Lily spun around. “That would be lovely.”
“You're going to like it,” he said. “It's from France. They only made a few thousand bottles of this before the winery burned down in the forties.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you sure you want to drink it? That sounds like the kind of wine that you save for a very special occasion.”
Wyatt shrugged. “Who's to say that tonight isn't a special occasion? Like my father once told me, the only day that exists is today. If you want to live, you must risk it all. I think, in this case, he'd suggest that we drink the wine.”
Lily's smile widened. “I really like that saying. Your father must have been a wise man. I wish that I could have met him.”
“He had lots of good things about him.” Wyatt stepped over to a kitchen drawer and pulled out the corkscrew. “A few bad things, too, but nobody is perfect.”
He took two wine glasses from the cabinet and filled them up, passing one to Lily.
“Cheers,” he said.
“Yes, cheers.” Lily reached forward and gently clinked her glass to his.
He gazed at her, noticing himself staring just a second too long into her eyes. He'd never really noticed how pretty they were before now. They were a deep blue, the kind of color that reminded him of the ocean off of the coast of Costa Rica. He could have lost himself in them. They were so beautiful and kind.
I've seen this woman hundreds of times over the past five years, and I think this might be the first time I've fully realized just how beautiful she is, he thought, while taking a sip of the wine. It's so strange how I never noticed before. Everything about her is gorgeous, from the dimples on her cheeks when she smiles, to the curves of her hips.
Wyatt was quickly becoming surprised at his own thoughts. Immediately after having them, though, a pang of guilt flashed into his mind. He wondered what Caroline would say about him having these kind of thoughts about Maggie's surrogate mother. She would have likely accused him of being a total creep.
Or would she have? He wondered. Caroline loved Lily. In fact, she thought that Lily was one of the best people on earth. I don't think that she ever had an ill word to say about her. Still, though, I have to wonder if she'd approve of me fantasizing about her. I'm guessing that would be where Caroline would have drawn the line.
“How's the wine?” Wyatt asked, in an attempt to kill the awkward silence that had fallen between them.
Lily licked her lips, which had turned red from the drink. “It's incredible. It's the perfect balance between sweet and dry.”
“Told you,” Wyatt said, with a smirk.
“I don't think I'll be able to drink cheap wine ever again.” Lily laughed and then took another sip.
“Did I ruin you?” he asked. “If so, I'm happy to buy you good wine for the rest of your life. Nobody deserves to drink those five dollar gallon jugs that they sell at the liquor store. I'm pretty sure you can use those as fuel in your car if you run out of gas.”
“That's good to know.” Lily giggled. “Maybe I should keep a bottle or two of the cheap stuff in the trunk of my car in case I ever get stranded and out of fuel.”
Wyatt and Lily took another few sips of their wine, then went back to work on making dinner. In just the few minutes that they'd been distracted, Maggie had managed to make a total mess. The counter was now covered in breadcrumbs and chopped vegetables. Some of it had even made its way to the floor, surrounding the stool that she was standing on.
“Oops,” Maggie said, with a mischievous grin.
Wyatt just laughed. Lily turned to clean it up, but he stopped her.
“I'll get it,” he said. “You keep working on the dinner and I'll get this cleaned up. Clearly, I'm not much help with preparing the food.”
“Alright, sounds good,” Lily said. “If everything goes as planned, food will be ready in forty-five minutes. I hope everybody is hungry.”
“Starved,” Wyatt said, patting his stomach. “I can't wait to try your cooking. I hope your mom's recipe is as good as you've made it sound.”
“Me too,” Lily said, nodding in agreement. “Me too.”
Chapter 9
Lily
God, I hope he likes it, Lily thought, as she carried two full plates of eggplant Parmesan out to the living room.
Wyatt followed close behind. He was carrying a little plate for Maggie. In addition to the eggplant, though, they'd given her some tater tots and green beans. Wyatt wasn't sure if she was going to like the eggplant. She'd never tried it before. This would be her first time and eggplant is one of those things that you either love or you hate.