Alexis couldn’t focus on her work for the rest of the day. She’d called her father to take over the tour and stayed in the tasting room, trying to keep herself distracted by being social with the guests. It worked for a bit, and then there’d be a lull when she’d picture Ben in the doorway, his daughter strapped to his front.
He should have looked silly, a big, handsome man carrying a baby like a kangaroo. Only he didn’t. Fatherhood suited him. His eyes lit up when he talked about Sophie, and when he held her and comforted her.
There was unconditional love and trust with the baby. It was beautiful.
And confusing. Why dangle his sexy smile and adorable daughter in front of her when he knew they couldn’t be together? And he seemed so…smug about it all. After their smoldering kiss she thought he’d push for more, or at least a date. A promise to see her again.
His visits in the past were short, their time together limited, and he made a point to spend as much time with her as possible. Unless stealing a kiss was enough for him now?
Well, it wasn’t enough for her. She wanted Ben, whether it was a wise decision or not. She was still angry at him for keeping the pregnancy a secret. He should have come clean about fathering a child, but she couldn’t blame him now. He’d stepped up and taken on his responsibility like a man should.
Having a family of her own hadn’t been on her agenda; keeping the family business afloat had been her top priority. But now, seeing him again, and holding his daughter. Alexis wanted it all.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop loving him. Couldn’t stop thinking about what a life with Ben would be like. Happy. Content. Fun. Fulfilling. Family.
His closeness to his family, and to his daughter, was another thing she loved about him. He shared the same loyalty and values that she had. If she’d been cornered in a similar situation, if she’d been pregnant, she wouldn’t give the child away, no matter how unplanned. She’d make it work and love her child unconditionally. Just as Ben had done.
Three months ago she’d laugh at the idea of him being a father, carrying around a baby like a papoose, changing dirty diapers.
Alexis couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. She’d have loved to been there when Ben first held his daughter. When he learned how to dress and diaper and feed her. Knowing him, he did it all with ease and grace, never showing his frustration.
He was good at everything he did, from admitting his mistakes and accepting responsibility to making things right again.
What was she good at? Making wine? Alexis wanted more on her resume than that. She didn’t know what Ben saw in her but wouldn’t push him away again. She wanted to live up to his expectations. To forgive. To love. To appreciate life.
Could she give up Coastal Vines and move out west to be with Ben? Her parents wanted to retire soon, and the winery didn’t mean as much to them as it did to Alexis. They could sell.
Maybe.
Yes.
Now that she experienced love and friendship, she realized how integral they were in life. She’d miss her friends, but would keep in touch through social media, and would visit them when she came back to see her parents.
She loved making wine and could ask to be part of Martevinos. Working with Adrianna would be fun. Watching Sophie grow into a beautiful young woman would be rewarding. Going home every night to Ben would be…amazing.
It could work.
If Ben still wanted her.
No. Alexis locked up for the night and slumped against the closed door. He didn’t. Ben may want her for a romp in the sheets, but he didn’t want a relationship. He’d been quite vocal about it that night in Napa. Yet he looked so confident and comfortable in his role as a father this afternoon. Maybe he was ready to settle down?
Sinking in self-pity, she skipped out on dinner and retreated to her room, claiming she had a headache.
An hour later she tossed her book aside, not remembering a word in any of the three chapters she’d read.
Kicking off her covers, she stared up at her white ceiling and made a mental list of what needed to get done this month. Finding her own apartment was on the top of her list. It should be relatively easy to find a rental after tourist season.
Feeling guilty about not reading, she reached for her book again, and nearly fell off her bed in fright when a shadow loomed at her window screen.
“Holy shit.” She clutched at her racing heart. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“I’m the one who scaled a maple tree and is sitting on a roof twenty-five feet above the ground, and you’re asking if I’m trying to kill you?”
Alexis sat on the edge of her bed and contemplated not opening the screen. “The first time I met you I asked if you had plans to drag me out to the forest and bury me alive.”
“I believe you thought I’d kill you first, then bury.”
“And twice you’ve scared the crap out of me sneaking into my window.”
“And both times I had no intentions on killing you. Or hurting you.”
“Where’s Sophie?”
Ben stilled, the corners of his lips lifting, his eyes opening wider in surprise.
“John and Melissa are babysitting.”
“What are your intentions then?” Alexis poked at a tiny hole in the screen, unable to keep eye contact.
“You haven’t figured it out yet?” Ben sat on the roof, looping an arm around his shins, and leaned his shoulder against the side of the house.
“I thought I did, and then I didn’t.”
“Let’s start with what you do have figured out.”
Alexis nodded and curled up her feet, sitting crisscross on her bed, talking through the screen. “We like wine. The art of it possibly more than drinking it.”
“That’s it?”
“We love our families.”
“Very much.”
“We fight a lot, but have fun together as well. And even like each other.”
“It’s a lot more than like.” They sat in silence, Alexis’s heart and mind racing a million miles a minute. “Alexis,” he said, his voice soft and rich and full of Italian. “Amore mia. Let me in.”
Slowly she stood and lifted the screen, stepping back so Ben could swing his long legs over the windowsill.
“You do that a lot now. Talk in Italian.”
“Si.” He cupped her face in his, and she didn’t even try to pretend to pull away when he bent his head and kissed her.
This time it was more than lust. Her heart beat out of love, of longing. Of needing and wanting to belong with Ben. From the tips of her toes, curled tightly in the rug under her feet, to her scalp being gently massaged by Ben’s caring hands, she loved him more than she ever thought imaginable.
