Snowflakes and Second chances

VINEYARDS

“Hey Amelia! I've missed you!” Sophia leaves her little stool behind the stand and comes to hug me, an action I return wholeheartedly, her ever contagious bubbly energy getting to me.

“And I've missed you more darling, your dad tells me you've been caught up with starting school.” She giggles at my statement, covering her face as she blushed, and I laugh at her funny antic.

“I'm going to have my uniform and a class teacher!” There's nothing but pure innocent excitement in her reply and I can't help but chuckle in thought that in a few years from now, this same little girl that was so enthusiastic about starting school would begin to dread it.

“That's really lovely! I'd like to get a picture of your cute uniform if that's okay with you.” She giggles again, nodding as she keeps her hold on my hand after pulling away from the hug.

“Daddy says soon I'll come have a sleepover at uncle Jules, will you come join me?” And when I think she couldn't possibly get any cuter, she hits me with her puppy eyes.

“She misuses her cuteness too much.” Sebastian voices come from behind me, and I'm saved from having to give this little girl false hopes as in distraction from her dad's presence, I'm momentarily forgotten, and she runs into his arms.

“I was just admiring Sophia's work of art.” I gesture to the stand and the messy finger painting, definitely done by Sophia.

“You should see the rest of her it, I might just have the next Picasso in my arms” he jokes winking at me discreetly, as he twirls her around in a fit of giggles and squeals.

“Go say hi to aunt Zoey, alright?” He places her back down, and she nods on sighting Zoey who had seen us and was giving me suggestive eyes with a silly smirk to which I skillfully flash her my middle finger flipping her off with a smug smile.

Sofia makes a dash for her, calling out her name and I find myself laughing alongside Sebastian's chuckle at the way Zoey begins to wave at us exaggeratedly.

“How're you?” He asks softly returning my attention to him and I begin to fiddle with the tail of my flannel shirt pushing some stay hair behind my ears feeling the nerves course through me.

“Uhm I'm good… I-Uhm, thank you for yesterday… I don't know what would've happened-” I start talking nervous as he watched me intently, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up and hands stuffed into his pockets in full concentration.

“They had a cop come over to my place this morning, that'll be the last, though. I would rather not pressure you, but I'm worried, what if I hadn't gotten there on time yesterday, and he'd hurt you bad?” His eyes darken at the mention of me possibly getting hurt, and I laugh nervously.

“That's why I'm truly grateful you did, God forbid you hadn't stopped by, and maybe I'd be the one in Jacob's place right now.” My joke is far from funny as we stare at each other.

“Hold up, you said a cop, right? When you say he won't be coming back, what'd you mean? What happened? Did he do anything to you?” Worry that maybe something else had happened this morning fills me, but he just shakes his head with a small smile.

“I see what you're doing, I'll leave you to it for now because I know you and Julian can't hide what's going on from me forever.” I have nothing to say to this, so I wait for him to continue talking.

“With or without you getting a restraining order, Jacob is going to need more than a few stitches next time I see him around you like that. They must have another think coming if they think a cop will scare me away.” He tops this statement off with a toothy smile like her wasn't spewing out things that were equivalent to suicidal thoughts.

“Please don't go getting involved with them, they're not good people and I don't want you getting hurt because of me. You haven't told me what happened with the cop yet, Sebastian.” He clears his throat at this.

“I have to ask also, what were you doing over at the house yesterday, even? It's not like I'm ungrateful that you were around, but I wasn't expecting…" It's his turn to get nervous now as I trail off in my ramble and I try not to laugh as he begins to scratch the back of his head, the tip of his ears starting to redden.

“You don't have to worry about the cop or Jacob's family, just know that that cop can't scare me away from fixing Jacob's attitude. The Wilson's can't press any charges.” If it weren't for the people around, I'd probably attack him with a hug.

I didn't doubt in a minute that whatever he said or did was going to work…I trusted him, so much so that I had no questions as to why he sounded so sure of his every word.

“And you came over because?” I repeat the rest of my unanswered question, enjoying the way he squirmed, and his ears got a bit more red.

“I wanted to ask if you'd like to join in the preparations for today's exhibit, there's this new combination I've been trying my hand at, wanted you to give a review on it.” My eyes widen in surprise and I grin.

“The privilege of getting to taste an unreleased flavor from one of the best-selling companies? Yes, please!” I watch excitedly as he goes behind his stand and pulls out a small, unlabeled bottle.

The vineyard was something he had inherited from his grandparents, but the burst of business and recognition that came after was solely Sebastian's doing.

News of his company had gotten to me at Beverly Hills, even after I had left and kept zero contact with home, it was almost impossible to be unaware of the exquisite nature of the 'Hernandez swirls' in the family of good wines, and I was sure he was beginning to outgrow the nationals now and go global.

I remember a tipsy night of me being in over my head on alcohol and Julian basically handing me over to Sebastian to take me home because he was too drunk to drive.

That night we had shared almost everything and anything under the stars as he waited with me outside as I had refused to go in after he had dropped me off to go back for Julian who was still busy trying to haunt down everyone I had talked to or danced with and give them a piece of his overbearing and overprotective ass.

He had shared his fears with me of not feeling like he deserved everything his grandma had left him in her passing, telling me all about his dream of wanting to improve it something, a legacy that he'd lay in remembrance of his family.

When I had woken up a hangover the next morning but still somehow remembering everything, feelings that I had fought to be signs of a mere childhood crush grew stronger.

And now 7 years later, he was running an empire of his own and still managing to be a fantastic father.

“How is it?” I hum in delight as I take another sip from the glass, swirling it around a bit and earning a heart chuckle.

“Makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time.” I reply, feeling like I'm on cloud nine from the burst of flavors in my mouth.

“Well then, do me the honor of visiting my vineyard and winery if you please?” My eyes are wide as saucers at his question, and I'm about to start squealing like a child as I nod frantically, bubbling with excitement and anticipation.