Page 5 of All This Time (Blossom Peak #1)

“If I were being truly supportive, I’d tell him he’s rushing into this too fast.”

I raise a brow. “I’m pretty sure you proposed to Sarah less than a year after you started dating.”

My brother tenses up at the mention of his late wife. “True, but Sarah fit into our family and friends seamlessly, like she was always meant to be there. Tori is…different,” he says, even though I’m sure he had another word in mind.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t scowl at her every time she came around, she would be more relaxed around you.”

His brows draw together even further. “I don’t scowl.”

I snort. “Yeah. Okay.” I’m pretty sure there’s a picture of my older brother under the definition of the word grumpy, but in his defense, when life robs you of your wife, leaving you to raise your daughter alone, grumpiness is understandable.

“I miss her,” he says as his eyes find Ellis, my niece, across the room.

“Me too. She was the type of person that lit up a room when she walked in—just like Mom.”

Bringing up our mother makes my heart twist in my chest too.

Being here never fails to remind me of my mother’s dream, my parents’ hard work, and the legacy they built that is now a staple in Blossom Peak, drawing even more tourists to our town.

The walls of the main building on the vineyard are all made of taupe stone mixed with brick to give the space a rustic feel, transporting visitors to Italy, and the entire back wall of the tasting room we’re standing in is lined with old oak barrels from floor to ceiling, embossed with the Hart Winery logo.

Ivy vines climb the outside of the winery, and inside there are live plants scattered throughout.

The smell of grapes and oak fills the room, and each time I step in here, memories slam into me from my childhood, running around while my mother and father worked until I was old enough to learn about winemaking and taste the fruits of their labor myself.

But after our mother died unexpectedly, and Rhonan joined the Marines, I felt the responsibility to make sure my dad knew he wasn’t alone as he fought to keep the winery running.

Those were some trying years. Sacrifices had to be made, including what my future was going to look like, but I would gladly make the same choices now that I did back then.

“Hi, sweetheart.” My father comes up behind me wearing the signature burgundy polo that all our staff wear, interrupting our conversation. His lips meet my temple. “I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”

“It’s been three days, Dad.”

His grin spreads. “That’s too long.”

“Well, I have a business to run and a wedding to help plan, so…” My eyes drift over to Tori standing in the corner of the room, typing on her phone, confirming Rhonan’s observation that she doesn’t quite fit in.

I get that her work as a talent manager’s assistant is demanding, but she could at least try to include herself in conversations.

“Yes, well, let Anabelle know if you need anything,” my father says, referring to the wedding planner for the winery.

“I will. Thanks, Dad.”

“And maybe come over for dinner one night so I can get some Laney time.”

I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder. “That sounds perfect.”

My father releases me just as Elliot comes striding up to me and my brother, his smile blinding.

“Laney!” Elliot pulls me into a side hug as he presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Tori told me she stopped by the salon yesterday and you calmed her down by offering to help with the wedding prep. Thank you.”

With his arm around my shoulders, he leads me deeper into the room as I spot Henley and one of the employees talking to my right, Dilynne flirting with Thomas, the employee behind the bar, and Ellis and her nanny, Joanne, at a table playing Candy Land.

A few more customers are sprinkled throughout the room, enjoying their tasting flights on this Friday evening.

My smile feels forced. “It was nothing. She seemed overwhelmed.”

Elliot gestures for me to take a seat with him at the bar made from old oak barrels.

“She is, but I think it’s more because she has to travel between here and Nashville a lot these next few weeks for work when all the wedding details have to be finalized.

At least she’s getting time off for our honeymoon in Aruba.

” He grins suggestively behind the rim of his glass.

“I’m happy to help.”

“I know you are.” He leans closer to me. “I know I’ve said this before, but it really means a lot that you agreed to be her maid of honor. Tori doesn’t have many girlfriends.”

“And don’t you think that’s a problem?” Dilynne interjects, leaning against the back of my stool.

Elliot glares at her. “The problem I have is that you’re inserting yourself into my business.”

Dilynne shakes her head. “You know, I thought lawyers were supposed to be smart. I guess I was wrong.” Shrugging, she leaves us just as quickly as she appeared.

Elliot turns to me. “Your friend needs to get over whatever happened between Tori and her in high school. She’s about to be my wife and…”

I almost explain why those memories are especially difficult to let go. Adolescence is a critical time in your life, and it shapes us in ways we will never entirely understand.

I take a sip from my glass, deciding to change the subject instead. “You sure you need the big, fancy wedding?”

His brows draw together. “What are you asking?”

“I mean, didn’t she suggest eloping?”

“Yeah, but I think she just didn’t want to add anything on to our already crazy schedules.

” He takes a drink from his own glass. “The truth is, my parents would never forgive me if I did that. Mom is already infatuated with her future daughter-in-law, and my dad is relieved that I’m actually getting married.

As my legal career takes off, and he considers retirement, he’s been worried that all I’ve been focused on is my job and taking on too many cases.

