Epilogue
Six Months Later
J essica was nervous. Not that she would tell anyone that. Well, she was pretty sure Vini knew already, given the way she continued to squeeze Jessica’s hand as the van bumped along the road. Scheduling this, a literal meeting of her two worlds, had taken some time. Truthfully, she had started planning as soon as she and Vini decided to give their relationship a real shot. She had known she wanted to introduce Vini to her family and show her some of her world as well. Italy seemed to be the perfect meeting spot for it all.
“Are those olive trees?” Vini’s enthusiasm had Jessica relaxing. The flight over had been an experience. Jessica had pulled out all the stops, wanting to make this first hop over the ocean as pleasant as possible for her. Maybe it was nervous energy. This was the first time Jessica would be introducing someone she was dating to her family, and wasn’t that a trip. She was dating . She and Vini were in a relationship which was blowing her mind with how well it was going. She thought she would feel confined or overly concerned with how things were going, but the sense of peace she’d had since they officially labeled it was incredible.
“They are,” Gianna said from the front seat. “There are quite a few olive groves in this area as well as grapes and figs. We grow some of our own as well.”
Vini turned to look at Jessica, her eyes wide in surprise. “You own an olive grove?”
Warmth infused her cheeks in the wake of Vini’s impressed smile. “Well, technically Gianna oversees it. I just bought the land and—”
“Don’t let her be humble,” Gianna cut in. “We just bought another hectare of land to expand the grove, and we’re looking into another half hectare for our Montepulciano.”
“I don’t know what any of that means, but it sounds exciting.” Vini’s smile was contagious, and Jessica found herself feeling shy for the first time in a long time. “You never mentioned any of this before. It’s seriously impressive.”
Jessica had to fight the urge to shrug off the compliment. She had been getting better about accepting them, especially with how liberally Vini doled them out. Being appreciated for something other than her skills in the bedroom was a new experience for her. Sure, she had been complimented when at work and on the occasions that she looked at reviews from the audiobooks she narrated, there were kudos sprinkled throughout, but this was different. This property was her idea and one she had kept quiet about for years. Even her parents had only recently learned about the extent of it when the on-site bed and breakfast was finally finished and opened for business.
The forty-minute drive from the airport gave Jessica plenty of time to stew about what was coming next. Passing the familiar groves and vines she had come to love helped settle her, but this was still kind of a big deal. It wouldn’t be the first time Vini met her family, but it would be the first time it happened in person. And they would all be together for a week which meant if things went wrong, leaving wouldn’t exactly be an option.
“I can see why you love this place,” Vini said catching Jessica’s attention. “It looks so peaceful. It kind of reminds me of back home.”
“You’re not wrong.” Jessica could see that, now that she had spent more time in Peach Blossom. It was a slower pace, similar to Abruzzo. How she hadn’t seen that before was anyone’s guess. “I always feel more settled when I come here.”
The road was flanked by vineyards as they bumped down the narrow road leading to the main house. There were already cars parked, and Jessica’s heart jumped into her throat. This was it. The meeting of the worlds.
She helped Vini out of the car, and they grabbed the bags from the trunk. The sun was high in the sky, and Jessica could feel herself starting to sweat. There was a light breeze that cooled the moisture on her skin, and if not for Vini grabbing her hand, she might have vibrated out of her body with nerves. The gravel under their feet crunched announcing their arrival, and before they reached the house, the door was thrown open.
“You’re here!”
Jessica snorted at her mom’s enthusiasm, but she didn’t stop until she had those familiar arms wrapped around her. She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding as her mom’s familiar floral scent enveloped her. When she pulled back, her dad was already out and similarly had Vini wrapped in a tight hug.
“Look at you,” her mom, Hillary, said with shiny eyes. “I feel like we haven’t seen you in so long.”
Jessica tried not to roll her eyes. “I saw you guys like a month ago.”
“For a couple days. It’s not the same.” Jessica stepped back as her mom reached out to pull Vini in a hug. “And you didn’t bring Vini. It’s so good to see her finally.”
Jessica’s face hurt with the width of her smile as she watched her mom cup Vini’s cheeks in that way only moms did.
“It’s good to finally meet you too, Mrs. Miller.”
“Call me Hillary, sweetie. Mrs. Miller feels so stuffy.”
A snort from behind her had Jessica turning in time to see Jason come down the stairs. He looked good, relaxed in a way he hadn’t seemed in a long while. He bumped Jessica’s shoulder. “About time you all got here. I thought Mom was going to commandeer a plane and go find you guys herself.”
Jessica chuckled. “Don’t give her any ideas. We don’t need her getting a pilot license.” She looked over him, noting the slight strain still around his lips. “You look better. How are you holding up?”
Jason shrugged, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. Jessica wasn’t surprised by that. They had been talking a lot more now than they had in a long while. “As good as can be expected, I guess. Have you talked to Alicia?”
Jason’s ex-fiancée had blocked him after ending their engagement, and other than a few visits to get her things from his place, as far as Jessica knew they hadn’t talked since. Jessica had tried to reach out a couple times, but when Alicia never responded, she stopped. It wasn’t her business to get involved with what happened, as much as she wanted to for Jason’s sake.
“No. You know she blocked me too,” she said, and he nodded before running a hand over his face. “Is there anything I can do? I hate seeing you—”
“I’m fine,” he said, cutting her off. Despite his words, he looked anything but. “This trip is for you guys. I’ll feel better eventually. Getting away will probably help.”
Jessica agreed but didn’t say so. “You’re always welcome to come visit us in Peach Blossom. Vini and I are looking at getting a place.”
His eyebrows rose. “Cohabitating? That’s a big deal.” He latched onto the change in subject like Jessica knew he would. He wasn’t wrong. Other than her family, Grace was the only other person she had ever lived with long-term. Even Gianna had her own house on the other end of the property. “So this is it for you, then? You’re happy?”
Jessica looked over at Vini who was still talking with their parents. Her rich skin glowed under the Italian sun, and her smile was wide and open. Jessica could feel the pull toward her, and the desire to taste the happiness that shone from her eyes.
“Yeah, I am.”
Their eyes met, and Vini’s smile grew so fond that Jessica felt her eyes burn. This was perfection.