"Good. Now how the hell am I supposed to drive to the vineyard after that?"
I giggle when the conversation lightens, and he smiles while lifting his head to kiss me. Those blue eyes will haunt me forever if this doesn't work. I really do love him. I can wait on him to feel the same.
With the top down, I was forced to wind my hair up on my head to keep it from beating me to death on the way here. I love Kade's convertibles, but they wreak havoc on a girl who doesn't have short hair.
"So... this is it," he says as we pull in.
His grin is ridiculously huge. He's excited... very excited. I don't know if I've ever seen him so giddy about anything.
"Colton Wines?" I ask when I read the sign. "This is your family's?"
He nods, letting his grin grow bigger. "My grandfather's. My dad's dad."
I look around at the enormous vineyard that stretches on farther than I can see. My mouth falls open. This is where Paul Colton came from? And they thought he was poor? Shit. They must think I live in the gutter.
"So not what I was expecting, considering the way everyone has depicted father's upbringing."
He laughs as we idly make our way down the hellacious long drive.
"It wasn't like this when Dad lived here. My grandfather owned the land, but he hadn't planted on all of it. He didn't have the manpower he needed back then, and he didn't have the funds to make his dreams come true.
"Granddad sold wine that should have been worshipped, but he was a small businessman with few clients, so the prices were extremely low. This land is so fertile that it's ridiculous, and he found the gem others overlooked. But he couldn't capitalize. Mom and Dad changed that.
"When Dad met Mom, he brought her a bottle of wine, not really thinking about it being something so fabulous it would change Colton Farms - the name at the time - forever. Granddad made more money off tomatoes and cabbage than he did on wine before that day.
"Mom was amazed, and she accused Dad of spending too much money on wine when she knew he couldn't afford it. She didn't want him trying to impress her. When he explained it was from his dad's farm, she was shocked. She came out, brought her parents, and then from there... Colton Wines became a brand in every rich household.
"Most people don't associate it with Dad because he's the fashion capitalist. Dad loves this place, but he loves the challenge the world of fashion presents more. He has to stay on his toes to keep one step ahead, and he loves it. The vineyard is a lot of work, but it's not really a competitive edge sort of thing... at least not with my granddad's wine.
"It's the best. There's no competing. If you don't have his wine at a function, people snub you. They've gotten spoiled. More pride and heart goes into the bottles than people will ever know. That's what makes it so good."
I've never seen him so excited to talk about anything. He's like a child on Christmas right now. Then it dawns on me. How did I miss this?
"This is the business you'll be taking over?" I ask, not really meaning for it to be a question.
"Yep. People assume I'll be taking over Burndell Industries, but I could care less about all that boring shit. This... this is me. It's my home. When I came out here as a kid, I couldn't get enough of the farm. Granddad taught me about the grapes, the lands, and the farming portion of the business. The older I got, the more I came out here. I'm here once a week usually. It's been a little longer since I came out here... since I haven't been able to tear myself away from you since you moved in."
His smile makes my heart flutter, and he pulls my hand to his lips to kiss it just before we stop in front of a beautiful chalet sort of home. There are windows lining every wall, and each bit of rich cedar only adds to the appeal. It's so perfect.
"Wow," I murmur as he steps out of the car.
He takes quick strides to my side to open the door for me, and then he helps me out while I gape at the beauty surrounding me.
With it being the off season, the grapes aren't in bloom, but everything is still... amazing. I can only imagine what it'll look like when the grapes are dripping over the large fences built for their clingy vines.
The wrap-around porch has hand-carved rocking chairs that look so inviting. This is so peaceful. I can picture Kade here. So much about him makes sense now. He loves this place. I don't know that I've ever seen him love anything.
"There's my boy," a raspy voice announces, drawing my attention.
Kade grins as he leaves my side to head over to the older man who doesn't seem to have a problem getting around. I've seen Kade with his mother - stiff hugs, soft smiles, and polite gestures. I've seen him with his father - no physical contact, stale conversation, and the same polite gestures. With his grandfather, he greets him with a real, genuine hug, a warm, incredible smile, and a carefree abandon that makes me tingle.
It's like he's a different person here. I already loved him. I don't know if I can be around him here for very long. I may very well ask him to marry me. He's so happy right now - so real and unguarded.
His grandfather claps his back as the embrace ends, and he lets his eyes find me before letting out a low whistle. "How the hell did you convince a pretty girl like that to ride out here with you?" he teases, making Kade laugh as he jogs back toward me.
He laces our fingers together as he starts tugging me toward the man who is grinning at our connection.
"Granddad, this is Raya Capperton. Raya, this is my grandfather, Thomas Colton."