Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires, #3)(83)

But before I can get into my car, Lily’s voice stops me.

“Hey.”

I resist the urge to lean my head against the window. “Hi.”

I don’t turn to look at her because then she’ll know I’m not okay, and something about Lily watching me struggle with spending time with her family, which is something that clearly makes her happy and is important to her…

It makes me feel like I don’t fit in her life the way I should.

“Where are you going?” she asks.

“Something came up.”

“What?”

“Lily.”

“Is everything okay?” She touches my shoulder softly, willing me to look at her. “You seemed fine, but then…”

With a deep breath, I face her. “No, it’s not.” The ugly truth spills from my mouth.

Her soft gaze flickers over my face before it falls to my hand clutching the car door handle like a lifeline. “All right. No worries.”

I manage to keep my shoulders from slumping. “Thank you for understanding.”

She cracks a smile, and it loosens the knot in my chest. “Do you care if I join you?”

I’m surprised after our conversation by the fountain, but I’ll take her olive branch with open arms. “You want to come?”

“Yeah. You look like you could use a friend.”

I let that one slide while promising to make my intentions very clear today.

“I’d like that, amore mio.”

She might be upset with me still, but the glimmer in her eyes is promising. “Let me run inside and grab my purse.” She rushes up the driveway. “Don’t leave without me,” she throws out from over her shoulder.

I don’t think I could, not unless someone physically removed me.

The grief I felt earlier is still heavy in my chest, but it feels slightly more bearable, and it has everything to do with the woman who always reminds me that I’m not alone, even in some of my darkest moments.

I never understood why my father gave up his entire life for my mother, but right now, I can see it clearly. Because when you find the one person in the world who sees you—who takes the time to collect every broken piece of your spirit and helps you put it back together—you don’t let them go.

I made that mistake once, but I won’t repeat it again.

That much I can promise.





CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE


Lily


Do you mind if we pass by the cemetery?” Lorenzo asks as we drive away from the house.

“Um…no. Of course not.” My palms start to sweat because the last time I went there was when we buried my dad. But for Lorenzo, I’m willing to put the memories aside and support him however he needs, even if it means doing something I usually avoid.

“Are you sure?” He takes his eyes off the road for a quick second.

“Yeah, but can we pass by the shop first?”

“Why?”

“I’m not going to show up to meet your parents empty-handed. That’s rude.”

Lorenzo parks in front of Rose & Thorn ten minutes later, and I hop out to make a quick bouquet of my favorite pink flowers before rushing back to the car.

“It’s the best I could do under a time crunch.”

“She’ll love it.”

The ride to the cemetery is quiet, but in a soothing kind of way. Lorenzo keeps tapping his thigh in sets of threes, and I eventually reach over to hold his hand instead.

“You good?” I ask.

He nods. “I usually save visits for Fridays, but I felt… Today was…”

“Hard?”

“Yeah.” He releases a lungful of air.

“I’m sorry…if my family triggered you, that is.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t apologize because I can’t get over my grief.”

His statement is so ridiculous, I can’t help laughing, which causes him to hit a curb.

“Are you laughing at me?”

I suck in a few gulps of air. “Yes, because what do you mean you can’t get over your grief? There’s no such thing!”

His lips press together, and his furrowed brows are putting in extra work today from how hard I’m making him think.

“So long as you love your parents, you’ll never stop grieving them, so the best way you can help yourself is to learn to coexist with the feeling.” Now, if only I could take my own advice.

“You talk like it’s that easy.”

“It’s not. I’m the first one to admit that I struggle with it.”

“So what do you suggest?”

I give his hand a squeeze. “Sharing that pain with each other so we both feel less…alone.”

He stays quiet for a minute while we drive through the main road of the cemetery.

“Thank you,” he says as he parks in the lot.

“No need to thank me. This is what friends do.” I reach for the bouquet.

“Lily?” He reaches for my hand before I can escape the car.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to be your friend.”

My heart takes a brief intermission. “Why not?”

He cups my cheek. “I’d much rather be your boyfriend, if that’s an option.”