But if he’d never sent me to the conference in Nashville, I never would have reconnected with Tori though, so…

” He shrugs. “She deserves a big wedding, Laney. And hell, after everything my family has been through, we all deserve a day full of happiness and celebration.”

“What are you two talking about?” Tori asks as she approaches, kissing Elliot’s cheek and situating herself on his lap.

“You, babe.” His hand grips her thigh possessively, and for one split second, I’m jealous. I’ve never had a man touch me like that, owning me in a way that speaks to his need to be near me and make sure everyone in the room knows I’m his. “And how amazing the wedding’s going to be.”

Tori sighs. “Part of me is just ready for it to be over though, you know?”

“Me too.” He rubs his nose against her cheek. “And then we can just focus on starting our lives here in Blossom Peak.”

Tori nods, a satisfied smile on her lips. “Yeah.”

“So, you’ve made a decision about that?” The last time Tori and I spoke about it, she hadn’t landed on a final choice.

“We did,” Elliot answers. “With the law firm based here, and my parents wanting to be close by when we have kids, it just made sense to find a place in Blossom Peak.”

Tori nods. “I managed to get my boss to agree to let me work here remotely after the wedding, which I think is why he wants me there as long as he can have me. We even talked about me starting my own talent agency down the road. Of course, that will probably be after we have kids, but that’s our plan. ”

“Sounds great,” I say, but confusion clouds my mind. The last time I spoke with Elliot about his future, he said he never wanted kids. People are allowed to change their minds, though, and maybe being in love changed his.

Speaking of children, Ellis squeals as she races across the room to me. “Auntie Laney!”

“Well, it’s about time you came over and said hello.” I place my glass on the bar and reach down to lift Ellis into my lap, the pink tulle skirt on her dress fanning out around her. Rhonan marches over as well, wiping something off his daughter’s cheek.

“I was playing Candy Land and I was winning, so I couldn’t stop.” She narrows her eyes at me. “I don’t like to lose.”

“Did you win, then?”

Joanne comes up next to us, wrapping her sweater around her waist. “She did. I think she should be a professional Candy Land player when she grows up.”

Ellis’s eyes widen as she looks over at her father. “Can I?”

I chuckle while my brother debates how to answer that question. Luckily, Dilynne jumps in. “Sure you can. You can be anything you want to be, Ellis. With the way the internet changes every day, who the hell knows what kind of jobs there will be in fourteen years?”

“But essential jobs like lawyers, doctors, and teachers will always be secure,” Elliot interjects, his infamous smirk on his lips.

Dilynne glares at him over her shoulder. “Bor-ing,” she says, drawing out the word.

Tori clears her throat. “I’m sorry, but don’t you work on cars for a living?” Spite laces her words. “That sounds pretty boring to me.”

Dilynne turns, slow and deliberate, smile razor-sharp. “Why don’t you refrain from speaking on things you don’t understand before you hurt the few brain cells you have left?”

The women stare each other down, years of tension crackling between them.

If Tori weren’t perched on Elliot’s lap like a trophy, I’m pretty sure she’d have already thrown a wine glass at my best friend’s head. And judging what Dilynne does for a living is the best possible way Tori could get under her skin.

Elliot straightens his tie as he directs his gaze back to Ellis, replying to my niece before Dilynne speaks her mind. “Just because Dilynne thinks those jobs are boring doesn’t mean they aren’t good choices.”

“I don’t want a boring job,” Ellis says. “I want something fun! Like a princess!”

“Being a princess would definitely be fun,” I reply, bopping her on the nose.

Elliot, ever the realist, can’t help himself. “Being a princess isn’t a job.”

“Ha!” Dilynne chimes in. “Tell the Princess of Wales that and see what she says.”

“All right, you two,” my brother interjects, knowing that Dilynne and Elliot are just getting started in their natural repertoire, and if someone doesn’t stop them, they’ll go on all night. “Let’s quit while we’re ahead.”

“Sorry, but I’m not going to let this stick-in-the-mud rain on your daughter’s dreams,” Dilynne says as she juts her thumb in Elliot’s direction.

Elliot huffs out a laugh, still holding Tori on his lap as her eyes bounce back and forth between the two of them. “Stick in the mud, huh? Maybe you should look in the mirror and see if you can locate the stick that’s shoved up your—”

“Is this the right place? I’m looking for some people I used to know!

” A voice cuts through the tasting room like a record scratch, and I don’t even have to look to know who just arrived.

Nonetheless, my eyes travel from his feet to his eyes in a slow perusal that wakes up every nerve ending on my body, particularly the ones between my legs.

Fletcher Adams smiles from ear to ear wearing a Carolina Thunder T-shirt as he walks deeper into the room—his stride long, his spine straight, and his cocky grin that should be classified as a weapon on full display.

Greeting my brother, Henley, and Elliot first, he makes his way around the room while I finish the wine left in my glass and avoid staring at him any further, gathering the confidence I need to face him.

And as my heart hammers so wildly that I think I might pass out, I accept that he’s here, that nothing could have prepared me for how my body still reacts to him after all this time, and that the next three weeks might just be the longest of my life.