Passion, Vows & Babies_Raising Veeta Read online

  Remember why you’re working.

  “I never expected you to be pushing wine...or any liquor.”

  I wasn’t a stranger to alcohol. I grew up on a peach farm that specialized in making peach liqueur since the early nineteen hundreds—rumor has it that it was illegally made in the beginning. My mother’s parents had turned Corday Peach Liqueur into a multi-million dollar business and it still makes the best peach Bellini, in my opinion. My parents took it over once my father—a financial wizard who fell in love and married the peach farmer’s daughter—was named CEO.

  The peach farming business was never something I wanted to be involved in, I left that to my siblings, Clancy and Conrad. I wanted to be a fashion designer and had gone to college to take business courses. My best friend Martina and I were always sewing fun summer clothes for ourselves and a few of our friends. That was what got us planning our dream of opening our own resort-wear store on Tybee Island.

  When I lost Martina and gained Veeta, I went to work at a winery not far from our farm. It was enough that I was living at home with an infant, I didn’t want to feel like my family was financially supporting Veeta. I took on the responsibility, not my parents. They had already done that raising my cousin Caprice when her mother ran off with her Russian husband who was about to be deported for some shady dealings. Rather than go back to his homeland, they hopped on a plane for Europe. Somewhere along the line they were killed when their train derailed.

  Without my friend and partner, I left my dream of opening the dress boutique behind and launched into becoming a sommelier. The only sewing I did was cute little dresses for Veeta and skirts for myself. Being a sommelier in a restaurant, I needed to look stylish and I found that most pencil skirts didn’t have pockets which I deemed necessary for my line of work.

  “Sometimes we make decisions that take us in different directions.” I knew he was familiar with that. He disappeared six years ago and returned a businessman.

  “Why not the family business?”

  “I could ask you the same thing... Why did you turn into a suit?”

  I hadn’t noticed he had gotten so close to me as I delivered my last question, but his body was nearly pushing up against mine.

  His next words were felt on my cheek. “I couldn’t have you.”

  “What do you want?” I managed to ask in somewhat of a gasp.

  He didn’t answer. He moved my hair to the side and brushed his lips lightly over my neck. Shamelessly, I rolled my head slowly to give him full access. It wasn’t real. I was imagining his arms coming around me. His fingers weren’t unbuttoning my blouse and his hand wasn’t slipping inside of my bra to cup my breast. His other hand wasn’t moving the hem of my dress up and wandering into my panties.

  No, I wasn’t moaning as he moved through my wetness and dipped inside to a perfect spot. My hips didn’t roll and rock to a rhythm and I didn’t back into his erection against my backside. It was a fantasy. A delicious daydream that had me wanting to cry out as my body shuttered but it wasn’t possible when his mouth silenced me. It wasn’t the best kiss either. It wasn’t real. I just knew that once I opened my eyes, I would be standing alone in the wine cellar.

  Only that wasn’t what happened. He was still there behind me, smoothing down the front of my dress and turning me in his arms. Facing him with my head down looking at his expensive leather shoes, he adjusted my white lace bra and buttoned my blouse closed. I didn’t want to look up and admit it was real, but he didn’t give me a choice as he lifted my chin to make eye contact.

  “You’re still as beautiful as the day I first laid eyes on you.”

  “Your eyes are still green like a peach leaf.”

  “They still only see you when I close them at night. I’ve come back for you, Celeste. I’m going to make things right. We’re going to be together forever. You will have your dream. I promise to give you everything and more.”

  I wanted to believe each and every word he said, but I had to beware of what he might do when he learned that things had changed and he was no longer my first priority. He left before my life shifted and he never bothered to return until...

  What was his reason for returning?

  Why did I let him affect me...and touch me?

  Thank God no one walked in on us!

