wiping the tears still spilling down her cheeks. Deep down inside she knew Evan was right. It wasn’t her job to fix Ellery, but the thought of sitting back and watching her wreck her life was almost too much to think about.
But what if her daughter didn’t wreck her life?
What if Ellery was doing something that Daphne had waited almost too late to do in life?
Taking a chance. Rolling the dice. Jumping in with both feet.
Evan kissed the side of her head, and this time comfort stole over her. For the past few weeks, she and Evan had texted and talked a few times on the phone. He’d told her he would give her space, but their communications held promise for something more. Sitting here, lower than she’d been since Rex had filed for divorce, having someone to lean on, to give her necessary truth and to hold her with a sweetness she’d forgotten she needed, told her all she needed to know about her future with Evan.
Sure, that was putting the cart before the horse, but she was willing to put herself out there. Maybe that was the thing she had to do. Stop thinking, stop trying to control every aspect of her world, and let life come to her.
“How did you get so smart?” she asked.
“I make wine. There is nothing certain, nothing I can control except the label,” he said, a little bit of disgust tingeing the acceptance that his career had taught him.
“I like your label,” she said, allowing herself to completely relax against him and enjoying the feel of his arms around her.
“Gage designed it. You know, if you think about it, Ellery’s like a good wine. She just needs room to breathe. Pop the cork, Mama, and give it time.” She could hear the smile in his voice, and that made her feel like perhaps things weren’t so bad.
“You should write wine-ology,” Daphne said.
“I’ll leave the writing to you,” he said, dropping another kiss atop her head.
For a few minutes they sat there, snuggled on the bench as the day turned into evening, surrendering the rays of the sun to the soft gray of dusk. As the light faded, a chill permeated her tunic and made her shiver. Her heart still hurt, but his words had found their mark. Ellery needed room . . . to make mistakes . . . to try new things . . . to breathe.
“Come inside. I’ll build a fire and pour some wine. Poppy’s over at Marin’s, playing with her youngest, so we will have a bit of peace,” he said.
“I should get back,” she said, pushing herself upright.
“Why?”
“Well, I burst in here like a madwoman. I’m sure you have things to do,” she said, now feeling a bit embarrassed about her panicked storming of the winery. It wasn’t like Evan had been sitting around with nothing to do but talk a crazy mother out of an all-out manhunt for her grown daughter. She’d interrupted his evening.
“I do. With you.”
She turned to him. “That might be the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.”
“You’re not hanging around the right people,” Evan said, rising and holding out a hand. “I know things in your life are feeling uncomfortable right now, but I’m really glad to see you, Daphne.”
She took his hand. “It’s odd, but after feeling like my world was falling apart, I’m glad to see you, too.”
Her toes did a small curling thing when he gave her a crooked smile. Then he brushed his lips softly against hers. “And that’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
Evan pulled her toward his house, and she went with him, her heart not completely healed, but her fear quieted. “Thank you, Evan.”
He squeezed her hand and turned to look at her. “We’ve had a little breathing room ourselves. I think I’m ready for that first sip. You?”
“I’ve been holding on to my glass for a while now.”
“I’d say let me fill it, but that sounds a little weird,” he said with a sparkle in his eye.
“I’m down with wine-uendos,” she joked.
His laughter surrounded her with the warmth she’d been looking for. “Dating a wordsmith is going to be fun, I see.”
“Hey, I just make up stuff for a living.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Four months later . . .
Ellery pulled the rental car into the driveway of the house where she had spent her childhood. The house looked different with its fresh paint, new landscaping, and updated shutters, but