Lorenzo lay on his back in the hospital bed, which was reclined into a semi-sitting position. His eyes were staring at the ceiling. He wondered why hospital ceilings weren’t painted or given proper attention. Patients certainly spent enough time looking up. Since he’d spent his fair share of time in hospitals during his life, he decided this was going to be another project he embarked on, beginning at the MARC: ceilings covered with murals. Maybe Carolina could help.

He crossed his arms over his bare chest, fighting the wince of pain from his wound. He’d been hit in the arm, but would recover.

Physical healing was the easy part.

After he’d woken in the hospital, he’d been disoriented. It had taken a few moments to realize he wasn’t in a chopper heading out of the jungle.

He was safe. He was in Valleria.

He was home.

As soon as the doctor had patched him up, he’d called his therapist. He’d spent an hour talking to him, would spend an hour more the next day.

He turned at the racket outside his door and sighed. His family had descended upon the hospital – or most of them had. They hadn’t been pleased they’d had to wait so long to see him, but he didn’t give them a choice.

Staying healthy, mentally and physically, had to be his number one goal.

Now all he wanted was to see his Lily and Liliana.

Alex knocked and entered without waiting for him to respond. He scanned Lorenzo’s shirtless body before his gaze settled on his bandaged arm.

Alex frowned, then shut the door and walked to the bed. “Are you in pain?”

Gunshot wounds felt like shit, but he wasn’t going to tell Alex that. “I’m fine. The bullet went straight through. Just sutures. Nothing major. I’m fine.”

“You were shot taking a bullet for me.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. They could have been shooting at me. Maybe it was someone who wants the strike to move forward.”

“You could be right,” Marcello said as he entered, followed by Nate and Ethan. “You all right?”

“Yeah. Why do you think the shots were related to the strike?”

Ethan gave his bandage a doctor’s look-over. “Agents got the shooter. It was Gaston.”

Fucking hell. “Gaston? Shit. I knew he wanted the strike, but I didn’t think he’d take me out for it.”

Marcello took a seat on the bed near Lorenzo’s legs. “Agents interrogated him while the doc was looking you over. Peter was the mastermind here.”

Lorenzo shot up and ignored Ethan’s protest to take it easy. “Are you fucking kidding me? Peter? Fucking Peter?”

Nate gently pushed Lorenzo back towards bed. “He fooled everyone, apparently.”

“Though he claimed to side with us on the strike, he wanted the strike to happen,” Marcello said. “We ran his financials, and he’s been receiving regular payments from some corporate shell company. It took some doing in a couple hours, but we traced that company to Field.”

Lorenzo’s mind whirled. “Field’s been paying him off? Did you check with the other union officers?”

“We are now. I don’t think we’ll be surprised if we learn they’ve been paid off, too. Some of them were recently fired as well. They may have turned down the payoff and been fired for it.”

“Fucking hell.”

“You said it.”

Lorenzo rubbed a hand over his face. He could hardly believe how things had turned. It was a simple union election. How had it resorted to such violence? “Are you taking Field down? Bribery, blackmail – surely we have enough evidence for it now?”

“We have him in holding on suspicion at the moment,” Marcello said. “We’re waiting to confirm if he’s done anything to the other union leaders. If he has, that would significantly bolster the case against him.”

Alex glanced towards the others, then faced Lorenzo. “I’ve called a last-ditch strike aversion meeting. Nate and I are going in just a few minutes.”

Lorenzo shot up again. “The hell you are. You were almost killed.”

Alex shook his head. “It’s necessary.”

“Don’t pull that bullshit. I’ll go.”

“You were shot.”

“Just once.”

“You were shot!” The room went still at Alex’s uncharacteristic outburst.

“Alex, I’m fine.”

“You were shot. You are not fine. I was there.” Alex leaned towards him. “I was there. You were out of it when it happened.”

Shit. His brother was pissing him off. “Yeah, I was out of it. People who have been through traumatic experiences have triggers that can send them back. Since I was shot before, and I got shot tonight, it’s not surprising I had a flashback.”

“You need time to recover from that.”

“No, I fucking don’t. I already talked to my therapist about it. I’m meeting him again tomorrow. Since I already see him on a regular basis, this shit pops up, I’ll be able to work it through with him.” He leaned towards Alex. “I’m. Fucking. Fine.”

“I’m worried about you.”

Shit. His anger left him. “I appreciate that, Alex, I really fucking do. But you, of all people, know you don’t get over shit like this in a day, or ten days, or even ten months sometimes.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You over Rebecca getting kidnapped, beat up, and almost assaulted?”

Alex took a step back. “That’s different.”

“Yeah?” Lorenzo turned to Nate. “You and Charlie were shot barely a year ago. Are you over it? Is Charlie?”

