Billion Dollar Mistake: An opposites attract billionaire romance: (The Lincolns Book 1)

Chapter 21

The car stops outside a picturesque winery surrounded by rolling hills and a beautiful vineyard.

Terry leaves the car and opens my door. I unfasten my seat belt and slide out of the car.

A cool breeze hits me. I pull the jacket tighter around my shoulders.

“Miss Lee, would you like another jacket?”

“Oh no, I”m fine. Thank you anyway. Where am I going?” I ask, hoping for direction.

He smiles kindly at me and points toward a set of white glass doors.

“Just through there. Say you”re meeting Mr. Lincoln. And they will escort you to him.”

“Okay, thank you.”

I don”t waste any more time. It”s too cold out here. I just want to get inside. I quickly make my way across the pavement into the building.

I walk inside, meeting a woman with brown hair tied in a tight bun and glossy lips.

“Hi, I”m meeting Mr. Lincoln.”

“Sure. Let me escort you to him.” She smiles at me.

I follow her, taking a good look around. It smells fruity but woodsy in here. Beautiful glass windows give a fantastic view of the landscape. It’s quiet with only a few other couples in here.

As soon as I turn the corner, my breath catches in my throat. He stands at the bar, his intense gaze fixed on the door, waiting for my arrival. Anticipation hangs thick in the air, causing a shiver to run down my spine. God, he’s magnificent. Realization hits me. This breath-taking man is actually waiting to have wine with me. I almost want to pinch myself. The lopsided grin on his face adds a playful edge. It”s gonna be a good night.

As I approach, he smoothly pushes off the bar, closing the distance between us. My eyes roam over his suit. Light gray with a white shirt, no tie and his hair styled but more in the messy way that I love. I resist the urge to reach out and touch it; instead, I curl my fingers with restraint.

We don’t stop moving until we’re directly in front of each other and he towers over me. A sharp intake of breath escapes me when he leans unexpectedly close, his warm breath sending a tremor through me as he whispers, “You look incredible.” His hand tightens on my hip and I find myself melting into the intoxicating touch.

“Thank you. You look handsome.”

He pulls back with hooded eyes and a devilish smile.

“I thought it was time to trade a dinner date for a winery instead.”

His thoughtfulness causes a smile to tug at the corner of my lip. “What’s first on the agenda? Make our own wine?”

A deep throaty chuckle escapes him. “No. It’s already prepared.”

His eyes drop to my mouth and I tip my head back ready for our lips to meet but a clearing of the throat sounds beside us. I momentarily close my eyes, regain composure and turn toward the woman beside us.

His eyes drop to my mouth.

“Lead the way.”

He links our fingers together and we walk.

“The air is so fresh here,” I say, as our footsteps cause the leaves to rustle.

In the distance, you can hear the birds chirping, insects buzzing, and the vines in the wind. There’s no traffic or city noise here.

He leads me into the wine tasting area. The large wooden barrels make a gorgeous backdrop.

“Are you ready to be a wine connoisseur?”

I grin. “Absolutely. I’ve been practicing my wrist technique.”

His eyes widen.

My hand covers my lips mischievously. “Oh sorry, I mean my swirling technique.”

“You can show me the wrist one later,” he whispers darkly in my ear.

We arrive at a rustic wooden table that overlooks the vineyards. He pulls out a chair and I take a seat.

A friendly woman approaches our table. “Good evening. My name is Shaye, and I’ll be guiding you through the tasting tonight. We’ll start with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.”

She pours the wine into two glasses, as she gives us the background information about the winery.

Jeremy’s phone rings during her talk, and he picks it up straight away. He walks off, and after a few minutes of waiting, I give up and tell her to continue. I’m embarrassed and a little annoyed, Shaye must sense my uneasiness, so she begins speaking again.

I’m enjoying talking to her and learning about all the wine, so when he rejoins I’m relaxed.

The new chardonnay she poured me is really good. Dry but still a hint of sweetness. I take another sip.

I lick my lips of the residue. “That is such a good wine.”

As the tasting continues, we make our way through the whites, rose, reds and dessert ones. We share our thoughts and discover a few new favorites.

