"I've never seen him so happy."
He smiles as he moves around the room with his hands behind his back. "That's funny, because his parents told me the same thing - after seeing him spend a week with you in Aspen a few weeks ago."
The crazy flutter returns to my heart.
"Come on, blushing girl. Let's show you the good stuff."
I grin bashfully as I follow him to a large stairwell that leads underground. We're going to a basement?
"The wine cellar and all the good stuff is this way."
He smiles up at me once before returning his view to the stairs. My mouth tries to drop open. It's massive down here, and it doesn't look anything like a basement.
Tuscany thrives in this underground paradise. It almost looks like the pictures I've seen of Italy with all the stucco surfaces, warm cobblestone-inspired floors, and the art that hangs proudly helps the feel as well. Then the barrels catch my eyes.
There are at least thirty barrels on one wall, and then there are at least thirty in the middle, creating aisles to walk down. Large stainless-steel containers descend from the ceiling with numerous dials and instruments on them.
"What are the barrels for?" I ask, curious.
"Fermenting the wine. It takes several weeks to do it in the oak barrels, but it's well worth the wait. The taste is so much purer. These big bastards speed it up, but it kills the best flavor," he says, pointing toward the stainless-steel containers. "This was Margaret's project. She wanted mass production for the lower-cost wines. The high-dollar stuff comes from the barrels. I don't know. I never did this for the money. I did it for the love of my land and the love of the plants. But I enjoy the fact more people get to enjoy the stuff."
"I was expecting you to be a poor man, and then we got here... I was surprised."
He chuckles. "I've been many things in my life, Raya, but never poor. I may not have had a whole lot of money, but I had a woman most men would cut their heart out for, a son no man could be prouder of, a grandson I couldn't have imagined would be so amazing, and a life most would envy. I've always been a rich man, Raya. Always."
I must be hormonal or something, because tears well up in my eyes. That was beautiful.
"When this place started going crazy with business, I decided to set up a trust fund for Kade. I knew his other grandparents and his parents were perfectly capable of such, but I only needed a little money to survive on. I didn't care for the excess of it. I also wanted Kade to start out life easier, hoping he wouldn't have to work so hard like I did; like his father did. But that boy is going to outwork us both, I believe. He never slows down. I think the profits have tripled in just a couple years' time because he has marketed the place so much. You'd think he was already in charge."
The twinkle of pride in his eyes is unmistakable. I can't stop grinning, because I love how amazed and heartfelt he speaks about Kade.
"Here, look at this." He motions to a selection of wine on a special rack. Each bottle is tagged differently than the others.
My grin almost splits my face when I see what it says.
"Kade's Pride," I read aloud, careful not to touch the bottle. "Kade's Touch. Kade's Luck." There are so many, and I smile as I read some silently.
"That's the year he was born. Those were the best the grapes ever produced. To this day, those have been the best wines I've ever tasted. All of them. White, red, dry, sweet... Everything turned out amazing that year. It was like I was doubly blessed with a grandson and a thriving vineyard."
He picks up a Merlot and holds it out to me - the one that said "Kade's Pride."
"This one is the best out of all of them. It's special because it's one of the two I have left. I... I want you to have it. Save it for a special occasion."
My eyes widen in disbelief, and I take a step back, refusing to touch the bottle that holds more sentiment than the ridiculous price. "I can't. I couldn't possibly. Thank you so much for even offering, but I can't."
His grin grows as he pushes it toward me again.
"I've waited on the day when Kade would drive up with a girl in his car, holding her hand, and sharing this with her. Until today, that's never happened. You're special to him, and that makes you special to me. Take this. Put it up somewhere until you find the perfect day to pour it."
He's lost his mind.
"Please don't make me, Mr. Colton. I'd feel terrible."
"Terrible?" he laughs. "Girl, you don't understand. I may not ever get this chance again. Kade took his sweet time bringing a girl around here. I could be ninety before it happens again. I'd rather this thing be in the hands of someone now so I can quit worrying about what happens to it."
I laugh a little, and for no real good reason, a small tear falls from my eye as I stare down at the bottle in his hands. I slowly reach up to take it, careful to be gentle, and then I cradle it to my chest as though it's an infant.
A proud grin spreads over his face as his lip trembles, and unshed tears glisten in his eyes as he studies me intently.