DARREN The holiday season is always full of good cheer, togetherness, and unity. I usually love spending time with my family, whether it’s Christmas, Kwanzaa, or New Year’s. I got through Christmas unscathed, but now my mother has decided, in the name of unity, to set me up with an old flame. It’s not a relationship I want rekindled. I know what is buried underneath the ash and it isn’t pretty. Walking into Fern’s shop, hoping to soften my mother’s determination, I wasn’t expecting to find exactly what I’ve been looking for. Fern might think her only purpose is to be a buffer for my ex, but I’ll show her I want her in my life longer than one night. I’ll show her this is the start of forever. By the seventh night of Kwanzaa she’ll be mine. FERN I love helping people find the perfect flowers to convey whatever is in their hearts. An apology. A declaration of love. Grief. When Darren walks into my shop to get some flowers for his mom for Kwanzaa, I thought it would be just another transaction, just another bouquet. When he needs more from me than the perfect bloom, I’m more than willing to step in and be the girl on his arm for dinner. A night of good food and family won’t be a hardship as long as I can ignore the pang of wanting it to be more. His ex hates me on sight and his mother isn’t much better. The only bright spots are his sister, who has her own guest for dinner, and his grandmother, who has a wicked sense of humor and all-seeing eyes. If I get through dinner, I promise to stay in my shop where I belong. I’ll keep my good deeds to fulfilling other people’s flower needs and nothing more. There’s a purpose in Darren’s eyes I’m not sure how to interpret. With every look and every touch, I find myself hoping for more than the seven nights of Kwanzaa. Could he want more too? *18+. If you like alpha heroes and an insta-love story that is sweet and spicy but isn’t necessarily simple, then this is for you. No cheating with a guaranteed HEA. It is a standalone but is related to my Denver Family series (Banks Ink., Suburban Outcasts and Higgins Security). Meet Fern in Healing Her Home (Banks Ink. Book 5).*