"Thank you so much for doing this, Eli. I'm such a fan of your work and this was such an amazing experience," Nadia gushed and crushed her with a hug, "he had better paid you good for this."

Eli laughed, "you're very welcome. I love doing stuff like this and it's the least I can do for the man who took a chance on my work and published it." 

Nadia's eyes grew wide as she stared at Eli's joyous brown eyes, "he...he did?"

"Yep, I'm one of the lucky authors published by Chaeus Lit."

Nadia looked behind her at Luca who was speaking with the employees who were setting up the reading room with more chairs and a table full of copies of Eyes of the Beholder. He patted the young man on his shoulder and his eyes fell on her.

"Is everything alright?" He said as he crossed the small space to them.

"Yeah, Eli was just saying that she's published under Chaeus Lit? I had no idea you had a literary company too." 

Luca nodded and a blush burned over his cheeks, "it's just a small indie publisher," he shrugged.

"He's being modest. It's a small company with some of the best success for getting indie authors noticed. We're well taken care of Miss Coleman," Eli grinned, "but I have to say Mr. Shola I'm a bit worried no one is going to show up to this signing." 

"You have nothing to worry about. There's a line of people waiting to get in to see you," Luca said and nodded to one of the employees who pulled the curtains back from the window. There was a line of at least fifteen people waiting to get into the book store.

"Oh my God," she breathed.

"See, you'll be fine and we should get out of here," Luca laughed and took her hand, "thank you so much, Eli." 

"You're welcome," she shook his hand and her eyes grew wide, "don't forget your present, Miss Coleman."

Nadia frowned as she handed her a fresh new hardcover copy of Eyes of the Beholder with a red bow tied around it. A grinned tugged at Eli's lips, "it's a signed copy and the only edition that has deleted scenes that didn't make it into the first book." 

Nadia squealed and threw her arms around Eli again, "thank you! This is the best birthday ever!" 

"Well the day isn't over yet, ma petite fleur," Luca chuckled.

"Yes, I still have to find that door," she giggled and slipped her fingers through his, "good luck with your book signing." 

"Thank you and happy birthday again!" Eli waved.

Nadia had a permanent grin on her face as she took in the quirky bookshelves mixed with elegant antique furniture around them as they walked to the back entrance. It was just like being inside a storybook. She looked at the book in her hand and back up at Luca. 

How did I get so lucky to find him?

"What?" He chuckled as he opened the door for her.

"I don't know, Mr. Underworld. I thought I had you all figured out, but you're just...you're surprising me a lot this week." 

"I hope that's a good thing," he said as they moved through the crowd at the front of the shop and continued to walk down the street past his car.

"Are we going somewhere else?" 

"Yes, I'm running an errand. My mom had some jewellery made and she figured I could get it while I'm here."

"You're lucky it's an errand for your mama. This is cutting into my scavenger hunt. I need to find your missing collection of books." 

He checked his watch, "you have all day. It's only noon. I promise I'll give you better hints to figure it out," he said as he pulled her close and slid his fingers to her chin, "we can't sleep tonight unless you find it and I won't let that happen."

The carnal heat in his eyes and the husky tone in his voice sent a zing straight to her center. She bit her lip and a devilish grin curled over her lips, "does that mean there's a bed in this mystical place of flowers and books?"

He chuckled as he caressed her lip with his thumb. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear, "among other things," he murmured and nipped her earlobe.

She sucked in a breath and pushed that intoxicating man away from her, "you need to stop teasing me and go run your errand so I can find this place." 

"Fair enough," he smiled as he thread his fingers through hers and opened the door to Notte Jewels.

"Ah, Luca, it's good to see you," an elderly gentleman greeted him.

"It's good to see you too, Tony," Luca smiled and shook his hand.

"The piece is ready if you'd like to come look at it?" 

"I would," Luca nodded and looked down at her, "I'll just be a minute," he said and kissed her hand.

"It's fine. There's plenty of sparkly things to keep me occupied," she grinned, "but don't take too long. We've got a hunt to do."

