Page 68 of Lorenzo & Lily

He stood up and began pacing and a warmth flooded Lily.

He believed her.

He wanted to defend her, to protect her.

She hadn’t had that for a very long time, if she’d ever had it at all.

“My agents were there this morning, and no doubt noticed them. I’ll have them look into it. If those assholes want to push you around, they’ll hear from me.” He paused in his pacing and turned to her. “Did you speak to a lawyer yet?”

“No. With all that’s going on,” she gestured to the room and the castle, “I haven’t had a chance.”

“I know many excellent lawyers. You tell me when you’re ready, and we’ll contact them.”

“I think it doesn’t matter as much anymore. We’re safe and protected here in the castle, aren’t we?”

“Of course.”

“Then they can’t get to us, except through a phone call or something like that.”

“I’ll still have our agents look into it, and we’ll get you a new secure phone in a couple days. Just be careful how you use your current phone, as it can be easily hacked. I don’t like the thought of either you or Liliana at risk. God only knows what those assholes could have done to you both if the movers and agents hadn’t been there.”

She walked over to him and put her hand on his arm. “Let’s not think about what might’ve happened. Let’s focus on what we need to do now.”

His phone beeped and he slid it out of his pocket. “The full press corps is now camped outside.”

“Oh, God.” She sat down again. “It’s that bad already?”

“They started assembling when the first round of press releases went out, and they’re still gaining steam. The nightly newscasts will be full of this.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s okay. We can handle this. We knew this was coming.”

His hand came to rest on her shoulder and he gave it a squeeze. “Yes, we did. There’s something I’ve been thinking about, and I’d like you to keep an open mind.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Okay.”

“I think we should do an interview together.”

“An interview? To the same press that’s about to eat us alive?”

“Yes, the very same. Just us, not Liliana. The press need to learn to respect our boundaries, especially where children are concerned.”

“We couldn’t possibly. You’ve made it seem like we’re an established couple again. If we talked on camera, everyone would see we’re not.”

A scary air filled the room. “We’re not a couple?”

She shook her head. “Not like that. I mean, we’re not established. We’re still basically new. There’s a lot we need to work out. The public would see that.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right. However, I’m not saying we go on camera today. Or even tomorrow. We need time to let the furor die down a little, and I want Liliana to be comfortable here before we do anything public.”

She relaxed a little. “Okay. Yes, in the future, I might agree to that.”

“Good. If we went on camera now, people would think we were just trying to turn their attentions from the potential dock strike, and I don’t want you or Liliana accused of being a distraction.”

“A dock strike?”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t had a chance to tell you.” He sat down and spent a few minutes explaining the situation.

“And you’re really going to meet some people on the docks tonight? How will you get away without the press following?”

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