Her curiosity was too strong to resist my offer, and we both knew it. “How?”

“Well…” I paused, loving the way she leaned forward. Her body language gave her away every single time. “How would you like to see where I spend my days?”

She pushed me off the bed in her rush to get to her feet. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” She flashed me a winning smile, and pulled my hand to the door.

I knew she wanted to know where I went. I had seen her following me, trying to sneak peeks. But I hadn’t been ready to share. Until now.

Hand in hand we walked to my private room, my sanctuary. I stood back when we reached the door, unlocking it and gesturing to her she should be the one to open it. The excitement radiating off her was palpable, and I wanted to bottle it so I could forever remember this moment.

Savannah opened the door and gasped. She took a step deeper inside, spinning around to take it all in.

I crossed my arms and rested against the doorframe, watching her surprise.

She turned back to me, eyes wide. “How the hell have you been hiding a greenhouse filled with orchids this whole time?”

“A conservatory,” I corrected, but I couldn’t help my smile. I gestured around to the ivy-covered glass walls. Even in the winter, the small amount of light filtering through the glass roof kept the room warm. “It’s a kind of courtyard protected by the house. Unless you know what you’re looking for, you won't see it from the outside.”

“I just…” She walked up to the first wide potting bench, holding out her hand but not touching them. “They’re all so different from each other.”

I joined her, pointing out some of my favorites. “I have over fifty varieties here. It was supposed to be more, but obviously I couldn’t pay for the next delivery so they never arrived.”

Savannah bounced from bench to bench, examining all the different colors and shapes I had growing. Seeing her joy made me wonder why I had waited so long to share my secret. She had dozens of questions, and I happily answered all of them.

Finally she turned back to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Why didn’t you tell me before, Felix?”

I shrugged, stroking the small of her back. “When I first showed Hannah my original conservatory, at the old house, she laughed. She told me gardening–gardening orchids, no less–was a job for poor women. Not men of status like myself. So I hid it from her.” I gestured around the room. “But thank God I didn’t give up on it completely. This room saved me when I thought I was past redemption. It kept me going in the darkest of times.”