Bradley Ellington Taylor, affectionately known as Duke among family and close friends, fiercely resisted the encroachment of middle age. In remarkable health, he maintained his fitness through activities like cycling on his ten-speed racer and participating in pro/am basketball with a group of attorney comrades who humorously called themselves The Sharks.
His professional life as a lobbyist had surpassed even his loftiest aspirations. His law firm, Bradley Taylor and Associates, commanded immense respect in the Washington, D.C. political sphere and among a substantial roster of clients. Bradley had also admirably raised his four children single-handedly following the loss of his wife. Now, they were all well-established in their prosperous careers. However, none of them had tied the knot, leaving Bradley yearning for the prospect of grandchildren. Despite possessing everything a man could desire at this stage of life, he longed for a companion with whom to share the years ahead. Hellena Keys, on the other hand, had been hardened by life's relentless trials.
Becoming a mother at the tender age of fifteen, she faced the devastating loss of her daughter's father, her true love, in a foreign war. With the support of her father and the father of her beloved, she embarked on a journey to establish her own florist business, Keys to the Garden. Tragically, both her father and his passed away before she reached the age of twenty-one. Nonetheless, despite enduring immense hardships, Hellena managed to persevere, and her daughter eventually blossomed into a lawyer at the prestigious law firm of Bradley Taylor and Associates. It appeared as though everything in Hellena's life was on an upswing until a horrifying incident left her daughter critically injured in the hospital.
Amidst the uncertainty of the hospital waiting room, Bradley arrives to await the doctors' prognosis about his employee. Unexpectedly, he experiences an immediate and profound connection with Hellena Keys, the charming mother of his talented employee.
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