Later, they lay together in her bed beneath a light cotton sheet, facing each other.
“He’s not going to stay away forever,” Anton gently mentioned.
Lillian closed her eyes. “I know. But I don’t want to think about that right now.”
“We have to eventually. What will you do, Lillian?”
She rolled onto her back and watched the ceiling fan spin slowly. “I don’t know. I’m so happy here. I’ve never felt this happy. It’s you, of course. I’m crazy in love with you, and every day I wake up in a state of total bliss. But I also love the work I’m doing here. I love giving the tours, watching the grapes grow, pruning the vines, learning about wine making. I can hardly wait for the harvest.” She turned her head on the pillow to look him in the eye. “This is going to sound corny when I say it, but I feel like this is my calling.”
Anton wove his fingers through hers and kissed her hand. “I feel the same.”
She rolled onto her side again, facing him. “But I’m married. And so are you.”
“Not for long,” he replied. “I’ll be free soon.”
Her heart trembled with uncertainty. She was afraid to hope, afraid to dream.
Anton inched closer to her. “I believe this is the reason why we’re both here, in Tuscany, at this moment. It’s not a coincidence. It’s why you met Freddie when you did, because he was writing a book set in Italy. It’s why your timing was off with him—that he didn’t want to start a family when you did. That’s why you convinced him to come here to finish his book. And it’s why I was driving behind you when your car went off the road. All of it happened so that we could find each other in extraordinary circumstances . . . so that we would understand the importance of it.”
Lillian squeezed his hands. “Are you saying this is fate?”
He rose up on an elbow and laid soft kisses on her forehead, eyelids, and cheeks. “Call it whatever you like. All I know is that we were meant to find each other, and now that you’re here, I can’t let you go. Stay with me, Lillian. We’ll have as many children as you want.”
“Stay . . . ?”
“Yes.” His eyes shone brightly in the glow of the moonlight from the window. “When Freddie comes back, tell him that we love each other and that you want a divorce. You can move into the villa with me.”
The weight of those words shook Lillian to her core. “Move in with you? Anton, it’s barely been half a summer.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m certain about this. You’re the woman I was born to love.” He kissed her fiercely, passionately, leaving her burning with desire.
Lillian began to weep softly, her tears staining the pillow.
“You’re the only woman I want,” he said, “for the rest of my life.”
Her heart broke wide open, and she wept with a strange mixture of joy and misery.
“It’s not that simple,” she said. “Freddie has no idea what’s been happening since he left. I can’t just ask him for a divorce out of the blue. He’ll be completely blindsided. It would devastate him, and despite his faults, he doesn’t deserve that.”
Anton wiped away her tears and gave her a moment to collect herself.
“I love you,” she said, “but I do care for him, and I can’t be heartless.”
They lay quietly in the darkness, holding each other while Lillian felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
In August, the grapes grew plump and sweet and began to change color from bright green to deep purple. Lillian accompanied Anton and Domenico into a vineyard one afternoon to assess the mildew situation.
“Look here,” Domenico said. “The leaves are lush and beautiful, but they’re creating too much shade and trapping moisture on the grapes. That’s a recipe for rot, so we must do more pruning here. And it’s time to cover these vines with bird nets.” He pointed at the sky. “We must prevent those hungry flocks from helping themselves to the Syrah.”
He spoke more about how they must keep a close eye on the grapes each day to determine the best time to begin the harvest.
When they finished their inspection of the field, the sun was high in the sky, and it was time for a rest. Domenico headed back to his little villa to