He turned to Marcello without waiting for Nate to respond. “You over almost getting killed. Repeatedly, I might add? How about when Grace and Cat were almost hurt?”

Marcello rubbed the back of his neck. “Lorenzo, that’s different.”

“Is it? Marcello’s been through worse than me, yet I’m treated with kid gloves all the time.” Lorenzo locked eyes with Alex. “Earlier tonight you said you trusted me. Believed in me. Was that a lie?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Alex said immediately. “We do trust you.”

“Am I anything like I was six years ago? Or even after Lily left? Do I resemble that person anymore?”

Nate squeezed the shoulder of his uninjured arm. “No, you don’t. We’re sorry, Lorenzo. You’re right. We just can’t help seeing you as you were all those years ago, and we never want to see that again.”

“I can understand that. However, things are different now. I’m a different man, and now I’m a father, too. I’ll need your support – not your babying or interference – to be a good one. Are you all on board with that?”

Alex leaned down and kissed Lorenzo’s forehead. “Yes, we are.”

Finally! “Thank fuck. Now about the strike meeting–”

“We’re going,” Alex said with a soft finality. “We’ll have lots of agents with us, and they’re meeting at the castle’s conference center, so we’ll have the upper hand. Security is tight at the castle; they won’t be able to try anything there. Marcello’s had agents sweeping just to be safe and nothing’s come up. We won’t be exposed like we were at the docks. We’ll be safe.”

Lorenzo knew Alex would never risk bringing danger to the castle where the entire family was staying. “What about the press?”

“They’re focusing on the ‘assassination attempt’ as they call it, rather than the strike. It’s unfortunate, but after the meeting, we’ll host a press conference that will refocus the news.”

Ethan closed Lorenzo’s chart and slid it back in its holder. “They love you, by the way.”

“Who?”

“Everyone. ‘The dashing prince who saved our future king.’ You know, all that rubbish.”

Lorenzo smiled. “Not entirely rubbish. It is truth.”

“A twisted version of it. They weren’t aiming for me,” Alex reminded him.

“No one cares about that,” Lorenzo said, and his smile dimmed. “What about Lily and Liliana? Did they hear about this shit in the press? You took my phone away so I couldn’t contact them.”

Alex pulled out Lorenzo’s phone and handed it over to him. “Liliana’s still sleeping, as far as we know. Rebecca’s at the castle with her, along with some of the others. Lily’s outside, and so are Mama and Papa.”

Lorenzo slipped the phone in his pocket. “How’s Papa doing?”

“He was shaken, we all were, but he’s steady. He’s doing a lot better,” Ethan said.

“We’ve got to get ready for the meeting.” Alex leaned down and kissed his forehead again. “See you soon.”

“Sure. Send Lily in, would you?”

They nodded and said their farewells.

A few minutes later he heard a soft knock and he turned to find Lily peeking through the door. “May I come in?”

“Of course,” Lorenzo said, and held out an arm to her.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here.”

She smiled softly as she stepped inside, wearing a pair of jeans and a mis-buttoned plaid shirt; clearly she’d gotten hastily dressed when she’d heard the news.

“Liliana’s still sleeping?”

She walked to him and took his hand. “Yes. I didn’t want her to worry, so she’s at the castle with Prin-I mean Rebecca. I checked in with her about ten minutes ago and she said Liliana was still sleeping.”

“Lock the door.”

“Lorenzo.”

“I need to fix your shirt. Lock the door so someone doesn’t come in.”

She looked down, then gaped. “I hadn’t realized. No one said anything.”

As she started to reach for her buttons, he covered her hands with his. “I want to fix it.”

“You’re hurt.”

“I can re-button a shirt. I’m not that hurt.”

“You were shot.”

“Barely.”

“Lorenzo.”

He tugged her closer. “You have five seconds to lock the door. Otherwise, I’m fixing your shirt and anyone, including my parents, might walk in and see you.”

She stomped away – completely fucking adorable – and locked the door. He re-positioned the head of the bed so that he was sitting almost straight up, while she closed the small curtain over the window in the door. She returned to his side, and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Climb on.”

“Are you nuts? I’m not going to get on the bed. You’re hurt.”

Tired of arguing, he grabbed her hips and positioned her to straddle him.

“Lorenzo!” she hissed.

Though his arm felt as though it were on fire, he wouldn’t complain. “I’m fine.”

She slapped his hands away as they moved to her shirt buttons. “I can fix my own shirt.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Can you? Will you do it very slowly, so I can savor the moment?”

She shook her head. “You’re terrible.”

“I’m eager. There’s a difference.”

“Only you could be ‘eager’ after being shot.”

“I could tell you it’s just the waning adrenaline in my system.” At her crestfallen expression, he continued. “But it’s really just you.” He moved her over his hardening erection. “It’s you, Lily.”

“Lorenzo.”

He brushed her lips with his.

