Bitter Truth (Hawthorne Vines #1)

And at the same time, I’ve never felt so thankful to have someone at my side.

No, not just someone.

Her.

I wrap my arm around Murphy’s shoulders once we’re in the elevator, and slowly we descend to the parking garage.

Pressing my nose into her hair, I breathe in deeply, the now-familiar scent of her weaving its way around the tightness in my chest and settling there like a balm over a sore wound.

If there was any doubt how I felt about Murphy Hawthorne left inside my mind, it is most assuredly gone, replaced with overwhelming feelings of love and gratitude.

“I’m here if you want to talk,” she tells me as we buckle our seat belts.

I rest my hand on her knee as I pull out of the parking spot. “I know you are.”

She lifts my hand to her mouth and kisses my knuckles before returning it to her knee, the gesture soft and sweet and exactly what I need.

Then we pull out into traffic and begin the drive back to the vineyard, her hand on mine the entire way.

Chapter Nineteen

MURPHY

We’re mostly silent on the drive home, each of us lost in our thoughts. Other than pulling over and getting out of the car to have a conversation with his younger brother, Wes doesn’t say much. The only real thing he mentions to me as we’re getting off the highway is that he’s glad we’ll be back in time for him to be able to help with the lunch service.

I know he has a lot on his mind, and I’m sure the past twelve hours have been hard on him. So I just keep holding his hand, singing quietly along with the radio that’s playing country music on low in the background.

Eventually, we pull into the gravel parking lot outside the restaurant, and when Wes shuts off the car, I turn in my seat to look at him.

I wish there was something I could say. I racked my mind for so much of the drive trying to come up with anything that might make him feel better. But nothing seemed right, so I just stayed silent.

This moment is the same. Because there isn’t anything that can make things like this better.

“Thank you again for coming with me,” he says, staring straight ahead. “You didn’t have to go, but you made a really shitty trip so much better just by being there.”

“Don’t forget the shower sex,” I joke, hoping to alleviate some of his serious attitude so that he doesn’t go into work feeling so down.

He shakes his head, a soft smile on his face, then finally turns to look at me.

“You’re a nut.”

“Yeah. Just a little bit.”

His eyes search mine for a beat, then he kisses the back of my hand and we both unbuckle and climb out of the car.

“I’ve gotta head in,” he tells me, rounding the front and coming to a stop just a few inches away. “Make sure these kids are doing all right.”

“I won’t be that far behind you, but I’m going to run back to the house and change first. You might be able to get away with your outfit if you put on a chef’s coat. My pink leggings aren’t gonna fly.”

He smiles, then reaches out and takes my hand. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

I pop up on my toes and press my lips to his, giggling at the bit of stubble that’s grown in on his face scratching lightly against the skin around my mouth.

“Murphy?”

I freeze, blinking in surprise when I turn and see Memphis standing at the front door of the restaurant, a kind of bewildered look on his face. But that look is only there for a second before it’s replaced by anger, and I drop back down on my heels as he storms toward us in a fury.

“What the fuck is going on?”