Within a few minutes, he was driving up a section of pavement that was mostly hidden from the main road, the asphalt disappearing and turning into dirt. The path weaved right and left, keeping us close to the mountain edge, the tires crunching as we went over the small pebbles.

I knew nothing about where we were staying, only his obsession with surprising me. But when he approached a mansion that sat at the very peak and parked directly in front of it, my jaw dropped.

“Holy shit, Caleb.” The two-story house was covered in rocks of different muted colors with a red arched roof and tall glass panes that I knew were overlooking the vineyards below. “Is this yours?”

His stare penetrated right through me, and I could tell he was appreciating my amazement, his hand tightening on my leg. “If you want it to be, I can make that happen.”

I knew he was being serious. What this man was capable of was as shocking as this home. “I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

“You don’t have to right now. If you fall in love with the house, it can be ours.”

Just as my expression deepened, he got out of the car and came around to open my door. We clasped hands, and he helped me onto my feet.

“Tampa is my escape, but that doesn’t mean it has to be yours. If you’re more comfortable in Napa, then we’ll come here.”

This was one of those moments where words completely escaped my brain, where there was nothing I could say to show him how he made me feel. But I was positive my face was doing all the talking for me, and I knew he could read it, especially when he wiped the tears from my eyes.

“You deserve it, baby.” He kissed me, and my arms wrapped around his neck. “Come on. I want to show you inside.”

We moved toward the front door and stepped into the grand entrance. A woman wearing a chef’s coat immediately walked toward us with two glasses of white wine on her tray.

With a warm grin reaching as high as her eyes, she handed us the drinks. “I thought you might like something cold and tart after your drive.” She tucked the tray under her arm. “I’m Anna, your executive chef during your stay.” After we introduced ourselves and shook her hand, she continued, “I’ve set up a charcuterie board for you in the backyard, and since it’s a little damp out, I had Max start you a fire.” Something told me Max was her helper, but she never defined his role. Instead, she went on to say, “Max will bring your luggage inside, and dinner is scheduled for eight. Unless you’d prefer a different time?”

We shook our heads.

“Great. Let me know if I can get you anything.”