Epilogue
Epilogue
Sophie
Six months later
I fill the wine sample, trying to hide the shake in my hands. This is our fourth competition event in the last six months, and my belly is still in knots. I guess the drive to win top marks every time will never go away. Perfection is in my blood.
“This is our latest rose, Love Undercover. It’s a blend of pinot noir grapes and our experimental varietal. You’ll notice the bright berry on the nose with a hint of stone fruit mid-palate,” I coach, relaxing at the bobbing of heads and nods I see from the attendees. The tension in my chest unravels slightly at the oohs and aahs as they smack their lips.
Love Undercover has proven to be even better than Alex and I had hoped and has quickly become the winery’s best seller. And that is saying something. We had to increase production dramatically after that first competition when Brennen had entered Sophia’s Blend and won. Demand has gone through the roof and the Celtic Knot Winery is suddenly on the wine map again, with visitors coming from all over the country.
With Alex’s help and the influx of cash, we’ve cranked out seven new wines and are even garnering attention from the international wine world. Plus, because of Brennen’s foresight, interest in the winery’s experimental grapes has exploded, and partnering requests have flooded in from across the country, especially in areas where growing wine grapes is difficult.
My eyes move to the huddled group of judges standing off to the side as they make notes on their clipboards, swishing and spitting our wine into the spittoons. I start to lift a fingernail to my lips and freeze, balling my hand into a fist. If I start gnawing of my nails now, I’ll have bloody stumps by the time this event is over.
Alex has been gone for several minutes now, and I scan the crowd for him, wondering where he’s run off to. Several people in the tasting group buy some bottles, and I check them out, giving them our standard marketing pitch on how to rate us on the internet and tag the winery on their social media posts.
When I glance back over, the judges are nowhere in sight. Luckily, though, we were the last winery to be judged so their decision should be posted any time now.
Thank god, because I don’t think my nerves can take this any longer.
Where the hell is Alex? I keep looking around for his dark hair.
“Hey, baby!” His shout behind me makes me jump and I throw him a glare. The man moves like a ghost sometimes and he takes a perverse pleasure in startling me. He’s waving a magazine in his hand, a huge smile on his gorgeous face.
“I have something here that you need to see.” He opens it to the middle and thrusts it at me. “Read this.”
I blink at the big centerfold picture of my father in his cellar. He’s leaning back in his favorite brown leather tasting chair, holding a glass of red wine to the light. The sight is so familiar to me I can practically smell the dank walls and aging wine.
But it’s the title that grabs me: The Garrett Family Legacy Continues .
What does that mean?
“Read it,” Alex urges, his face beaming. Even though he snuck up on me… again… it’s tough staying irritated at this man.
“Fine,” I answer with a sigh as I grab the magazine. “You take care of the booth.” I walk several paces away, trying to muster the courage to read what my father has said. His bitter criticism is the last thing I need to see today.
“All three of your children are skilled winemakers in their own right, but I’d like to talk about your youngest, Sophia…” the interviewer starts.
“This won’t go over well with my two boys, but Sophia has always had the natural Garrett family instincts when it comes to making wine. She reminds me a lot of my father, who founded this legacy, and I know she’ll be an amazing trendsetter in this industry for decades.”
My throat closes up, and my eyes begin to flood with unshed tears as I continue.
“Her latest releases are making waves. What do you think of them?” The interviewer asks.
“Innovative. Outstanding. Perfect balance. Excellent wines that will appeal to people across the wine spectrum. I’m very proud of her.”
The dam around my heart shatters, and tears stream down my cheeks. I’ve never heard my stoic father speak so highly of me. He’s never said those last five words to me in person and his words of praise are shocking.
And he’s right, I think with a giggle: my brothers are going to hate this article.
“It’s great, right?” Alex murmurs in my ear as his arms wrap around my waist.
I look up at him, at his happy and hopeful expression. I love this guy so much; I sometimes feel like my heart will burst.
“It’s incredible. He’s never said anything like this to me. It means the world that he’s even tasted our wines, not to mention that he is willing to put this in print.” I hold up the magazine to Alex.
Alex shrugs. “Sometimes it’s tough to be so candid when you’re face to face.”
He’s so positive and forgiving, and I love that the most about Alex.
“Attention! Attention, please! We’re ready to announce the winners for The Barrels & Bottles Wine Competition,” the emcee of the competition announces over the microphone.
The entire room, full of a few thousand people, goes silent, and all eyes swivel to the stage in the front. The emcee begins rattling off the bronze and silver medals in each category.
Strangely, my nerves are gone after reading that article, and I only nod as each winner is revealed, clapping in appreciation. They are all well deserved.
“And now for the gold medal in each category…”
I meet Alex’s eyes and smile as they begin revealing the victors, absently hearing the squeals from the winning wineries. At this point, I don’t care how we do anymore. I know our wines are the best here, and I don’t need more gold medals to prove it.
“The gold medal for the best rose′ blend goes to the Celtic Knot Winery.”
My eyes widen, heart thumping in my chest.
“The gold medal for innovative white wine blend goes to the Celtic Knot Winery.”
“Yeah, baby!” Alex mutters as he beams at me and then winks.
“And for the one you’ve all been waiting for: the overall winery of the year. The gold medal goes to the Celtic Knot Winery.”
I gasp, stunned. We’ve done it!
“Woo hoo!” Alex shouts as he pumps a fist in the air. He snags me by the waist and twirls me around. “We did it, baby!”
And he’s right—we did. We really did do it.
Alex stops abruptly and sets me on my feet. “I’ve been waiting for the perfect time for weeks, and I couldn’t choose a better time than right now.” He pulls a small linen bag from his front pocket and drops to one knee. Extracting a ring, he lifts it for me to see. My gaze takes in the huge sparkling diamond, its brilliant facets gleaming in the light.
“Alex, what?—”
“Marry me, Soph. Make me the happiest man on the planet,” he urges, his heart in his eyes.
“I have a better idea,” I answer with a huge grin, lifting my hand so he can slide the ring on my finger. “Let’s make each other the happiest people on the planet.”
“Deal!” And he seals our promise with a kiss.
Every love story has its own ending, but the danger, secrets, and passion continue. Don’t stop now—turn the page to discover what happens next!