  Chapter Four

  Skeet

  “Well, I’ll be damned... Look what the cat dragged in!” I laughed at my old buddy Dean’s comment as I strolled into a local-friendly bar. It was strange to see him behind the bar of a place we tried to sneak into every chance we got until we were legal. It seemed like the bar changed hands relatively often which gave us an opportunity to use our fake IDs or just attempt to act cool and older.

  Sometimes we got lucky but most of the time they kicked our asses out or gave us a root beer and made us sit at a booth. Since they served food they would allow us inside until about ten o’clock.

  Old enough, I grabbed a seat at the bar, shaking Dean’s hand, I was ready for a nice cold beer and a burger. I had been on the road for hours and needed to unwind in a comfortable place that brought back so many memories—some good, some bad, and some great. Dean had been involved in several.

  “I heard you were back in town.” I couldn’t put my finger on who the girl standing to the side of the bar waiting for her drink orders was and I must’ve looked confused.

  “That’s my wife Nora.” I didn’t even know he got married. Not that I really talked to anyone since I left, but I did let my pop know I was coming back and I was sure they saw him in the bar. “She’s heard all about you.”

  “When did you start working here?” I asked, taking a swig of the beer he had sat down in front of me without asking. “And when did you get hitched?”

  “Believe it or not, I bought the bar with the settlement money from my accident.”

  I did hear that Dean had been in a car accident and lost the lower portion of his left leg. My pop mentioned that but not the bar part. Maybe because his drinking was not always a pleasant topic.

  My pop’s auto garage was conveniently located within walking distance to his favorite bar and our house. And when he and my mother had trouble he spent far too many hours at the bar. When he did come home, he stumbled in the door to the couch not daring to slip into bed next to my mother. When she packed her bags and left him for good, I expected him to drink himself blind.

  It was the exact opposite. He was a new person.

  That was until different women came into his life. He didn’t seem to have good luck with women or maybe he picked ones that were too similar to my mother. Whatever it was, he had told me he was dating someone new so I wouldn’t be surprised to see my pop roll in around quitting time.

  I was surprised to see Celeste’s brother Conrad walk in. Seeing him, I felt like a guilty look immediately washed over my face. He’d kill me if he knew what I had done to her in the wine cellar without even taking her out on a date. I hadn’t even seen her for a week since I had been traveling around the southern portion of the state and down in Florida for work. I needed to work more on Celeste.

  I hoped that I hadn’t stayed away too long. I needed to make things right and win her back. I had been hopeful a week ago that she would forgive me for the past. I didn’t want her to think that I was running away from her again. Not that I ever ran from her. All I ever wanted was her and for our love to last forever.

  “Are you back for good or just here to make trouble?” There was the big brother attitude that I knew so well.

  Conrad, two years older than Celeste, was more protective of her than her own father. Maybe because their parents had their hands full with Clancy who was a free spirit who liked to push the boundaries. Celeste was the easy one, overly nice and had a habit of talking to everyone. Conrad teased her and called her Miss Congeniality, but you could see he always worried about her.

  “She’s happy now. She has a good job with a future. She’s dating Dale Kenmore.”

  I didn’t
mind the first two bits of information, but dating someone that was not right for her was not acceptable. Nothing would ever develop between them...or any further with me back in town.

  She was mine. I claimed her again. I couldn’t tell Conrad that part.

  “How’s the farm?” I moved to a safer subject.

  “Still going strong. New look for you.” He nodded his head at me. I had to look different to everyone. No one ever saw me in dress clothes unless I was taking Celeste to a school dance. “How does that fit in with your vintage bike?” He smirked at me.

  “It’s long gone.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “No.” The only thing I ever missed was Celeste—not that I was going to tell Conrad that part—and the bike had served its purpose.

  It got me all the way to California and then it provided me with enough money to live comfortably along with my free accommodations thanks to the Beauclaires. Well, free was probably the wrong word. I had never worked as hard as I did learning the wine business and I loved every backbreaking, sweaty minute.

