A Wedding Affair (The Wedding Affair) (18 page)

My only comfort actually is his rather surprising nature, his
gentleness and over-whelming desire for me considering what could have happened between us last night, he has been a good boy so far I think I can handle this.

I am brought back from my wayward thoughts as Tristan turns down the volume
from the controls on the steering wheel so he can speak

“Aria it’s a lovely day today are you sure I’m not keeping you from something?”

“Are you sure I’m not pulling you away from something or someone?”

“To be quite honest Aria you have had more sex then I have in the past two years” I look at him and he is smiling as if this is a confession or something
, so Mr. sexual innuendo has not had sex in two years, talk about the tables turning, I’m the one with the notches on the bedpost and he is the unscathed one. Well the one notch on my bedpost. He turns the volume up again as the sweet sound of Stacy Kent
Close your eyes
fills the air of my Cadillac.

As we make
our way on the four lane freeway we are heading east, the sun is shining on us as all of this feels like the forbidden, not to mention it all feels very erotic, yes a bit exciting which let’s face it I have not felt like this in years. Is that wrong of me to be so beguiled and elated by seeing him? I can’t sort out what it is, he is sexy, powerful, and enigmatic, and actually to put it into perspective this sexy beast next to me, is mind-blowing. I’m brought back to my revelry by his deep voice.

“Penny for
your thoughts?” he has one hand on the wheel while he moves the rearview mirror up allowing him to see behind us, he can see because I am short so I turn it down low so I can see.

“This is all just, mind-blowing, seeing you after all this time….that’s all”
well I was thinking it and I said it to him. I must filter my thoughts before my mouth gets me into trouble; well I think I am already in over my head if we are keeping a tally.

The cad
next to me is now smirking at me, he runs his fingers over his unshaven face and I want to do it too! Is he toying with me? I recognize the signs, I’m not use to my reaction to sex-capades, it hits me where it counts and Stacy Kent who’s side are you on singing like sex on a bare skin rug by a fire in a cabin in the woods, I must complain to XM radio and tell them they are a bit too sexy for morning radio, jeez are we listening to the fuck me station?

“Well Aria I can certainly pull over and show y
ou how mind blowing I can be!” Toying is definitely on his addendum I blush, I should have known he would go for the panty- dropping banter. So I go for astonished and appalled.

“Tristan behave
, I’m an engaged woman” gosh I gotta remind him and
myself!
Of that fact. It just startles me that his looks and glares tugs deep at my sweet spot, and of course she betrays me by reacting to his sexual banter driving me even crazier with want.  He turns down the volume yet again.

“Do you think Ian and I will ever meet?” I give him a shock and cocky glare
is he crazy?

“What do you think?

“I think your ring would look better with sapphires in it instead of blood rubies!”

He still knows how to get
to me, cocky arrogant bastard that he is…his birthstone is Sapphire!

He turns up the volume again and we are out of the city as I look out my window, we
past the out skirts of Cleveland, past the area of Euclid, pass the nightmare in Painesville, even pass Bratenahl, which is millionaires row, pass Beachwood, where all the Lox and bagels places are, yum. To someplace I have never been before Mentor-On-The-Lake.

Tristan takes the first exit and follows the lake, cute area, all huge estates, we make it to the center of town where there are shops and café, bistros, and patisseries. Wow
, who would have known all this is just a hour away from me.

Tristan makes
his way past the commercial district and then we are along the lake area, you can see the boats, the harbor, the yacht club and a small airport, but what catches my eye are the vineyards, there are rolling acre after acre of beautiful lush green grapevines, it feels like when I was in the champagne region in France, I fell in love with the vineyards there! My dream was to have an estate in the champagne region, a cottage in Normandy and a penthouse in Paris, I told Tristan all about this, maybe we are going on a wine tasting tour.

I can’t hide my grin and smile,
I mean as far as the eye can see, vineyards and the heavenly perfume that fills the air. Wow I am smiling and totally amazed, I had no idea all of this was here in Ohio.

I take off my sunglasses and
look over at Tristan he has this almost enigmatic grin on his face, like he can’t control his excitement, he and I use to stay up talking, imagining our life together, I know he was only toying with me back then, but I was playing for real, this was all I ever wanted with him, was a place on a vineyard, a few kids running around and enjoy a wonderful life together.

Tristan and I have spoken in great detail how we wan
ted to open a vineyard together, and now here we are in Ohio looking at a vineyard, I have to say my curiosity is peeked.

“Tristan this is wonderful I had no idea that there were vineyards here”

He signals over quickly and proceeds to drive up a tree covered street, it is so beautiful you would swear you were in the champagne region in France. I roll down my window so I can smell the acres of grapes, it is heaven to me. Tristan pulls up to a gated property, on the left, I look at the rot-iron-gate and in bold letters

CHATEAU DU
BACH is intertwined into the metal work. I don’t understand.

Tristan
rolls down the window, reaches over and inputs a code into the box on the stone wall, the gate swings open and we drive up a two lane street lined with trees, as we inch closer, a water fountain is front and center of the circle drive, a huge French style house sits in the middle of this vast estate. He pulls up to the house and parks the car.

“Come Aria, I want to show you around”
he is happy and has this smile on his face that is so young and carefree. I am hesitant and a bit cautious but I have to say he has my interest peeked, even though I know the old Tristan. I look up at him and I don’t know what to think.

