Chapter 15 Snapper
SNAPPER
Iwas tossing my duffel bag into the passenger seat of my truck when Kick appeared in my driveway, coffee mug in hand and that shit-eating grin already plastered across his face.
“So,” he said, lifting his foot to rest on my front bumper. “You’re driving four hours to surprise your girlfriend on the day before Thanksgiving.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Without telling her you’re coming.”
“That’s what makes it a surprise, genius.” I moved around to the driver’s side, but he followed.
“What if she doesn’t want you there?”
The question stung more than I wanted to admit. I’d been asking myself the same thing for the past two days, ever since Diana had called with the idea. “Then I’ll turn around and drive back.”
“Bullshit.” Kick took a sip of coffee. “You’re gone on her, Snap.”
I didn’t argue. Couldn’t.
“She loves you too, you know?”
“You think?” I opened the truck door but didn’t climb in yet.
“Anyone with eyes can see it. You two have been circling each other for years. Only difference now is you got your heads out of your asses long enough to do something about it.”
I smiled despite myself. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I’m serious.” He straightened, his expression shifting to something more genuine. “You and Saffron? You’re meant to be. You always have been. So, quit overthinking it, and go get your girl.”
“What about Ma? Think she’ll be mad I’m missing dinner with the family?”
“She will be if you don’t tell her you’re gonna miss it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I planned to stop by on my way out of town.”
Kick waved a hand. “Then, you’re good. She won’t care. I mean, I’ve always been her favorite anyway.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“It’s true, and you know it.” He grinned again. “Now, get out of here before you hit traffic.”
I climbed into the truck and started the engine. Kick stepped back, raising his mug in salute. “Drive safe. Tell Saffron I said hi.”
“Will do.”
“And, Snap?” He waited until I looked at him. “Stop being scared. She’s not going anywhere.”
I backed out of the driveway and headed for my mother’s house.
“I already know,” she said as soon as I walked inside and found her in the kitchen.
“Fuckin’ Kick,” I muttered under my breath, just not quietly enough apparently since she smacked me with the spatula she had in her hand.
“Your brother didn’t tell me. Diana did.”
“Seriously?”
“She wanted to make sure I was okay with her ‘stealing my son’ away for the holiday. I told her you weren’t my only son.”
“Thanks, Ma. That’s real nice.”
She set the spatula on the counter and hugged me. “I will miss you, mijo, but I’m happier that you’ll be with Saffron.”
“Me too. I just hope she’s happy about it.”
My mother patted my cheek. “You should propose to her.”
My eyes opened wide. “You don’t think it’s a little soon for that?”
When she picked up the spatula again, I backed away, which made her laugh. “You better get on the road, Salazar.”
I kissed her cheek and left.
The drive gave me too much time to think.
Four hours alone with nothing but the road and my own head wasn’t doing me any favors. I thought about what Kick had said. You’re meant to be. You always have been.
I’d wanted to believe it for years. It was just easier said than done.
My phone buzzed with a text from Bit. Wine update: carbonic maceration complete on all three varietals.
Pressed yesterday. Alcoholic fermentation underway.
Everything on schedule. Timeline still good for early December—seven weeks total from harvest. Should be ready to taste around the sixth or seventh.
My chest loosened. That was good news. We were about five weeks in now, which meant it wouldn’t be much longer before we’d know if the wine was what we needed it to be. We’d be cutting it close for bottling, labeling, and getting everything to auction by the deadline.
But it would work. It had to. And if it didn’t, I had a Plan B. Not that Saffron would like it. I shook my head. Better not to think about that until the time came. If the time came, which I prayed it wouldn’t.
My phone buzzed again. This time, it was Saffron. Have a good Thanksgiving with your family. Miss you.
Guilt twisted in my gut. Diana had insisted I not tell her about the surprise. “She needs this,” she’d said when we planned it over the phone three days ago. “She’s been so worried about the baby, about Felicity, about everything. Let her have this one good thing she’s not expecting.”
So I’d lied. Well, not lied, exactly. I just hadn’t told her the whole truth.
You too. Miss you more, I texted back, though it felt inadequate.
Three weeks apart felt like three months, and phone calls and texts weren’t enough.
Not even close. I missed her so much I had a permanent ache in my chest that wouldn’t go away until I held her in my arms. Just thinking about the way she fit against me when we slept and the sound of her voice first thing in the morning made me wish I’d flown instead of driven.