“God, Lorenzo. I was so worried.” Her arms wrapped around him.

“I know. I’m okay.”

“Hold me.”

“I am.”

“Tighter.”

He tightened his arms around her.

“Tighter.”

“I’ll hurt you if I go any tighter than that.”

Her head came up and she cupped his face. “No, Lorenzo. Tighter.” She ground her hips into his.

“Lily.”

“Please?”

Fucking hell. “You’re not sure about us. I don’t want to rush you.”

“I thought you might die.”

His body stilled.

“I wondered what life would be like if you did. Liliana barely got to know you. We never really reconciled because I kept holding back, because I was so afraid you’d eventually let me go.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“I felt it, you know.”

“What?”

“The fear of losing you.”

His breath caught. “Lily.”

“I’d forgotten what it felt like. I’ve been afraid for so long, lonely for so long. And I realized something. I never stopped loving you.”

“God, Lily.”

“I didn’t. I told you I never dated, not once after I broke things off with you. At the time, I told myself I was too busy to date, that I didn’t want random men in Liliana’s life. And that was all true. But it was true because I only wanted you. I was devastated that I couldn’t have you, and that Liliana couldn’t know you. So, I kept trying to reach out to you.”

“You love me?”

She licked her lips. “I do. I know there are still secrets between us, about our past. I only hope, once you discover what those are, that you’ll still want to be with me.”

“Lily–”

She put two fingers over his lips. “Let me finish. I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I know, with your arms around me, I won’t have to be. You’ll chase the fear away as you did earlier tonight. I’ll tell you all my secrets, because I don’t want them between us anymore. I want us to start, well, as fresh as we can.”

His heart was beating furiously. He hadn’t expected this, not yet. He thought it’d take her more time. He was fucking thrilled it hadn’t, even if he did need to get shot to make it happen. “God, Lily. You won’t regret this. I promise you. You won’t regret this.”

“I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, but the hotel owners told me they fired John and Calvin and want me to take over running the hotel.”

He’d gotten used to the idea of having her close by at the conference center. However, this was an incredible opportunity for her. “Are you going to do it?”

“I thought about it, but I don’t want to run a hotel.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you should wait until morning to decide.”

She shook her head. “I’m not making a rash decision because you were shot, or not entirely. I know what I want and I’m not going to change my mind. Tonight, I realized that being with you meant being close to you, too. I want to run your conference center, and be near you and Liliana.”

“It’s your conference center now.”

She smiled. “How about ‘our’ conference center?”

“Perfect.” He kissed her, slow and sweet. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

“Will you let me have you? Taste you?”

“Yes. Please.”

“It’ll have to be fast.” He leaned up to whisper in her ear. “I’ll have to enjoy you more thoroughly later.”

She shuddered and his teeth nipped the lobes of her ear. She shuddered again.

His hands dipped to her shirt. He unbuttoned slowly, lightly brushing her exposed skin as he did. When he finished, he pushed the shirt away.

“No bra,” he murmured.

“I didn’t have time. I just wanted to get to the hospital.”

“Makes it easy for me to taste you then.”

He kissed her neck and her head tipped back. Her hands delved into his hair.

God, the taste of her. He kissed her collarbone, then her cleavage.

She was practically panting. He wondered how fast he could make her climax after a five-year dry spell.

His mouth covered one nipple and she moaned.

“Shhh. You don’t want anyone to hear.”

“I can’t help it.”

He smiled against her breast before he continued sucking and biting her nipple. His hand slipped down, and caressed the scar from her C-section. He wanted to taste it, and he would another time. He’d devote hours to worshipping her body, and making sure she knew how beautiful she was, scars and all.

For now, however, his hands unbuttoned, then dipped into her jeans. “Is your cunt as tasty as I remember?” He rubbed against her folds and brushed her clit. “Is it?”

She started rocking against his fingers. “Lo.”

Her wet heat on his fingers had his cock twitching, but he kept still. He wanted her to move. “Shall I taste?”

He pulled his fingers from her jeans and she mewed in protest. He licked his fingers clean while she watched. “It tastes even fucking better than it used to.”

She squirmed against him.

“Later, when we get home, I’m going to taste your sweet fucking cunt. Then I’m going to fuck you for hours.”

Her hands were brutally fisted in his hair. “Lo.”

“Right now, you’re going to take it hard and fast. Take your jeans off. Now.”

She staggered off the bed, kicked off her shoes, and pulled down her jeans and panties. Lorenzo pushed his pants and underwear down to his knees.

She climbed back and plastered herself against him. He held her there, their hot skin now scorching, their breath short and panting. Just the feel of her skin against his made his cock rock hard.

Fuck! “I don’t have a condom.”

She groaned. “I’m on birth control. Are you clean?”

“Fuck yes.”

“Lo.”

