Page 129 of Love Unforgettable
Chapter 44
Cole
Throughout the entirety of the dining portion of the evening, I’ve continued to shovel food in my mouth to prevent myself from talking. I know by her reaction that we’ve freaked Lexie the fuck out. Worse than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. That is not what I wanted from all of this. I was prouder than punch when she invited me to escort her this evening. Even if I did have to coerce her to do so. I bought the dress and the shoes as a romantic gesture. To show her that I am proud of and support her career accomplishments. I knew the minute I saw the dress that it would look amazing on her, and it does.
Her body showcases clothing beautifully. And I’m gonna have to be happy with that since I’m certain my chances of ever seeing her naked are blowing in the wind. Her hair is different too. A softer color pink. Like cotton candy. You don’t even realize its pink until you look at it closely. She looks like—dare I say it—a grown-up version of herself.
And grown-up Lexie is exquisite.
She hasn’t talked much outside of officially introducing herself to my parents. Which has squandered my dreams of having this be a big happy family dinner. Well, not just that. It’s not fair to put all that on Lexie. It’s my dumb ass who thought this would be a good idea, but it’s Lexie who called us all insane. Which never would have happened if Babs and Mavis hadn’t interfered. I look at them harshly while I chew on my baked peach dessert.
Had the meddlers not done just that, we’d be heading upstairs shortly after her speech tonight. I saw her double check her clutch for her speech notes. I hope she’s not nervous about it.
I lean over to whisper in her ear, “I know your speech is going to go well, you got this.” She looks at me and smiles. It’s not a big smile, but I’ll take it. I’ll take anything I can get from her right now.
The man who has been circling to socialize at the various tables all night walks onto the stage, stopping at the podium.
“Good evening,” he says. The audience claps perfunctorily. “Welcome to the thirty-second annual Winemakers Awards dinner. We gather each year to . . .”
I tune him out, trying to get a feel for where Lexie is at mentally. She looks deep in thought, which is good since she’s about to give a speech. I don’t know what her feelings are on public speaking. For most people it’s terrifying.
How can you even entertain the idea of marriage when you don’t know how she feels about public speaking?
The man at the podium goes on to talk about the number of winemakers included in this selection process. Over 7,700 in the United States, of which 6,212 are members of the organization that sponsors this conference and the award. Lexie beat out over 6,000 other winemakers to get this award.
My God, that is fantastic!
I start clapping, lost in my own thoughts, but quickly stop when I realize that no one else has joined me. I turn to pay closer attention as he starts his introduction of Lexie. Calling out her other accomplishments, making mention of Stone and Mavis, the recent renovations to the winery itself, as well as the number of wines she produces.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Lexie Harrison, Lovestone Winery.”
I stand and applaud, not even caring if I’m the only one standing. That’s my girl up there and I’m with her in this one hundred percent.
She gets up from the table.
“You got this, girl,” Kat says clapping.
“Go get ‘em, badass,” Remi says.
Lexie smiles back at the two of them as she makes her way to the stairs leading up to the stage. Someone is there to assist her with the stairs, but then she is on her own to walk across the stage. I see her take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then clear her throat and smooth her hands down the front of her dress.
She reaches the podium and the man gives her a hug, hands her the award, then gestures to the microphone as though the stage is hers. She adjusts it down to match her mouth, even with the four-inch heels she has to lower it by a few inches.
She looks incredible. The lighting giving her form a halo effect. It’s stunning combined with the sparkles from the dress. You can’t help but be in awe of this woman taking command on the stage. Especially when she starts talking.
“They don’t tell you about it when you are a finalist for this award. You only find out if you win. So, one day you are Lexie Harrison, normal winemaker cruising through life, and the next day you are Lexie Harrison, Winemaker of the Year. The experience is surreal to be sure.” The audience laughs with her and I relax a bit. She’s going to be fine.
I feel a surge of emotion in my chest watching her up there. Even if I’ve ruined the idea of Lexie and I together forever, I will always have this moment where I get to look at her on that stage knowing she’s mine, feeling the pride, and hell the love, that I feel when I look at her.
