Drunk on Love(107)

“You didn’t have to prove anything to me,” she said. “I didn’t care about any of that.”

He smiled at her.

“I know that now. It took me a while to realize it, but I did, today. But thank you for saying it. Especially after everything I said to you on Sunday.” He sighed. “I was so caught up in my own ego about that job. I think that’s why I really didn’t tell you about the whole thing with Avery and my mom—I was ashamed of doing it, yeah, but also I knew you would ask why quitting my job bothered me so much that I had to lie to my mom about it, and I didn’t want to answer that question. I was so embarrassed about what I thought of as my failure there, and it made me think there was no way you could believe in me. I’m really sorry that I ever thought that about you. I should have known you too well for that. I did know you too well for that.”

“I’m sorry, too,” she said. “About Sunday. I was hurt, and scared, and my emotions were so high from the party, and that conversation with Elliot, and everything. I realized how important you were to me, how much I cared about you. And it terrified me.” She looked up at him. “I’m sorry that I ever made you think I didn’t care about you. And I’m really sorry that I was too much of a coward to tell Elliot about us. It wasn’t because I was ashamed of you. It’s just that I’ve always been so on edge, so defensive about the winery and my place in it. And . . . I guess I just wasn’t quite sure of you yet. Especially since . . . that first night, when we were here, you told me you’d only be up here for three months, max, and so—”

He interrupted her.

“Yeah, but that was a lifetime ago! I didn’t mean to come here and fall in love with you!” he said.

“Well, I didn’t mean to fall in love with you, either!” she said.

They looked at each other for a second, and both broke out into wide smiles.

“Um. Did we both just say that?” Luke asked.

She nodded.

“I think we did.”

He reached for her hand.

“Wait. I want to say that again, when I don’t seem like I’m angry about it, because I’m not.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “I love you, Margot. I fell in love with you hard and fast, and it made me think I had to do something special to be worthy of you, when I should have realized that the reason I fell in love with you in the first place is that it would never occur to you to think that.”

Tears came to her eyes.

“I love you, too,” she said. “So much. I love how kind you are, and funny, and generous, and how safe I always feel with you. I think I realized that on Saturday, when all I wanted after the party was to be with you. And then I panicked on Sunday.” She grinned. “I told Elliot about us. He wasn’t upset. Or surprised.”

He gripped tighter to her hand.

“I told my mom about us,” he said. “And about my job. And about the very stupid lie I told her about Avery. I think she’s currently wondering what kind of an asshole she raised.”

Margot laughed through her tears.

“Never.”

She picked up a napkin and dabbed at her eyes.

“I was so happy working at the winery,” he said. “I was so happy with you. And it made me feel guilty; I felt like what I wanted wasn’t good enough, important enough, like I had to go back to that job to prove myself, to do something I hated to show the world—and you—I could do that. If I had really thought about you, I would have known that you didn’t care about any of that stuff.”

He looked down at their hands, then back at her.

“I still . . . It’s going to take some work, to unlearn all of that. But I’m going to try very hard to learn that being happy, actually happy, matters. And what I do know is that you are what makes me happy.”

She squeezed his hand.

“What a coincidence. You are what makes me happy, too.”

He cupped her cheek with his hand.

“Can I kiss you?”

Instead of answering, she leaned forward and kissed him. She didn’t care that they were at the bar at the Barrel, with people all around them; all she cared about was his lips on hers and his arm tight around her and how much she loved him.

When they finally pulled away, there were two champagne glasses sitting in front of them.

Margot looked over at Sydney at the other side of the bar. Sydney nodded at her. Margot could feel the smile stretch across her whole face.

Luke picked up his glass.

“Does this mean she’s forgiven me?”

Margot picked up hers.

“Mmmm, I’d give it some time.”

Luke laughed.

“I figured.”

He smiled at her over their glasses.

“I didn’t mean to come here and fall in love with you, but I’m so glad I did.”

She grinned at him.

“I’m so glad you did, too.”

They clicked glasses and each took a sip.

Sydney walked by, picked up the untouched glass of water in front of Luke, and walked away.

Margot looked at Luke, and he looked back at her. They burst out laughing.





Epilogue


Four months later

WHEN THE ALARM WENT off early that morning, Luke was already awake. Margot turned over in bed and kissed him on the shoulder, her eyes still closed.