Page 79 of Love You Always

Ella looks directly into my eyes, and the certainty and love I see in hers allows me to let out a long breath. I feel steadier. The nerves disappear when she hands Polly to me, and I feel the warmth of our daughter against my chest.

I lean in and whisper something that isn’t part of my vows. It’s not for anyone else. Just her. “I didn’t think it was possible to have love more than I already do with you, but this girl…” I kiss Polly on the head. “I realized that I have even more to give. And so much to be grateful for.”

“You were made to be a dad,” she whispers back, eyes tearing.

I wipe away the solitary tear that rolls down her cheek. “I adore you both so much.”

“You okay?” she whispers, always in tune with how I’m feeling, even when she’s only been next to me for five seconds.

“I’m a little wobbly,” I admit.

She laughs. “Oh no, you too?”

Ella hands her flowers to Beatrix and finally turns to face me. I take her hands, and it steadies us both. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing else to say or do. This is the kind of homecoming I never dared imagine for myself. I don’t need anything else.

But for the first time, after barely taking an interest in the hundreds of weddings on our property over the years, I understand the reason for saying the vows aloud in front of the people who love us most. There’s something about having them bear witness.

I glance out over the vineyards at Buttercup Hill and back at my gorgeous, soon-to-be wife. Then I look down at our daughter.Ourdaughter. And it’s all I’ve ever wanted.

I lean close to Ella and whisper something that has just occurred to me. Once more, it’s not part of my vows, just something I want her to know. “I didn’t think instalove was real, but then I met you.”

She smiles. “Look at you using rom-com language.”

“I’m in love with the rom-com princess. Seems appropriate.”

“Your rom-com princess is in love with you too.”

And the ceremony begins.

EPILOGUE

Archer

Two WeeksLater

The whole familywalks down to the cellar, and as I’m comforted by the casual chatter of the group, all paired up with the ones they love, I notice Graham following behind. I signal for him to join Ella and me at the front of our family herd, my dad’s words echoing in my brain. “Family is family.” We’ve never treated Graham much like family, but there’s still time.

“How’d bottling season go for you?” I ask.

He looks momentarily surprised by my interest. “Good, actually.” I see the hint of a proud smile. “I’d love to have you taste some of the new wines if you’re down for it.”

“I’m down.”

Ella slips her hand into mine. I don’t needto see her face to know she’s grinning at me and my slight progress toward being less grumpy.

The wine cave runs nearly a mile underground, so it takes us a good ten minutes to reach the area that corresponds to the numbers on the slip of paper.

Trix insisted we wait until after the adoption went through—and then the wedding and the honeymoon—to follow our dad’s instructions and come down here. “Just in case it’s something stressful. I want to give you two at least a little time to be a happy family,” she said. The idea that I have my own family still takes some getting used to, but it’s the best fucking thing in the world.

It’s dark, lighted only by small path lights on the ground and sconces every hundred feet or so that illuminate the lot numbers of the various bottles.

“Now we know why Archer likes it down here. It’s dark and quiet like your personality,” Jax teases.

“Hilarious. Actually, I rarely come to this area. It’s all the really old vintages that mostly sit here unless collectors or high-end restaurants order cases of them.” In other words, they’re bottles that can run in the hundreds and thousands of dollars because of their age and rarity.

I use the flashlight on my phone to lead us to the area specified on the paper and find the section of bottles in question. When I pull the first one out and look at the label, I notice something familiar about the date, which is over thirty years old.

“Trix, you were born in ninety-six, weren’t you?” I hand over the bottle so she can inspect it, already anticipating what I’ll find when I pull out the other bottles. Sure enough, they all correspond to our birth years, including one for Graham.

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