I needed to be with her. Needed to hold her.
Needed to make sure she was okay, because I wasn’t convinced she was, not really.
She’d been carrying too much for too long, and even though she’d told me about the foreclosure, I could still feel her pull away sometimes.
Like she was afraid to need me too much.
I hadn’t been on the road for more than thirty minutes when a call came in from Tryst.
“I understand we won’t be seeing you at Thanksgiving today,” he said after I accepted the call.
“I’m surprising Saffron in Napa.”
“We will miss seeing you today, but I am happy to hear you’ll be with her and her family. However, this is not the reason for my call. I wanted you to know I haven’t had any luck identifying the woman named Ellen. A few remember hearing the name, but no one knows who she was or what happened.”
“Thanks for the update, Tryst, and we’ll catch up next week.”
The news, while somewhat expected, unsettled me.
The rest of the drive was quiet, leaving me too much time alone with my thoughts.
California’s golden hillsides stretched out on either side of the highway.
Every so often, I’d pass vineyards too. This time of year, they were mostly bare, the leaves gone and the vines pruned back for winter.
Harvest was over everywhere. The grapes were in tanks or barrels, beginning their transformation.
I forced myself to stop stressing about the wine whose success was so important to Saffron. I had to stay positive. Believe it was the blessing the name said it was.
By the time I arrived at Wagner and Felicity’s, the sun was low on the horizon and my nerves were shot.
The house was beautiful. It was a two-story, modern farmhouse with plenty of space for a growing family.
The Wagners had money, and it showed. Not in a flashy way, just in the solid, well-built way that came from generations of success in the wine business.
Diana must’ve been watching from the window because the front door opened before I’d even turned off the engine. I couldn’t help but grin as I climbed out of the truck and she stepped onto the porch, finger pressed to her lips, shushing me.
“She’s in the nursery, with the baby,” Diana whispered when I reached her. “Felicity’s resting.”
“Where should I—”
“Go surprise her.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Upstairs, second door on the right.”
I moved through the house as quietly as I could.
Nice place. Warm. It felt like a family lived here.
I could hear Saffron’s singing as I climbed the stairs It was something I didn’t recognize but knew it was off-key and sweet.
The best part was she was completely unselfconscious about it.
Like when she was stealing my food from my plate, Saffron had never been shy about singing at the top of her lungs, even when everyone around her gave her shit about not being able to carry a tune.
I stopped in the doorway of the nursery and watched her for a second.
She sat in the rocking chair, with her niece cradled in her arms, backlit by the window.
The baby was tiny, so small it made my chest ache.
Saffron was lost in the moment, and I wished I could freeze time right there.
Just hold onto this image of her forever.
“Pretty song. Should I recognize it?” I asked, winking.
She gasped, and her eyes went wide. “Snapper?”
She stood and moved toward me slowly, careful not to wake the baby I could now see was fast asleep.
“What are you—? How are you—?”
I crossed to her, unable to stop grinning. “Surprise,” I whispered, kissing her.
“But you said—? Your family—?”
“I lied, but in my defense, your mom helped.”
Her mouth gaped. “My mom knew?”
“And Felicity. It was their idea, but as soon as they mentioned it, I was all in.”
She laughed and cried at the same time. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
I kissed her again. A second quick brush of lips because the baby was between us, but it was enough. Enough to ground me.
“I couldn’t imagine spending Thanksgiving without you,” I said against her mouth.
“I actually thought about surprising you. How crazy would that have been? Me there. You here.”
The baby made a noise, and Saffron looked down at her with so much tenderness on her face it made my throat close.
“She’s beautiful,” I said.
“She really is.” Saffron glanced up at me. “Want to hold her?”
“I— Yeah. Okay.”
She transferred the tiny human into my arms, and I held my breath as I adjusted my grip.
I’d held plenty of babies over the years—my nieces and nephews, friends’ kids—but this was Saffron’s niece.
Her family. And the way she was watching me, the tenderness and vulnerability in her expression, made my heart swell.
“Hey there, pequena,” I murmured, gazing down at the little face. “I’m your Tío Snapper.”
I looked up at Saffron, who had tears in her eyes. “I love that.”
I raised a brow. “Not too soon?”
She smiled. “It wasn’t too soon for your niece to call me Tía.”