“Tristan…”

“Trust me please Aria” I smile at him and look at the massive house and wonder who lives here? Whose house is this? Why is he bringing me here? Gosh does he want to turn the dagger even more in my aching heart. I mean him and my dream in the same place at the same time; I guess him being on the up and up was too good to be true.

All
these questions running through my mind. Tristan opens my door and I take his out reached hand, he has this ridiculous smile on his face, he seems sincere as almost like a child with a secret.

“Come Aria, please” Tristan holds my hand and walks me up the
stone steps to a huge brown wood double door, we enter without knocking or being met or greeted. It is a huge house, simply beautiful, from emasculate interiors cherry hardwood floors, a foyer you can hold a receptions in, the back of the house is a wall of windows that frames the property in all its glory, what a breath taking view. Tristan takes me out back to the terrace and as far as I can see rolling hills of grape that frame the grounds in perfect unison they are all lined up in harmony, the scent hits you like no other, the sweetness of the grapes on the vines, that familiar smell permeates the air and reminds me of what I always wanted.

The grapes are of various varieties from red to green
, the fruit is quite abundant. The whole estate is a beautiful picture, the vined hills and rolling acres are just outstanding as far as the eye can see how picturesque and yet scenic, so striking with the lake in the distance, all I can think is how lovely, serene and pleasant, awe inspiring actually, it is gorgeous and I look at the handsome son of a bitch that brought me here and he is watching me…hmm

“Aria, this was our dream, remember?” I nod and look up at him
to continue with why we are here.

“When we broke up Aria, I had no idea what to do with myself,
I was done with wasting my life, I wanted something to sink my teeth into so I mentioned to my grandmother how you and I were talking and the next thing I knew we were sitting in her lawyers office drawing up a contract and she signed this over to me. It was not turning a profit, so she became my partner in this little venture. At first there was so much to learn, I had no idea where to start so, I studied, and read up on wine making and found that the combination of the soil, the air and the lake was ideal conditions to make a good wine.”

I am shocked at what I am
hearing and what I am seeing and what he has done.

“
I got involved with the science and chemistry of the equation and well here we are two years later our ice wine is championed. To make a long story short this became my passion, once I saw how easy it was for me to be a wine maker I realized that I loved it, as much as you talked about it, I was hooked”

“I am speechless Tristan”
as I look around at all the grandeur and splendor it is too much to take in, I mean how? Why? When? Where? I am in shock.

“
This all came to surface when my grandmother’s faith in me just took over.”

“You did all this?” as I wave my hand through the air at the vineyard.

“What you see before you are the fruits of my labor.” He is serious, sincere and honest in what he is telling me, no bullshitting, no pulling punches and speaking from his heart.

I am looking at him as he is explaining all of this to me and I am in utter shock
, and suddenly a de-je-vu like I have dreamed this or seen this or something. He continues, I want to know it all, I want to hear every bit of all of it, I am fascinated, touched and in awe of him.

“This vineyard was not producing like it should, so when I took it over two years ago I hired a staff of wine makers from Burgundy, France
, we came up with a method, a calculated effort, a plan and a formula as such, with our technique and procedure and due process, well we are now thriving”

“Aria.
I had to find something to throw myself into, I was out of control when you and I broke-up, so I sold my stock and shares, liquidated everything and well your words haunted me, our whispered conversations inspired me and I became the
hermit wine maker
per se
the restaurant came after this was thriving.”

I go to speak and I cannot,
I look at this once crazed confused man and see what I always knew was there.

“
Aria Say something, please?” he holds my hands and I am shaking and excited beyond my wildest dreams.

“
I am totally at a loss for words” Tristan squeezes my hands and looks into my eyes and I am nervous and in shock.

“Aria sweetheart, this is what
your faith in me accomplished” I find my voice and look at him as I speak from my heart.

“Tristan this is amazing, all t
hat you’ve done, really I am in awe of you” he rubs my hand against his lips and I melt for him, this once troubled man who I never thought I’d see again has chased after our dreams.

“When a man loves a women it’s dangerous what we can accomplish” he words just stop me in my tracks and I feel lightheaded

“Tristan you are too much”

“No Aria, this was all your
’ doing, without you I would still be in that dead end life”

I am not even sure my feet are touching
the ground anymore no one has ever gone to this extreme for me.

“Come I want to show you around”
I can barely articulate what I am seeing, it is like he took our dreams and brought them to life, I mean I am literally walking in what I have only dreamt about, Tristan made it a reality.

This is just so pr
ofound and touching, chaotic and confusing I’m just astonished at what this man has done in the past two years of his life. The excitement and enthusiasm in his voice is infectious, I want to hear everything he has to say, I am just captivated and enthralled.

Tristan takes my hand and leads me over to a golf cart and we roll throu
gh the tiny trees and hills. The air smells of the grapes on the vine as the sun kisses them with sweetness, it’s wonderful and all inviting. He stops along the side and shows me the grapes as he clusters them in his hands, which ones are harvestable and which are too young yet to touch, he is animated and articulate, knowledgeable and in charge, wow I am impressed beyond comprehension, this is not just a hobby for him this is his passion.

He takes my arm and we walk through the vineyard he points out key attributes to this area, he shows me the irr
igation that is crucial and every now and then he kisses my hand, he is filled with joy and he is a delight to watch, I never would have imagined this in a million years that he would have done this.

“Aria you’re very quiet, are you ok?”

“Tristan I don’t know what to say, I have not seen you in two years and you return with my dream a reality, I am in utter shock and dismay.”