Love in Tuscany

Chapter One

Tate

E ven a year after my divorce, the pain still stings like a fresh wound. But it especially burns at the idea of a romantic week in Tuscany to celebrate my half sister's wedding. Reconciling my joy for her finding happiness with the bitter pill of watching someone get a fresh start after my marriage crashed and burned, well, it’s seemingly impossible. At some point, I’ve stopped believing in love, assuming that maybe it’s meant only for other people but never for me. Evan made sure I stopped believing in love through our bitter, drawn-out divorce.

I am going to stop thinking about my ex-husband.

The affirmation hasn’t worked in a year, but if I say it enough, it’ll surely come true, especially since he’s not worth my time. The asshole cheated on me throughout our entire marriage and then had the gall to blame me because I “work all the time.” I’m an on-call cardiac surgeon with one of the largest hospitals in Portland, Oregon. Of course, I work all the time.

Anyway, I digress.

Tuscany for a week.

The beautiful hills of the countryside rise and fall outside the car window. Something about the sight eases the tight tension around my permanently cracked heart. I’ve tried so hard, for so long, to be enough for everyone. My parents divorced when I was twelve, my father remarried to Olivia’s mom. Now Olivia is the favorite, for which I can’t even fault her, because she’s perfect—bright sunshine after a long cloudy week, a sip of sweet tea on a hot summer’s day. And I’m excited to celebrate her for a week, so I just need to plaster a smile on my face and make do.

I tip the driver, grab my bags, and steel myself as I look up at the grand villa I’ll spend the next week in with close family and friends before the larger circle arrives for the wedding day and reception. Olivia’s marrying some fancy football player that also thinks the sun shines out of her ass, which it does, so at least he’s a good guy.

“Tate!” Olivia screams while running full tilt toward me.

At that moment, she looks so much like the toddler that had chased me everywhere in my teens that I could almost weep with grief over time lost. Time is an awful thief. I squeeze her tightly before tugging her away to gaze down at her. She smiles knowingly, then promptly flicks my nose, making me sigh. It's a game we’ve played since the dawn of time.

“Is Dad here?”

“Inside,” Olivia replies as she grabs my hand tight, turns, and promptly heads up the steep gravel driveway.

The sun is so bright, and the wind blows through the trees as it softly makes its way over the hills. Tuscany is beautiful, exactly what I needed after years tucked away in Portland, away from everyone. The large villa has twenty bedrooms in the main house and a few secluded buildings in the back for the family. No clue where Olivia will be putting me, but after the flight, a nap sure sounds nice. It’s like when I turned forty, my body decided that any time could be nap time. Probably a bit of the depression, too.

“How was the flight?” Olivia asks.

I shrug. “Normal. Beat to hell now, though.”

“I figured you’d need a nap, what with the time change. If you nap this afternoon, you can join us for dinner. By then, almost everyone should be here.”

Laughter rings out through the open doors leading to the backyard. I squint into the midday sun and shield my eyes with my hand to catch a peek at the mingling people down below. I can’t make anyone out, but they’re all having fun. Good for them.

“Hey, kiddo,” Dad calls out from where he’s sitting with a glass of wine on the shaded porch. Forty years old, and my dad still calls me kiddo. I can’t help but smile.

After a tight hug and some brief catching up about my flight, Olivia saves me by dragging me away from the porch to lead me up to my room. It’s one of the nicer rooms on the third floor, and the view of the hills sprawling behind the property is both simultaneously serene and magical. The room is airy and fresh, with cream-colored curtains that softly float in the warm, gentle breeze coming through the window. Yeah, this is just what I needed, even despite the lovefest the next week will hurl at me.

“Thank you for coming,” Olivia says softly.

I spin around to stare at her. “Why wouldn’t I come?”

“I know it’s hard for you to get away…” Olivia trails off as if just realizing what she’s said. Despite our age difference, we’ve always been quite close, and she listened to me sob over the phone for many nights after Evan broke my heart into pieces.

“I will always make time for you. Always.”

