My heart feels a little lighter as we drive toward the first stop on my list of favorite local wineries. I don't know if Amir understands how much I needed to hear those words. I always believed that dating someone would mean that I would have to pack away all my memories of David into a hidden corner of my mind. I've been worried that I would have to censor my stories to exclude David and my children would forget all the great times that we had with their father. I glance at Amir and see acceptance and understanding on his face. He seems to be destroying the barriers that I have built around myself to avoid dating. I'm not quite ready to get into a relationship, yet. Maybe, that will change. For now, I want to enjoy this beautiful day with the sweet, sexy man sitting in my passenger seat.

As I drive by the thriving vineyards, I see the gates to of one of the oldest wineries in the county. Large, lush trees surround the property and seem to frame the endless vines. I guide my car down the long, gravel driveway lined with beautiful wildflowers and vines. Slowly, the fresh, white outline of the tasting room appears around the bend. I pull into a parking space near the front of the parking lot and turn off the engine.

It's such a beautiful day. I take in a big breath of the country air. The sun is warm, but the air still smells crisp and clean. I can't help, but smile. This is my happy place. I turn and look over at Amir and he is watching me with a huge grin on his face.  

"What?" I say with shrug and a smile, "I can't help it. I've always been a country girl at heart."

Amir leans in and gives me a gentle kiss that quickly turns into more. Leaning toward me, he places his hand behind my neck and slowly pulls me forward closing the distance between us. Our tongues tangle as he gently strokes my hair and runs his hands down my back and begins to pull me closer. When I am on the edge of my seat, a shrill whistle interrupts our kiss.

I look up to find the patriarch of this winery family leaned against my car with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face. "If it isn't Ms. Alyssa LeClerc canoodling in her car with a stranger." He opens my door and takes my hand pulling me out of the car and into a big hug.

"Hey, Ted. It's good to see you." I feel the blood rush to my cheeks and I give him a shy smile as Amir gets out of the car and joins my side. "Let me introduce you to Amir. Amir, this Ted Richardson. His family are some of the first people that I met after I moved to Napa. The Richardsons have supported my charity events for years. They've also been there for my family through all life's ups and downs."

Amir extends his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ted. It sounds like your family is really important to Alyssa."

"I like to think so. We've always had a soft spot for Alyssa." Ted's eyes sparkled with a bit of mischief. "It's nice to see Alyssa out having some fun. My wife is going to be upset that she missed her opportunity for matchmaking. We've five sons and two of them are still playing the field. They need a good woman to make them settle down."

"Well, you know that's not going to be me. I love your family, but I'm not dating either of your sons." I say with a giggle. "Besides, I heard that Jonathan's getting better since he retired from football. He's working here, right? I heard that he stopped hanging around the groupies finally found himself a girlfriend."

Ted runs his hand over his beard. "Let's just say, I can't imagine her making it to Thanksgiving dinner." Ted looks around and lowers his voice. "Jonathan invited her to dinner a few weeks ago. She came out here dressed for a club with spiked heels and a dress that barely covered her business. She's a party girl who wants to be with a celebrity. Jonathan needs to leave that scene and take a more active role in the business."

I pat him on arm. "Sometimes injured athletes have a hard time growing up and moving on, but eventually they figure it out. Give him some time and he'll come around."

"Jonathan is in his thirties now. He needs to work a regular job, get married and have some kids. He's still mourning his career. Jon refuses to make plans for the future. How long did it take David to move forward?"

Suddenly, I feel uncomfortable having this conversation in front of Amir. I realize that I need to change the subject. "David was younger and didn't make it to the majors. He got his personal life together pretty quickly but finding a new career path was a little harder. Jonathan has that part covered. He's lucky to have an amazing career lined up for him at the most beautiful workplace in the world."

That earns a big smile from Ted. He turns to Amir. "The vineyards are gorgeous at this time of year. Wait until you go on the tour. The next one starts in twenty minutes. Go in and have Jonathan put you on the list and grab a glass of wine while you wait. I'm going to check on my wife and then I'll be back with the tram." With a quick wave, Ted starts walking down an unmarked path. I grab Amir's hand and pull him toward the tasting room.

Entering the large building, I easily spot Jonathan behind the counter. His bulky muscles seem out of place squeezed into the standard winery polo shirt and his matching set of tattooed sleeves hint that he is not the typical winery employee. Jonathan is extremely good looking with a bad boy twist, but he's never been my type. He's hot and he knows it. His attitude is a turnoff for me. Under the surface, he is a nice guy and we get along. It will never be more than that.

Jonathan looks up and quickly notices me. Putting aside his paperwork, he comes around the counter and greets me with a hug.