"I won't take up too much of your time, Miss. I promise," Tony chuckled as they disappeared into a back room.

Nadia smiled to herself as she wandered around the shop looking at the intricate jewelry in the display cases. 

It had been an amazing week with Luca so far. The gifts were a bonus to the way she'd felt just being able to be a couple with him. It was so liberating that they didn't have to hide. 

We should always be like this. 

She sighed as she stared into a case full of rings with various stones and styles. Her eyes settled on a ring with a blooming diamond encrusted flower atop a rose plated platinum band.

Maybe we could run away to Cali and leave all the bullshit behind us.

She chuckled to herself. She knew that wouldn't solve anything. She'd love to be here with him, but they had to face their issues at home. Running wouldn't do them any good.

"Would you like to see that piece, ma'am?" A young woman asked as she stood behind the case.

"O-oh no, I'm just looking," she shook her head.

"It's fine. I love trying on the rings," she giggled and took out the blooming flower Nadia was looking at.

"I'm not usually into rings, but that one just caught my eye." 

"Mm, it's a unique piece," she said as she took the ring out of the box and held out her hand, "let's see how it looks on your hand," she grinned, "come on it'll be fun."

"Alright, why not," she laughed as she let the woman slip the ring on her finger and her heart thumped. "Whoa," she breathed and inspected it closer. "It's gorgeous and the whole flower is tiny little diamonds?." 

"Oh yes, that's what makes it so unique. There are two hundred diamonds in that," she nodded, "altogether it's seven carats and the color of the diamonds are fully customizable." she explained.

Nadia's watch vibrated on her wrist and she  frowned at the notification that scrolled across the screen as the young woman explained the design and customizations available. 

'Device synced. Activation pending signature'

"What shiny thing has caught your eye?" Luca chuckled as he walked up to them holding a black gift bag in his hand.

"She picked out a gorgeous ring, sir," the shop attendant giggled as Luca took Nadia's hand and inspected the glittering ring.

"That looks nice," he murmured and his amused eye looked at her, "it suits you, ma petite fleur."

"It's a beautiful day to pop the question..." Tony grinned from behind him.

Nadia choked out a laugh and a blush burned up to her ears, "um, nope. That's not happening," she shook her head and she slipped the ring off her finger, "thank you for letting me try it on. It's really lovely."

"Of course," the attendant nodded. Her eyes flicked to Luca before she put the ring back in its box, "well if you do decide to get a piece, I'm sure Tony would do all the designing like he does for the Sholas."

"Yes, of course, Miss. You just tell me what you want. I make fabulous items. Matter of fact, I designed that watch on your wrist," he grinned proudly and slapped Luca's arm, "and then your guards try to ruin the beauty with their damn tech."

Luca laughed, "Tony, come on. You like the challenge." 

"Ah," he waved him away, "I'm going to retire. Then what are you going to do?"

"Charity can handle it. She's just as good as you," he chuckled.

"Thank you. You see, Dad. I keep telling you I can handle it," Charity huffed and looked at Nadia, "he thinks I'm five. I've been making jewellery with him for fifteen years."

"Mm, you need more practice," Tony grunted.

Charity heaved a frustrated sigh, "yeah, alright old man." 

Nadia stifled her laugh as Luca patted Tony on the back, "anyway," he chuckled. "Thank you for doing this piece. You outdid yourself."

"It was my pleasure. Give my regards to your mother for me," Tony smiled and his warm brown eyes slid to Nadia, "it was lovely to meet you. I hope you find what you're looking for on your hunt." 

The twinkle and mischief in his eyes made her feel as if he knew what she was looking for. "Thank you. It was lovely to meet you both as well." 

Nadia eyed the black bag in Luca's hand as they walked back down the street to his car.  "So, what piece did your mom get?" 

That weird notification disappeared on her watch but she couldn't help wondering if whatever was in that bag had something to do with that message.

"Just a necklace. She's been getting jewellery made by Tony since before I was born." 

"Mm, that's cool. I got a weird --"

"Tío Luca!!!" A little girl screamed as she bolted down the sidewalk towards them. She looked no more than five years old and her dark brown curls bounced around her as she ran.

