Chapter 16
Gifts
Reminisce
“Here,taste this one. I think you’ll like it,” Knight says handing me his wine glass.
“Thank you,” I say, taking the glass as I look into his eyes.
He gives me a sexy grin and wink. I can’t take my eyes off him as I swirl then smell the wine before taking a sip. It’s nice and smooth, with a smoky flavor. I knew he planned a weekend for us, but I wasn’t expecting this.
Today has been so romantic. We arrived first thing this morning for our romantic getaway. Breakfast was served as we settled into our luxury suite.
Knight looked so sexy in his white button up with his khaki shorts and sneakers. I decided to go with a flirty sundress for the ride here.
The decision was rewarded as Knight kept his hand on my thigh the entire ride here. The warmth of his palm grounded me. The closer we got to the vineyard, the more it started to feel like a real date and relationship.
The bubble is starting to tear a little. Reality is pressing against the barrier I’ve put up. I overheard Knight murmuring on the phone to Harris, his work buddy.
Calls with Harris always lead to danger and at that hour—nothing good can come from that call. I walked away to keep the bubble intact. We have the party at my parents’ next weekend.
It feels like that’s going to be our expiration date. I want to enjoy these last few days we have. Something will bring this all to an end.
That’s the one thing I’m almost certain of. I hate it, but I know it’s coming. I clench my teeth as the thought tries to take root.
“Where did you go?” Knight asks, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.
I clear my throat and focus on him. “Nowhere.”
I focus back on him. He changed into a blue polo shirt and black shorts with black sandals after breakfast. The shirt is doing something to his eyes. His hair looks so full and shiny.
Knight’s a true California dream. He’s been turning heads since we’ve been here. I’m sort of grateful for the private tasting room. I’m not ready to look too deeply at why it annoys me so much that women have been ogling him.
“Um,” he murmurs.
“What?”
“I know you. Your thoughts were somewhere else,” he says.
“They were on something I don’t want to think about. This wine is excellent, by the way. I love this one and the last one they poured with the cheese.”
“Good, I’ll have them load a case of each in the car when we check out, and I’ll have them start a subscription for a delivery once a month.”
“Thank you,” I murmur.
“Anytime.”
We begin to speak at the same time. I stop and nod for him to continue. I wasn’t going to say much anyway.
“I was just going to say that I’ve been thinking about selling my place and moving closer to Bishop or near my parents,” he says.
“Really? Those aren’t really bachelor neighborhoods. Your place is so nice.”
He gives a shrug. “It’s just been a thought. I haven’t committed to anything yet.”
“I love your place. I still remember when you first moved in. Your neighbor hated me. Do you remember that?”
He releases a deep chuckle. “Yeah, I remember her. Turns out it had nothing to do with how her boyfriend used to check you out. She was jealous of you for a different reason.”
“Huh?”
“Right before she moved, we ran into each other in the coffee shop on the corner. She sat at my table to chat me up. The two were into swinging or had an open relationship or something. She wanted to approach us, but she said she didn’t get the vibe you would share.”
“She was damn fucking right,” I scoff. “Did you sleep with her?”
He purses his lips at me and gives me a pointed look. I shrug and wait for him to answer. It’s not like he’s not free to fuck whoever he wants when we’re not together.
“No, Rem. I was never interested. She did offer,” he says smugly.
“So wait a minute. All those dirty looks were because she wanted me to share you?”
He shrugs. “Yeah.”
“Oh my God, that’s so crazy. What did you say?”
He frowns and folds his arms across his chest. “You want the truth?”
“Of course.”
“I told her they were both out of their fucking minds because there was no way I was going to allow his ass to touch you and I didn’t want her when I had you,” he says and makes a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.
I burst into laughter. I always did get a weird vibe from the two. However, this was the furthest thing from my mind when I looked at the two of them.
As memories of the two come to mind, tears come to my eyes. Knight is laughing with me. He knows how much I didn’t like her and how I used to grumble about her dirty looks.
“Oh, come on. You mean you wouldn’t have wanted to see him in his little booty shorts trying to feel me up,” I tease.
Knight shudders and laughs. “No more than you would have wanted to watch me try to grab her flat ass or those inflated tits.”
“Ugh, you couldn’t pay me to hook up with his hairy, creepy looking ass. Oh my God, now you see why I used to call up first for you to come down to get me the first few months you were there? I think they used to watch for me,” I say and shiver.
“Everyone watches for you, beautiful. They both knew better than to touch you.”
“I’m glad they read the vibes. Totally not my thing and they wouldn’t have been my go-to if it was. Yuck.”
“We’ve had some good times, haven’t we?”
He’s giving me an intense look. I go to look away, but he reaches across the table and turns my face to his. We lock gazes, and I swear I begin to drown in his.
“Yeah, we’ve had some good times,” I whisper.
He leans forward and captures my lips in a heated kiss. My toes curl in my sandals. One kiss and he completely undoes me.
How do I win this battle?
* * *
Knight
“This has been so awesome,”Rem coos as I walk up and wrap my arms around her from behind.
We took the carriage ride over to the caves on the premises. When I saw this feature, I knew this would be where we’d spend this evening for dinner. There was something magical about it even in the pictures.
I kiss the back of Rem’s head. “Wait until you see what I have in store for the rest of the night,” I say into her ear.
“Yeah, about that. What are we doing out here? Are we going to stargaze or something?”
