Page 67 of Broken Princess

He nods, looking over at Lorenzo, even though I hadn't realized he was standing in the door and I'm not sure how long he's been there. "Right now, I think it's time you both got going. Your honeymoon awaits."

I hesitate, looking between them.

"We don't have to leave right now," I say. "We can postpone the trip."

Lorenzo must be able to tell from the look on my face that something happened, because he doesn't argue. He just walks over and puts his arm around me, waiting in patient silence.

"Don't be ridiculous," Dad says, his gruff and commanding self once more. "You're going on your honeymoon, and that's all there is to it."

Lorenzo looks at me and shrugs. I hesitate, but something tells me protesting, especially in front of Lorenzo, is just going to make Dad feel worse.

"Okay," I finally say, leaning up to kiss my father's cheek. "But we'll be back soon."

"Enjoy your trip, sweetheart," Dad says, brushing a curl behind my ear. His gaze hardens as he looks up at Lorenzo. "Take good care of my little girl."

"I will, sir," Lorenzo says, uncharacteristically respectful. Once we're alone on the stairs, he leans in and asks, "What was that about? Is everything all right?"

I hesitate before I answer. "It will be. I think. But... Kayleigh and Natalie are gone."

"Gone?" he asks in disbelief. "Where? For how long?"

"Permanently, I think," I admit, going over what the letter said once we're downstairs and out of earshot. Lorenzo listens, his expression unreadable, but he doesn't seem surprised. "You knew, didn't you? About Kayleigh, I mean."

"I knew the rumors," he concedes. "But I didn't know how much was true. No one did, not for certain."

"No," I murmur.

Lorenzo takes my hand and gives it a tight squeeze, and immediately, I feel all the tension leave my body. "None of this is your fault, Amelia. If anything, it's his and mine."

"Everything is chaotic because of me," I protest. "Things would have gone the way they always have if I hadn't come here."

"Yes," he agrees, sweeping his hand up beneath my jaw so I have to meet his eyes. "Exactly. And we would have both been miserable. We would have continued to live a lie. I might even have been content with it, because I didn't know anything else was possible. Because when you came along, you showed me there was another way to live. You showed me I could feel things I never thought were possible. Not for me. And no amount of chaos or fallout could ever make me regret that. Not for a second."

Tears burn my eyes again for a very different reason. They flow too easily these days.

I lean in as Lorenzo captures my lips and I wrap my arms around his neck, returning the kiss. When I'm in his arms, as uncertain as the future seems, it doesn't feel frightening. The idea of going back, however, is unfathomable, and I'm glad that's not an option anymore.

Whatever the future holds, we'll face it together. I know that now. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I love you," I murmur against his lips.

"And I love you, my cerbiatta," he whispers in response, pulling me up against his body. "Let’s go. I've shared you enough for one lifetime."

I smile at his words and the impatience behind them. But I can't say I don't feel the same way.

CHAPTER 32

AMELIA

When Lorenzo said we were going to the airport for our honeymoon, I assumed we'd be taking a normal plane, and looking back, I really don't know why I thought that. Of course, a private jet would make a lot more sense for a mob boss's son.

Especially this one.

I'm not sure what I was expecting as we pull up to the small airstrip, but it definitely wasn't this. There's a sleek black jet with smooth curves and large windows that looks like it could easily fit fifty people inside, with room to spare.

"Welcome aboard," the steward says as we approach, opening the door for us.

I gape at him for a moment before I remember my manners and say, "Thank you."

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