"Alyssa LeClerc, don't you just light up the room. It's like you just fell from heaven. Are you here to admit your undying love for me?" Jonathan says with a smirk.

I roll my eyes and pull out of his bone-crushing hug. Typical Jonathan. "Okay, you can save the cheesy lines for women who care. You know that your flirting is wasted on me. Besides, I heard that you are dating someone. What would she say about your flirting with other women?" I step back toward Amir and put my arm around his waist.

Jonathan shrugs. "You must have talked to my dad. The truth is that I broke it off last week, but there's no way I'm letting him have the satisfaction. I'm pretty sure she was just trying to drum up publicity for her career and a retired player wasn't good enough. She was never happy unless we were being photographed. Doesn't matter, I'm not having a hard time replacing her."

"Your dad's right. One of these days, you are going to have to stop hooking up with anything in a skirt and start looking for someone who will put up with your shit long term. Otherwise, you're going to end up a lonely, old man." I look at the scowl creeping across Jonathan's face and decide to change the subject. "Sorry, I promise that I won't lecture you. Your personal life is none of my business." I watch his face soften slightly and continue, "I don't think I introduced you to Amir. Amir, this is Jonathan Richardson."

Amir shakes hands with Jonathan in what can only be described as some type of bizarre dominance ritual. Amir smiles. "Nice to meet you. I've followed your career. I'm sorry about your knee injury. It was a tough break. I thought you had a few more years left in the NFL."

Jonathan shrugged. "You and me both. I guess I should be glad it happened when it did. I had a pretty good run. At least, I wasn't like David. Career ended right before he signed. Never got the money or fame. Never lived the lifestyle. Had to settle for a crappy marketing career while his backup catcher went on to play in multiple world series and star in a reality tv series. That must have sucked. It's no wonder that he was always such an ass."

I wasn't expecting the conversation to move in that direction. I'm sure Jonathan brought up the subject to get back at me for my unsolicited advice. I can feel my face burning up with anger and a little embarrassment. I quickly interrupt. "Jonathan, could you put us on the list for the next wine tour?"

"Sure. I'll grab you a couple of glasses of wine while you wait. Be right back."

Amir turns to face me with a bewildered look on his face. "Are you okay? Was he talking about your husband?"

"Unfortunately. Jonathan and David couldn't stand each other. As you can see, that didn't end when David died." I see Jonathan approaching with two glasses of red wine and whisper, "I'll tell you later."

I took just a couple of sips of wine and then Ted collected us for the wine tour. I felt relieved to jump in the tram with Amir and leave Jonathan behind in the tasting room. We spent an hour touring the grounds and wine caves. Ted was his typical charming self and the group seemed to enjoy the tour. At the end of the tour, Ted dropped us off at the tasting room for our flight of wines and chocolate and wine pairing.

Thankfully, Jonathan was out of sight by the time we returned. I didn't want a repeat of his previous outburst. Amir and I stepped up to the bar. One of the winery employees greeted us and pulled out two glasses for our tasting.

Knowing that I would have to drive to the next winery, I shook my head and pushed back my glass. "I'm driving, so I shouldn't have any more wine. I'll just have a glass of water." I wink at Amir playfully. "I take my tour guide responsibilities seriously."

Amir turns and looks out the large windows overlooking the picnic grounds. "It's beautiful here. Let's grab a bottle of wine and one of these pre-packed picnic baskets and just spend the afternoon. Then, we can both enjoy ourselves."

"I created this perfect plan for our day. I am going to take you to four different wineries spread across the region and we will have lunch at a great local restaurant. You are going to be wined and dined all day long. Do you really want scrap that plan and just hang out at the first winery on our list?"

"That sounds like a great plan, but I really want to relax and spend time with you. I've seen Napa before, but spending time with you is a bigger treat. I'll enjoy the afternoon more if you can enjoy it with me. So, what do you say? Give up your perfect plan and enjoy a low-key picnic with me?"

"I love a good picnic. You have a deal."

We spent our afternoon on a blanket spread out on winery lawn snacking on delicacies from our basket. Our picnic spot was close enough to see the tasting room but far enough to provide privacy to talk. It was nice to have a PG-rated date and get to know Amir better. It forced us to ignore our attraction and focus on the conversation. After a couple of hours, we packed up our basket and found a hammock made for two. I laid in Amir's arms as the hammock swayed slightly from side to side.

Amir stroked my hair gently. "You woke up so early. You must be tired."

I catch a yawn before it escapes. "I am a little tired, but I'm fine."

"Relax and take a little nap. I'll hold you while you sleep and I'll wake you up in a little while."

In a sleepy voice, I try to disagree. "That doesn't sound like much fun for you."

He lightly kisses my head, "I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon, than holding you in my arms."