I kiss her cheek right before she leaves me alone for a nap. After showering the smell of plane off me, I stand in front of the mirror and don’t recognize the man staring back at me. Sure, it’s the same dark hair, a little gray sprinkled in now, and the same dark brown eyes, but I’m still wholly unremarkable. I’ve always focused more on my career than life outside of it. I’ve always done what I thought I should , not necessarily what I wanted. I love my job, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t know who I am outside of it anymore. For years, it was medical school, residency, a fellowship, and then just work, which finally burned my marriage to the ground. What do I want for the rest of my life?

For now, I want to have a nap.

I snuggle into the soft, downy bed, the gentle breeze fanning over me, the warm sun on my face, and fall asleep in moments.

When I rouse from my nap, I wake up in another world. The sky outside is a dark orange, turning purple as my eyes blink away the lingering haze of sleep. Muffled laughter floats in from below, and the smell of food makes my stomach rumble with hunger. God, I haven’t eaten in at least a day. Par for the course for me. Rubbing the last bits of sleep from my eyes, I roll out of bed and pad to my suitcase and garment bag that I tossed haphazardly into the corner. After dressing in cream linen pants and a dark blue button-down, I spend a few moments taming my dark, slightly curly hair. It’ll have to do, and at least my neatly trimmed beard is still holding up for now.

The same smell of food and the sound of cutlery greets me as I descend the steps down to the first floor. Olivia hastily exits the kitchen with a chilled glass of wine and a wide grin on her lips just as I’m wondering if I awoke in another dimension.

“I tried to wake you an hour ago, but you were dead to the world. Sorry, I know you’ll probably not sleep tonight now.”

I snort. “Don’t worry, I can sleep some more. Is everyone here?”

She tilts her head toward the porch. “Mostly, just the family, some of Bailey’s friends and family. Maybe you’ll meet someone this weekend.” Olivia wiggles her eyebrows. “Want some wine?”

“God, yes.”

We head back into the kitchen momentarily so she can grab me a glass of wine from the varying bottles on the large chef’s island. Thankfully, she knows my taste better than anyone and grabs me a dark cabernet. The kitchen staff smile indulgently at us, before shooing us out of the kitchen to enjoy the dinner. Nobody quiets as we exit onto the porch, which works wonders for my nerves. Olivia sits me in the empty seat beside Dad. I lean forward to wave at Olivia’s mom, Gloria, before fixing myself a plate of whatever the pasta is that smells like heaven on earth.

“You look tired,” Dad comments from the corner of his mouth.

“Just had a six-hour nap. I feel great.”

“Work?” Dad prods.

I shrug, not wanting to worry him more than he already worries. I’d moved away from home on the East Coast to the South for college and then ended up on the West Coast for residency. Laziness made me end up staying on the West Coast for good. I rarely see him, my stepmom, or Olivia unless I make the long trek home. It’ll be nicer now that Olivia’s soon-to-be husband was traded to the NFL team in Seattle with a decent contract. Hopefully, if she has children, they’ll get to know Uncle Tate instead of me being some weird mirage that sends them presents on major holidays.

The pasta is heavenly, and the wine is the right amount of bitter. Stars begin to dot the sky as everyone happily chats while they eat the delicious food. For the first time in a long time, I feel relaxed, my shoulders not tense to my ears. Once the main meal and our dishes are cleared away, the staff set plates of rich-looking cake in front of each of us. Two bites in, and I can’t eat any more. Pushing the plate away, I let my gaze float over the table. My gaze snags on Olivia and we exchange smiles just as Bailey stands to make some sort of toast.

“Hey, everyone, thanks for coming. I know everyone is suffering from varying degrees of jet lag, but we wanted to get everyone together for a meal before the wedding week adventures kick off.” Bailey pauses to look down at Olivia with the softest, most love-sickening look on earth. Ugh. “We just wanted everyone to have a good time this week, relax, and have fun. We want our family and friends to have a vacation. While there aren’t any hard-core planned events, there’s much to do here! Feel free to team up to do things together or venture off on your own; make of the time what you will.” Bailey pauses to chuckle. “As long as you’re ready to celebrate with us on Saturday.”