“I would not fuck with you about this. I haven’t been with anyone for at least six months, and a month ago my last checkup came back clean. You want to wait, we’ll wait. But I’m still getting you off, with either my fingers or my mouth on your cunt.”

She jerked in his hold.

“Or maybe both.”

She jerked again. “I trust you. I want you.”

“There’s no shame in waiting. Are you sure?”

“You make me wait for your cock, I’ll hurt your other arm.”

He grinned. “Come on my fingers, baby, then you can ride my cock.”

She whimpered. “Yes. God, yes.”

His thumb rubbed her clit while his fingers delved inside. She was a little looser than he remembered – he supposed that was due to giving birth – but she was still fucking hot.

After a minute of rubbing and her riding his fingers, he had barely any control left. “Now, Lily. Come on fucking fingers, baby. That’s it. Let me feel your sweet fucking cunt squeezing my fingers.”

He leaned over and took a nipple in his mouth, biting lightly and tugging it.

She finally came, and it. Was. Glorious.

He pulled his fingers out and impaled her on his cock fast. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

She was already riding him. “Lo?”

“You feel so fucking good, baby. Ride me.”

She started shifting on top of him.

“Harder.”

She shook her head.

“Harder.”

“Your arm.”

He growled. “My arm is not the body part needing attention right now.”

She huffed a laugh which turned into a moan. “Oh God. Lorenzo. I missed you. God, I missed you.”

Fucking hell. “I missed you, too, baby. God, I missed you, too.” He thrust up and her head fell back.

“Lo.”

“Faster.”

“Lo.”

“Faster.”

“Lo!”

He covered her mouth with his, and swallowed her scream as she came again. Lorenzo thrust once, twice, three times, then filled her.

Fuck, it felt good to fill her.

She collapsed on him, and he adjusted the recline on the bed to lay flat. He ran a hand through her damp hair while she gently rubbed his hurt arm.

“Did we make your arm worse?”

He kissed her forehead. “No. Stop worrying.”

“I’ll never stop worrying about you.”

His arms tightened around her. “Thank God for that.”

She kissed his chest and got up. “I’m going to go clean up.”

He cupped her face and kissed her, long and sweet. “Hurry back.”

While she cleaned up in the bathroom, he used the other paper towels and small sink in the room to clean himself up. He’d just fixed his pants when a knock came at the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” his mother replied.

Lorenzo caught Lily’s eye as she exited the bathroom and whispered. “My mother.”

She sucked in a quiet breath, then frantically put on her clothes. After running her fingers through her hair a few times, she nodded.

He opened the door. “Mama.”

His mother rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Lorenzo.”

“Mama, I’m fine. It was nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. You’ve been shot. Again.”

“I’m not the only one of your sons who’s been shot through the years.”

She pulled back and started pacing. “That doesn’t matter!”

She ran her shaky hands through her hair. He’d rarely seen his mother so upset. Angry, annoyed, happy, sad, loving – all of those he’d seen, and most of those away from public eyes. For her to lose control like this was rare; the last time was when his father had been in the hospital.

Lily whispered in his ear. “Maybe I should give you both some time.”

“Oh. Lily. I didn’t see you there.” His mother eye’s darted between him and Lily. “I thought you’d gone back to the castle.”

“No, I couldn’t.” Lily linked her hand with his. “I’m never leaving Lorenzo again.”

His mother sucked in a breath.

What was going on here? “Lily.”

“I just wanted to make sure she knew that.”

“Why?”

Lily’s hand was fused to his. “Remember my secrets?”

His mother shook her head. “Please, Lily, don’t.”

“I know this isn’t the best time, but there will never be a good time for this. He needs to know, Genevieve. None of us can move forward until we make peace with the past.”

Every cell in his body went rigid. “Are you telling me that my mother was the one who forced you to leave me?”

Lily bit her lip, then nodded.

He faced his mother. “Did you interfere with my relationship back then? Did you?”

“Yes.” His mother’s voice was a terrified whisper. “Yes, I did.”

She turned to Lily, who’d gone so pale, Lorenzo worried if she’d faint. “I didn’t know about the baby. I didn’t.”

His mother turned to face him again. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

“And that gave you the right to interfere in my life?”

He turned his back on both Lily and his mother. Four years of his daughter’s life gone. The woman he loved, afraid of his mother, of the queen. Of course, she hadn’t wanted to tell him who’d come between them. Everything suddenly made sense in glaring technicolor.

“I’ll never have those years back. Never. Not with Liliana. Not with Lily.”

“Lorenzo, you needed to focus on healing. You were so broken when you came back and–”

“I was healing!” He started pacing the room. “I was getting better, for myself. Not for you, not even for Lily. For me.”

He stopped to gaze at Lily. “Falling in love with you helped me, saved me in a different way, but I was healing on my own. When you left, I regressed. I know that. I don’t say that to hurt you.”