  I wondered if Celeste loved what she was doing. Amazing that we both had careers in the wine field. On two different sides of the country doing the same thing. A connection. That was something we would always have and nothing would stop that. Especially not Dale Kensmore. I would have to make sure he knew I was back and going after what I wanted.

  I would never leave Celeste again.

  We would get our happily ever after.

  No one knew it but I was going to take her away to fulfill her dream.

  Chapter Five

  Celeste

  Walking into the kitchen area of the restaurant, there seemed to be a mini tasting going on. I loved those moments and was surprised I didn’t weigh at least twenty pounds more. Pretty much all of the food made at Saphyre was heavenly. Especially their lamb chops. They, literally, melted in your mouth. I reached up and wiped the side of my lips because they made me salivate just thinking of them.

  They were sampling some new roast duck recipe that Owen and Andy put their head together to come up with something different. I was not much of a duck fan, but I had to admit that their rosemary-orange combination was so delicious. I was totally on board with the latest menu changes and couldn’t wait to tell our customers about them. And then I got a little lost in the conversation when I spotted a few opened bottles of Beauclaire wine.

  With Veeta sick at home, I had missed the meeting with Skeet. I wasn’t happy that my baby girl was under the weather, there was nothing worse than her whimpering and sniffling. But, I was somewhat relieved to have missed out on Skeet’s presentation.

  “Thinking about that wine rep?” James asked, making me blush.

  “I don’t blame her if she is... He’s a real charmer,” Andy, the head chef who was married to James, batted her eyelashes at me and had me shaking my head. She and James were like Sienna and Owen; always so lovey-dovey and playful with each other. It made me wonder what was in the water or air of the restaurant.

  They didn’t know that it had affected me too in the wine cellar.

  “But sincere.” Sienna spoke up in Skeet’s defense. “Owen really liked him. Of course, he’s letting you decide about the wine.” She was so adorable and beamed when she spoke about her husband.

  Owen, Andy and I always talked over the menu specialties and exclusive dishes for wine pairings. I loved that they respected my opinion and suggestions. Being such a young sommelier, wine patrons were often skeptical of my knowledge. I didn’t let them deter me. I knew that I had amazing schooling and training. Working in the winery and tasting a variety of culinary delights had contributed to honing my skills. I was a certified sommelier, not a master, and I wasn’t sure I would ever reach that level. I didn’t have time to put into school nor could I be away from Veeta to receive training that wasn’t offered close to home.

  Veeta meant the world to me. She was my world.

  The first time I held Veeta in my arms, I instantly fell in love with her. She was so squishy and smelled so good like baby mixed with powdery rose petals in the garden. It wasn’t a manufactured smell but a lovely fresh one. Pure heaven. She should’ve been named something flowery.

  But then again, that would’ve only reminded me of her father with his big red rose tangled up in vines and thorns—a tattoo on his left bicep.

  Amazing how that tattoo reflected my life, a tangled mess of pain. I was the rose—named after a Celeste rose. When he got it he said the thorns and vines were to keep me safe. To protect me. When he left me, I focused more on the thorns and the pain I felt.

  Since Skeet had returned, it made me think about the tangle of lies that I needed to continue, ones that could possibly hurt him. I had to keep him at an arm’s distance and away from Veeta.

  He was smart and could figure out the math and then I would have to answer so many questions that I wasn’t ready to address. To be honest, the timing wasn’t right and I couldn’t tell him what he needed to know. Even if I wanted to spill my guts, there were too many factors that could harm Veeta.

  I couldn’t lose my baby girl and I would do anything to keep her.

  “How is Veeta feeling now? Did she like my chicken noodle soup?” Owen joined us. “And what Sienna said was true. The wine cellar is yours. I trust you.” He rubbed my shoulder in a big brother way as I told him that Veeta was thrilled and better and then he and James left me with their women.

  “Okay! Enough! The guys are gone...” Andy turned red like her ever-present red braid hanging down her back. She made me laugh. She was like a naughty girl ready to get in trouble. “Spill! Spill!”