Not to be an asshole or anything, but I zone out the rest. Leaning back in my chair, I sip at the wine as everyone continues to chat through their desserts. The sky here is so dark that the stars are the brightest I’ve ever seen, probably from lack of light pollution. I’ve always been more of a city guy, so seeing a real night sky has been rare. Once dinner and dessert are over, everyone continues to talk, but the jet lag still weighs me down, so I’m not in the mood for forced socializing. With a kiss on Olivia’s cheek and a cool glass of wine tucked in my hand, I head to the garden at the back of the large villa.

A cool breeze washes over me, and I close my eyes to drink in the heady moment.

“Hey,” a voice calls from behind me.

Startled, I almost drop my wine but quickly recover easily as I spin to turn around. I blink slowly as I take in the man standing before me. Broad shoulders, a thick waist, tousled golden blond hair, and a clean-shaven face. He looks young, probably Bailey’s age.

“Hello,” I reply like the idiot that I am.

The man steps forward and holds out his hand with a shy smile. “I’m Sully, or, well, Sullivan. But everyone calls me Sully.”

I shake his offered hand, noting his firm grip and the calluses on his fingertips. Our hands hold for a little longer than they need to as my heart speeds up ever so slightly.

“Tate.”

Sully grins and nods. “I know, Olivia’s older brother.”

“Half-brother,” I quickly correct him.

Sully tilts his head like a puppy. “Same difference.”

Taking a sip of my wine, I hum in indifference. “How do you know Bailey?”

“We played together in high school and college.”

Ah, football player. That makes sense. “What do you do now?”

That pulls a chuckle from Sully. He has a nice, deep, warm laugh, and the sound moves through me like the breeze over my skin. “I still play football. I’m just not a big, fancy quarterback like Bailey. I’m a defensive safety.”

A blush works its way up my neck as I stare at him. “I know absolutely nothing about football.”

Sully shrugs his broad shoulders. “It’s just my job. What do you do?”

“I’m a cardiac surgeon.”

Sully blinks slowly. “Heart surgeon?”

I lift my wineglass with a smile. “Yep.”

“I bet that’s stressful.”

“You can say that again.”

Sully steps closer to me so that I can feel the heat radiating off of him. He smells nice, a little smoky, with a hint of spice. It’s a warm smell that oddly settles my nerves.

“So, you’re between seasons now, right? I know that much about football.”

Sully gives me this puzzled look before taking a sip of his wine. “Yes, we head back to pre-season training in a few weeks. That’s why Bailey picked now for the wedding so he can enjoy his time off, enjoy the honeymoon.”

I nod as if I understand. “Makes sense.”

Sully chuckles, soft and low. “Do you even know when the season is?”

I at least have the decency to give him a sheepish look. “Guilty as charged, I don’t. I’m not much of a sports guy.”

Sully takes a step further into the garden, and I follow as if tied to him by a string. Our arms brush gently; my shoulder brushes his bicep since he has enough inches on me that I have to look up a little when we speak. A shiver passes over me in the dark as the breeze picks up again, causing Sully’s blond hair to ruffle delightfully in the wind. He’s beautiful.

“So, what do you do for fun?”

I blink slowly, then frown as I try to think up something. What do I do for fun? Such a horrible little three-letter word.

“I used to rock climb back in college and during residency.”

Sully’s eyes light up. “I love to rock climb! Well, I used to. I’m over the weight limit for most gyms now, so I can only belay. You don’t climb anymore?”

“No,” I say sadly, swishing the wine in my glass as we walk. “I don’t have much time anymore with work. I still have all of my gear… just never go.”

Sully sends a frown my way, then looks back up at the sky as we walk aimlessly. “That’s sad. It’s fun. Even though most gyms have that auto-belay feature now.”

“Mmm, yes. The best part is trusting your partner and them guiding you when you’re stuck on a tough route.”

Sully all-out grins again. He’s got a nice mouth, and his eyes crinkle at the corners when he grins. Oh boy. I feel myself flush and tear my gaze away from him before I can start thinking dangerous thoughts. It’s been so long since I felt intimacy, not even just sex, but true intimacy, like holding a lover's hand as we walk down the sidewalk after dinner or someone spooning behind me in the middle of the night when they’re cold. I might’ve been bad at marriage, but I enjoy the intimacy of a partner, of being loved.