Lily’s voice trembled. “I know. I know.”

He turned back to his mother. “There was nothing you could have done to help me or keep it from happening. All I ever wanted was your support. Your love.”

“You have that,” his mother said quickly. “You always have.”

“This is manipulation. Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?”

“I have. Absolutely. As soon as I reached out to Cecilia and learned about the baby, I realized what I’d done and arranged for her to meet you at the wedding. Your father and I both know how you’ve suffered. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Why the wedding? Why didn’t you set up a meeting as soon as you found out?”

His mother sniffled. “I thought a meeting in a public place would be better, easier for you. You wouldn’t–”

“Fly off into a rage, or some other made-up shit?”

Her words were measured and deliberate. “I thought you’d be able to handle things better if you first saw her in a public setting. I had doubts even then, and decided it was the wrong way to go.”

She took a deep breath. “However, with everything that happened before the wedding – your father fell ill, Arianna was having pregnancy complications in another country and I couldn’t be there, and Rebecca got hurt, and the Royal Council was trying to stop the wedding…I just forgot about changing the meeting. I was being pulled in so many directions and I’m only human. It slipped through. I’m sorry.”

He was ashamed, but he hadn’t thought about how difficult that time must have been for her, having to choose between caring for her husband or her daughter, then all that mess with the Royal Council and the wedding. However, all that didn’t excuse her behavior all those years ago. “Why did you push Lily away in the first place? It wasn’t just because I was healing.”

His mother dried her eyes with a handkerchief. “No, it wasn’t. I saw the two of you together one day in your room, quite by accident.”

He winced. “Mother.”

“No, not like that. You were just talking and smiling at each other. But the way you were together, I knew. I looked into Cecilia and learned who her family was, and discovered the allegations against her father’s company. If you went public with a relationship, I knew the press would uncover what had happened to you in the military. I’m ashamed to say that I thought she was perhaps using you.”

Lily put her hands on her hips. “How can you think that? I was never using him.”

“I know that now, but your family was in the midst of a scandal. If it went public that you were dating a prince, the press would get distracted. It’s a ploy I’ve often seen before.”

Lorenzo took a deep breath, and tried to remain calm. “That’s not an excuse. If you’d come to me–”

“You were sick!” Tears streamed down his mother’s face. “You were sick. You don’t know what it was like, to visit you in the hospital. Your eyes were vacant for so long. Some days you barely moved. You started getting better, and we were all hopeful. Then, after she left, you fell apart again. I knew you weren’t strong enough for a relationship.”

“You’re right.”

“Wh-what?”

“I wasn’t very strong back then. But that doesn’t give you the right to do what you did. I lost four years of my daughter’s life that I’ll never get back. She doesn’t know her own father, for fuck’s sake.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” His mother started sobbing. “If I’d kn-known about Lil-Liliana, I would not have done it. I sh-should not have done it regardless. I’m s-sorry. So s-sorry. C-can you ever fo-forgive me?”

Lorenzo ran both hands through his hair. How could he forgive his mother for this? She realized now it was a mistake, but that didn’t erase the last few years he’d lived without Lily and Liliana.

There was a knock at the door and his father entered. He took one look at his mother and went to her. “My dear, Lorenzo will be fine.”

“She’s not upset about that, or not entirely. She schemed to keep Lily and I apart years ago. She’s the reason I’ve never known my daughter except for two days.”

His father sighed. “I know, my son. When your mother reached out to Cecilia and discovered Liliana existed, she told me.”

“How could she tell you and not me? That’s my child!”

“My son, I know you’re upset. I don’t agree with what your mother did to you and Cecilia. You should know that Marcello was also aware of Cecilia, as your mother reached out to him to investigate Cecilia’s claims.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” His brother? His own fucking brother? Now, Marcello’s recent eagerness to investigate Lily made sense. His ‘investigation’ would have taken him no time at all, since he’d already completed it for his mother.

“My son, there’s nothing we can do it about the past now. We must move forward.”

Lorenzo shook his head. “How do you suggest we do that?”

“As we’ve always done: we move on as a family.”

“Papa–”

Ethan knocked and entered the room. “Sorry to interrupt.” He stopped and stared at the sight of his mother crying and the tense air in the room. “Should I come back?”

Gabriel continued consoling Genevieve. “What did you need, my son?”

Ethan faced Lily. “Your parents are here.”

A roaring tidal wave of anger engulfed Lorenzo. He’d already been angry, but that had been a low, lapping current of heat. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Lily wrapped her arms around herself, and her wild eyes pinned him. “Lorenzo.”

He rushed to her and put his arms around her. “I’ll take care of it.”

“But–”

He cupped her face. “I’ll take care of it.” He kissed her forehead then turned to Ethan. “How did they get here? I thought security had cordoned off the hospital.”

