Before Ani could address that, Kami herself swung back into the picture like a boho Bloody Mary, appearing at only two mentions of her name. If she had heard, she made no indication of it. Kami squeezed Ani’s shoulder. “Let me show you to your room.”
The room was lovely, one of the prettiest she’d been in. Decorated in impeccably girly French antique style. But Ani still did not want to be there.
“And,” Kami said with a secretive smile, “it’s right next to mine. Look! There’s even a door connecting our rooms!” she said with glee.
Ani couldn’t hide the look of horror on her face for a split second, then washed it away into a fake smile.
“So I can come in here and cry to you about all my bridal problems.” Kami laughed.
Oh God. This was going to be a nightmare.
Ani smiled. “I need to get ready for tonight. I’m going to settle in and then head over to the winery to prep for the hinoum. I should be on-site a few hours before everyone else gets there.”
Not a lie. There was a ton of stuff to prepare for the traditional Armenian ceremony that was being held at Ô tonight. Sanan would be meeting her there, too. Sanan’s relatives lived in Santa Rosa and insisted she stay with them. Ani had a little bit of time at the winery before her assistant would arrive.
Now, to get away from this place where she didn’t belong and back into Raffi’s arms. At least until the guests arrived.
26
Raffi
Raffi was directingthe caterers toward the kitchen when he caught sight of Ani. She had donned a long leather skirt and a black shirt with frilly sleeves. It was an enticing combination of sexy and girly that he would have great difficulty attempting to ignore.
She practically skipped over to him, and they met in a hug. Raffi couldn’t help it, he picked her up a bit. No one currently bustling around knew them. It was fine.
“Hello, sexy,” he said to her, keeping his voice low but not keeping the hunger out of it.
“Hey, Raff,” she said, and he had to keep his shit together. Raff. That’s what she called him in bed. Good God. Today was going to be harder than he thought, in more ways than one.
“Not sure how I’m going to make it through the night with you in aleatherskirt. Are you trying to torment me?”
“Maybe,” she smiled. “But it’spleather.”
He pinched her ass. “Pleather, leather—I’m not convinced you didn’t wear it just to short-circuit my brain.”
“Then my work here is done.”
Ani smirked, then slid an arm around his back as they took in the scene. The construction was finished, and the fountain was filled since the last time Ani was here. The water rippled peacefully, lending the entire garden an even more calming effect. The florist had been by and showered the space with flowers for the hinoum, more restrained than they would be for the wedding, but still impressive. Although it wasn’t dark yet, string lights ornamented the grounds and gave everything a romantic, intimate feeling.
“We did it, Raffi,” Ani said. “Well, really, Chris did it.”
Raffi chuckled.
“It’s better than I would have ever thought.”
“Me too,” he said. “I’m just glad I listened to you.”
“Or we’d all be covering our eyes right now and cursing the sun.”
He smiled, then said gratefully, “This really is going to help us get so many more weddings at Ô.”
Ani nodded, considering. “I’m serious—once people see wedding photos in this garden, it’s going to bethespot in Napa. Nothing else comes close.”
A shiver ran through him. She believed in it, the space they helped create together. “Damn. Well, we’ll see.”
She looked up at him. “Time to get to work.”
An army ofArmenian drum, dhol, and zurna players marched into Ô, with big camera bulbs flashing behind them, announcing Kami’s arrival. Kami was brought in on an ornate palanquin, held up by four of her burly cousins. She was dressed in a mix of traditional Armenian garb, with a red-and-white flowing headpiece and a modern red, white, and gold dress. Oh, she must have been loving this, Raffi thought. True queen status.
