A Vine Mess (Love on the Vine #4)

24. Ella

“I’m sad to leave this place,” I told Liam as I stood on the front lawn, staring up at the cabin while he loaded our things into the van.

Gravel crunched beneath his boots as he approached me, and a moment later, he slid an arm around my waist and tugged me into his side.

“Me too,” he said. “But the good news is we get to take our memories with us, and we get to keep making new ones.”

I looked up at him, returning his wide grin. “I like the way you think, Wills.”

He ducked his head to press a kiss to my nose. “Ready to hit the road?”

“Let’s take a picture first!” I blurted, desperate to remain in this place, in this bubble, for a little while longer.

Though he grumbled, I knew he’d indulge me, and a second later, we had turned our backs to the building. Liam’s long arm stretched in front of us, angling the phone to capture our smiling faces and the breathtaking landscape behind us. He snapped a few pictures in quick succession, then handed the phone to me for my approval.

My heart grew almost painfully in my chest as I studied them, as I took in how fucking happy we were, and how good we looked together.

We’d only been here for three days, but it felt like so much longer. I felt like a totally different woman now than the one who had first walked inside the gorgeous cabin before us. And I supposed, in a lot of ways, I was. Thanks to the man beside me, who I inexplicably got to call mine now, I felt…lighter. And genuinely content with myself and my life for the first time in years.

After applying a filter to my favorite picture, I shared it to my Instagram with the caption: Gonna miss this place, but at least we get to take on our next adventure together.

Liam chuckled when I showed him, then kissed me lightly. “You’re cute.”

I beamed. “I know.”

The chuckle turned to all out laughter as he pinched my ass and said, “C’mon, cutie. Get your fine ass in the car so we can head out.”

I didn’t need any further encouragement. As amazing as this leg of the trip had been, I was even more excited for our next stop.

I threw myself into the passenger seat and buckled up before Liam could even open his door, grinning somewhat maniacally at him as he settled behind the wheel.

“Eager, aren’t we?”

“Come on, Wills,” I said, sliding my shades on. “ You can’t tell me you’re not excited.”

“Oh, I am. I’ve never ridden a horse before, and pictures I’ve seen of the ranch look stunning.”

“I, for one, can’t wait to see you in a cowboy hat.”

He cut his eyes to me, and I giggled. “Don’t press your luck, Wildflower.”

“I think you’ll change your tune when you hear the rule.”

“What rule?” he asked as he turned the engine over and put the van in drive.

“There’s this cowboy rule. Wear the hat, ride the cowboy . So what do you think? Will you wear a cowboy hat if only so I can take it from you?”

“Baby, you don’t need some silly cowboy rule to ride me. All you have to do is ask.”

I folded my arms over my chest and pouted. “You ruin all my fun.”

His brow raised, and his eyes darted my way. “You’re really into that shit?”

I shrugged noncommittally. “It always sounds super hot in books. Think about it: we’re in some smokey, low-lit bar. You’re at a table with the guys, drinking beer and shooting the shit, and I’m on the dance floor. Some cowboy comes up to me and wants to dance. You get all jealous, stomp over and slam your hat on my head, shoot the guy and death glare and say, ‘Mine.’”

Liam’s hand shot out, gripping my thigh and sliding higher, his voice lowering as he asked, “Then what happens?”

I laced my fingers through his and brought our hands to my mouth, pressing a kiss to the rose tattooed on the back of his. “There’s only one way to find out. ”

His answering groan was a low rumble that sent shivers across my body. “Wicked woman.”

I didn’t respond as he navigated us out of the mountains and onto the main road, which would connect us to the highway leading straight to our next destination.

“Dusk Valley, here we come.”

“Liam!” I yelped as my eyes popped open. I was only half-awake, but we were speeding down a two-lane road with wide open fields spreading out along the sides. For some reason, my mind instantly jumped to the packets of seeds in my bag, and how this would be the perfect place to sprinkle a few of them.

“What?” he asked, the wheel jerking to the side as he jumped. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just pull over!”

“What? Why?”

“Because I asked you to!”

He frowned but pressed the brake, turning his blinker on to indicate to the people behind us that we were pulling off to the side. A moment later we were parked, the flashers on, and I got out of the van.

Liam’s door opened and slammed closed a moment later, his footfalls heavy as he met me at the back, where I was already rifling through my stuff, trying to locate the bundles of wildflower seeds.

