Chapter Six
Christmas itself was utterly miserable, but little did that prepare Alejandro for the sheer hell that January turned out to be without Graciela around.
Despite seeing Graciela at every royal event between Christmas and New Years, he'd been unable to spend even a few moments alone with her. But it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. She'd deliberately avoided him. Luis assured him that she wasn't avoiding him per se, but rather avoiding the awkwardness that existed between them. Which, his brother assured him repeatedly, could be eliminated with a simple declaration of love.
But Alejandro ignored him. Just as he ignored the fact that her office was empty, that her laughter couldn't be heard in the palace corridors, and that he reached for the phone twenty-five times a day to share a thought with her. But it was too late. She was gone.
And he was miserable without her.
His head snapped up when his office door was flung open. "Oh, it's you again," he said. He motioned for his brother to take a seat. "What do you want?"
Luis shook his head. "The same thing I've been wanting all month, for you to come to your senses." He leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk between them. "Alejandro, go to Graciela. Fly out to California. Talk to her."
Alejandro looked away. His brother meant well, but his notion that Graciela needed or wanted him was misguided at best.
"Tell me this, if, theoretically speaking, I told you that Graciela had been in a terrible automobile accident, what would you do?"
"I would go to her and I wouldn't leave her side."
"Not even for a moment?" Luis persisted.
Alejandro didn't hesitate. "Not even for a moment."
"You know, I don't think that heartache is so very different from broken bones. In some ways, it's probably worse." Luis sat on the edge of Alejandro's desk. "Well, that settles that then, you've just solved your own problem."
"I have?"
Luis nodded. "You have."
Alejandro pushed his chair away from his desk and went to stand at the window. He stared out unseeingly into the palace garden. It pained him to admit it, even to himself, but he was a coward. He was afraid to face the fact that Graciela might not want him, or that his heart, if he offered it to her, wasn't enough for her.
But the truth was beginning to dawn in his mind that an even worse fate existed, that of not ever knowing. He whirled around to face his brother. "You're right."
"There's something I rarely hear." A smile played on Luis' lips. "Tell me that you're going to California."
"I am." What the end result was going to be, he couldn't predict. But the thought of seeing Graciela one more time, of looking into her warm brown eyes, of hearing her voice again, this he wanted more than anything in the world. If his heart was broken in the process, he'd learn to live with it. Without her.
But he had to tell her how he felt about her.
Alejandro glanced down at his desk, suddenly not caring about a single one of the tasks that awaited him. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. Can you take over for me?"
Luis nodded. "Absolutely. Just don't stay gone forever, I've never envied you your position as crown prince."
Alejandro crossed to his brother and enveloped him in a crushing hug. "Thank you for being so insistent."
Luis drew back. "Go. You have forever to be in my debt. Right now, Graciela's waiting for you."
***
Graciela looked around the San Francisco Elite Level Lounge before she consulted her watch. She had two hours before her overnight flight for Madrid left. She picked up a Wine Today magazine but didn't flip through more than a few pages before she tossed it aside. She was too restless to read.
How foolish was she to rush back to Santa Rosa with her heart on her sleeve? On a scale of one to ten, about a twenty. She stood, but then sat back down. It wasn't like she was going to change her mind. She'd given her notice to Robert along with effusive apologies for not staying in Napa Valley. Understandable, Robert had said, with characteristic good grace. Right job, wrong time for her, he'd understood.
Despite the beauty of Northern California, and the warm welcome she'd received, she'd known almost at once that she couldn't stay. Her home, her family, her friends, and most importantly, the man she loved was in Santa Rosa.
Her phone alerted her to an incoming text. She glanced down at the screen, surprised to see that it was from Luis.
Where are you?! Ashton says you've left Napa Valley.
Her eyebrows rose. I'm on my way back to Santa Rosa. Please don't say anything to your brother until I see him first.
No danger of that, his text shot right back, but where are you at this EXACT moment?
SFO Elite Lounge. She paused. Her instinct was to type out a series of questions but she resisted the urge. Luis probably just wanted to get her opinion on vineyard business but nothing was so urgent that it couldn't wait. She was just about to slip the phone back into her bag before it pinged again. She glanced down at the screen.
Stay there.
A protracted conversation with Luis was going to have to wait. This time, she did toss the phone into her carry-on bag.
She leaned her head back against the seat's headrest, grateful for the luxurious lounge seating. Sleep had evaded her since her arrival in Napa Valley. Her mind was constantly thinking of Alejandro and what might have been. These thoughts were chased by a series of relentless 'what if?' scenarios.
To put an end to it once and for all, she knew she had to tell Alejandro how she felt. She had to tell him that she loved him. That she always had and always would. And if he didn't, couldn't, love her in return, she could live with that. At least she would be able to put the 'what if?' to rest. Being that honest with him was a gamble, and she wasn't feeling especially lucky, but she had to do it.
"Graciela."
Startled, her eyes flew open. Alejandro knelt before her, one of his hands on her knee. "Alejandro?" she finally managed to say, "What are you doing here?"
His face broke into a wide smile that reached his eyes. "I couldn't wait a moment longer to see you."
His words, and the tender look in his eyes, gave Graciela's heart wings. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so instead she reached out and gently caressed the side of his face. "Oh, Alejandro."
In one swift movement, he stood and drew her to her feet. He took her face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers.
And in that moment, Graciela knew. This wasn't the kiss of a long-time friend or that of a trusted confidant. It was the kiss of a man who truly loved a woman. She felt tears slip down her cheeks. And then she felt the warmth of Alejandro's touch as he wiped them away.
"Graciela," he began, his voice thick with emotion, "I cannot give you the world because it's not mine to give. But I want to offer you my heart, my soul, and all of my love. Forever. If you'll have me."
She smiled. "Forever sounds good. No, actually, forever sounds perfect."