Ethan nodded. “They had, but her parents started to make noise in front of the reporters camped outside. Said they couldn’t believe we’d keep them from visiting their future son-in-law, and all kinds of bullshit. We thought it best to let them in, rather than fan the flame.”

“Show them in.”

Ethan quirked a brow. “Here?”

“Here. Now.”

Ethan’s eyes flicked to Lily. “I don’t know, Lorenzo.”

“I do. Now.”

Ethan’s eyes flipped back to him, and he waited a beat, then nodded. With a glance to his parents, he left. He returned after a few minutes, this time ushering in Lily’s parents.

Lorenzo had seen them before in pictures. They were a suave Italian couple, with subpar plastic surgery they’d done to make themselves look ten years younger yet, in actuality, made them look even older. Underneath the artificial sheen, he could see elements of Lily – her nose from her father, her lustrous hair from her mother. They were both about Lily’s height – and thus shorter than him – with dark hair and olive skin. Though Liliana looked a lot like Lorenzo, he could now see Brionne features in her as well.

With their stiff faces and entitled air, it was clear that physical features were all his girls received from the Brionnes. The rest of Lily’s goodness was innate in her, and Liliana’s goodness had come from Lily. That thought buoyed him, though he didn’t need the extra confidence to face them.

Lily’s mother, Saskia, curtsied to his parents while her father, Bernardino, bowed. Then they turned to him and did the same. Before he could berate them, Saskia spoke.

“Your Majesties, it is such an honour to see you again.”

Genevieve, now standing beside Gabriel with an impassive expression, smiled lightly. “Is it? I wish we could say the same.”

Saskia, her nose tipped slightly up, stretched her face into a tight smile. “Your Majesty, of course it is. Especially now that our families will be joining.”

Saskia glanced for the first time in Lily’s direction, and gave her a once-over. “Cecilia, you do look rather gaunt. You’ll have to freshen yourself up prior to the wedding. Perhaps a little work around the eyes.”

Bernardino nodded. “Indeed. It wouldn’t do to have my daughter looking as old as you do. You’ve waited too long to get married as it is. We wouldn’t want to draw any further attention to your age.”

Lily paled even further. As she opened her mouth to speak, Genevieve spoke first.

“How dare you?”

Saskia blinked. “Pardon, Your Majesty?”

Genevieve fisted her hands at her sides. “No, I don’t believe I will. How dare you insult Cecilia? How dare you come see her at all?”

Bernardino spluttered. “Your Majesty, she is our daughter, of course–”

Genevieve was having none of it. “She was your daughter five years ago when she became pregnant and you abandoned her.”

Bernardino sucked in a breath. “Well, Your Majesty, wasn’t it your son who abandoned her? It’s not our fault he didn’t live up to his responsibilities.”

Gabriel’s eyes flashed. “How dare you speak about my son in such a manner? How dare you speak to us this way at all? We are the king and queen!”

“You are not my king and queen. We owe you no deference unless we are in public.”

Gabriel’s voice went dangerously low. “Is that so? Well, then. Perhaps we will make the entire situation easier for you. You need not show us any deference at all, particularly since, after today, you will never be allowed to see your daughter, granddaughter, or any of us.”

“What–”

“Nor will you be allowed in Valleria or near any of our family ever again.”

Bernardino gasped. “You would not dare keep us from our daughter.”

Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. “Try me.”

Bernardino’s nostrils flared and he pointed at Lily. “We are the only chance that troublesome girl of ours has to become something. If we don’t act now, her daughter could become as worthless as her.”

Lorenzo’s head was about to explode. How dare that son of a bitch call his daughter worthless and Lily useless? Lorenzo stepped forward to respond, but rage turned his attack physical rather than verbal.

He punched Bernardino in the face.

Bernardino cried out, his hands covering his now bloody nose. “You punched me! My God. What kind of prince are you?”

Lorenzo unclenched his fist and shook his hand out. The ache he felt in his knuckles was a welcome one. “One that protects his family. Lily and Liliana are ours now. We will make that clear to the press and public. You will not come near us, as my father said. You will never see either of them, nor any of us, after today.”

He stepped forward again and felt a thrill when both Saskia and Bernardino took a step back. Good; he wanted Lily’s parents to be afraid of him. “Do not even think about testing us on this. Do you understand me?”

Saskia puffed up her chest. “I want to see my granddaughter.”

“You didn’t want to see her four years ago when she was born,” Lily said, and all eyes turned to her. “You didn’t care about my child when I called you from my hospital room after a complicated birth.”

Lily stepped forward. “You didn’t care when I told you I was pregnant and asked for your help. You didn’t care when you cut me off financially, leaving me practically penniless with a baby on the way.”

Saskia sneered. “You were a disgrace. All of society was talking about it. We had to publicly disavow you.”

