Luca took a deep breath as he sat on the edge of the trickling fountain in the middle of the garden and looked toward the entrance for the millionth time.

Maybe she got lost. No, our guards would help her.

He sighed and checked his watch. It was six thirty and the sun was dipping low in the sky. The lamps were just coming to life and setting the garden in a warm amber glow.

Maybe she didn't like the dress or my poem.

He stood up and shook his head.

Come on, Luca. Chill out. You know she loved everything.

He chuckled to himself and his heart thumped as he heard the soft click of her heels. He looked up as she walked through the floral archway and he wondered how he managed to get so lucky to have her in his life.

Her hair was braided around her head with wisps of curls framing her face. Tiny cream and burgundy flowers trailed over her shoulders to the bodice of her dress and the mauve tulle and silk skirts flowed elegantly around her legs and stopped just above her knees.

His eyes trailed down her legs to her shoes and he nearly bit his lip at the way the crystals laid across her feet and her mauve colored toenails that matched her dress. He looked back at her smiling face and wine lacquered lips.

She is a goddess and she's all mine.

He took her hand as she neared him and brought it to his lips, "you look stunning, ma petite fleur."

"Thank you," she rocked her hips making the skirts of her dress flow around her, "you have excellent taste, Mr. Underworld," she grinned and slid her hand up the lapel of his tan blazer. Her fingers traced the flowers of the silk handkerchief in his chest pocket and her joyful green eyes looked up at him, "you're not even wearing black tonight."

He chuckled, "I thought I'd do something different. It's a special day."

"I like it," she kissed his cheek, "I loved the poem too," she whispered.

"I meant every word," he said and a smile tugged at his lips, "did you figure out where the key goes?"

"I have a theory," she nodded and slid her hand in the pocket of her dress, "nice touch with the pockets, by the way," she laughed as she took out the key, "I think this is for a few things."

"Mm, okay. Go on," he said as he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and slowly walked through the winding trails of the garden.

"I think it's for the bookstore and the mysterious door that I hope you're leading me to."

"That's a possibility and what else?"

"What?"

"You said the key is for a few things. Were those the only theories you had?" She had to figure out what he was telling her in that poem. He'd tried to be as blatant as possible without giving it away.

"No...I have another theory," she said as her cheeks swelled as she looked up at him, "you keep your estate private because this is your sanctuary, right?"

"Yep, I do," he nodded as they walked through a vine covered archway that led to the edge of the garden.

"Wherever this key leads must be somewhere that you keep hidden because it means a lot to you. I'm assuming there was only one key before you met me."

He chuckled, "that's right. So, what do you think that means?"

The love that swirled in her spring green eyes sent a warm tingle down his spine and settled in his gut.

She's never looked at me like that.

"I think it means that you're giving me your heart."

A smile tugged at his lips as he slid his hand to her cheek and pressed his forehead against hers, "mm-hm, and it's yours if you want it."

"I do," she whispered.

He kissed her softly, "then you have to open the door."

She looked at the row of hedges in front of them that blended in with the trees behind it. "But, we've been back here. There's no door or gate."

"Sure there is. It's right in front of you."

She frowned as she slowly walked to the lush green hedge and reached her hands into the leaves. She laughed and looked back at him. "And you say my ivy is overgrown," she grinned as she felt through the leaves to the iron key hole. She stuck the key in and turned the lock and slowly pushed open the leafy gate to the darkened path. "Um, this is cool and everything," she said as she backed away from the darkness, " but this looks like the beginning of a horror film."

Luca let out a bark of laughter and wrapped his arm around her waist, "I would never put you in that kind of scenario," he grinned against her head, "tap on your watch."

She raised her eyebrow as she tapped her finger over the screen of her watch. Small round lights lit up in the center of the stone path in front of them. Fairy lights hung over their heads and dropped from the tree branches above them. At the end of the path sat a small Spanish-style home nestled into the forest around it.

"Luca, this is beautiful," she breathed and thread her fingers through his as they walked down the illuminated path.

"Even more so with you here," he whispered against her ear and squeezed her hand, "let me show you around and then we'll have dinner."

She nodded as they neared the door to the house. She trailed her fingers over the 'Z' carved in the wood. "Was this the first house on your estate?"

"Yes, it was just a small one room shack back then. I added on to it over the years," he smiled down at her, "you can use your key to open the door or draw a 'Z' on your watch."

A smile tugged at her lips as she looked at her watch and slowly traced a 'Z' on the screen. 'Bienvenue à la maison, Mademoiselle Nadia' a computerized voice spoke from her watch as the lock on the door released and slowly opened. She choked out a laugh as her giddy eyes looked up at him. "Welcome home, huh?"

A blush burned over his cheeks as he shook his head, "you don't have to keep that greeting."

"Nope, that's how you want our home to greet me and I like it," she grinned and pushed the door open, "show me around, Mr. Underworld."

His heart swelled and overflowed with bliss, "as you wish, ma petite fleur," he slid his hand to the small of her back and guided her inside.

She said *our* home.

A permanent smile grace his lips. She said it without any hesitation or doubt in her voice and she wanted his broken, imperfect heart.

Luca grinned as he watched Nadia flit from the built in bookshelves that made up the walls of the home. She trailed her fingers over the leather chairs and the cushioned settee in front of the fireplace in the study.

Her eyes darted to the wooden spiral staircase that led to the loft bedroom that overlooked the floor below. Her eyes looked higher and a gasp escaped her lips at the dome glass ceiling and the stars just beginning to shine in the dusk sky.

"The main house is beautiful, but this is breathtaking and your book collection is way better than the one in Boston. How long have you been collecting?"

"I've been into books since I was a kid and then I dabbled in finding old books and first additions," he shrugged, "I'm glad you like it here."

"I love it here, but you're still missing some plants."

He chuckled, "I thought you'd say that," he said as he took her hand, "come on, I'm sure you must be hungry."

"I'm starving, but what does that have to do with plants? The kitchen is over there." She pointed to the expansive open floor kitchen underneath the loft.

"Mm-hm," he mumbled as they crossed the room to a set of French doors hidden behind a pair of burgundy and gold drapes. "You're welcome to everything in this house, but tonight," he pulled the drapes back, "we're dining in your piece of our home."

Nadia gasped at the stone patio covered with a wooden veranda with ivy and blue clematis growing through it. There was a forest of potted plants of different shapes and sizes littered around the border of the space. Amber lights were scattered into the stone underfoot and fairy lights twinkled in the ivy among the sandstone walls. A table and two chairs sat in front of a fireplace and an oven built into the stone around it. Iron lamp posts lit a small pathway that led beyond the patio to a glass greenhouse and a garden with empty raised planting beds with fresh soil for plotting.

Nadia stepped out into the space and her hand slid over her mouth. She turned around and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "This...this is for me?"

He nodded, "none of this was here two months ago."

"Luca, I-I...Why...why would you do something like this?" she breathed.

He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close as he stared into her watery green eyes, "because I love you, Nadia. There's no one else I want to share my heart and my home with, but you."

A tear rolled down her cheek and a smile spread across her lips, "I love you too," she said as she slid her hands to his cheeks and kissed him, "and I'm ready to sign our contract, Mr. Underworld," she whispered.

He smiled against her lips and his heart thumped at the truth swirling in her eyes, "I'm ready to sign it too, ma petite fleur."

A/N: THEY SAID IT!!!! 😍🥰😭 I'm pretty sure y'all signing that contract might as well be forever though, Luca 😏 but that's just my opinion 🤷🏾‍♀️