“What in the fresh hell are you doing?” he asked.

I looked over at him, and I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me at the picture he presented—hands on hips, legs spread in a steady, fighting stance, brows drawn low in annoyance.

I found what I was looking for and moved away from him without answering. I wore my only sundress—something about today felt magical, made me want to revisit that free-spirited girl I’d been… before —and the tall field grasses tickled my calves as I waded through them, deeper into the field but still close enough to the road that the flowers could be seen when they started to bloom.

“Ella!” Liam shouted as he crashed along behind me. “What’re you doing?”

I held up one of the packets of flowers and handed it to him. “Spreading wildflower seeds.”

The skin between his brows bunched in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

I opened the packet and shook some out into my hand, holding it up for examination. They were all shapes and sizes, some long and conical, others small and round, barely larger than a grain of sand.

“I’ve been collecting these for years,” I said, closing my fist and turning my hand so some of the seeds funneled to the ground. “Just waiting for the perfect opportunity to spread some beauty. I’ve dropped a few packets here and there on the peninsula and on our travels through Michigan, but this trip has been my first real chance to drop these in new places.”

“But why?”

I shrugged. “I guess it’s my way of leaving my mark on the world in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone and could potentially bring joy to people passing through here.” I swept my arms out at the field, flinging some more seeds out as I did. “And we’re turning this small space of this dry, boring field into something beautiful and magical.”

When I faced him again, Liam had opened the seeds and was carefully sprinkling them on the ground around his feet, careful not to step on any.

“Have you been spreading these all along?” he asked when he’d finished.

I nodded. “I started in Munising, right on the tree line of the campground where the grasses met the sand. We’ll have to go back next year and see how well they came in.”

“Whatever you want, Wildflower.” He gave me a soft smile. “That nickname feels even more appropriate now.”

“It’s not much,” I said, dipping my head, suddenly shy. “But…it’s something.”

His hand found my face, cupping my cheek, and I raised my head to look at him. “You’re incredible. You know that, right?”

I wanted to believe him, but…something always held me back from thinking so.

“Can I tell you a secret?” I whispered.

“Always.”

“I haven’t even told my family this, but…Fanny offered to let me buy the flower shop from her.”

“Ella! That’s amazing. You’re going to do it, right? You have to.”

“I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “I’m…what if I fuck it up?”

It was my greatest shame, to be so unsure of myself in the face of something I knew I was good at. Well, at the very least, I was good at creating beautiful bouquets and arrangements.

But that didn’t exactly translate to being a business owner.

“My sisters are so talented and secure, you know?” I continued before Liam could say anything. “Chloe, the best-selling author. Amara, the CEO. Delia, the distillery owner, marketing whiz, and hella popular influencer. Brie, the bakery owner and incredibly talented pastry chef. They’ve all always known how they fit into the world—and into our family. I just…I’ve never felt that pull to anything. Not until I started working at the flower shop. I went to college because it was what was expected of me, but I didn’t take it seriously. Not when I felt so fucking listless the entire time. It’s silly—” I started, but cut myself off.

Not missing anything, Liam tilted his head to the side, regarding me in that quiet way of his. From anyone else, the assessment would’ve had my skin prickling with unease, but with him…he was on my side, one thousand percent, no matter what I wanted to do. And for the first time in months—hell, years —I felt safe enough to dream.

“What were you going to say?” he prompted, exactly as I knew he would.

“I love the flower shop. I’m good at it. I love working with different textures and colors and stem heights and bloom sizes. I love creating those beautiful arrangements and knowing my hard work is going to make someone feel special and loved. I get to do that. But…it also feels kind of silly, compared to my sisters, to want to spend my life playing with flowers.”

“It’s not silly at all,” he said. “A lot of people never find their calling, Ella. Your sisters did, but so have you.”

I leaned my face into his palm, closing my eyes and letting his warmth seep into me, bolstering my confidence, letting his words sink deeper still until I believed them.

“Fanny wants to retire,” I said, returning to the whole point of this conversation. “Her kids live in Arizona, and she wants to move south to be near them and her grandkids. So I can buy it if I want. The building. The entire business.”

“And do you? Want to, I mean.”

“If you would’ve asked me three weeks ago, or even three days ago, the answer would’ve been a resounding no . But now? After all this?” I waved my arm at the vast expanse of endless blue sky and the tall, country grasses swaying around our legs. “Now, I want it so badly I can barely breathe.”