"Rora?" Luca laughed as he bent down and scooped the little girl up in his arms.

"I knew it was you!" She giggled and hugged him tight. Nadia's heart thumped at the look of joy on Luca's face as they grinned at each other. She'd never seen him with children and the warmth that radiated from him melted her heart. 

"Aurora!" A man yelled as he ran down the sidewalk toward them. Nadia's eyes grew wide as the man approached them. 

No fucking way...

"Oh my God, Luca!" He laughed and slapped his hand.

"I should've known it was you out with Rora. Dezi wouldn't let her run off," Luca snickered.

"This girl," he shook his head, "she's going to give me a heart attack. She kept saying she saw your car. You were right, baby girl." 

"Told you, papa." 

Carlos chuckled as he glanced at Nadia and his eyes grew wide, "Nadia Coleman?" 

"That's me, Carlos Diego," she laughed. 

"What is happening today!" He roared and clapped his hands, "I haven't seen you in years!" 

"It's been a minute," she nodded, "I can't believe you have a daughter." 

"Yep," he nodded. "And I'm married too if you can believe it."

"I really can't," she laughed.

"And how do you two know each other?" Luca said with his eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I was Nadia's manager at Hexa Tech. Remember that start-up that Donny tried to get going?" 

Luca looked at her with his eyes wide. "That's the company you interned for?" he chuckled, "I'm so glad you took the spot in Osaka." 

Carlos nodded. "Yeah, that was a good move. Donny damn near ran that place into the ground. I bought it from him in the end. I couldn't let him go down like that," he sighed and grinned as he waved his hand between Nadia and Luca, "but I want to know how you two know each other?"

A blush burned over her cheeks, "I work for Shola as the Global Marketing Director."

"Oh, really? He raised his eyebrow and his eyes slid to Luca. "So, you're out here together because...?" 

"She's my girlfriend, Carlos." 

Aurora gasped and smushed Luca's cheeks together. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Yep, I do," he grinned as Aurora looked at Nadia as if she were sizing her up.

"I'm Nadia, it's nice to meet you. You have a beautiful name too," she smiled and gave her a small wave.

Aurora smiled and turned away from her to whisper into Luca's ear. He chuckled and nodded. "Yes, she is. I think you should tell her. It's her birthday and she would love to hear that."  

"Okay," she whispered and squirmed out of his arms. She looked up at Nadia with her big sheepish brown eyes, "happy birthday, Miss Nadia. You're really pretty." 

Her heart nearly burst at the sweet comment, "thank you. You're really pretty too, Miss Aurora." 

Her eyes lit up and she slipped her little fingers through hers, "are you and tío gonna get married?"

"Rora," Carlos laughed, "you can't go around asking people questions like that."

"It's fine," Nadia smiled down at her. "You keep being bold Aurora, it's a good quality to have," she looked up at Luca who's cheeks were stained in red but amusement swirled in his eyes. "But, I'm sorry I don't have an answer to your question."

Her eyes filled with disappointment, "you don't love tío?"

Luca choked out a laugh as Nadia shook her head, "I...I never said that."

"Mm hm, that's what you get for telling her to be bold," Carlos mumbled. "That's enough questions, baby girl," he picked her up and laughed. "So, if you guys are in town for a while you should come over. Dezi would love to see you, Luca," he said quickly changing the subject which Nadia was so thankful for. 

"Yeah, we could do that. How about we stop by on Friday?"

Aurora's eyes lit up, "Friday's Princess pizza day! You have to wear a crown!"

"I know," Luca chuckled. "I remember the rules."

She pointed her finger at Nadia, "you have to wear one too."

Nadia gasped. "I wouldn't dare show up without one." 

"Aw this will be really nice. I might even get a sitter so we can go out too."

"Sounds good, I'm glad we ran into you."

"Me too. Man, it's a small world. I can't believe you two are together and I have so many questions," he grinned, "anyway, we should get going and I'm sure you've got some birthday plans to get to." 

