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To those who dream of falling in love. And to anyone who fears it. Love is one of life’s greatest rewards, so long as you’re prepared to work for it.
She laces her fingers with mine and drags me onto the dance floor, making me forget all about my boundaries as I get lost in the music. As I get lost in her.
She might as well be my first and my last because no one from my past compares, and there won’t be a single person who ever will.
I’ve wished for so many different things in my life because to wish is to hope, and that’s the one thing no one can take away from you.”
But instead I met up with her on Halloween, not knowing at the time how that night would change everything. One incredible kiss was all it took to send me running, and I haven’t stopped ever since.
“If my actions said anything, it was that I liked you too damn much, Lily. That was my problem. Never you.”
“I wasn’t looking for anything real when I joined the app, but meeting you made me consider it.”
“There is absolutely nothing you can offer me that would convince me to leave Lily—whether it be money, endorsements, or a guaranteed election victory. So bring up the idea again and I’ll show you what it’s like to be my enemy.”
I hate him for making sense—but not nearly as much as I hate myself for the flutter in my stomach at him using the word we.
Speaking of the devil, Lorenzo opens the door in nothing but a black T-shirt and jeans. It’s rare to see him looking so casual, and the sight of his thick arms and the faintest hint of abs test my heart rate.
“Why do you enjoy antagonizing me?” she whispers. “I’m showing my girlfriend how much I want her.”
I’m still recuperating from the way he stares at my mouth like he wants to kiss it, only to be tested yet again when he reaches for the linen napkin and wipes the corner of my mouth with it. My bottom lip tingles when his thumb accidentally brushes over it instead of the napkin, but the feeling fades when I catch Lorenzo winking in the direction of the swooning group of women at the other side of the table.
So, despite my better judgment, I hug him, and I hug him hard. I even rub his back like my mom always does whenever Dahlia and I are upset. I don’t stop or release him until the tension bleeds from his body, and even then, I struggle because I don’t want to let go. And that right there is a problem.
“It’s because at some point in your life, you learned to protect yourself by letting people think the worst of you. It was probably too easy to play the part of a villain, and I bet you became so comfortable with the role, you never expected anyone to question it.”
I already have enough to worry about when it comes to myself, so becoming obsessed with Lily is the last thing I need. Even if she’s everything I want.
“I can’t like him, Rafa.” I shake my head, wishing I could turn back the clock so this conversation never happened. Rafa carefully walks around the kittens and pulls me into his arms. “Why not?” “Because he’s never going to feel the same way.”
buckle up girl
Truth is I could watch her complete the most menial tasks, like trimming flowers or reviewing invoices, and never get bored. There’s too much about her that interests me, from the delicate way she curls ribbons or organizes wrapping paper to the amusing furrow she gets between her brows whenever she has to do inventory counts.
“I’ve come to enjoy your rambling.” “Is this your discreet way of telling me you like the sound of my voice?” “Depends. Is this your discreet way of asking if I do?” She cracks a smile. It’s the first one I’ve seen all day from her, and it fills me with a relief I have no business feeling in the first place. “Maybe.”
I turn her ponytail into a rope, winding it around my hand until her head tilts in my direction. She tries to pull away, but she can’t go anywhere. “Look who’s fleeing now.” I smile.
Instead I jump out of my seat and throw my arms around him. “Love the outfit, baby.” His hands find the curve of my ass and stay there, claiming me in front of the entire bar full of twenty- and thirty-somethings. “Make another comment about it and I’ll find a better way to keep your mouth busy.”
“I can’t get angry at them for something I’ve been guilty of. So let them look. Let them stare. Let them wish they were going home with the most beautiful woman in this bar—in this town—for all I care. I’ve been there. Many times, in fact, when it comes to you. So if anything, I sympathize with them because they can want you, but they’ll never truly have you.”
MY PUSSY
“But you totally should fix it,” Dahlia tells me while linking her arm with her sister’s. “Lesson number one of dating a billionaire: When they offer their black card, you only ask, What’s the limit?” “There isn’t one,” Julian and I say at the same time before shooting each other a look.
“What about amore mio*?” Her cheeks flush, and I officially have her new nickname.
