Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires, #3)(66)

“I’ll contact the vet,” I say, a bit too gruff.

She turns to look at me with wide eyes. “What?”

“I want to meet Daisy and see what’s so special about her.” Technically that is true.

“Why?”

I ignore her question and head to my suitcase. It’s organized with the dirty clothes tucked into a separate bag, but I make a show of refolding my clean clothes.

She places a hand on my shoulder and wills me to turn around.

I don’t.

“Lorenzo,” she says in that too-sweet voice of hers.

You will not yield, no matter how sweet she sounds.

I start counting my underwear because why did I pack ten pairs for a two-night stay? Did I plan to shit myself multiple times?

Unfortunately Lily doesn’t give up. “Since when do you want to adopt a pet?”

“It’s a recent interest.” Now stop asking me any more questions, I silently beg.

I should’ve known it was a wasted effort because she probes some more.

“Don’t do this for me.”

“I’m not.” I’m doing this for me, the person whose mental health will benefit from her no longer crying.

And who knows? Maybe I’ll grow to enjoy Daisy’s company in my big, empty house.




Lily and I meet up with Julian and Dahlia for brunch before we split up again, this time the girls going off on their own. I’d rather hang out by myself than spend the afternoon with Julian Lopez of all people, but he won’t leave my side.

“You good?” I ask when he pauses at the entrance of the first jewelry store on my list.

He looks around the sales floor, his face turning progressively paler. “Please tell me you’re looking at buying Lily some diamond earrings.”

“Has she mentioned wanting some to you?”

“Yes. It’s a running joke by now.”

“Then I’ll add them to my list.”

“You have a list?” He looks yearningly at a nearby trash can.

I bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing. An enthusiastic employee introduces herself, and after I tell her what I’m looking for, she is all too happy to show me their engagement ring options.

Julian looks ready to pass out, so I ask if someone can bring him a chair.

“This better be a fucking prank.” He must not trust his legs either because he happily takes a seat.

I ignore him and focus on the dazzling rings.

“Lorenzo.”

“Julian.”

“This is all moving way, way too fast. Maybe you need to slow down—”

“The only opinion I’m interested in is which ring you think Lily would like most.”

He checks out all the rings before shaking his head. “None of them.”

I frown. “There has to be something here she’d like. This is the best store in all of Chicago.”

He stares at the display full of the whitest, clearest diamonds money can buy. “It’s not the store. It’s the color.”

The employee pauses. “Would she prefer something like an emerald or sapphire?”

Julian glances up at me. “If he can’t answer that question, then he shouldn’t be proposing.”

Did I get outsmarted at my own game by Julian motherfucking Lopez?

No. I refuse.

Think, Lorenzo, I tell myself, refusing to fail Julian’s test. He gave me a clue at least, so if a traditional diamond isn’t what Lily wants, then there must be another color.

I can’t see her wanting a sapphire—that much I know—while an emerald is trickier. She likes green, given the color of flower stems, so I mention it to the jeweler.

“We could do a peekaboo emerald in the band,” she mentions, and I shake my head and think about the main diamond.

Pink is my favorite neutral, she wrote on her dating profile, and I want to smack my own forehead at ever questioning my abilities to guess what Lily would like.

“What kind of gemstones come in pink?”

There’s a little glint in Julian’s eyes that tells me I’m on the right path, and I’ve never felt better about proving him wrong.

So much for him hoping I wouldn’t be able to answer the question.

Asshole.

“Pink?” The jeweler balks. “We’ve got sapphires and diamonds here, although the diamonds are significantly more expensive.”

“Perfect. I want to see everything you have.”

I must pass Julian’s test with flying colors because he remains tight-lipped, stewing in silence as he processes me becoming an integral part of his life.

Till the election do Lily and I part.





CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE


Lily


My sister and I have spent the last two hours searching for dresses, and while Dahlia has found seven different outfits already, including two dresses for the fundraiser dinner, I’ve struggled to find anything that feels like me.

When I slowly began switching my favorite outfits with new, less bold pieces, I said it wouldn’t be permanent. That I was only doing it temporarily while I sorted through my complicated feelings.

I justified it by saying I didn’t want to be vulnerable. That I didn’t want to express myself, whether it be with my words or through my clothes, and I most definitely didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention.