Page 28 of Backroom Boy
Delta
“Holy shit, I’m exhausted!”
Every muscle in my body ached, but it was a delicious pain. The type that told me I’d done an honest day’s work alongside my boyfriend. I’d take manual labor over boring classes any day of the week, especially after the success of our opening yesterday. Which was good because we still had a long way to go to get this field planted.
Lukas had been right last year when he’d bought the land for the tasting room. He knew the land behind it would eventually go for sale when the owner passed away and it was the perfect spot for grapes. Little bit of sun, little bit of shade, lots of ocean breeze and gentle hills.
“Come here,” Lukas wrapped me up in his arms, all sweaty and dirty, just like me.
“Ew! We’re stinky!” I huffed.
“Don’t go sorority girl on me, woman,” he teased, knowing all too well how I’d shown him the true strength of a sorority girl. “Seriously though. Come over here. I have a surprise for you.”
He tugged me toward the huge oak tree on the far side of the property line. “I called in a few favors from my sister and her gaggle of friends she calls the Hell Raisers. You remember meeting them? They still live up to their name, even though they’re all moms with minivans and diaper bags now.”
I did remember meeting them. They were pretty badass in the way they welcomed other women into their group and had each other’s backs. I was hoping to find the same type of friends now that I lived in Auburn Hill.
We crested the slight hill and I saw a whole picnic laid out under the tree. A red-checked blanket, a basket, and a battery-operated lantern. My heart squeezed, seeing the effort Lukas went to, the sight a reminder of our first date when he’d made the same picnic in Merlot. I hoped this date ended the same way that one had. My insides went molten at the thought, dirt-covered skin be damned.
We sat and ate, enjoying the shade and the chance to relax. We went over sales from yesterday and discussed our harvesting goals. Then I forgot all about the winery when Lukas stood up, his eyes an intense dark blue. Finally, the part of this date I’d been hoping for as dessert.
But then I was confused. Instead of stripping like I assumed, he reached into his back pocket and then knelt on one knee. I sat straight up and sucked in air that had gone thin on me.
“Delta Bishop. I’ve loved you near and far. I’ve loved you when I didn’t want to and when I probably shouldn’t have. I’ve loved you when we were young and I promise to love you when we’re old. My dream was always a winery, but I had no idea the real dream was you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?” His eyes were shiny, but his jaw was firm.
Lukas held out a stunning diamond ring I knew we couldn’t afford in the palm of his dirty hand. My whole body shook and his words buzzed in circles in my head. My throat decided to seize and I had to gulp repeatedly to clear it.
“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you!” I said the moment I could get the words out.
I scrambled to my feet and Lukas grabbed my hand to slide the ring on my finger. The second it was on, I jumped, tackling him and tumbling us both to the blanket. His grin and the unfamiliar weight on my finger made my heart soar to impossible heights. How could one girl be so damn happy? I peppered his face with kisses until he rolled us over and took charge.
Somehow our clothes found a new home in the dirt, our bodies like two magnets coming together by a force much stronger than we could deny. He filled me so completely I knew I could never breathe a day without Lukas on this earth. He was part of me and I was part of him. He whispered all kinds of things in my ear, some filthy, some sweet. But most of all, we whispered our love for each other, painting our land with a foundation strong enough for generations to come.
He may have started out as the backroom boy, but Lukas would always be front and center to me.
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