After Nash fills up a couple water bottles, he turns his back to me so I can stuff them in his backpack. Grabbing a few snacks, I sneak them in. The bag is already packed full of all the supplies necessary if we happen to encounter an avalanche, a bear, or even an alien invasion.
“Wow, you take this thing very seriously.” I suck in my bottom lip and smirk. “Is this a tampon?” I pull it out and hold it up on display.
He nods. “Sure is. Do you have any idea how many uses a tampon has?”
“Considering I am a female, which is the targeted customer for the product, I believe I do.”
“This”—he takes it from my hand—“isn’t just used as a vagina plug.”
Chuckling, I feel my face heat up. “Vagina plug?”
“Yes. Vagina plug. It can also be used for nose bleeds, ear plugs, stop a leak in a boat, a toothbrush, kindling. The possibilities are endless.” He stuffs it back into the bag then zips it up.
“Okay. I can see how that would work. Now tell me, have you ever had to stick one up your nose to stop it from bleeding?”
“I have not.” He holds up a finger and takes on a playful tone. “But I would if I needed to.”
Still laughing, I agree with him. “I bet you would.” Nash is an all-around Boy Scout. Soldier, outdoorsman, he’s street smart and book smart. He’s pretty much everything a woman would want or need in a man. Gemma sure is lucky to have his heart.
I wonder if she knew how lucky she was.
Chapter Ten
Nash
Only twenty minutes into the drive, Rowan passed out mid-thought. She was rambling on something about her cat that ran away and came back a month later, then she gazed out the window and fell asleep. If only it were that easy for all of us.
‘Beautiful Crazy’ by Luke Combs is playing through the speakers and I turn the volume up a little, but not enough to startle her awake. She looks so peaceful with her hand wrapped around the seat belt and her cheek resting on top of it. A smile creeps on my face when she begins smacking her lips together. I’d bet money that she’s a snorer like her sister.
We reach the Welcome to Napa Valley sign and exquisite colors paint the path of the drive. Blazing fire tinted trees stoop over the paved road. A vineyard sits to the right and every vine is in a perfectly sequential line. It’s been a while since I’ve been to this place, but the beauty has remained.
Gemma and I didn’t have a traditional honeymoon since I was deployed directly following our wedding. Instead, we got a cabin here in Napa and spent the weekend visiting the vineyards and having dinners beneath the sunset on Lake Berryessa.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I say when Rowan lifts her head.
Wiping the back of her hand across her mouth, she turns to me and pinches her lips together in a half smile. “How long was I out?”
With one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on my leg, I flash her a grin. “Only the entire drive.”
“What?” She gasps. “I slept the whole ride? I missed it all?”
I chuckle. “You didn’t miss much. Sure, the scenery is nice, but you woke up just in time for the best view of all.”
Looking around, her eyes widen and she mouths wow. “I knew it was beautiful from coming as a kid, but I must have forgotten just how beautiful it is here.”
From the driver’s side, I hear her stomach growling. “Hungry?”
Her hands tuck around her waist. “Starving. I probably should’ve eaten before we left.”
“Grab the bag from the back seat. I heard you rustling around with some bags of chips in the kitchen. Or we can just grab a bite to eat before the surprise begins.”
Unsure if she even heard a word I said, she continues to stare out the window with the same sparkle in her eyes as a kid on Christmas morning. My eyes dance from her to the road. “You good until then?”
“Hmm?” She looks over at me. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Hey.” She does that tonal shift where I know immediately that something is brewing in that mind of hers. “Hey, we should hike Smittle Creek sometime.” Her brows waggle followed by the biggest smirk I’ve seen on her face.
“Next time. I think you’re gonna like what I have in mind for today.”
“Next time?” she questions.
Not even realizing what I said, I immediately eat my words. Reality hits me that Rowan will probably be leaving soon. For good. “If you ever come back for a visit, is what I meant.”
She nods in agreement, but her expression has changed from giddy to solace—sad even. “Yeah. I could probably do that.”
When Rowan first showed up at the house a couple weeks ago, I was angry. I couldn’t understand why this girl would just bail on her sister. First the wedding, and then the funeral. Now I get it. Things aren’t always what they appear to be. The happiest of people often harbor sadness. The saddest—well, they are fighting a battle to find happiness. Unfortunately, not all of them do. Gemma lost that battle, and in turn she gave Rowan the strength to keep fighting.
I’ve gotten pretty used to her being around. I actually enjoy it. Knowing that she’s leaving soon feels like a bee sting to the chest. I have no idea what life will be like when she’s gone. The house will be empty again, the lingering popcorn smell will eventually dissolve, and before long, the house will sell and I’ll be leaving it behind.
Pulling down the gravel drive of the one-hundred-acre vineyard, Pelton Farms, memories flood my mind. Pushing them aside, I try and focus on the here and now. Mountains peak behind the autumn-touched terrain. White cotton ball clouds fill the blue sky as the sun attempts to break through. Fall has always been my favorite time of year. The weather is perfect, the colors and the scent of the dried leaves offer a sense of calming. Fall is the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year. For a brief moment, that sense of calming washes over me, until I remember who is missing from all of this.
I look over at Rowan, who carries wonder and excitement in her eyes, and the calmness returns.
She catches me glancing at her and I turn my head back to the drive. “What?” She laughs. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You really do like surprises, don’t you?”
“Doesn’t everyone? A surprise means that someone put thought into something just for you.”
There wasn’t much thought put into this, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I doubt the guys back home would want to go make wine, so taking Rowan while she’s here is probably my best shot at not going alone.
We pull up to the parking lot that sits about a quarter mile from the winery. “I’m not really a fan of surprises. I like to know what to expect. Part of that might come from past experiences that I couldn’t control.”
“You mean while you were deployed?”
Shifting the truck in park, I make a move to get out of this conversation, “Here we are. You ready for this?”
Her excitement makes it an easy out. “Let’s do it.” She’s already opening the door and climbing out.
Our doors shut simultaneously as we make our way down the gravel drive that turns to a cobblestone path. For a moment there is silence, aside from the couple walking about twenty feet ahead of us.