Page 44 of Faking It with my Small Town Billionaire

“Here we are,” Pops says, handing Lily back to me. “Thank you, Lily. You’ve made an old man very happy.”

She smiles back at him, but it’s strained. I reach for her and pull her into me again, wanting her to know that I’m here for her, whatever happened.

“Thank you, Mr. Donovan,” she says.

“Arthur, please.”

“Arthur,” she repeats.

“I’m sure I will see you before you leave tomorrow, Orson,” Pops says.

It’s a statement, not a question. We’re staying over at the estate tonight, and I have no doubt I’ll be summoned at some point.

“Probably,” I say, with the enthusiasm of a snail.

Pops smirks at me before turning and walking away. Once he’s out of earshot, I bend my mouth to Lily’s ear. “Are you all right?”

“I think I could do with some air,” she says.

Taking her hand, I lead her through the throngs of people. We reach a set of French doors that open out onto the terrace, but once outside, I don’t stop there. Walking down the concrete steps, I lead her across the lawn and around the corner of the house, the music softly fading the farther we go.

Eventually, we reach the gardens at the back of the house. Of course, they’re immaculately manicured and perfect, just like everything else around here. The night air is crisp, carrying the scent of blooming jasmine, and once I know we’re completely alone, I slow my pace and turn to her.

“Are you all right?”

She drops her gaze and doesn’t answer. I have to hand it to her; she’s held her composure and her nerve all night. But now, I can see her coming slightly undone with the pressure of it all.

“Lily?”

She looks up at me then, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, her vulnerability taking me completely by surprise.

“You were right. Your grandfather is a tyrant.”

“What did he say?” I ask carefully.

Lily begins walking, and I walk beside her. “He told me the reason he sent you back to Willow Creek.”

I take a deep breath in and slowly release it. I’ve lied to her all this time about that. I never imagined that Pops would have told her, but now she knows.

“He said you ran away as a child and that the Donovans don’t tolerate cowards,” she continues. “But I told him that you weren’t a coward. That in fact, it took a lot of courage for you to come back to Willow Creek and face all those people who had tormented you for so long.”

I can’t help but feel a huge sense of pride in her, standing up to Pops like that. He’s a pretty formidable character.

“I’ll bet he loved that,” I say.

“Why would he make you do such a thing?” she cries. “It’s awful. It’s more than awful. It’s just cruel. In fact, why did your parents let you suffer at all? They must have known what was going on.”

I shrug. “I don’t know. They weren’t really around much when I was younger.”

She looks up at me then. “What do you mean?”

“They traveled a lot. They have different charities they support. They fly all over the world as ambassadors of this cause or that cause. It’s the reason they’re not here tonight.”

“And what about their son? Was he not a cause they should have been supporting?” she says, sounding angry.

And then I realize why she’s so upset. It’s not just what my grandfather said. She’s angry at what my family did to me back then.

“Lily, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

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