  Sienna was almost as bad. “What’s the dirt on that Skeet guy?”

  What did I tell them? I started with the basics of how we had met and soon became inseparable. He came out to the farm as often as he could and we fished and he got in on the mushed-peach battles; running through the orchard and attacking each other. He was always on my team. We were the best of friends—something my girl best friend Martina found unacceptable—until we discovered raging hormones.

  Puberty changed everything. Holding hands was no longer a friendly gesture but something that made my body do a little dance on the inside. Every inch of me fell in love with Skeet. Clancy still teased me about Skeet and Conrad became my chaperone until he took a liking to Miss Georgia. He should’ve stayed away from her or maybe I should’ve been his chaperone instead since he wound up with my nephew Cord.

  Things took a turn for all of us once when we were all attending the same high school together since Skeet’s father used our address to get him away from kids in his own rough neighborhood. Clancy was a senior when I was a freshman and she wanted nothing to do with me or the boys at our school—she was all about older college-aged men. Conrad was working his ass off on the farm, going to school and learning to be a father. Skeet and I were just falling more in love, but we had been taught a good lesson about the birds and the bees and were careful.

  After high school, we both agreed to go to community college and then find a college to go to together. We talked about when and where we would get married. How many kids we wanted and he liked my idea of living near the beach.

  Everything was going along as planned. We were the perfect couple. Then one night changed everything and Skeet crushed me. I couldn’t believe that he would do something so horrible to me and I let him know that I could never trust him again. I never let him get a word in and he accepted my wishes.

  He did the honorable thing. He left me alone.

  I didn’t expect him to leave town.

  Chapter Six

  Skeet

  It had been days since I had seen Celeste. She wasn’t at my meeting with the owner of Saphyre. They said something about being sick. I just hoped she wasn’t making up excuses. My only hope for her to start coming around to me was that she had sent me an order for my wines. It was my perfect way of seeing her on her territory again. I couldn’t get what had happened i
n the wine cellar out of my head.

  I was walking around with a smile on my face and then it fell.

  How could Celeste let Dale take her to the diner—our diner—where we shared just about everything on the menu? Liver and onions were something we both turned our noses up at and made scrunchy faces.

  I wondered who the little girl was sitting across from them in a booth by the window. Her scrunchy facial expressions while she looked down at something on the table reminded me of us.

  Did Dale have a kid?

  Was he hoping to make my Celeste his daughter’s stepmother?

  Not going to happen I wanted to shout in his face.

  Instead, I remained silent and out of view as best I could because, for some reason, I couldn’t drive off even though it was pure torture.

  With their next stop of the day, it wasn’t as easy to get a good view of them. They had headed to a minor league ballpark. Dale’s father was some big deal in the baseball world so I wasn’t surprised that they’d go there. He probably liked to show off and show Celeste how important he was...because of his father. Dale tried to become a ballplayer but even his father’s power couldn’t make him worthy of the pros. He hated that I was a natural at the game and wanted nothing to do with it.

  I still had no desire to even watch a baseball game, but I wanted to see what my competition was up to with my Celeste. So I paid for parking, bought a ticket and went inside of the ballpark. Thankfully it wasn’t as big as a major league baseball field, but I still had to look for them. Although it wasn’t too hard to figure out that he would have the best seats in the house for them—right behind home plate. Unlike the pro stadium, they didn’t pay as much attention to the fact that I didn’t have a ticket for the seat I plopped down in. I just had to hope that no one came to claim it.

  I got lucky and was able to watch their interaction. I, instantly, loved that little girl for separating Celeste and Dale by sitting in between them. She seemed to be quite a character she danced during inning breaks and she got up with the crowd waving her little arms. When a beach ball came to her she hit it up into the air using the entire strength of her body, wearing the biggest smile on her face. I wished I was close enough to hear her squeal with delight.