shrugged. “It’s not my place to stick my nose in, but that’s never stopped me before. Think about it; she’s not a big, formal event kind of girl. It’s not where she comes from and it’s not like she has anyone she can invite to share it with her.”

  “It’s for us to share together.”

  Mary Ellen rolled her eyes. “You do well most of the time, Cam. But you’re still a guy. For a girl, a wedding is a big deal. Either we dream about it and want something big and grand, or we want something simple and special to us. Whichever it is, we want to share it with our people—the ones who mean the most to us. Yes, of course, the guy that we’re marrying, but also our friends and family. The people who’ve known us all our lives. Piper doesn’t have anyone like that. She has no brothers or sisters. Her mom’s gone. The only person who’s known her all her life is Laura, and even she kind of belongs on your side now, because she’s married to Smoke.”