I loved him, but I couldn’t tell him yet. Telling him too soon would make him assume my feelings for him stemmed from the financial support. So many emotions battled inside me, and I needed them to calm down first.
Love terrified me more than buying theshop. If the shop failed, I could rebuild it. If this relationship failed, I didn’t know if I could recover from the destruction. It took me a while to heal from Dennis’s betrayal. My feelings for Kain were stronger and deeper, meaning I might not recover if we broke up.
Despite the barriers I’d built to protect myself, I couldn’t stop falling for Kain. With him, my resistance weakened. The falling was like a leaf swaying toward something it had no control over. Instead of landing on the ground, a tree limb extended its arms and caught it. He was that tree limb catching me.
He’d done so much for me, and his actions were all selfless. During our first encounter, he shielded me from the metal display rack; he also chased after the thief, and then he used his body to protect me from the explosion at the hotel. Still, my heart warned me to take it slow. Let things settle so I could see them clearly. Maybe I was confusing love with appreciation.
I knew Kain cared about me, but that didn’t mean he loved me. Love was a powerful word. What his dad did to his mom probably gave him a fractured perspective on relationships.
Kain pulled me into his arms. “I want to ensure that you have everything you need to fulfill your dreams.”
My throat tightened. “Why do you care so much about me?”
He looked down at me, and the green in his eyes darkened to a gorgeous emerald. “Because I’m a smart man. I know when I have something precious. You’re sexy and have a beautiful heart.” His eyes flickered. “Not to mention you’re wild in bed—my kind of woman.”
I laughed as my heart swelled. Kain was the stability I needed to leap toward my dreams. Tomorrow, I’d send Morgan a text, letting her know of my decision. Then I’d prepare anoutline for when I returned to work to meet with her. Joy shot through my body, and I attacked his face with kisses.
“How can I thank you for your generosity?” I nipped at his lower lip.
“I’m yours for the taking, my wild passionflower.”
“Then I’ll show you how wild and passionate I can be.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Eva
“There’s no one better to take over this shop than you.” Morgan hugged me tightly. Her curly brown hair had grown longer. Unlike before, when she loved dressing up and wearing makeup, she wore no makeup to our meeting. Vanity slipped off her priority list.
Despite that, I saw hope in her eyes. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m hopeful. My mom and sister are excited to have me back.” She released a sigh. “It’s a new beginning. I’ll be teaching floral design at a community center. It’ll keep me busy.”
“I hope Gary and his girlfriend rot in hell.”
“Me too.” Her eyes gleamed with an inner strength I could only imagine.
“Things will be okay,” I said.
“You’ve been an outstanding employee and friend, takingon more without complaining.” She smiled. “You deserve this shop. I’ve got a meeting with the bank. We’ll catch up later.”
When Morgan left, I reviewed the list of things the store needed. Sarah and Erika were busy prepping orders for delivery. We also got a new shipment of flowers needing to be sorted and displayed.
As I worked, thoughts whirled in my head. I wanted a new name for the shop but hadn’t thought of anything that resonated. Grandpa was super excited for me and told his bingo friends. I planned on inviting them to the grand opening day.
People entered the shop, keeping me busy with no time to think about reorganizing. After selling five bouquets, taking three orders for next week’s delivery, and replying to two emails inquiring about weddings in the summer and fall, my brain became mush. The wedding inquiry reminded me to review the ideas I’d gathered for Natalie LaRue’s fashion show. With all that had happened, I almost forgot about it. Satisfied with what I’d come up with, I sent the ideas and color scheme off to Natalie.
The door chimed, and annoyance flared at the sight of Dennis. What the hell was wrong with him? There were other flower shops in the area. Why did he have to come to this one?
Sarah placed a container of bleeding hearts on the table, looked at me, and rolled her eyes, knowing my history with him.
Dennis walked up to the bucket of bleeding hearts and grabbed a handful of them, bringing them over to me. “I’ll take these. Please wrap them up.”
“The potted bleeding hearts got here early.” Sarah approached the desk. “There’s a note to inform a customer about them. Do you want me to call him?”
“Yeah, sure. Let me know when he’s coming to pick them up. Thanks.”
I made a mental note to send Kain the guy’s number and tell him when he’d be in for the flowers.