“It’s lovely here.” Sully glances over at me, then back ahead as if caught looking at me. “I got in this morning, napped, then swam. The pool’s nice!”

Sully says everything in a rush, almost as if he’s nervous. I glance behind me only to find we’ve wandered further away than I realized. The villa is a bright spot in the darkness, with the sound of the others faded from view. Out here under the stars, Sully and I are almost completely alone.

“What college did you play for?”

“University of Florida.”

I gasp and smack his arm, which is a solid rock under my hand. Jesus. “I did my medical degree there.”

“When?”

I roll my eyes. “Many years ago. I’m forty.”

Sully shrugs as we stop at the end of the trail. I hadn’t noticed how much noise we’d been making by walking on the gravel until we came to a stop. It’s so silent here. Only the distant sound of the villa and the wind swooshing through the trees. I take a sip of my wine just as I glance up to find Sully staring down at me.

“Forty isn’t old,” Sully says matter-of-factly.

I blink up at him. “I know.”

“I’m thirty.” Sully runs a hand through his hair, oddly making him look even more attractive. I’ve never been someone who has a “type,” but I think if I did, it would be someone exactly like Sully. My throat feels thick as I imagine wrapping my arms around his neck, him lifting me up, him tossing me around like a rag doll. Yeah, bad train of thought. Bad Tate.

“Lots of life left to live,” I reply because I don’t know what else to say.

“I’m probably going to retire soon,” Sully says softly, like a secret shared only with me. “I injured my shoulder a couple of seasons ago, and it hurts more and more each year.”

As if out of habit, Sully rubs at his shoulder. I have this odd urge to reach up and touch the tender spot, even more so when he scowls at his own touch. But instead, I grip my wineglass tighter and grimace in sympathy when he looks my way.

“What will you do after you retire?”

A flush steals over Sully’s face as a shy smile tilts his lips up. Oh. I dig my toes into my dress shoes until it hurts, anything to center myself because I don’t think I’ve felt this level of attraction in a very long time.

“I have a degree in computer science, so I’ll probably just get a normal-person job. I never planned to stay in the league for long.” Sully blows out a breath as he once again looks up at the sky. “I grew up in the system, so the league was mostly a way to set myself up for success. The league has a great pension too… I wanted to ensure I could provide for my family for a long time.”

“Your family?”

“My future family,” Sully says softly with a hint of embarrassment.

“That’s sweet,” I admit without a hint of teasing. That is sweet. He’s so young to be thinking of the future.

“Where do you live back in the States?” Sully asks just before finishing his glass of wine. He tips the glass to hold the stem between his forefinger and middle finger. For some reason, I find that way hotter than I should. When I glance back up, he’s staring at me in wait.

I clear my throat softly. “Oregon.”

“Ah, I’m in Seattle. I play for the team that Bailey will be joining.”

“The Seahawks?”

Sully grins, all teeth and a bit of smirk. “So, you do know some football?”

I snort. “I’d have to be blind not to know the Seahawks. What do you do in your free time?”

“I love a good nap, but I love to go for a hike. Oregon has a lot of good hiking, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” I admit slowly, a niggle of shame working its way through me. “I just work so much that I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. All I do is work and sleep.”

“Makes life short when all you do is work and sleep. This must be hard for you.”

My eyebrows furrow. “What’s hard for me?”

Sully sweeps his hand out to gesture at the land around us. “Taking a break? No work for a week. What will you do?”

“I don’t know yet.” I rub anxiously at my neck as I polish off my cabernet. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“I was thinking of going for a wine tour tomorrow. Would you like to join me?”

I stare up at Sully in the hushed darkness. His deep blue eyes are soft as he gazes down at me, mouth slightly tipped up into a shy but tender smile. I could sit around and watch my dear sister fall deeper in love with her future husband, or I could galivant around with Sully. The decision is pretty easy to make.

“I’d love to go with you,” I reply before I can talk myself out of it.

Sully’s answering grin could illuminate the darkest of nights.