“Yet it didn’t stop there, did it? For five years you have not cared about me, or my child. And I just have two words for you.”

Saskia gasped. “Cecilia.”

“Thank you.”

Her parents blinked.

Lily face twisted into a forced smile. “That’s right. Thank you. Though the last several years have been difficult, they would have been much more so with both of you around. You constantly demean me, and you’d have done the same to Liliana.

“If she’d been around you, she wouldn’t be the happy, confident, beautiful–” Lily’s voice broke and she cleared her throat. “Beautiful little girl she is. I’ll do anything to protect her, even if that means I never see you again.”

Bernardino frowned, his hands still holding his nose, while Saskia gaped. “We are your parents!”

Lily snorted. “Only biologically. You didn’t do much for me beyond that.”

Saskia pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. “What about your brother? If you refuse to see us, we won’t let you see your brother, either.”

Lily let out a soft breath. “I can’t say he did much for me, either. You pitted us against each other so much, I can’t trust that he would treat me any different than both of you have. Maybe, after all he’s been through – going to jail, the public scrutiny – he’s changed, but I can’t take that chance.”

Saskia huffed. “We never wanted a daughter anyhow. We were hoping for a spare son, not a useless daughter. We don’t need you.”

“Then you don’t need us as well,” Genevieve replied. “If Cecilia means nothing to you, we, the royal family, can mean nothing to you, either. I’ll make sure the press is made aware of your stance with the family and with Valleria.”

Bernardino’s voice was extremely nasal when he spoke. “How will you explain that to the public? Banning us from Valleria? You can’t explain it, can you?”

“No, but we can.” Lorenzo took Lily’s hand. “The right interview with the right journalist will turn the public in our favor, and turn them even more against you. You know it’s true. You know the public is clamoring for news about us.”

Lily’s parents blanched.

“However, if you leave here without incident and without inciting the press, we might diminish the hatred aimed at you both. You’ll sign some specific non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements before you leave here today, as well as a pledge to stay away from us, no matter where we are, for the rest of your lives. That means, if we go to Rome and you happened to be there, you go somewhere else. Do you understand me?”

Lily’s parents looked at each other, then looked around the room. The reality of the situation must have sunk in, because Saskia said, “We’ll agree to those terms.”

Thank God.

“As long as we can attend your wedding.”

Fucking assholes.

“No fucking way.”

“We want–”

“I don’t care what you fucking want. You try to push this, I will do everything in my power to have Lily’s trust – the one who are currently living off of – returned to Lily, with you forced to make any payments for funds you’ve already withdrawn.”

Bernardino spluttered. “You! I! Never!”

“That is our livelihood,” Saskia cried. “How will we live if you take it away? No, we do not accept this. You will not take away our funds, and you will invite us to the wedding.”

“No,” Lily said. “No. You are gone. You are done. You want my money? Fine. I’ve lived without it for years, and I don’t need it, though I do want it. Go ahead, though. Take the trust and be gone. I want nothing more to do with you, and I do not want you at my wedding.” Her voice broke again, and almost broke his heart as he listened.

“I don’t want you. You’re my parents. I love you, but I don’t like you very much. In time, I’m sure I’ll stop loving you, too. I’ve already stopped hoping for a shred of acceptance from you, stopped waiting for the smallest indication that you loved me for anything at all.”

Tears were flowing down her cheeks, but her face was resolute. “I don’t wish you ill will, I truly don’t. I just don’t wish to ever see you again. And I never, but never, want you near my daughter or any other children I might have.”

She gave Lorenzo’s hand a squeeze and let go. She walked to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye, Mother.”

She stood in front of her father; no kiss for him. “Goodbye, Father.”

She walked to the door and opened it, the guards outside coming to attention as it did. Her fingers stayed wrapped around the handle as she spoke to the guards. “Take them to the waiting room. They need to sign some documents and they’re not to leave the hospital until they do so. They are not to speak to anyone, and they are not to be left alone. You may have someone look at his nose, but that’s it.”

The guard closest to her nodded. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Bernardino sneered as one guard took hold of his arm, but said no more. Saskia’s face had paled, and her lips remained pursed as another guard began to escort her from the room as well.

“Aren’t you even going to say goodbye to your daughter?” Lorenzo asked, unsurprised they weren’t planning to. “You’re never going to see her again.” Lorenzo couldn’t help but feel that Lily may want the closure, though she would never give up face to ask for it.

Sarcasm dripped from Bernardino’s words. “Goodbye, daughter. I wish you a pleasant life.” He jerked his arm in the guard’s hold and they walked out.

Saskia’s face was even, all trace of emotion once again wiped clean. She spent a long minute gazing at her daughter. “Goodbye.”

A guard escorted her out, and Lily closed the door behind them. She placed both hands on the door, and rested her forehead against it. “It’s over.”

“Lily.” Lorenzo walked over and rubbed a hand down her back.

