Wright Rival (Wright)

Hollin gave me a shit-eating look. He patted his pocket. “I’m keeping these.”

“Hollin,” I chided.

“I want you to be commando under that dress. Makes me think about fingering you under the table.”

I flushed. “At the award ceremony? In front of all those people?”

“Who’s going to know?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Everyone?”

He smirked. “How good is your poker face?”

I rolled my eyes at him but was thrilled at the thought. It wasn’t the first time I’d gone out without underwear. Just knowing I had on nothing underneath this would make the sex amazing when we got back. It would heat us both up all night long.

“Fine.”

We headed down to the award ceremony. I’d missed it last year after pulling Sinclair Cellars out of the running. This year, Hollin and I were in it together. We each had individual wines in the running. Luckily, he was putting forward a chardonnay for Wright Vineyard while Medina Cellars had a new merlot that I hoped would top the category. But together, we’d decided on a whole new blend vintage. A pinot noir mix with grapes from both vineyards that we were calling the Medina-Abbey.

We’d commandeered an entire table this year. Jordan and Julian were seated with Annie and Jennifer beside them. My dad, mom, Peyton, and Peter took up the rest of the seats. Hollin’s family along with Blaire and a good number of the Wrights had a table farther from the action but hollered as we passed by. We had an entire entourage this year, and I loved it. All of us together.

“Took you long enough,” Julian said, coming to his feet and shaking Hollin’s hand.

“Yeah. We had other plans,” Hollin said with that same smile.

Julian rolled his eyes. “I bet.”

Jordan shook his hand next. “What do you think is going to happen this year?”

“I’m going to win,” I told him with a wink.

Jordan laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

Hollin tugged me closer and kissed me hard one more time. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“No?”

“I’ve already won.” He pressed our lips together one more time in front of our entire family and all our friends and the entire Texas wine world. “I’ve got you. What more could I want?”

My cheeks heated again at those words. “Oh, Hollin, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

And though we did win Best in Class for our blended wine, the Medina-Abbey vintage, all that mattered was that we had each other.

The good girl and the reformed bad boy.