Her body was weak and strong under his touch. Her mind clear and full. He did this to her, filled her up and relaxed her.
“What did you say to me earlier today?”
“Do you really want to know?”
At first it had scared her, the intensity in his eyes, the allure in his voice, the heat that radiated through her. And when Sheryl swooned at his feet, Alexis knew she was in trouble.
“Yes.”
His fingers made a gentle path across her face and down her neck, coming to a rest at her hips. “Sono inamorata di te,” he said again, the Italian flowing like a rich, red wine from his tongue. “I’m in love with you.”
Tears of something filled her eyes. “You’re in love with me?”
“You have your doubts.” Ben sighed, bending his head to kiss her tears, pulling back a fraction to study her.
“Like, love, love?” No one besides her parents had ever loved her before. She wasn’t the loving kind. Alexis was the friend, the pal, the tomboy everyone got along with, not loved.
“Yes, bella. I love you. I’m hoping what you feel for me is more than like as well.”
“I don’t know.” Ben dropped his hands from her waist and she reached out for them, bringing them to her chest, covering her heart. “I don’t know what this feeling I have for you is. It’s new. I know I think about you every day. Hell, if we’re being honest, every second of the day. I know how happy I am when I’m with you. Well, when we’re not fighting, and even then. I know you’re the only one who stirs emotions up inside me. My brain fogs over and my heart is empty when you’re not around.”
Alexis lifted his hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles as he’d done to her many times before. “I know my body craves to be touched by you. To be kissed by you and only you. I know I want to be with you. I know I smile more when I’m with you, and I mourn when we’re apart. I know my heart beats faster when I think of you. Of us. Together. So if that’s what love feels like, I’m in love with you, too.”
Ben hadn’t shaved since this morning and she could see the pulse in his neck beating at rapid speed. The beautiful blue eyes misted and he blinked back…tears?
“Mi vuoi sposare? Will you marry me? Will you welcome Sophie and me into your life, make our lives complete?”
“Marry you?” First love, then marriage. All in one night. Heck, in one minute. She’d thought they’d live together, play house or something. A bubble of hope, of joy, of love danced around inside her chest, her belly. Tingles, chills, and warmth spread through her body. Ben stirred so many emotions in her, and she wanted to feel them all for the rest of her life.
“Si.”
“Will you still say things to me in Italian?”
Those angel blue eyes darkened and he clutched the back of her head in his hands. “Every day. Ti amo. I love you. I’ll do anything you ask, Alexis. Please. Marry me.”
Alexis nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Ben swooped in, covering her mouth with his, and her body lifted to the heavens. Or maybe that was Ben lifting her and laying her down on her bed, covering her body with his.
“That’s a yes?”
“Yes, Benito Gino Martelli. I will marry you.” She clutched her hands behind his neck and drew him to her. “And I’ll move to San Francisco for you.”
Ben pulled away, propping his torso up with his elbows. “San Francisco?”
“Yes. We can’t be married and only see each other every few months. Kiss me, please.” She needed his lips on hers more than a grape needs the sun.
“No.” Ben resisted her tug. “You’re not moving.”
“Oh.” Her heart sank into her stomach. If he thought she’d settle for a long-distance relationship, he had another thing coming.
“I sold my condo.”
“We can find something somewhere else then.”
“That’s my plan. In fact.” He rolled so Alexis lay on top of him, and cupped her butt in his hands. “I’ve been looking at property. I thought we could build our own home.”
“I like that even better. I didn’t think there was much land for sale in San Francisco.” Living in a city wasn’t her first choice, but if she had Ben by her side, she’d manage.
“There isn’t.” A teasing glint danced in his eyes that Alexis found incredibly sexy. “I bought a piece of property close to a vineyard. You can run it and I can help, or you can hire your own staff, and I can focus my hours on Martelli Designs. Either is fine with me.”
“Is it close to your family’s vineyard?”
Ben gathered her hair and held it to one side, stroking her neck with his fingers and shook his head. “About three thousand miles away.”
He lifted his head and kissed at her neck and she melted into his touch, molding her body into his. Three thousand miles. That would be…“Wait. That’s…” She lifted her body so she straddled Ben and leaned her hands on his chest.
“About an eighth of a mile from here. Your father sold your backfields to me. They’re not great for growing, but we can build the house of our dreams up on the hill.”
“My father? He sold…you bought?”
“Yes.” Ben lifted her hands and kissed her fingertips.
“Why would he do that? I thought they were keeping it in the family.”
“I also asked Shane and Claudia for permission to marry you.”
“You did?” Her knees weakened and she would have fallen into a puddle if she wasn’t sitting on top of Ben.
Ben sat up, their chests touching, their hands exploring.
“Sophie and I aren’t leaving Maine. Only to visit my family. With you by our side. I sold part of my business in San Francisco and can set up shop here, working from our home, or I can work full time at Coastal Vines. Whatever we do, we decide together.”
“You sold and bought and moved? What if I said no?” A myriad of emotions swirled around in her head. What had she ever done, what did she have to offer to deserve so much?
“Sophie and I would keep working on you. We’re fighters. You’re too important to me to give up so easily.”
“And arrogant. I picked up on that from day one.”
“No, bella. Day one you loved me. You flirted and teased and we shared a romantic dinner at Willie’s. It was day two when you thought you hated my arrogance.”
“I don’t flirt.”
“Sweetheart.” Ben sucked her lower lip into his mouth. “You flirt.”
“Well, I never used to.”
“I’m more than happy to be your first. And your last.”