Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires, #3)(125)

His face goes completely blank, the span between eye-blinks being few and far between.

“Lorenzo?”

I might’ve officially broken his brain because he says nothing.

“You good?” I ask.

With a shaky hand, he reaches for the photo. “You’re…”

“Pregnant.” I point at the little dot. “And this right here is Lorenzo Junior.” A nervous laugh bubbles out of me.

He draws a circle around our baby. “Isn’t it too soon to tell?”

I pat my stomach. “I’ve got a feeling about it.”

He stares at my belly as he slides to his knees in front of me, his eyes full of wonder. My own blur from tears as I watch Lorenzo gently brush his hand across my nonexistent bump.

“This is really happening?” he asks, his voice hoarse from emotion.

“According to the two tests I took and my blood results, yup. We’re going to be parents.”

The doctor told me such, but now that Lorenzo is in front of me, cradling my hand in his trembling one, the truth finally settles in.

He looks up at me with misty eyes. “Thank you.”

I thread my fingers through his hair, pushing the strands back so I can get a better look at him. “I know it happened a bit sooner than we expected—”

He jumps to his feet and crushes me against his chest, only to release me with a curse.

“Shit. Are you okay?” He holds me at arm’s length and scans my body for a nonexistent injury.

“Lorenzo. I’m fine.” I wrap my arms securely around his waist and pull him back in. “We can hug, kiss, and have sex like normal. Google it if you don’t believe me.”

His eyes flicker between my face and my stomach. “Of course I do.”

“Good, because I did not pack a bunch of sexy lingerie for nothing.”

He tilts my head back. “Can I see?”

“Only if you promise to be on your worst behavior.” I grip his chin roughly with one hand and brush the other down his chest.

“You swear the baby will be safe?”

I shoot him a look that dares him to ask me that question again.

Thankfully he thinks better of it, instead choosing to drag me into the shower, where we spend the next twenty minutes celebrating our new titles.

Mom and Dad.




After we bike our way across Amsterdam for two days, Lorenzo and I finally make it out to the tulip fields. I spend the entire bus ride fidgeting in my seat, and on more than one occasion, Lorenzo asks if I need to use the restroom. He does so while glancing toward the back of the bus with a look of sheer terror, and I’m tempted to say yes, just to see how he reacts.

“I’m so excited,” I say as the tour guide announces that we have made it to the Keukenhof garden.

I jump to my feet, grab Lorenzo’s hand, and yank him toward the shuttle’s exit. We are the first ones off the bus, so we have some peace and quiet before the rest of the guests join us.

Tomorrow we have a private day planned with a photographer, but today I wanted to enjoy a tour with a bunch of fellow flower enthusiasts.

We walk through the colorful fields, and I stop a few times to watch how the tulips sway in the wind, the hypnotic motion stealing my attention more than once.

I catch Lorenzo snapping a few photos of me when I’m not paying attention, and by the time we return to our hotel room that night, his phone has a new background photo of us that a fellow tourist took.

I’m leaning forward to get a better look of the picture when Lorenzo comes up behind me and winds an arm around me, cradling my stomach.

“Replacing our wedding-day picture already?” I joke.

“I couldn’t resist.”

“But I liked that one.” I pout.

“I think I might like this one more.”

“What?” I tilt my head to the side so I can get a better look at him.

“It’s the first one of our family, so how can I not?”

A heat radiates through my chest, my insides melting at the sound of pure adoration in his voice.

I return to looking at the photo with a smile and take in the way Lorenzo cradles me to his chest, the pose matching how he is holding me now.

When I agreed to our original arrangement, I never imagined we would end up together. At one point, I nearly gave up on finding my own happily-ever-after, but Lorenzo reminded me what it felt like to dream.

It might’ve taken twenty-plus years for my first wish to come true, but now I have what I wanted most.

A family to call my own, and a husband to share it with.

My father might not be physically here, but I’ll keep his memory alive by taking my children to the fountain and telling them all about their grandpa and the gold coins he gave me.

And one day, when they’re old enough, I’ll tell them exactly what he told me.

To wish is to hope, and that’s the one thing no one can take away from you.





EXTENDED EPILOGUE


Lorenzo




SEVERAL YEARS LATER


“Wake up! Wake up!” Ana Lucia, also affectionally known as Lulu or Lucy or Luce by her three older brothers, bounces onto our bed. Daisy, who was sleeping near Lily’s feet, scrambles off right before her first jump.

“Let’s go!” Lucia’s dark hair flies with her jumps. She nearly lands on my ankle, but I pull my leg out from under her in the nick of time.