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He was finally being presented with the one thing he’d craved for years. Even though he’d shut himself off emotionally, the little boy buried beneath the pain still ached for an explanation. For love. Everleigh had finally made him admit that.
He’d agreed to lunch with a casual “yes.” But inside his feelings had raged like a stormy sea. And that, coupled with his obsessive thoughts of Everleigh, had led to him texting Isabella and asking if they could postpone until tomorrow.
It was downright cowardly. But he’d waited thirty-three years for his mother. She could wait one day while he pulled himself together and mentally prepared himself.
Except he wasn’t preparing himself at all. He’d seen Everleigh walk out into the vineyard, had watched her from his balcony, his chest tightening at the mere sight of her. The chaos inside him had snapped his resolve in half. His feet had moved of their own accord and brought him to her side.
Any sense of control he had was gone. Surprisingly, he didn’t care anymore. He just wanted Everleigh.
She smiled slightly. “She loaned me a suit. She also splashed a bit of Cabrera champagne into my orange juice this morning. For luck.”
“Have you been officially converted to Cabrera Wine, then?”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile grew. “I still love Fox, and all the smaller local vineyards. But, as much as I hate to say it, I judged too quickly. Cabrera is much more than I gave it credit for.”
“Not just glamor and sex?”
She grimaced. “I was pretty harsh, wasn’t I? I’m sorry. You’ve built something great here, Adrian. You should be proud.”
Something tugged at him. Everleighadmiredhim. Not his fortune, not his family’s status, not his reputation in bed, buthim. What he’d secretly craved in his younger years, what he’d been searching for with Nicole, was now sitting right in front of him. Despite the losses she’d experienced, Everleigh had never once strayed from being the fierce yet kind-hearted woman she’d proved herself to be time and time again.
He reached out before he could stop himself and stroked a finger down her cheek. Her eyes drifted shut as a soft sigh escaped her lips.
A distant rumble broke the spell. The clouds grew blacker and a flash of light illuminated the darkening vineyard.
Everleigh stepped back, no doubt remembering the last time they had been interrupted. When, instead of accepting the gift she’d offered him, he’d done what his mother had done for years. He’d run away.
“Time to go inside.”
She started to turn away, but Adrian caught her hand, threading his fingers through hers. Just the feel of her hand in his made his breath quicken, and every nerve in his body ignited, thrilling at this slightest touch.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
Everleigh met his gaze, a small smile playing about her lips. “I do.”
He changed direction and led her down the hill toward a thick grove of trees. They’d just reached the edge when the rain started. Adrian tightened his grip on her hand and quickened his pace as rain drenched them in seconds.
“Where are we going?”
Adrian squeezed her hand. “Trust me.”
A moment later they rounded another small hill. A cozy little cottage sat there, tucked in a copse of evergreen trees. Adrian opened the door and pulled Everleigh inside the darkened interior.
“What is this place?” Everleigh’s voice was hushed as she took in the cobblestone fireplace, vaulted ceiling and blue beaded chandelier. “It looks like a fairy tale.”
“It was myabuela’s cottage. After my parents married, and my father built Casa de Cabrera, they offered Abuela her own suite in the house. Instead, she asked for this cottage. It used to be the gamekeeper’s house.”
She smiled. “So this is where you madepolvoronesfor the first time?”
“Yes. Once she passed away my father had it redecorated as a guest house.” He nodded to the watercolors gracing the walls. “Abuela loved painting. My father kept every single one.”
“It’s beautiful.”
As she spoke a shiver racked Everleigh’s slender frame. Adrian grabbed a fluffy blanket off the back of a chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Give me a moment and I’ll build a fire.”
Within minutes, flames crawled over the logs in the grate and warmed the air. Adrian turned to see Everleigh crossing the room, two steaming mugs in her hands. She passed one to him.
“Hot tea.”
