Page 6 of Lorenzo & Lily

Ho. Ly. Shit. She’d given her daughter the nickname he’d given her.

“What’s your name, mister?”

He cleared his throat, but it was still thick with emotion and hoarse. “My name’s–”

“He’s a prince, honey,” Lily said quickly.

Her little girl mouth dropped open. “For real? A real-life prince?”

He narrowed his eyes at Lily. Why didn’t she want the little girl to know his name? “Yes, I’m a real-life prince. Would you like to see my castle?”

She broke free of her mother’s hold and jumped up. “Yes!” Her little girl arms shot straight up in the air. “Mama, let’s go!”

“Maybe later, honey,” Lily said quietly.

Lorenzo arched a brow and stood. He crossed his arms over his chest and peered down at her, daring her to run away again, daring her to keep the little girl away from him.

Lily pursed her lips at his stance, then sighed. “Perhaps tomorrow?”

His lip twitched in triumph, but he managed to hold back a full-fledged grin. He looked down at little Lily. “Liliana, would you mind helping me with something?”

Her eyes went wide. “I can help! I can help. Ask Mama. I’m a good helper.”

He didn’t bother holding back the grin this time. “I need you to find me the prettiest seashells you can find on the beach. Okay?”

She nodded enthusiastically and ran down towards the shore.

His body tensed and he called out to her. “Don’t go too far, Liliana, and don’t get too close to the water.” She waved back and slowed down, still nearby.

He glanced at Jones, who was standing several feet away. He jerked his head toward Liliana; Jones nodded and wandered a little closer to her.

Lorenzo was sure Jones hadn’t missed the resemblance, either.

When he glanced back at Lily, she was standing and holding the plaid blanket to her like a shield. Her dark brown hair tumbled around her face, shifting gently with the wind. The skin around her almond-shaped eyes was crinkled with worry, her olive-hued skin was pale.

“She’s mine, isn’t she?”

Lily bit her lip, then slowly nodded.

“Say it. I need to hear you say the words.”

She swallowed. “She’s your daughter.”

He let out a breath as his entire world seemed to explode around him. A few words had changed his life forever.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was angrier than he’d intended, but it couldn’t be helped. “Why?”

His gut clenched and his mind raced back five years. His mental and emotional state had been in tatters when they’d first met. He’d been mentally exhausted, and faced bursts of anger he’d barely controlled. It had taken him time to recover, more time for them to fall in love with each other, and even more time to feel worthy of her.

After she’d left him, he’d sunk into a severe depression. He’d taken that as a sign he wasn’t ready for a relationship, that he couldn’t give her what she needed. He’d wondered why she’d left him so suddenly. He’d wondered it over and over again over the past five years. Now, perhaps, it was clear: she considered him a good enough boyfriend, but too unstable to be a husband and father.

If that was the case, she would’ve been fucking wrong to believe it. “Why?” he asked again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I couldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t, you mean.”

Her body went stiff and she started shaking her head. “No. When we talked at the wedding, this was what I wanted to tell you.” Her voice was anguished. “Icouldn’ttell you sooner. I-I can’t tell you anything else, only that I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out I was pregnant, but that decision was stolen from me.”

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