She turned into his arms and burst into tears.

“Let it out, baby. It’s all right. You’re safe here.” He shifted his eyes to his parents. They’d both defended Lily, and protected her and Liliana with their actions. “You’re safe with us. All of us.”

“Re-re-really?”

“Yes,” his mother said softly and touched a hand to her back. “You are. I’m very sorry about what’s happened, but we’re a family now.”

Lorenzo locked eyes with his father. “We need to move forward.”

“Together.” Gabriel placed one hand on Lily’s back and the other on his.

“Together,” Lorenzo repeated and kissed Lily’s head.

It took a few minutes for her to stop crying, a few more after that to settle enough to pull back. “Th-Thank you, all of you, for supporting me and Liliana.”

Gabriel took her hand and kissed it. “My dear, we may not have had the best start, but we do care for you, and not just as Liliana’s mother.”

“Absolutely,” Genevieve agreed. “I hope one day you can forgive me – that you all can – however, even if you don’t, know that we’re behind you, one hundred percent.”

Lily glanced at Lorenzo, then back at his mother. “I can’t speak for Lorenzo, but I forgive you. You stood up for me against my parents. Even though it took several years, as soon as you found out about Liliana, you did what you could to bring Lorenzo and I together. If you’re accepting me for Liliana’s sake–”

“We’re not,” Genevieve said, her voice firm and unwavering. “You’re a wonderful person. I didn’t see it all those years ago. I should have. The truth is, after thinking about it, I realized that you reminded me so much of myself.”

His mother? Like Lily? “Mama.”

“It’s true. My family is not the easiest, either. I won’t go into details, but I know some of what you’ve suffered. I suppose, in standing up to your parents, I was standing up to my own, in a sense.”

Lorenzo thought about his maternal grandmother, Helen. She was a bitch, and had treated Rebecca like shit right before the wedding. Helen did seem to share certain personality traits with Saskia.

He now had the uncomfortable realization of how his mother must have been raised, by a scheming bitch of a mother more concerned with social status than her own child. Though his mother had behaved terribly in keeping him and Lily apart, she had always been a loving mother to all of them. Even being queen never kept her from being present in her children’s lives, even though she likely never received much love from her own mother growing up. She could not have had an easy life.

He suddenly pitied his mother, though she wouldn’t want his pity. “I forgive you, too.”

His mother gasped. “Lorenzo.”

“I only hope all of you can forgive my outburst earlier.” He turned to Lily. “I’m sorry I punched your father.”

She gave him a small smile. “I’m not. Is that wrong?”

His father wrapped an arm around his mother’s shoulders. “Not in the least. I wanted to do it myself.”

Lorenzo’s heart started beating faster as his words came out in a rush. “Just because I punched him doesn’t mean I’m regressing, or that I have rage issues, or that–”

“Of course you don’t, my son.” Gabriel leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I know you don’t.”

His mother kissed his cheek. “We know, Lorenzo.”

An overwhelming sense of relief filled him. It seemed his family – all his family – was finally ready to stop babying him and start trusting him again.

Thank God.

“I’m going to give Corrado a call, and have him send the documents over that need to be signed.”

As his father pulled out his phone, his mother pulled out hers. “I’ll get the others working on the press statements in the meantime.”

Knowing his parents had the situation well in hand, Lorenzo pulled Lily into his arms. “I am sorry about something else.”

Lily tilted her head to the side, her lips tipped down. She looked so much like Liliana in that moment, he almost smiled. “What?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how much you meant to me all those years ago. If you’d believed how much I loved you, how much I needed you, maybe you would have come directly to me when you realized you were pregnant. You’d have known that I would have chosen you, if a choice was to be made. I would have chosen you and our daughter.”

“It isn’t your fault.”

“It isn’t yours, either.”

She shook her head. “I had a hard time believing you really loved me, that anyone could. I was so…broken, I guess. It’s a mess, isn’t it? Everything’s a mess.”

They’d both been broken, hadn’t they? “Life’s a mess. Life is messy. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it.”

He took in her tear-stained cheeks and softened lips. She was stunning. Absolutely stunning, inside and out. “God, Lily. Don’t leave me again. Promise me.”

He kissed her, forgetting his parents were nearby, forgetting that a hospital full of family and staff were just outside the door. “Promise me you’ll never leave.”

“I never really did, though, did I? I never really left you, and you never left me.”

She was right about that; he’d never stopped loving her, no matter how much he tried to deny it. “Promise me, please.”

“I promise,” she whispered. “I’ll never leave you.”

“Thank God. I’ll never leave you or Liliana, either.” He kissed her, hard and deep and long, then buried his face in her neck.

“Was that a proposal?” she whispered.

“Not even close. When I propose, you’ll know it.”

In each other’s arms, neither of them felt broken at all.