I smile and give a small laugh. “No, not out here, baby. We have to keep walking to get to our date.”
I take her hand in mine and lead her to the little path that will take us to the opening of the cave. I opted for the private cave so it will be just the two of us. I’m not in the mood to share Rem with anyone.
This is just the beginning of this weekend, but I couldn’t ask for a better start. I need Rem to relax. I’ve almost gotten her there. Almost.
This afternoon’s paint and sip went a long way. We didn’t talk about our relationship or where things are going. We sat back and just did us.
Our conversations are great when we steer clear of relationship talk or talk about our future. I’ve watched her laugh a whole lot today and that’s made my heart feel lighter. However, tonight … I have reserved the gift I want to give her for this evening.
I thought long and hard about this one. It had to be something that says Rem, but something that shows her how much I care about her. I hope I got it right.
“Knight,” she gasps as we enter the cave front. “This is … this is so insane. A cave? It’s so beautiful in here.”
I smile proudly as I look around at the romantically lit cave. The blue lights have a warm steady glow as white twinkle lights guide the path in. The light makes it look like gems are lining the ceiling.
Even I’m impressed and taken aback the deeper we walk in. Rem has wrapped herself around my arm and is holding on tightly. If she were forever mine, I’d take her places like this all the time just to see this smile on her face.
“Are you hungry?” I ask.
“Not really, but I’m not passing on whatever you have planned. This place is too beautiful not to take in the whole experience. Stuff me away. I’m here for it.”
I laugh and shake my head. Even her voice is full of joy. I think I knocked this one out of the park.
“We don’t have to sit to eat right away. There is a viewing point. We can stargaze like you said.”
“I want to do whatever you had planned. This is already amazing. I didn’t even know this place was here.”
“There are tons of activities other than wine tasting here. I think it’s genius. Come on, take your shoes off.”
We both remove our shoes and step onto the grassy area that sits right under the opening in the roof of the cave. We have an amazing view of the stars. I sit next to Rem and we both lie on our backs to look up.
I reach for her hand and lace my fingers with hers. Nothing needs to be said in this moment. We can just be Rem and Knight.
I feel her relax as she squeezes my hand. I turn my head to look at her and take in the side of her face. She has a small smile on her lips.
“You’re staring,” she says after a few beats.
“You’re beautiful. I can’t help it.”
“So are the stars,” she says and turns to look at me.
“Yeah, but I have the brightest star right here next to me.”
Her smile grows bigger. “Okay, Knight. I see you.”
“Do you?”
She turns to look back up at the stars. “When I was a little girl, Saga and I would do this all the time in our backyard. I loved those moments. It was like magic.”
“Yeah, I remember you telling me about that before.”
I don’t tell her that’s why I chose this for our date. I still remember the story she told me of her childhood. The times when she felt most safe.
“We would imagine our own little world. I remember this one time. Legend was getting on our nerves, so Saga had me follow her and we went deep into our backyard. I thought we were lost. Mommy hadn’t cleared the trees for the maze yet. I think she did it after that because we were out there all day.
“That was when I realized I pay attention to details. I helped get us back. I was scared, but Saga was the brave one, and I took confidence in my big sister getting us home safe with my help.
“I’ve always had her to make me stronger, to cause me to be brave like her. Then she moved away. Sometimes, I think she took my confidence and courage with her.
“Saga has always been the one I look up to. I admire her courage I hope someday I can have that … the courage to take what I want from life. To be who I want to be.”
“Rem, you already have that courage.”
“No, I don’t. Everything I have is a result of my flight instinct. Not a choice out of courage.”
She sits up and wraps her arms around her knees. I watch her thinking her words over. I think she’s too hard on herself. Being shot at isn’t something everyone can get over.
I don’t blame her for her response. She has made all the decisions that were best for her. I sit up and move to sit behind her.
Kissing the top of her head, I then wrap my arms around her and give a squeeze. I begin to sway a bit. The soft music playing adds to the peaceful ambiance.
“I think you’re perfect. I wouldn’t change anything about you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m sure. I wish you could see you the way I do. You’ve always been badass to me,” I say and kiss her neck.
She snorts. “Yeah, I’d like a pair of those rose-colored glasses too.”
I give her a squeeze. “You’re perfect. Remember. I know the real you,” I growl into her ear.
I reach into my pocket and take out the gift box. When I hand it over, she turns to crane her neck and look up at me. I peck her lips and smile.
“Open it.”
She turns to open the gift, tearing the paper from the little box. I reach to rub her shoulders as I watch. Her hands tremble as she lifts the lid.
“Oh, Knight. This is beautiful.”
She leans in to look closely at the little charms on the bracelet. My heart swells as she begins to coo and laugh at the little pieces. I take it and place it on her wrist.
She continues to finger the charms as I get it into place. “A motorcycle, the scales of justice, are these skis?”
“Yup, I will never forget that trip,” I say close to her ear.
“Is this a little donut?” she snickers.
“Yup. You were so cute when you brought me those donuts that day.”
“You took a bullet for me. It was the least I could do. I felt so silly for it after.”
I reach for her face and turn her head so I can kiss her lips. “You were still adorable and so fucking sexy. Best donuts I’ve ever had in my life.”
I take her full lips and deliver a searing kiss. Once again, I’m glad I went with the private cave. I want to make love to my woman and show her how amazing she is.