Page 48 of Lorenzo & Lily

“And they won’t be for Liliana. I understand.”

“Lorenzo–”

“I get it.”Boy did he. A press release stating the royal family was ‘excited’ by the new addition was all he’d get from them right now. He’d cut them some slack for their lack of excitement – being surprised at this late hour could be at fault for their reactions – but if their attitudes didn’t change soon, something more would need to be done.

He sighed. “It’s late, and tomorrow’s going to be quite busy. Get some rest.”

Nate gave him an assessing look. “Are you going to sleep?”

Lorenzo shook his head. “I’ve got some arrangements to see to first. Night, boys.” He heard his name being called, but ignored it and walked out of the room.

He called a maintenance staffer to douse the fire whenever the room emptied, then set about calling other staff including the castle’s head housekeeper. She’d managed the castle and grounds for twenty years, and the addition of two more permanent residents was something she needed to know about. She was also someone he could count on for discretion. They arranged for her to tell the staff just as the first press releases began going out, so the staff would also know and be on their guard should the press ask any questions or try to slip inside.

He contemplated going to his office, or going for a late run. He needed sleep, but feared it tonight. His nightmares came infrequently, but they came all the same. They left an acrid taste in his mouth that was hard to shake.

He didn’t want to wake from a nightmare, not on the day his daughter was coming to live with him. And definitely not on the first day he’d have to prove to everyone that he could handle being a father, as well as managing the MARC and his royal duties.

His breath became shallower and shorter. His blood began to race faster. He walked swiftly to the balcony, gulping in fresh air and letting it calm him.

He needed help. He was man enough to know it, and man enough to ask for it. He couldn’t break down like this with Lily and Liliana. He withdrew his phone from his pocket, and dialed his therapist. “Doctor? Yes, I’m very sorry to bother you so late, but I need some help. Do you have time to talk?”

* * *

Alex, inside his rooms once again, shook off his robe and tossed it on a chair. He’d left his wife in a hot bath, but as he walked further into their suite and into the bedroom, he saw her lying on the bed. With only a soft light from a nearby lamp to guide him, he walked to the bed and slipped under the covers.

She immediately turned and curled into him. Though she wasn’t crying anymore, her face was still a little damp, and her voice was a little shaky. “What’s going on?”

He wrapped his arms around her, one delving into her hair, one holding her at her back. “It seems I’m an uncle again.”

She gasped. “What?”

“I know. There’s more, much more.” Alex told her what Lorenzo had said. He also told her what his brothers had discussed after Lorenzo had left the room. “His emotions are still extreme at times. Ethan told us he’s seeing a therapist. We’re wondering if we should have a family session.”

“I’d leave him alone.”

“Darling–”

“Just think about this way. For the last several years, all of you have been hovering over him. Even before we got together, when I was still Cat’s chief of staff, I could see it.”

Alex thought back over the years since Lorenzo had first returned. They had kept an awfully short watch on him, particularly after his relapse into depression, which they now guessed coincided with Cecilia leaving him.

Rebecca cupped his cheek. “He went through a traumatic experience and made it through. He started what’s becoming one of the best – if notthebest – treatment centers in Valleria, and I’m sure he’ll make it even better. He’s done quite a lot, and a lot of it’s good.”

“What about all the women? He’s slept around quite a lot. Even Nate once accused him of being inappropriate with the servants at the palace.”

Rebecca giggled; a sound that was music to his ears considering her recent state of mind. “I’ve heard about that. Nate was falling in love with Charlie at the time,” she said, referring to Nate’s love, Charlotte, who was also head of the palace kitchens. “Not to mention, you’re one to talk. You’d slept with plenty of women before you fell in love with me.”

“Not like that.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Lorenzo dated a lot before he left for the army. Maybe he just kept up the pretense because he thought that’s what was expected of him. How many times have you actually seen him out with women, as opposed to him justtalkingabout seeing other women?”

She was right, which was not an unusual occurrence. “You’re very astute.”

“I’m an outsider. I have a different perspective.”

He emitted a low growl. “Did you forget that ceremony a few months ago, when you became my wife? Those two ceremonies actually? You’re not an outsider in this family.”

She shook her head against the pillow. “That’s not what I meant. I grew up on the palace grounds and I’ve been friends with Cat since we were little, but I was never very close to the rest of you growing up. I have a little more distance from the situation, is all I meant, which gives me a different view of it than you might have.”

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