“Pretty sure adults still have them too.”
With her hand in mine, I lead her to the front door of Pete’s, a steakhouse that I haven’t been to in years, but my mouth is already watering at the thought of tasting the mesquite and hickory butter they melt on their steaks. I give my name to the hostess for the reservation and within seconds, we’re being led back to a booth.
The dim light above us makes the space feel intimate, and as soon as we get our glasses of wine and place our orders, I encourage Vienna to scoot closer to me.
“So, what do you think so far?” I ask her as she takes a sip of her wine.
“You sure know how to be romantic when the time calls for it.”
I lean forward and whisper, “Don’t worry. I can still be dirty later.”
Her eyes close as she hums, my lips pressing softly to her skin. “Good. Just wanted to make sure that you’re still in there.”
Chuckling, I lean back but keep my arm along the back of the booth. “Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I felt this nervous, Vienna.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“The last first date I went on was with my wife.”
She sets her glass down on the table and gives me her full attention. “Will you tell me about her?”
My chest grows tight. “Are you sure?”
She places her hand over the top of mine on my leg. “Of course. She’s Ellis’s mom, which means she will always be a part of your lives.”
Sighing, I nod. “I know. Honestly, it’s been five years and sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday she was telling me we were gonna have a baby.” I can see a hint of something in Vienna’s eyes, but I keep talking. “Things happened fast between us. I joined the Marines after my mom died. Even that seemed easier than facing a life without her.”
“I want to hear about your mom too,” Vienna interrupts me.
I can’t help but smile thinking about my mother. “My mom was so full of life. The winery was her third child, as we liked to joke with her about. But honestly? I think she took her love of wine and people and brought those two things together. If she were still alive, I wonder how much bigger the winery would have gotten.”
She rubs the top of my hand. “I’ve been in awe every time I go there at what your family has built and how enamored Blossom Peak is with it too. There’s community and genuine relationships everywhere on those grounds. I think your dad, and you and Laney, have done a wonderful job keeping it prospering.”
My eyes drop to my lap. “I ran away when he needed me the most, Vienna. I didn’t want to be here without my mom, so I joined the Marines and barely looked back. If there’s one regret I have in my life, it’s that. I left my sister and dad when they really needed me, but I…” My words trail off, my admission hanging in the air.
“What?” she cups my face with her hand, pulling my gaze back to hers.
“I couldn’t save her.” I know those words sound so childish because the circumstances were unavoidable. But I still felt powerless when she died.
“How did she die?”
“A brain aneurysm
Her shoulders fall. “You realize that there’s nothing you could have done about that, Rhonan…right?”
“The rational part of my brain does, but the pain that rests in here?” I tap the center of my chest. “Some part of me just felt so helpless because of it that I searched for that control in other ways.”
“Like the service,” she says.
“Yeah. So being away from home gave me just enough of a distraction from real life, until I realized that now I was actually responsible for other people’s lives and deaths.”
Vienna brings her wine glass to her lips, taking a drink. “Didn’t think that one through, did you?”
“I never said I was the sharpest tool in the shed, Vienna.”
She chuckles. “Continue, please.”
“During my four years in the Marines, I lost friends who were practically brothers. Even though I tried to escape loss, it followed me. When it was time to decide if I wanted to reenlist or leave, I met Sarah on a trip home from overseas to Camp Lejeune, where I was stationed. She grew up in Carrington Cove, this small town on the coast. Have you heard of it?”
