Page 71 of Lorenzo & Lily

She’d never had anyone to help her with such things, not even at her parent’s house. “No, I can manage.”

“All right. I’m going to greet my family, but then I’ll be in my room in case you do need help. I’ll come to you and Liliana in about three hours.”

“Okay.”

“Everything will be fine, Lily.”

“Okay.”

“I promise.”

“Okay.”

The corner of his mouth tipped up. “You owe me a kiss, you know.”

“What?”

“I won the bet. The movers? They packed everything up in under two hours.”

She’d completely forgotten about it. “What? You’ve already kissed me, though.”

“Not for that. You wouldn’t renege on a bet, would you?”

What was he talking about? She couldn’t focus. “What?”

He kissed her lips softly, just a brush of heat. “There. Debt paid. Now, remember what I said, Lily: I promise I’ll make everything okay.”

She vaguely nodded and he left.

Lily sat still, unable to move. In a few short hours, it would all be over, one way or another. She could do this.

Focus. Liliana. She’d start by waking Liliana.

She rose and walked through Lorenzo’s rooms, then stopped dead in the doorway to the main hall. Lorenzo was quietly shutting Liliana’s door and didn’t notice her watching him.

He’d stopped to see his little girl. He loved Liliana, that was easy to see.

But would he love Lily if he found out what his family had done? Would he blame her? Or would he choose her and Liliana over his family?

He was a prince; of course, he wouldn’t choose her. No one had before. Why would now be any different?

He would choose Liliana, though. She’d be happy being a princess, but Lily didn’t think she could give up her baby. It was all she’d had for so long, and she wouldn’t let anyone take her away. Though Lorenzo had said he wouldn’t do it, when push came to shove, would he hold to his promise?

Maybe she should just take Liliana and run for it. They’d have to leave most everything behind, but she could rebuild their lives. She’d done it before, after all. She had some jewelry she could still pawn. It was her ‘rainy day’ jewelry, and it seemed to be pouring now. They’d have to leave Valleria, go somewhere far away. Where, she didn’t know.

She didn’t know where she belonged.

Fear and an overwhelming need to cut and run overtook her, and she ran to Liliana’s door. She caught sight of the agent in the hall, his brows now furrowed. She stopped dead again, her hand on the door handle.

“Is everything all right, Ms. Brionne?”

She swallowed. “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I…thought I heard a noise from her room. I’ll just go check on her.” She fled to the safety of her daughter’s bedroom. Once inside, a wave of nausea rolled through her and she doubled over against her daughter’s door.

She looked over and saw her baby tucked into the center of the bed. Since Liliana usually moved around while she slept, she was sure Lorenzo had rearranged her.

Tears welled in her eyes and she staggered to a chair in the corner of the room. She collapsed into it and wrapped her arms around her. Her body bucked with sobs and she forced herself to be quiet; she didn’t want to wake Liliana.

So, leaving wasn’t an option. She’d have to get past the guards and Lorenzo. Not to mention all the press swarming the castle. She could have used the secret passageways, but she was afraid of getting lost within the castle walls. She wouldn’t know which passage to take or how to get out, and she couldn’t take that risk with Liliana in tow.

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