role in his education. Jace knew Ariana had helped, too. Then Draven had gone and fallen in love with the one woman in the world who wouldn’t put up with his nonsense. Addison Rooney was the yin to his yang, and they were perfect together. He made her laugh and she made him a better ruler with the calm, studious nature that made her such a good lawyer. Together, they would ensure that the country of Bermalia prospered.
“I’m thrilled for you, Draven. I’m going to miss Addison around town, though.”
“We haven’t discussed it yet. I wanted this to be a total surprise. I plan to tell her that we can visit as often as she wants. We’ll buy property here and build an embassy just like the Ali Rahmans did. Then there are her parents, who I love as if they were my own. I will give them the gift of a plane so they may visit us whenever they want. I’ve already had a suite of rooms in the palace set aside as their dedicated housing. Do you think this will please Addison?”
“I do,” Jace said and then shook his head. “Addison will be saying those words soon. I do have an idea to make the proposal smoother, though.”
Stella smoothed her hands over her jeans as she took one last look around. This was the day she opened the nursery and garden center to the public. She’d invited local landscapers, builders, and real estate developers to have a first look from ten to twelve. Then she’d open the gates to the public at noon. Stella just hoped the public came.
“You look great,” Eden told her. “The garden center looks great. And here comes the first of your prospective clients.”
Stella took a deep breath and plastered on a nervous smile. “Thank you for taking the day off to help me. Is this one of your contacts?”
“It is. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
The hours flew by. Stella had researched local and national nurseries and garden centers for over a year before she decided what to stock, how to lay it out, and what was needed in the market. She had some of the basic contract-grade landscaping, but most was unique to the area. Trees, bushes, and flowers with color and texture that made you want to reach out and touch them.
The professional response had been very encouraging. Stella had a stack of orders to prove it. Enough orders were already placed that she could hire a full-time employee, which she desperately needed.
Stella was breathing easier as Eden went to re-open the gates to the public. Two of the kind of black SUVs with tinted windows that executives rode around in were the first to pull in followed by two regular SUVs.
The doors of the first executive SUV opened and people began to pour out. An older man in a suit and tie got out from behind the steering wheel. A woman who Stella guessed was his wife got out of the front passenger seat. She was dressed completely differently. She was in jeans and a Milo, Maine Three Rivers Community T-shirt. Behind them, two men and three women got out.
The other SUV stopped and a man with a more extravagant suit got out. Stella’s eyes went right to the sheathed sword at his side. That must be Draven. Stella had thought Colton and Jace had been teasing her about the sword. A woman with her hair swept up into a casual twist and wearing a skirt suit got out next and started pointing to some of the flowers Stella had lining the parking area. She must be the attorney.
Stella’s eyes were immediately drawn to the two men getting out of their own SUVs. She smiled and waved at Colton and Jace as they walked toward her. The other people fell in behind them.
“Holy smokes. Who are they?” Eden whispered. “I suddenly feel underdressed.”
“The man on the right is Dr. Jace Davies and on the left is Colton Davies, the firefighter. I don’t know the others.”
“That’s the doctor April insisted on going to?”
“Yup,” Stella said with a smile as April ran past Stella and her mother.
“Dr. Davies! Mr. Colton!”
Stella and Eden watched Dr. Davies bend down and open his arms as April hurled herself through the air and right onto him.
“Well,” Eden said, blinking in surprise, “what can I say? My daughter has good taste in men.”
Stella cracked up as the group of people joined them. April was excitedly telling Colton all