Liam stepped closer to me and dipped his head, planting a featherlight but lingering kiss on my lips, whispering, “So take it.”

“What?” I asked dumbly, pulling away to look quizzically at him.

“Take it,” he said again, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a smile. “What are you waiting for? You don’t need someone to hold your hand, or give you permission. If you want to buy the business, buy it .”

He was right, of course. What was I waiting for? In the last week and a half, since we’d embarked on this trip, the fear that gripped me whenever I considered my future had vanished, leaving only a sense of purpose in its wake.

And that purpose was Blossom’s.

Without another word to Liam, I withdrew my phone from my dress pocket and dialed Fanny.

“Hello, dear!” she said brightly upon answering. “How’s your trip?”

“It’s been amazing,” I breathed, a smile tipping up my lips as I stole a glance at Liam. He was, after all, largely responsible for my happiness. “Thank you so much for giving me time off to do this.”

Fanny made a dismissive sound. “You deserved a break,” she said. “And nothing heals a broken heart faster than fresh air.”

Liam couldn’t hear Fanny’s end of the conversation, but his eyes remained glued to mine, and the emotion I found there nearly took my breath away.

Yeah, fresh air, I thought. And the quiet, steadfast man staring at me with no small amount of pride shining in his gaze.

“I appreciate you more than you know,” I told her. “But look, there’s a reason I’m calling.”

“Yes?” she asked hopefully.

“I’ll take it. The business, the building. I want to buy it.”

“Oh, Ella!” Fanny crowed. “That’s wonderful news. I just know you’re going to do amazing things here.”

Tears filled my eyes at her belief in me. “Thank you, Fanny. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

She scoffed, ignoring my comment by saying, “We’ll get all the particulars worked out when you get home. Just enjoy the rest of your trip, and we’ll talk soon.”

“Sounds good. Bye, Fanny.”

The sound of a disconnected call rang in my ear, and I barely pulled the phone away from my ear when Liam let out a whoop of excitement and hauled me into his arms, my feet coming off the ground as he spun me around.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” he said into my hair .

I could do nothing but laugh gleefully as we twirled around in that field, him whispering words of encouragement and praise in my ear.

This , I said to myself.

This is what I should’ve had all along.

This is what I fucking deserved.

And I was going to hold onto it with all my might.

“How excited are you right now?” Liam asked, nodding his chin at the sign that said Welcome to Dusk Valley.

I shot him a glare, though it was difficult given my grin. I was practically bouncing in my seat, buzzing with excitement over finally being here.

I’d heard plenty about Owen’s hometown since he and Delia got together, but even more since they’d taken a trip out here this winter to visit. As we traveled the two lane road in, the mountains we faced scraped against the sky, the sun backlighting the peaks as it set behind them, turning everything pink and orange and purple.

“It’ll be nice to see the Lawlesses again. I wasn’t very…sociable when they were in town for the distillery opening,” I reminded him.

“You were going through a lot.”

I waved him off. I didn’t want to talk about my life six months ago. I’d barely recognize it if I did. “Plus they’re Delia’s future in-laws.”

“You really think so?” Liam asked .

“You don’t?” I asked, quirking a brow at him.

“Okay, fair. They are…ridiculously obsessed with each other.”

I know obsessed was putting it mildly, but also didn’t do Delia and Owen’s relationship justice. They were equals, two halves of a whole, predestined to find each other and spend their lives together.

Without making it obvious, I studied Liam out of the corner of my eye as he drove, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel, full mouth moving as he silently sang along to the Brooks & Dunn song on the radio. He was utter perfection, and I still had a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that he’d harbored such a crush on me for so many years. That he’d waited for me. Little old Ella Delatou.

That right there was worth its weight in gold, the realization that someone saw something so beautiful and worthy in me that they recognized what we could have long before I did.

And as we drove deeper into town, on our way to meet my sister’s future in-laws, I wondered if, maybe, our trip to Portland would be the first time I met my own.

It was far too early in our relationship for those kinds of thoughts. We hadn’t even defined exactly who or what we were to one another beyond knowing we loved each other. But maybe we didn’t need the labels. All I knew was I couldn’t ignore the fact that being with Liam was as easy as breathing, and I could just as easily envision a lifetime of it.