He smiled at her.
“I know that now. It took me a while to realize it, but I did, today. But thank you for saying it. Especially after everything I said to you on Sunday.” He sighed. “I was so caught up in my own ego about that job. I think that’s why I really didn’t tell you about the whole thing with Avery and my mom—I was ashamed of doing it, yeah, but also I knew you would ask why quitting my job bothered me so much that I had to lie to my mom about it, and I didn’t want to answer that question. I was so embarrassed about what I thought of as my failure there, and it made me think there was no way you could believe in me. I’m really sorry that I ever thought that about you. I should have known you too well for that. I did know you too well for that.”
“I’m sorry, too,” she said. “About Sunday. I was hurt, and scared, and my emotions were so high from the party, and that conversation with Elliot, and everything. I realized how important you were to me, how much I cared about you. And it terrified me.” She looked up at him. “I’m sorry that I ever made you think I didn’t care about you. And I’m really sorry that I was too much of a coward to tell Elliot about us. It wasn’t because I was ashamed of you. It’s just that I’ve always been so on edge, so defensive about the winery and my place in it. And . . . I guess I just wasn’t quite sure of you yet. Especially since . . . that first night, when we were here, you told me you’d only be up here for three months, max, and so—”
He interrupted her.
“Yeah, but that was a lifetime ago! I didn’t mean to come here and fall in love with you!” he said.
“Well, I didn’t mean to fall in love with you, either!” she said.
They looked at each other for a second, and both broke out into wide smiles.
“Um. Did we both just say that?” Luke asked.
She nodded.
“I think we did.”
He reached for her hand.
“Wait. I want to say that again, when I don’t seem like I’m angry about it, because I’m not.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “I love you, Margot. I fell in love with you hard and fast, and it made me think I had to do something special to be worthy of you, when I should have realized that the reason I fell in love with you in the first place is that it would never occur to you to think that.”
Tears came to her eyes.
“I love you, too,” she said. “So much. I love how kind you are, and funny, and generous, and how safe I always feel with you. I think I realized that on Saturday, when all I wanted after the party was to be with you. And then I panicked on Sunday.” She grinned. “I told Elliot about us. He wasn’t upset. Or surprised.”
He gripped tighter to her hand.
“I told my mom about us,” he said. “And about my job. And about the very stupid lie I told her about Avery. I think she’s currently wondering what kind of an asshole she raised.”
Margot laughed through her tears.
“Never.”
She picked up a napkin and dabbed at her eyes.
“I was so happy working at the winery,” he said. “I was so happy with you. And it made me feel guilty; I felt like what I wanted wasn’t good enough, important enough, like I had to go back to that job to prove myself, to do something I hated to show the world—and you—I could do that. If I had really thought about you, I would have known that you didn’t care about any of that stuff.”
He looked down at their hands, then back at her.
“I still . . . It’s going to take some work, to unlearn all of that. But I’m going to try very hard to learn that being happy, actually happy, matters. And what I do know is that you are what makes me happy.”
She squeezed his hand.
“What a coincidence. You are what makes me happy, too.”
He cupped her cheek with his hand.
“Can I kiss you?”
Instead of answering, she leaned forward and kissed him. She didn’t care that they were at the bar at the Barrel, with people all around them; all she cared about was his lips on hers and his arm tight around her and how much she loved him.
When they finally pulled away, there were two champagne glasses sitting in front of them.
Margot looked over at Sydney at the other side of the bar. Sydney nodded at her. Margot could feel the smile stretch across her whole face.
Luke picked up his glass.
“Does this mean she’s forgiven me?”
Margot picked up hers.
“Mmmm, I’d give it some time.”
Luke laughed.
“I figured.”
He smiled at her over their glasses.
“I didn’t mean to come here and fall in love with you, but I’m so glad I did.”
She grinned at him.
“I’m so glad you did, too.”
They clicked glasses and each took a sip.
Sydney walked by, picked up the untouched glass of water in front of Luke, and walked away.
Margot looked at Luke, and he looked back at her. They burst out laughing.
Epilogue
Four months later
WHEN THE ALARM WENT off early that morning, Luke was already awake. Margot turned over in bed and kissed him on the shoulder, her eyes still closed.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked.
He laughed at her. He loved her like this, first thing in the morning, so cuddly and soft and warm, that way she smiled at him, like she was so surprised and happy to find him there in her bed, even though they woke up together almost every morning.
“I’m really not.” He traced the line of her jaw with his finger. “You had your chance to know before. You’ll find out when we get to the airport.”
Margot sighed dramatically, even though he knew she didn’t really mind. A month before, he’d told her to reserve a week for him, for a surprise. Now the week was here.
The past four months had been busy and had been exactly what he wanted. Once his mom was back at the inn, he spent a month really thinking about what he wanted to do next. What he wanted, not what he thought he should want. What he’d liked the best about his old job—when he had liked it—and why he’d enjoyed working at the winery so much. He’d talked to people, done a bunch of research, and eventually started a new, mostly remote job at an education-related tech company two months ago. He got paid a lot less than he would have at his old job, but instead of dealing with stressful meetings and bosses and coworkers who seemed in constant competition with him, he worked with people he liked and respected, he did some of the kind of work that he’d enjoyed from his old job, and he also got to travel around to do trainings for people just getting into this line of work, which he loved. So far, his new job was great. And no one seemed to care that he was taking a week off to go on vacation with his girlfriend.
“A surprise vacation sounded better when it was like, a month away, and I didn’t have to pack blindly, for a whole week. And what about restaurant reservations? Or . . . we’ve never been on a plane together—what if you put me in the aisle seat?”
He kissed her again.
“You are in the window seat, I’ve been out to dinner with you enough to know that you always want to sit by the window. But even if I was wrong about that, I would have switched with you. And you’ll be pleased to know that I got some expert advice on restaurant reservations.”
“Wait. You told Sydney where we’re going?”
He laughed. Sydney had been very helpful.
“No comment. And do not even try to tell me you had to pack blindly, I gave you a very detailed packing list.”
He hid a smile at the thought of the packing list he’d given her. It had been carefully calibrated to give her no real idea where they were going.
She rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I was referring to your packing list when I said I had to pack blindly. I know that was a fakeout, but I did what it said and packed a sun hat, swimsuits, two sweaters, and a cocktail dress, along with all of the other random stuff you came up with. Don’t ever tell me I’m not obedient.”
He pushed her onto her back and rolled on top of her.
“I would never tell you that.”
She laughed again and pulled him down to her. Her hands roamed from his shoulders down to his waist.
“Have I told you recently how much I love you?” she asked him.
He raised his eyebrows at her.
“That depends on what you mean by ‘recently.’?”
She laughed at him again, her hands on his hips.
“Okay, but I have one question—how much time do we have before we have to leave for the airport?”
He let his thumb circle her nipple.
“I allowed enough time in our travel schedule today for any necessary . . . distractions.”
She smiled widely.
“I love you so much.”
He bent down to kiss her, then stopped.
“Oh, wait! I forgot to put hiking boots on the list. Do you have room in your suitcase for them?” He waved that away. “That’s okay, you can just wear them on the plane.”