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Someone coughed loudly, and my eyes popped open. Sid lifted his head, looked around, and then sighed against my mouth. He placed another peck on my lips before stepping back.
I wiped my mouth and looked around the room. Will and Duke had matching smirks on their faces. Beth’s eyes were wide, but she had a shy smile on her face. Thankfully, Sid’s dad wasn’t in the room.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we wanted to know if Kat was finished with her wine and would like a tour of the vineyard,” Will said. He had a devilish smile on his face, and his eyes were full of mischief. That man was trouble, but I was thankful he wasn’t making a big deal out of what just happened.
I looked at my tasting sample. I had one glass left. Sid lifted it out of the wooden tray and nodded toward the door. “Let’s go.”
He placed his hand on the small of my back, and it burned through the layers of my short jean jacket and sundress. That kiss had shifted something. Even though Sid and I were so different, I couldn’t deny my attraction to him.
We walked the grounds, and his mom told me about each section of grapes and which wines they would be used for. She was extremely knowledgeable, and the smile on her face was contagious. She obviously loved being out here and caring for the grapes from the start.
Partway through our tour, she looped her arm through mine, and I felt this ache deep inside. My mom had never done this with me. Even when I was young. I had been raised by nannies, and my mom only came around to scold us or tell us how we were expected to behave. Like we were some royal family.
Tears burned my eyes, and I looked at where she was pointing, willing them to go away. She squeezed my arm as she excitedly told me about the vines beside us. These were her favorites, and she planned on experimenting with another kind to make a new wine in the spring. Her joy radiated off her, and I smiled.
Even though I had met Beth at the same gala my parents had attended, she was nothing like my mom and dad. She was more down-to-earth and friendly. Her warmth and kindness were what I thought a mother should be like, and I longed for that.
“Will, these were the vines I was telling you about,” Beth said. She slid her hand out of my arm and walked toward another section, with Will following.
“Hey, are you okay?” Sid asked, surprising me.
“Yeah. I’m okay,” I said, even though I felt the wetness gathering in my eyes.
He turned me toward him, and his eyes widened when they landed on mine. “Kat, is everything all right? Was it what happened earlier?”
“No,” I blurted. “That was perfect. It’s just…”
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I smiled. “Everything is perfect.”
Sid’s eyebrow raised, and he searched my face and then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“I want to show you where they make the wine before we go.”
I smiled and followed behind him. It really was perfect in spite of his father’s surly, hoity-toity attitude, and it pained me because this was only temporary.
Chapter 16
SID
KAT AND I STOOD facing each other on a hill overlooking the vineyard. With the mountains as a backdrop, it was a perfect location for a wedding. Looking into Kat’s eyes while standing under the newly constructed wooden arbor arch was too much to take.
I breathed deep through my nose and tried to keep my face neutral. My mom chattered on, telling us that the best time for a wedding would be late spring or early summer when the vines were in bloom. She explained where everyone would stand, how the seating would look, and how some couples chose to erect some sort of temporary structure over the seating, and how we could do the same.
Will snickered beside me, and I wanted to kick him in the nuts. If this wedding was real, I’d choose Duke as my best man. Since it wasn’t happening, I didn’t have to worry about that. This was all spiraling out of control. When I’d blurted out that Kat and I were engaged, I hadn’t expected it to go beyond that night. I never imagined we’d actually have to plan a wedding. What was I going to do when the day came?
Fuck, what a mess.
“Then they’ll say you may kiss the bride, and you’ll exit down the middle,” Mom said.
“I think they know what to do. Everyone knows that part,” Will said.
My mom marched over to him and grabbed his ear, pulling him down to her face like she did when we were kids. Duke and I snickered.
“Do you?”
