This is an older work and unedited.

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Hello Wattpad friends! Wattpad and Kensington Publishing have invited me to re-post the original unedited first draft of Strawberry Wine, winner of the The Write Affair contest! You'll get to read Jake and Addy's love story as it first appeared on Wattpad. The much longer revised version is available now in bookstores and online! If you enjoyed this version you won't want to miss that! And please add this to your library so you can be notified of bonus chapters from Jake's POV!

Chapter 1

Jake... 

His name came to me again, this time as I shopped for wedding dresses with my soon to be matron-of-honor.

Always on my mind.

The slightest reminder of him still caused my heart to skip a beat. How is that possible after all these years?

The chiseled features, those eyes, that body... And enough charm to bewitch even the most seasoned female. Jake was the complete package--and then some. It's no wonder he had gotten under my skin.

Once again, Ruby and I began the task of searching through dresses. I wasn't entirely sure what I was searching for, but I trusted I would know the instant I found it.

"Oh, Addy! This one is absolutely gorgeous!" Ruby Sinclair-Matthews exclaimed, jarring me from my reflection and holding up an showy sheath with lots of built-in bling.

I wrinkled my nose. "That's more your style, Ruby. It would look silly on me." My best friend always did have a flare for flamboyant clothing, but that just wasn't my taste. I preferred something simple, something that felt good when I wore it, like an old pair of jeans. Above all, I wanted to feel beautiful on what would be the most important day of my life.

I continued to browse through dresses, distracted, as memories from the past played through my mind.

Jake Grady was every eighteen-year-old girl's wildest dream. Tall and broad shouldered, with dark wavy hair that toppled carelessly over his tanned forehead, and piercing blue eyes that crinkled at the corners every time his lips curved into that sexy smile. He had the easy confidence of a man who had grown up knowing he was attractive, yet modest enough to not come across as arrogant. Combine those swoon-worthy qualities with some well-developed muscles and a cowboy hat, and you've got the first guy I ever fell in love with.

Sounds like a heartbreak waiting to happen, right? Come to think of it, I don't know many who can say their first love didn't end in heartbreak. Other than my grandparents, but that's another story entirely.

Summer had just begun and I had plans to make it my best vacation ever. Come August, the chaos of college applications and essays would begin, along with researching scholarships and grants and the unending deadlines that would inevitably follow. I felt I owed it to myself to get in as much fun time as possible while I didn't have the responsibilities of higher education looming overhead. Basically, my summer agenda consisted of lazy days at the lake, bonfires at night, and a whole lot of living in between.

Jake spent the summer I turned eighteen employed at my family's farm. He was going to be starting his junior year at the University of Houston in the fall and was hoping to spend his time off working and saving money. Shoveling horse manure wasn't a glamorous job by any means, but it paid the bills, and his scholarships only went so far.

Gramps would never admit it, but I know he was impressed with Jake. He didn't offer just anyone an icy beer after a long day slaving away in the hot Georgia temperatures, but Jake managed to sit and enjoy a cold one with my dad and grandpa almost every night after the sun went down. Now that's really saying something if you know the men in my family.

The women in my family sang a different tune. "A nice, ambitious and respectful young man, that Jake is," Mags was fond of telling me. "He's got a good head on his shoulders, too, Addy."

Mags was what I called my grandmother. Apparently as a toddler I had a hard time pronouncing Grandma Maggie, and somehow it just came out as Mags. Anyway it stuck, but she didn't mind. She was one of the most important influences in my life growing up. She never treated me like a child and I could go to her with just about anything. And believe me, I did! You know, people always say you never know what you have until it's gone. That woman was nothing short of amazing. God, I miss her.

My fingers trailed absentmindedly over the strapless A-line gown I held in my arms, but my thoughts lingered on Jake and the first time I had ever laid eyes on him.

The sun was already high in the sky that morning he pulled up to my grandparents' house in his beat up old 1985 Ford F-150. It was a dusty shade of blue with a thick horizontal white stripe going down the center of each side.

What a hunk of junk! I snickered to myself. Little did I know, but I would be getting to know the back seat of that old truck very well during the course of that summer.

The opportunity to meet Jake came later that same day, when Mags convinced me to offer him a glass of lemonade. Looking back on it now, I'm pretty sure she was trying to play match-maker. She had an endearing habit of mingling in a person's love life, but this was the first time she had taken an interest in mine. I remember walking up to him on that sunny afternoon with an ice-cold glass of lemonade dripping in my hand.

"Hey there," I called out. "You need a drink?"

Jake turned to me with that lazy smile of his, and looked me up and down. Slowly. Suddenly, I felt naked in my flimsy blue sundress. If I hadn't been holding that damn glass of lemonade, I would have folded my arms across myself to conceal what I knew he was scrutinizing. Instead I just stood there like an idiot with my hand dripping wet.

"Well, I don't know," he drawled. "What did you have in mind?" Jake leaned casually against the digging fork he had been using, his eyes squinting slightly in the hazy, afternoon sun. He looked as if he had just stepped out of a sexy cowboy postcard. You know, the kind that say "Wish you were here" in big, bold letters? A jolt of electricity raced through my body as I gaped at his confident, sapphire gaze. Was he trying to make me uncomfortable? If so, it was working.

"This," I retorted, shoving the glass at him. Our fingertips brushed together as he took the drink from my hand, and I quickly pulled mine away, shocked by the electric sensation that shot up my arm. I was hoping Jake hadn't noticed my reaction, but I suspected he had when he let out a chuckle.

My mouth felt as dry as the Sahara. Good gravy, was he hot! I tried to overlook his annoying self-assurance and decided to introduce myself. "My name's Addison Monroe, but everyone calls me Addy."

"It's very nice to meet you ... Addison. Thank you kindly for the drink." He downed the pale yellow liquid and handed me back the empty glass. Then he tipped the brim of his sandy, brown hat and turned to walk away, leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging open. A swarm of bees could have attacked and I still would have stood rooted to that spot staring after him. I'll be honest, my first impressions of Jake were stuck somewhere in between lust and frustration. I frowned to myself and marched back toward the house, my brunette pony tail swinging impatiently behind me.

"Did he like it?" Mags asked in amusement as I passed by.

My eyes rolled toward the sky as I played back the scene that had just taken place. "Something like that."

I heard her laughing as I stomped into the house.

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And here's the song that inspired the story. Enjoy!

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