Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
We all helped Colette clear the remainder of the food inside and cork the unopened bottles. I stepped back outside, realizing I hadn’t seen Remi in a while. My eyes scanned the perimeter, and finally, I spotted a dark figure out in the vineyards.
I wandered down the rows of vines, their leaves rustling softly in the night breeze. The hem of my dress caught on the occasional twig as if the vineyard itself was trying to hold me back. Or maybe keep me here. At this point, I wasn't sure which was which anymore.
I found Remi in a small clearing, perched on an old wooden crate that had probably seen more vintages than I had birthdays. He was looking up at the stars, a half-empty wine bottle dangling from his fingers. It was such a perfect picture of brooding Frenchness that I had to stifle a giggle.
I was flooded with every emotion possible as I stared out at the inky sky, now blanketed with a thousand glittering diamonds.
“It’s incredible,” I said, announcing my presence.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“The view. The stars. The abundance of nature all around. It’s like a drug. If you squint hard enough, those stars almost look like tiny grapes.”
“I think you’ve had a bit of wine,” Remi said.
I laughed, then shrugged. “He doesn’t lie. The lady has, in fact, imbibed a wee bit.”
“As she should. Tonight is a night for letting go of that which holds you back.”
My head swiveled toward him. “And what holds you back?”
His brow went up at the question. “Who says anything does?”
“I says. You are like this giant brick wall that no one can break. No one can climb.”
“You want to climb my wall?” He wiggled his brow. I smirked.
“Better than breaking, right?”
“Sometimes. Maybe sometimes we all need to break. Just a little.”
My stomach tightened. “I think I’m already broken. Broken into tiny little pieces spread from here to California.”
Remi slipped a finger under my chin and moved my head to face him. “Non. Those pieces that broke from you? That is you shedding the parts of you that you no longer needed. That you never needed. You are not broken. You are chiseled into something more beautiful.”
Every part of my body buzzed at his touch.
He turned back to the sky. “But can you tell which constellation is Cabernet and which is Pinot?”
I pretended to study the sky intently. "Hmm, that cluster there is definitely Pinot Noir. See how it's being difficult and refusing to form a proper shape?"
He chuckled, the sound low and warm in the quiet night. "Your wine knowledge is becoming dangerously good. We might have to keep you around just to preserve our secrets."
There it was again. That hint, that possibility of staying.
"Well," I said, aiming for nonchalance and probably missing by a mile, "someone has to keep you on your toes. Can't have you French getting too complacent about your wine superiority."
My heart raced as I stepped closer to him. I smelled the wine on his breath, mingled with that uniquely Remi scent of sun-warmed skin and earth.
I looked out over the vineyard, the rows of vines stretching into the darkness. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted softly.
"I don't know," I admitted. "When I came here, everything seemed so simple. See what Pierre had left me. Maybe learn a little more about my father. See the vineyard, go home. But now..."
"Now?" Remi prompted gently.
I turned back to him, suddenly feeling braver. Maybe it was the wine, or the stars, or just the magic of this place.
"Now I'm not sure where home is anymore."
Remi's intake of breath was sharp, but he didn't speak. Instead, he reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my cheek.
"You know," he said, his voice husky, "there's a saying here in Provence. 'Le vin est la lumière du soleil, tenue ensemble par l'eau.' "
"Wine is…sunlight? By the water?” I struggled to translate.
“Very close. Wine is sunlight, held together by water. You see? You belong here already. You understand the poetry of the vine."
I laughed, but it came out a bit shaky. "I'm pretty sure understanding French wine quotes doesn't automatically qualify me for citizenship."
"Non," Remi agreed. "Come, I want to show you something."
Puzzled but intrigued, I let him lead me through the vineyard. We walked in comfortable silence, our fingers intertwined, until we reached the crest of a small hill.
"Look," Remi said softly, gesturing out over the landscape.
I gasped. Spread out before us was the entire estate, bathed in moonlight. The old house, the winery, the rows upon rows of vines, all silvered and magical in the night.
“Tell me to stay,” I said.
He exhaled deeply but shook his head. “Non. I will not. You have to make that choice.”
“You don’t want to fight for this?”
He pressed his lips into a thin smile. “There is nothing to fight for.”
My heart sank, then he grabbed my hand. “That is not what I mean. I mean, I don’t want this to be a fight. I want it to be right. And right now, it’s not the right thing for you. So I will not make it harder for you.”
I swallowed a lump before I let tears take over. I met his eyes, glittering in the moonlight. A piercing blue made more vibrant in the black of night, like a predator on the prowl.
“Then… ask me to stay with you. Just for tonight.”
He exhaled a husky breath, his irises flaring wide in the night. He stepped into me. He slipped his arms around my waist gently, then yanked me into him, jolting me. In a moment, he slammed his lips to mine, crashing into me with voracious hunger. I couldn’t think over the roaring in my head, the thudding of my heart. My whole body was hot and floating and spinning all at once. We stood there tangled in the moonlight for what felt like an eternity until finally, without warning, he lifted me up and, not taking his mouth from mine, carried me toward the house.
The night was a symphony of sounds as we rushed through the vineyards and around the side entrance to the house. Remi held my hand tightly but said nothing. The entire night was alive with sounds, every sensation heightened as though on a new level of awareness. My heart was the loudest sound of all.
We slipped into the house unseen and into the dusty back foyer. Remi stopped and looked down at me, eyes catching the traces of moonlight slipping in through the old windows. He was feral and nocturnal, something yearning and hungry in him unleashed in a way I hadn’t seen before.
I bit my lip at the sight of him, all shadows and moonlit glow. His eyes asked me the question, and I nodded toward a stairwell.
“This way.”
My bedroom door had barely closed behind us, and his hands were on every inch of my body, tearing away the layers of fabric that stood between us. I couldn't think, couldn't process anything other than the raw need, the pounding of my heart, the blazing heat of my skin.
Then his lips were on mine again. This time, there was nothing soft, nothing tentative. He came at me full force, on fire. I stumbled back, but he slipped his arms around me and pulled me upright.
His hand cradled my face, fingers lost in strands of my hair, while my hand found a home on the curve of his neck, feeling the pulse of his heartbeat through my fingertips.
The world, with its logic and rules and practicalities, fell away, leaving only the pulsing of want and need.
He kissed me hard as we stripped away every inch of fabric between us, closing the distance.
We fell into each other, and I secretly begged the night to last forever.