Lorenzo You’re important to me. Me Because of our arrangement? Three dots appear, disappear, and reappear again before a new message pops up. Lorenzo No.
“I don’t think there was an exact moment in time where I realized I loved Lily, but it was more a collection of small, impactful ones. Moments where I fell in love with her genuine heart or her quick wit or the adorable tell she has where her nose wrinkles whenever she wants to be honest but worries it might hurt someone’s feelings. Not to mention she’s confident, incredibly loyal, and so out of my league, I’m still surprised she gave me a chance.”
He might not love me, but his words give me hope that there is a chance he could one day. Hope I haven’t felt since I took the last gold coin my dad gave me and used my wish on him.
If I didn’t care about Lily, I’d choose my own comfort over her safety, but there is this undeniable need to…protect, right up there with my desire to possess. The urge has strengthened with every passing hour of our ruse, and I’m still not entirely sure how to navigate these complex feelings.
It appears that my plan to have him realize he has feelings for me is going a bit too well, to the point where I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. There is no way Lorenzo will easily accept he cares about more than my safety—not when he pushed me away the first time because of exactly that. But unlike last time, I’m ready to put up a fight because I know what I want, and it’s always been him.
I continue until all seven small ring boxes are opened and organized to match the rainbow—a visual reminder of the conversation we had during our double date when I asked him about us coordinating outfits. It looks like Lorenzo doesn’t just want me to remember the colors of the rainbow.
his. “I can’t.” “Can’t or won’t?” “Does it matter? Because either way, you’re right. I won’t act on it.” “Why not?” I want to shake him around. “Give me a good reason.” “Because I’ll never be able to give you what you want. I can’t. I’m incapable of loving someone else, and if anyone deserves the happy ending they want, it’s you.”
“You don’t talk about other men while wearing my ring.”
“How’s that?” Why do I sound breathy from an innocent kiss? He wets his bottom lip, dragging my attention right toward it. “Better than anything money could buy.” “Says the millionaire who already has everything he needs.” “Not everything,” he rasps.
I want her to tell me about every single wish, and I want to make sure she never has another reason to stop. And I think I have an idea of where to start.
“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.”
“I’ve been changing my mind for weeks, but last night forced me to accept what I’ve been denying for far too long.” “What?” “If I had a thirty-year plan, you’d be the woman I would want to share it with.”
“Vi ho portato a Lily oggi, cosi potete finalmente conoscerla. Sono molto sicuro che la amereste piu di quanto amate me.”* He looks back over his shoulder and smiles. It isn’t blinding—not that I expect it to be—but it does reach his eyes, which look a little less haunted than earlier today.
you are sick and twisted for this Lauren
“Put something on.” “What kind of mood are we in?” “Whatever makes you laugh.” I dip my head so he can’t see the goofy little smile on my face because there can only be one reason why he wants that, and damn if it doesn’t make me fall in love with him a little bit more.
“Kiss me like you mean it.” “Then I’ll never leave.” “If it were up to me, you never would.”
Lorenzo doesn’t take his eyes off me. “I had a set number of goals for my life, and most of them up until I met Lily were self-serving, but once I met her, she had this way of making me think about a future that was bigger than myself or this town. And slowly, little by little, the future she painted for herself… Well, I couldn’t imagine anyone else standing beside her in that picture but me.”
If I can’t fix us, it won’t be for a lack of trying on my part. I’ll give her my all, and if that still isn’t good enough, then I’ll find a way to be more of whatever she needs. Because Lily Muñoz is mine, and I’ll stop at nothing until I become hers.
“I need to hear it,” I answer honestly. “Why?” “Because I’m losing my mind without you.” “I’m right here.” “Yes, but it’s not the same.” The knot in my stomach tightens. “I miss you.” I whisper it like a confession. “I miss you so damn much, Lily, and I didn’t think I was capable of missing someone this badly.”
“A few months ago, I stupidly said you were too much for me, but the truth is, I’m the one who wasn’t enough. I’m still not, and I’m not sure I ever will be, but that won’t stop me from giving you my all, and I’m sorry that my actions made you question that.”
I hope my actions leave no room for misinterpretation this time, because there is no question in my mind that I love Lily Muñoz, and I’ll spend forever making sure she never doubts that—or me—again.
