Page 63 of Cru's Crush

He eased the ring on my finger, and I stared at it. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Do you like it?”

I shook my head. “I love it.” There were five pear-shaped diamonds set on a platinum-colored band. The largest was in the center, and depending on the way the light hit it, it looked green or blue. The next largest flanked it, and the two on the outside were smaller but notby much.

“The first thing I thought when I saw the center stone was how much it reminded me of your eyes,” he said, reaching into his pocket again. “This will be the wedding band.”

The baguette stones in the second ring were the same color as the center diamond, and the two fit so perfectly it was hard to tell they were separate pieces.

As we saton the towels near the pond, finally eating our picnic lunch, all I could think was how I’d never dreamed my life could be so perfect. I was engaged to a man I loved with all my heart and doing my dream job. So why wouldn’t the dread I felt deep inside since the day we left Tryst’s ranch go away?

17

CRU

Istill hadn’t told Daphne what I’d named the wine. Something inside me said the time wasn’t right and to wait.

As much as I didn’t want to, I knew we had to get back to the vineyards.

“We should go,” said Daphne seconds after I’d had the same thought. “But we should celebrate tonight.”

“Yeah? What are you thinking?”

She grinned. “I want it to be a surprise.”

I tookDaphne back to the section of vineyards where she and her crew had been working, then went to check on mine. When I returned a couple of hours later, she was standing near a vine, staring at her cell phone.

“What’s wrong?” I said when I got closer to her and saw she was crying.

“It’s my dad. He’s had a stroke.”

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry, Daph.”

“That was my mum. She says I shouldcome home.”

“Of course. Let’s go back to the house, and I’ll book the flights.”

She climbed on the back of the ATV after I had, and I raced out of the vineyard.

Once we were inside, I pulled out my laptop.

“We can catch a flight to LAX in two hours, then it’s another two-hour wait to get on the one that will take us to Perth. I can try San Francisco and see if I can do better,” I said, racing up the stairs to where she was packing.

“No, that’s fine. I doubt there’s anything quicker.” She looked up at me. “Wait, did you say ‘we’?”

“Yes. I’m going with you.”

She dropped the clothes she was folding and stood in front of me. “You can’t leave, Cru. There’s too much to do. Especially with me gone.”

“I don’t care about that. The vines can wait.”

She shook her head. “They can’t, and you know it. Without Brix here, you’re in charge.”

“I’ll get him to come back from Mexico.”

She shook her head. “Let me get over there and see how bad it really is. Maybe I’ll be able to return to the States in a few weeks’ time.”

A few weeks?God, I could hardly stand being away from her for a few hours.