A charcuterie board arrives and we nibble on that as we sip. Our sommelier walks away, giving us a moment alone. Simultaneously, we turn toward each other clutching our final wine. We share a soft smile.

“Thanks for bringing me here today,” I say.

“My pleasure. Have you been to a winery before?”

“Yeah, but not for wine tasting, just for lunch.”

He sits back with a grin.

“I”m glad I could break you in.” I don”t miss the twinkle in his eye.

“Such a dirty mind.” I breathe, not hating it. His desire makes me feel wanted. Which is something I’m not used to.

“Sorry. Whenever you”re around, I can’t help myself.”

I know the feeling, I say to myself. I know that feeling very well.

“Cheers to a wrong text,” I say.

“Cheers,” he replies and we clink our glasses. As we both take a sip, we hold each other”s eyes. I wish I could pause this moment, this feeling. Being here feels right.

“What made you keep talking to me?”

It occurs to me that it seems out of character for him. Now that I’ve gotten to know him, gotten to care for him, he shouldn’t have kept our exchange going. But he did.

“I had this need to keep talking to you.”

I rub my finger along the stem of the glass.

“I’m not usually distracted.”

“I should thank my charming personality for that.”

I wiggle my brows playfully at him, earning me a wolfish grin.

“It’s definitely what made you stand out to me. That and your beauty.”

I feel a warm flush run through me and up to my cheeks.

Gesturing to the vineyards, he asks, “How about we walk through the vines?”

“Yes, please.”

I want nothing more than to explore more of this place with him and I alone.

We walk hand in hand through the rows of grapevines. We enter the third row when I notice a couple taking a picture.

I tug on his hand, getting his attention to a couple nestled in a grapevine with the sunset in the background.

“Looks like they’re trying to take a picture, but they’re struggling,” I whisper.

“Mm,” he says, looking over at them.

The guy is holding out his phone, but she shakes her head not liking the angle.

“Let me take it for them,” I say as we approach them.

“Would you like me to take a photo for you?” I ask.

“Oh, yes, please.” The woman”s face brightens.

“I can’t get the vineyard, sunset and us in the shot.”

“No worries. I’ll get it,” I say, taking the camera and standing back.

I snap a few photos from a few different angles.

“There you go.”

I hand over the phone to her. She immediately scrolls through.

“How”s that?” I ask.

“Amazing. Thank you so much!” The woman gushes.

“Happy to help,” I say smiling.

“Enjoy your evening,” the couple says.

We walk off.

“That was really nice of you,” Jeremy says.

A smirk tugs at my lip as a thought comes to me. Tilting my head back to look at him. “Can we get a photo?”

He grumbles. “Do we have to?”

I bat my lashes, lean toward him, and say, “Please.”

“Only if I take it.”

I sigh. “Not just the side of your face.”

A small chuckle leaves his chest. “Deal.”

I hand over my phone and we edge back into the vines. The sunset is behind us, and we smile. He clicks the photo and I gasp. “You did it.”

I grab my phone and face him.

“I did. On the provision you send it to me.”

I hit forward and send it to him straight away. His phone chimes with the notification.

The photo is perfect.

“You ready to finish exploring before it’s dark out?”

“Yep.”

His hand glides over my lower back and then drops to interlace our hands. We stroll along the grass in silence.

“I’m going to have to thank Grams for this date.”

I frown. “Why”

“She suggested it.”

I squeeze his hand. “I’ll have to thank her too.”

There’s a question I have been wanting to ask Jeremy and I take this as my opportunity to get to.

“You’re already aware of my dad’s colon cancer. But I don’t know who the person in your life is who has cancer.”

His eyes drop to the ground with sadness. I let him have as much time as he needs. I understand it must be uncomfortable for him to talk about. So I wait patiently.

“It’s my grams. She has breast cancer,” he announces.

“When was she diagnosed?”

I keep my eyes ahead. I don”t want him to close up on me. The vulnerability is what makes me fall harder for him. I get a better understanding of him and what makes him tick. Not just the sides he wants me to see but the ugly, painful side too.

“Only recently. It”s been a couple months, maybe four?”

“What stage is she?”

“Three.”

“Oh, same stage as my dad.”

“I”m sorry,” he says.

