Birds chirp in the distance, and above me, leaves rustle in the wind. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the scent of ripe lemons...and laundry detergent. My eyes slowly open to find my hand resting on a jean-clad leg. I rub the tips of my fingers against the fabric and the muscle under my cheek tenses.

Turning onto my back, something slips from my shoulders. I miss its warmth and pull it back around me—Kade's red flannel shirt. I gaze up to see his amber eyes on me; they're mysterious, brilliant, beautiful.

"When did you stop reading?" I ask, my voice raspy with sleep.

"About two hours ago," he replies.

"You should have woken me up."

"You said you hadn't slept well, and I wanted you to get some rest."

"Thank you."

"Besides, I could see down your dress."

I sit up and look back at him, crossing my hands over the top of my dress.

"I'm kidding, Ariella." He laughs, placing the book in the basket, and stands.

I put on his flannel, not ready to relinquish its warmth just yet, and scramble to my feet. Kade picks up the basket, and I roll the blanket into a ball. He holds out his hand, taking it from me before we start toward the house together.

"Could you really see down my dress?"

He laughs. "It's my secret, and I'm never telling." There is a glint in his eyes, assuring me that he saw nothing, and I smile back.

When we reach the path to his villa, Kade says he has some things to do and will see me at dinner. I thank him for letting me sleep and head to the house. I'm sure Nonna needs my help after my time away.

I enter the kitchen, taking off Kade's shirt.

Nonna stands at the counter; it's covered with traditional Italian dishes. She kneads a lump of dough, and I take my spot next to her. She doesn't say a word but pushes a cutting board of vegetables at me.

Minutes pass in complete silence before Nonna says, "So, you and Kade had fun, yes?"

"Yes." I keep chopping.

"He seemed eager to dance with you last night."

I stop and glare at her from the corner of my eye. She wears an impish smile and continues to move the rolling pin back and forth. "You know Asher is my boyfriend."

Whatever her diabolical plan is, she doesn't have the right to barge into my relationship with Asher. I need her to respect the fact that he's who I'm with. He's the man I love.

"You are young, Ariella," she says with a sigh.

I face her with my hands on my hips. "Are you kidding me? Both you and my mom were married at my age. How can I be too young?"

"It was different." She shrugs, moving her arms back and forth over the dough.

It's annoying that she's taking this topic so lightly, and she disregards my feelings for Asher.

"Explain this to me; I'd love to hear why you think I'm different." I cross my arms and lean my hip on the counter.

In no rush at all, she continues flattening the dough until she is satisfied. Brushing her hands on her apron, she turns to me, ready to put me in my place, and I brace myself for the twister known as Nonna.

"We were in love with men who loved us the way we deserved to be loved, Ariella."

Anger boils in the pit of my stomach, and I fight to keep calm. "What do you mean by that? I love him so much, and he loves me."

She places her hands on my cheeks, and I take a step back, slipping from her hold. The hurt in her eyes breaks my heart, and I regret my choice right away, but I won't just give in. I need her to understand how wrong she is.

"You can love someone with all of your heart, but it does not mean they are worthy of your love. You choose to be a naïve girl, and I fear for the pain it will cause you someday."

"I know what I want." The tone of my voice wavers and I make up for it by squaring my shoulders.

"For now, Ariella, but life will not always hold steady on the path you have chosen. Destiny will derail you."

I bite my lip, stopping myself from saying something I'll regret. I hate her confusing words of wisdom; they cause me to lose sleep as I spend hours trying to decode them. For once, I wish she would just tell me what to do instead of leaving me second-guessing everything.

Of course, it's not meant to be. She falls quiet again and we work to prepare the meal.

After dinner, everyone gathers on the patio around the terra cotta firepit. I hold back, replaying our discussion. I hate that we fought, but I'm also pissed that she minimized my relationship with Asher. Does she think Asher and I don't understand what it means to be in love? If so, she's wrong.

The more I think about it, the more I come to realize that she had a hand in all my run-ins with Kade. I'll hand it to her; Kade is a nice guy, but there is no guarantee that he will be the same when we leave. The vineyard is serene, and the wine is plentiful. Everyone is friendly when they're at a place like this.

I skim over the surrounding faces, looking for one in particular, but Kade is missing. I don't recall him leaving the group. Maybe I missed it and he returned to his villa for the evening.

Eagin stands and walks toward me with a faint smile. "Will you come with me into the kitchen and show me where I might get some water?" The way his eyes widen tell me it's not so much that he's thirsty as he wants to pull me away from the others.

"Sure." I follow him inside and get him some water. I wait for him to drink while he watches me over the rim of his cup. When he's finished, he rinses the cup out in the sink and places it in the drying rack. I tap my foot, going nuts waiting for him to talk.

"He went back to his villa," Eagin says.

"What?" I play dumb, furrowing my borrow.

"Kade, he went back to his villa. I think you should go check on him."

"Why me? You're his friend."

He sighs and shakes his head. "Trust me, you should check on him and take something to drink with you."

Eagin says nothing else as he leaves me staring after him. What is this all about? It's like every single person on God's green earth enjoys confusing the hell out of me.