Page 80 of Lorenzo & Lily

“Do a braid, Mama.”

“Leave it in a ponytail,” Lorenzo muttered and she nodded.

“Maybe next time, honey.”

“Okay. Papa, can you help-ed me?”

“With anything. What do you need help with?”

“My er-rings.”

He gave his daughter a bemused glance. “Your earrings, you mean?”

“The rings for my ears.” She held out two small hoops. “I can’t put them in. Mama said only she can but you can, too. Right, Mama?”

“Yes, honey,” she said softly as she finished with Liliana’s hair and ran a hand over it. How had it grown so fast?

Lily stepped back and Lorenzo moved forward, fingering the small pieces of jewelry. “When did she get her ears pierced?”

“Just four months ago. I was about her age when I got them done.”

He nodded and she knew what he was thinking: another milestone missed. He gently slid them in with such intense concentration, she wondered if he’d have a headache afterwards.

“You’ll need to close the clasps properly, or else they’ll fall out.”

He nodded and finished, then fingered the small lobes. “She has your ears.”

“Oh, I don’t know–”

“I spent a lot of time with your lobes, Lily. I recognize them.”

She shut her mouth as heat flashed in her core and spread through her body. Yes, he had spent a lot of time with her lobes. She swallowed. “Yes, well, I think we’d better go. I don’t want to be late.”

“Are you ready to meet your family, Liliana?”

Liliana looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Do you think they’ll like me? Am I pretty enough?”

He swept her up and held her tight. “You’re beautiful, my darling Liliana. They’ll love you, not because you’re pretty, though you are, but because you’re you.”

“Will you hold-ed my hand?”

“For as long as you want.”

He gave her a kiss and another tight hug before letting her down, though Lily could tell he wanted to keep holding her. He took one of her little hands, and Lily took her other. Together, they started slowly down the hall, Liliana’s white shoes clacking, Lily’s shoes ticking, and Lorenzo’s shoes a soft tap against the marble floors.

Deep breath, Lily. You can do this.

Lorenzo gestured to his purple shirt. “Thank you for thinking about wearing purple. I meant to tell you–”

“It’s okay. I know. I remembered. I hope it’s enough.”

“We don’t usually wear purple to family dinners and things. It’s usually public appearances, balls, and formal functions we do it most. Tonight, I wanted us to wear it. To show we’re together, we’re a family, and that you both are part of our larger family now, no matter what happens between us.”

A warm feeling spread, filling her from the top of her hair to the tips of her toes, and fighting back her nerves. “I didn’t think about that. I just thought it would be a sign of respect to Their Majesties.”

The corner of his mouth quirked in a smile. “That, too. Liliana, would you like me to carry you, maybe part of the way? It’s a very long walk.”

“Okay.” She lifted her arms up, and Lorenzo easily picked her up and hitched her on his hip. He fixed her dress, then took Lily’s hand. She hadn’t expected him to hold her hand, but she wouldn’t fight it. His touch was comforting and made her feel protected, rather than the raw, exposed, and terrified she really was.

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