“I”m sorry, too.”

We stop walking for a moment and face each other. His hands move to the sides of my waist.

“Since your dad was diagnosed, has your relationship with him changed?”

“Yes, I always make time for my dad and mom. Check in almost every day. A visit, a call or text. I need them to know I’m thinking of them, and I work just to give them money.”

His tongue rubs along his bottom lip. “You’re one of the most extravagant and selfless women I’ve ever met.”

Opening up to him feels natural and like a weight is being lifted from my shoulders. So now that I have started sharing private things, I tell him something that’s been playing heavy on my heart.

“I don”t know what I am going to do without him to be honest. I don”t let myself think about it. I try to avoid reality as much as I can, in the hopes that it will help me not waste the time I have left with him.

“What’s his prognosis?”

“Surprisingly good. But he”s going through a swollen kidney at the moment. They”re managing it well. I’m grateful he has such a great medical team.”

“It helps that he’s young. Since Grams is older, they avoid any harsh treatment.” He exhales, this is obviously heavy on him too.

“You have to keep me in the loop.”

“You too. It”s actually…” He trails off.

“Yeah,” I push, wanting him to finish his sentence.

“It”s nice talking about this with someone. I don”t speak to anyone about this except for my brothers but even then, we don”t often talk openly about it. We definitely don’t share how we feel either.”

I nod, understanding guys aren’t as open with discussing their feelings as women. But I hope he knows I’m here and happy to listen.

“She”s our rock, so I know I need to talk about her. She definitely is the link in Lincoln. Our family loves and adores her. She’s our everything. She is the warmest person you”ll ever meet. I actually can”t wait for her to meet you. I think she”ll end up loving you more than she loves us.”

I giggle. “I doubt that.”

He smiles, but it fades just as quick. “I think we”re all scared. We”re fearful to lose her. We”re afraid to not have her in our lives anymore. We each spend time with her alone. Every one of us is trying to soak up these last moments because we just don”t know how long we will have her.”

To think this intelligent and handsome man would ever have something in common with me would have made me laugh only a month ago. Now, as I stare at him longingly, I wonder how I’ve spent so long without someone like him in my life. His friendship, his tenderness, and his touch.

It’s getting dark, the stars are out. A shiver runs through me with the drop in temperature.

“You ready to go?”

My stomach somersaults. “I”m ready to beat you.” I’m totally faking confidence here. But it seems to work.

“Do you think you”re gonna beat me at poker?” he asks, lifting a brow.

I straighten my spine. “Yep, I”ve got this.”

A dazzling smile takes over his face. “Let”s go then. I can”t wait to see you try.”

I control my mouth to stop a smile from forming. “Is that a challenge, Mr. Lincoln?”

“Miss Lee. It”s a given.”

He stretches out his hand and I take it.

His fingers tighten around mine and we walk back to the car. Inside we stay quiet. The only noise I hear is the pounding of my heart thumping loudly in my ears.

Terry is waiting beside the car.

“Was he here the whole time?”

“Yes.”

“I sure hope you pay him well.” I shake my head in disbelief. Not that Terry looks upset. It just seems absurd to me for him to wait the whole time. What does he do?

“I look after everybody that works for me.”

I don”t doubt it, and after seeing the roses in the car, it reminds me.

“How did you know that red roses are my favorite?”

“They are?”

“Yes,” I reply.

He kisses the side of my face, lingering close where his scent hits me.

“I didn”t. Lucky guess.”

“Lucky indeed,” I say to myself.

“Well, that”s a nice piece of information. So your favorite flowers are red roses?” he hums.

“Yes. I buy them every week for my mom and I.”

He tilts his head. “You buy your mom flowers every week?”

“Yes.”

He doesn”t say anything else. We climb into the car. He refuses to let go of my hand, which makes it difficult to get inside. I try to buckle myself in, but he takes over, dropping my hand to fasten my seat belt and his.

I suck in a quick breath when his fingers touch my thighs. It”s funny how much my body hums whenever he touches me. He places a kiss to my temple and then eases back into the car. We fall into easy silence, so he pulls out his phone and begins typing away madly on it. I turn to watch the city pass until we arrive back at his place.