Page 69 of Twin Babies For The Grump

The bottles distributed to the rest of the tables are labeled wine so it’s somewhat easier to keep track of who drinks what. But none of the wineries are handing out the wine that they’ve entered into the contest. That will be given for tasting after the judges give their final scores.

Beau promises to come visit tonight, along with a case of his own best wine and goes to mingle with the crowd and the reporters.

I extend my arm and Tess links it with hers before we make our way toward the table of our winery. Adela and Tiffany are in charge of talking to the people approaching our table and filling little plastic cups with some of our best selections.

Our van is packed to the brim, but I have instructed Marco to have more cases ready to load if we run out of them here. And by the looks of it, we probably will.

“Excuse me, Mr. Bale, right?” A young reporter, probably in his early twenties stops us, a microphone in his hand and a cameraman just a few feet behind him. I can feel Tess’s body tense immediately. These people are transmitting everything live.

“Can you make a comment about your winery’s submission and the rumors that surrounded it?”

The microphone is pointing at me, but his eyes linger on Tess. I’m not sure if that’s because of the old rumors, which I’ve already cleared out, or because he likes what he sees.

I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer so that she’s standing next to me with no free space between us.

“Delia Winery faced a lot of challenges in the past few months, at first with the death of my father, and then with me taking over. I wasn’t the best at handling this kind of business, but I was very lucky to have Tess by my side.” I pause and look at her. This time there’s no hesitation when she looks my way.

The pearl necklace is on her neck, and I’ve also added an engagement ring to her finger so that the rest of the world also knows she’s taken. Now that I think of it though, there’s a more effective way to make that announcement. So I add, “My fiancée has been a solid rock of support and Delia Winery wouldn’t be here without her input and guidance.”

And with that, I turn and plant a kiss on her lips for the world to see.

There are cheers from the people around us, and after the reporter asks us a few more questions about the wine, he moves on to the next candidates.

“That was very… bold of you,” Tess whispers.

“Hey, it’s not enough for me to not hide. I want the whole world to know that we are together.”

And now that she’s informed her side of the family, and I’ve met with her parents, there’s no reason for us to keep this on the low. Especially when others decided to make this public without our consent. At least now it’s on our terms.

For the next couple of hours, we walk around the premises, talk with more people and reporters, and on occasion, there are some brave enough to mention the rumors by their name.

I don’t shy away from them either and go as far as explaining that the person who started them did so because she was looking to get that promotion after failing to convince either me or my father that she was a good fit.

“But we can’t let some bad apples ruin Delia Winery’s reputation,” I conclude in most of those questions.

By early afternoon, the judges have given their marks for the competing wines based on several attributes, such as color, aroma, taste, aftertaste, clarity, etc. The organizer of Grapefest walks on stage and gives a speech about all this year’s competitors before opening the envelope and pulling out the card with the results.

Third place goes to Evergreen, a small winery, that has been open for less than five years. The three sisters that run it get on stage to receive their reward, a $15k cash prize, and free advertisement for a year.

I’ve already tasted their wine and it’s clear that they are going to be strong players in the market in the next few years.

Second place goes to Beau, who joins the organizer on stage like he’s the one who owns the event. He charms the audience with the speech he has prepared and leaves with his $30k check and advertisement deal.

And it’s time for the winner.

“It’s us,” whispers Tess, and I know she’s correct, whether we hear our name or not. We won each other, and we’ve created a future for ourselves doing the work we love, surrounded by good people who make the day-to-day just a little bit easier.

But when I hear that Delia’s wine has outranked the rest, I feel even prouder, like I’ve kept my promise to myself and my father.

I start for the stage, holding onto Tess tightly.

“Congratulations, Mr. Bale,” says the man who hands me the check for $50k and points at the microphone at the center of the stage.

I haven’t prepared a speech even though I was certain this moment would come. What I have to say, I’ve been saying it since the first interview.

I took my father’s dream and made it my own, and I’ve worked hard to achieve this level of quality. And of course, I didn’t do it alone. I thank the people who work at the winery, and most of all my fiancée.

Tess looks at me, proud of the man I’ve become in the past few months, as I continue, “And I want to dedicate this to her, and my children, my son and my daughter, who will be here with us in a few months. They’ve made—” I turn to Tess again, “You’ve made this journey magical.”

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