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“We both needed a little getaway.”
Smiling, I nodded in agreement.
“I’ve never been wine tasting before.”
“Really?” Ray asked.
“Really,” I answered. “Will they show me how to taste wine? You know, the whole swirling and sipping thing, tasting the flavors and all that?”
“I have no idea,” Ray admitted. “I just pick the one that tastes best.” He chuckled.
I laughed. “Sounds good to me.”
We sampled a few wines and some sparkling wines. We decided on a bottle of Merlot and two bottles of Chardonnay.
After leaving the winery, Ray drove another twenty minutes to a tiny house on a big piece of land with peach, orange, pomegranate, and lemon trees. He parked in front of the house. I let myself out of the truck, and we both reached into the bed to grab our duffel bags.
I followed Ray up the three steps to the front wooden porch. He pulled out a single key from his jeans pocket and unlocked the door. The house had a country feel to it, with light wooden flooring. He grabbed my bag and tossed it in the middle of the family room. I didn’t have a chance to observe the surroundings. Ray reached for me and pulled me close. “I missed you.”
I sighed. “I missed you, too,” I admitted.
“Why were you avoiding me?”
His face was only inches from mine.
“I couldn’t handle all the emotions inside me. I saw you talking to Mel and thought about how she broke up my marriage, so why wouldn’t she break us up? Then I wondered if we were really together in the first place. Maybe there was no us to break up.”
“Did you stop to think that maybe I couldn’t handle the feelings going on inside me? Seeing you and the kids with Dex wasn’t exactly easy for me. You realize that, right?”
“I—”
“I needed to talk to you about the feelings I was having, and instead of talking to me, you avoided me.”
“I—”
“Don’t ever do that again,” Ray commanded.
“But—”
“Understand this,
Cass.” He held my cheeks in his hands and looked me straight in the eyes. “I’m in love with you.”
My eyes watered. I blinked, and tears started to roll down my cheeks. “I’m in love with you, too Ray, and it scares the crap out of me,” I confessed.
“I’m never going to deliberately hurt you. You understand me?”
I sniffed and nodded.
“We talk, okay? That’s the only way to make relationships work. We have to talk,” he emphasized.
Then he kissed me.
We began our weekend of lovemaking, eating, lovemaking, and more eating.
Chapter Fifteen
While I was working on Tuesday, Ray showed up just before ten in the morning. During the week I had avoided him, he had created the desk and bookshelves for Kyra. Now he was ready to piece it together in her room. I was astonished by his craftsmanship. He used oak and had stained it a light color. Kyra was excited and kept Ray company, along with Max. They all talked animatedly as he worked.