"Yes we do," Nadia huffed and slid her hands to her hips. "I've been on a scavenger hunt all week and I still haven't found what I'm looking for."

"That sounds incredibly nerdy, but doesn't surprise me," Carlos chuckled, "good luck with that and we'll see you Friday."

"Bye tío Luca. Bye Miss Nadia," Aurora waved as they walked down the street towards a toy emporium.

Nadia and Luca waved to Aurora and looked at each other and laughed.

"I can't believe you know Carlos," he beamed and thread his fingers through hers as they walked back to his car. "He's been my friend since high school."

"It's crazy right? We probably would've met years ago," she laughed as she slipped into the car.

"Yeah, but I don't know if you would've liked me back then. I wasn't as level headed as I am now," he chuckled as he sat the black bag in the backseat and started the engine.

"I don't know. I was pretty wild back then too but I think I would've been just as into you in my twenties."

He slid his fingers through hers as he drove down the street, "that's true, but then you would've left for Japan and I would've had to leave for Boston."

"And we would've met again when I started working for Shola," she chuckled. "Maybe we could've saved ourselves from getting mixed up with Ciara and Jonathan."

Luca shook his head and brought her hand to his lips. "I think we met when we were supposed to."

She nodded and a smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, you're right. Everything happens for a reason."

Nadia was fuming. They got stuck in traffic for two hours on their way out of San Francisco. It was five o'clock by the time they made it back to his estate. She glared at Luca as they walked into the house.

"Nadia," he chuckled as he pulled her close, "I told you it's fine. You've got plenty of time to find the door, baby." 

"But I had a whole plan of where I was going to look and I allotted extra time because your hints are atrocious. I want to find it today!" She huffed. She knew she was being extra but it was driving her nuts that she hadn't found it yet. His estate was huge but it's been four days!

Luca slid his hands over her cheeks, "you'll find it today. I have plans for that place tonight, so you have to," he kissed her softly. "Why don't you go upstairs and get changed? Then we'll go on a hunt."

She sighed. "Alright, yeah," she nodded "I'll go rethink my game plan."

"Mm-hm, you go do that, ma petite fleur," he nudged her toward the stairs, "I'll be up in a minute." 

She raised her eyebrow. "Why? Where are you going?" 

"Don't you worry about that," a grin tugged at his lips. "Just go get changed." 

"Alright," she grinned as she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him, "I haven't been this excited on my birthday in a long time. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled against her lips, "go upstairs," he whispered and gave her ass a quick slap.

"Yes, sir," she laughed as she started up the staircase. She looked behind her to see where Luca was going but he'd already disappeared from the living room.

She shook her head as she walked down the hall to their bedroom. She had no idea what he was up to, but it warmed her heart that he put so much effort into this. A tingle shivered down her spine and she could only imagine the place she was going to find tonight.

She opened the bedroom door and her heart thumped. There was a large rectangular black box sitting on top of the bed that was littered with pink and red camellia petals. A pair of rose gold open toe heels sat atop the box with a black card leaned against them.

A smile tugged at her lips as she slowly walked toward the gifts. Her eyes trailed over the crystal gems dripping elegantly from the ankle of the heels and the tasteful bow tied at the back of them.

A blush burned over her cheeks and she bit her lip as she touched the dangling gems.

Goddamn that man has good taste.

She picked up the card and peel open the wax seal to find a red note inside. 

Ma Petite Fleur,

You filled me with light 
When I was lost in the dark
You filled my soul with warmth 
When it was frozen in a cage

I want you to have the one thing
I have left to give

And you have the key.

I'll be waiting for you in the garden
Where the stone meets the forest.

Mr. Underworld 

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she held the note to her chest. She knew exactly where he'd be waiting for her. It was her favorite garden on his estate. The one where the ivy crawled along the stone barriers and it was filled with rows of wildflowers and a rainbow of lilies that bled into the lush forest beyond it.

She looked at the black key sitting on the bedside table and wiped a tear rolling down her cheek.

Oh Luca, I'm so in love with you.

A/N: *sighs longingly* what do you have left to give, Luca?