That’s it. I do not have the patience for this vile woman. I spring to my feet, trembling with rage. “I won’t hurt him,” I say to her before turning to go. “It won’t be a mistake. I love him. I’m not just having a fling.”
She chuckles, not taking me seriously. “It’s the hormone speaking, little girl. You’ll see. The excitement will run out, and all you have is the reality.”
“Is that why you’re back? The excitement of your love affair wore out, and you want to grab something so you won’t be alone for the rest of your life?” I blurt.
She stiffens and glares at me, and then she laughs. “Very well. You think I’m an old hag that no one wants. No, you are wrong. It’s not the reason. I don’t mind spending the rest of my life alone, although I don’t intend to do that either. I just want to give Gavin what he’s been wanting all along. A family with kids. He wanted it, but I wasn’t ready for it. I’m now ready. I’m mature enough to be a mom.”
She assesses me haughtily as if telling me I wasn’t old enough. I don’t bother to correct her. I don’t even want to speak to her anymore.
“Excuse me,” I say, walking away. “I’m done talking to you.”
She says before I turn at the corner. “Gavin is mine. It might take him a while, but he’ll come back to me.”
I fight back the tears in my eyes and turn around to speak, “He might, but you don’t deserve him!”
And then I spin around abruptly and bump into a solid wall of a body.
I gasp when I look up and see Gavin. He’s been standing right around the corner.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he says, holding me in his arms. “I came to look for you. I’m sorry you had to go through this.”
He stamps a kiss on my forehead. Obviously, he’s heard my conversation with Diana.
Holding me tight, Gavin walks me back to Diana. “Diana, please leave. You’re no longer allowed on my property.”
Diana’s lips tremble. “You don’t mean it. Gavin. This relationship between you and Richard’s daughter won’t last. Don’t make the same mistake I made. We’re meant to be together. I don’t have to hold my teaching job. I could move back to the vineyard and work here. I can help you to manage it.”
“Thanks, Diana, but that won’t be necessary,” Gavin says, and then we walk into the dining room together.
Chapter 19
Ivy
I’m working with a man named Mario on the plantation. He’s teaching me how to thin the grape clusters. “Typically, each shoot is allowed one or two clusters to make sure the quality of the fruits,” he tells me. “We remove short, weak shoots and excess clusters.” It sounds simple, but it’s hard for me to decide how short is short and what is considered a weak shoot. But after watching him work for half an hour, I finally figure out a rule. Basically, he removes all clusters grow on short shoots, keeps one cluster on the medium shoots, and two clusters on the longer ones. He also keeps the most basal clusters because the shoot can support the weight better once the grapes grow bigger.
“Muy bien, señorita! Very good!” Mario says.
I thank him. He plays joyful Latin music on his phone and sings along. Soon I’m humming too, and shaking my hips a little. I love working at the vineyard!
Even though I’m having fun, my mind still drifts away from time to time, and my eyes constantly check the road.
Diana left last night, and Gavin went to the town to run some errands. It’s almost noon and he should be back anytime soon. Although we’ve been apart for only a few hours, I miss him. Last night he proved to me he was a man I could trust, and I didn’t waste my years of affection.
When I finally catch sight of the silver Audi behind a cloud of dust, I smile. He’s back!
I wave at him and he waves back. Seeing he stops the car by the field, I run up to meet him. “Come here,” he says as soon as he gets out of the car.
I run into his arms and let him embrace me. I don’t touch him though, because my hands are all dusty and sticky.
“What’s wrong?” he asks me when he lets go of me.
I show him my hands and he laughs. “Getting your hands dirty, huh?”
“Yep,” I say proudly. “I’ve got to go back to work now. I want to finish the row.”
He holds my dirty hand. “You can do it later. Now follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
I follow him up the hill and then down, toward the creek I missed so much. We haven’t gotten a chance to go there yet.
I squeal with delight as soon as we reach the meadow by the creek. It’s cooler here, and it’s private. Dense shrubs shield it from the fields beyond. Birds are chirping and hopping around.
“Thanks! I thought you forgot,” I say, stand on my toes to kiss him.
“Never,” he says, smiling. “I know it’s your favorite spot.”
We stroll along the creek. I wash my hands in the clear water and scoop some to my face too. It looks the same as I remember. “I can’t believe it,” I say as I dry my hands on my jeans. “It hasn’t changed at all.”
He chuckles. “What’s there to change?”
“Last time when I was here, you weren’t telling my dad you would convert the meadow into farm too,” I remind him.
“And you made a fuss about it. Remember? You said, if you cut the trees, then the birds will become homeless! You were so cute.”
I grimace. It was silly. I probably cried. “You kept it because of my silly comment?”
“It wasn’t silly, Ivy. I love the place too, so I took your advice.”
“You aren’t teasing me, are you?” I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his jaw.
“No, sweetheart, I’m not,” he says. His eyes turn smoldering and voice gruff. “You’ve always meant a lot to me. You’ve always been my favorite person on earth. Now you’re irreplaceable,” he says as he bends to kiss me.
His scent and his taste melt me right away and I cling to his strong body. He lowers me onto the meadow, and then he lies beside me.
His hand drifts down to my back, and lower, he slips it under my skirt and palms my butt cheek.
Moaning, I put my hand on his hard bulge. I reach to unzip his pants, stroking his swelling flesh through his cotton briefs. His breathing turns ragged.
I slide down the grass and peel off the layer of cotton. I gasp as I behold the beautiful male organ in front of me: so long, thick, and proud. By instinct, I lean forward and lick the drop of dew off its tip. It jolts right away at the contact.
Gavin grips my shoulder and whispers. “Oh God, you’re so wicked, Ivy.”
I glance at him to see whether he means to scold me. But the lust in his eyes clearly shows the opposite, and it encourages me.
I open my mouth and close my lips on the broad head of his hard flesh, watching his eyes turn darker, feeling his grasp on me tighter. Slowly and nervously, I slide my lips up and down his length. His groans tell me I’m not too clumsy.
His eyes don’t leave mine as I taste him, and his hands squeeze my shoulder. “Fuck,” he mutters. “Your mouth, Ivy, is heaven.”