Chapter 10 - The Empire and the Florist
Three months later, the rain over Boston was gentle, steady, and entirely peaceful.
Inside The Glass Petal, Boston’s most exclusive high-end floral boutique, the air smelled of fresh eucalyptus, white garden roses, and success. The shop had recently expanded into the adjacent retail space, funded by a silent, anonymous venture capital account that Marin knew better than to question.
The bell above the front door chimed softly.
Marin looked up from arranging a massive cascade of white orchids destined for a high-society wedding downtown. Standing in the doorway was a tall man in a tailored charcoal-gray suit, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips, holding a single, perfect red rose.
"Are you taking appointments for emergency boyfriends today?" Dante asked, stepping smoothly across the polished hardwood floor.
Marin wiped her hands on a linen apron, a bright, radiant smile breaking across her face as she walked around the counter straight into his arms. "Depends," she murmured, resting her head against his broad chest as his arms came around her with familiar, unyielding strength. "Do you come with a six-hour time limit?"
Dante leaned down, capturing her lips in a slow, deep kiss that made the rest of the world vanish entirely.
May you like
"Forever," he murmured against her mouth, his gray-blue eyes sparkling with a fierce, quiet devotion. "The contract is permanent."
And as the afternoon sun broke through the Boston clouds, illuminating the flower-filled shop in a golden haze, Marin knew she had finally found a love that no syndicate, no ex-fiancé, and no amount of family gossip could ever tear apart.
