Page 47 of Lorenzo & Lily

“If you only found out this morning, how did a DNA test get done so quickly?”

“I didn’t say the test happened today, Nate.”

Alex had kept his face even since the news. “Did Cecilia have it done? If so, why didn’t she tell you earlier?”

Lorenzo told them the same thing he’d told his parents, and watched his brothers’ reactions while he did. “I’m looking into it.”

Marcello rubbed his mustache with his index finger. “Do you need some help?”

Marcello’s post meant he often did investigations where family members were concerned. Lorenzo just couldn’t shake the feeling, however, that his interest went beyond just brotherly concern. “Sure. I’ll let you know what I need.”

“Do you want me to look into Cecilia’s background? Shouldn’t take me long to dig some things up.”

“No, though I do want some information on her family: where they are, what they’re doing, their financial and social status, things like that.”

“That won’t take long. Anything else? How about what she’s been doing the last few years, or something like that?”

Marcello’s eagerness was a little surprising, but maybe he wanted to know as much about his new niece as possible. His fiancée, Grace, couldn’t really have children of her own, and Lorenzo recalled how much Marcello loved Eloisa. “I’ll let you know. Thanks.”

Lorenzo turned to Alex, who was looking absently into the fire. “Alex?”

Alex’s inky black eyes turned to him. “Yes?”

“I’m having Rio draft some press statements. I’ll want him to coordinate with Tavin, Mara, and Corrado. Do you want to give them the heads up? I’ll let Finn and Arianna know they may get some questions from the press about it.”

“I’ll let them know. When do you want to statement to go out?”

“Late tomorrow morning. Lily and Liliana will both be at the castle by then, and mostly moved in I hope, so they’ll be protected by the castle walls. They’ll need it once the press start camping out.”

“You’ll need to start locking your balcony door,” Marcello noted.

A chill of unease crept down Lorenzo’s spine, but he nodded. “I know. I’ll deal with it. In the meantime, I’ll need you, Marcello, and Eddie to move rooms tomorrow. Lily and Liliana will be moving into those rooms.”

At their raised eyebrows, Lorenzo raised his back. “Is it such a chore to change rooms?”

Nate smiled softly. “I think we were more surprised by separate rooms than by switching them.”

“Lily’s not ready for that and, quite frankly, I don’t think I am, either.”

Ethan grinned. “How long until you will be ready?”

Lorenzo shrugged. “Three days, give or take a few.”

They all chuckled, except Alex.

“You’ll meet them both for dinner tomorrow. Mama and Papa are coming day after next – and I have no doubt they’ll tell our sisters, who will also insist on coming – so we’ll do a family dinner that night.”

Before their father’s heart attack, they’d all viewed family dinners with trepidation, as most of the meal was spent torturing each other. Underneath, they’d all loved them, loved spending time with each other. Now, however, with a greater sense of the fragility of life, no one complained. Time spent together was a gift, and they knew it.

Ethan groaned. “I’m shipping out day after next. How is my niece going to remember me if she only meets me once before I ship out for six months?”

Lorenzo gave a wry laugh. “She’s not going remember anyone at this rate. If she meets most of us all at once, she’ll likely be overwhelmed or confused. That’s why I asked our parents to wait another day, to give her a little more adjustment time.”

“Rebecca and I will stay through tomorrow,” Alex said. “However, we’ll need to head home tomorrow night. I know the timing can’t be helped. We’ll make sure the press release reflects how excited we are, but the Royal Council is fighting us on next year’s budget again, and Rebecca has some business in Valentia as well. Not to mention, it also wouldn’t look good if the entire palace sat empty while we all congregated here.”

“We all left the palace for Arianna and Finn’s wedding over Christmas last year,” Nate pointed out.

“And we all came back the same day. It was different. The press was overjoyed at a surprise royal wedding.”

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