Page 209 of Love Arranged

56

LORENZO

After two years of meticulous planning, it is hard to believe that election day is finally here. The November date on my calendar has always been a deadline I was looking forward to, but now that it is finally here, I’m dreading the day from the moment my alarm clock goes off.

The last couple of weeks have been a blur of campaign events, strategy meetings, therapy sessions, and dates with Lily, so time passes by quickly.

Today everything seems to be moving at a snail’s pace.

Besides the high school where voting will occur, the town is pretty much shut down for the day since people either need to cast their vote for mayor, watch their kids since school is canceled, or volunteer to man the voting booths.

I plan on dropping by Wisteria High later to vote, but thismorning I keep to my routine by meeting with Doctor Martin at ten a.m. Therapy still sucks, but at least it is starting to suck a little less now that we’ve moved on from discussing my deceased parents and narcissistic, emotionally abusive uncle.

My compulsions are still a problem, but I’m working harder to combat the obsessive thoughts with Doctor Martin’s help. Lily and I even attended another cooking class, and I managed a few bites of my food this time, although I still struggled mentally.

But progress, however small, is still progress, so I’ll take it.

After this morning’s therapy session, I head to the gym before stopping by Rose & Thorn with a lunch I prepared for Lily, which is a habit I picked up two months ago. Providing for her in the smallest ways scratches an itch I didn’t know I had, and it hardly costs me anything at all to bring a smile to her face each day.

Once we eat, Lily and I walk over to the high school, where we both vote. She jokes about having no choice in the matter, and all the volunteers working the booths laugh, accusing me of voter intimidation after I kiss Lily hard on the mouth.

She slides behind the curtain with the goofiest smile on her face and blocks everyone, including me, from seeing her while she fills out her ballot.

Thanks to the computer systems Lake Wisteria had invested in during the last presidential election, results could come in as early as tonight, but Willow told me not to expect any updates until tomorrow morning.

The wait will be torture, but Lily is committed to distracting me in the best ways possible until tomorrow. We hole up inmy house for the next few hours, only leaving my bedroom for food, water, and to take Daisy outside.

If I had it my way, Lily wouldn’t have to leave at all, but she is still committed to following her mom’s rule.

“You can’t leave,” I say when she starts collecting her clothes from the floor.

“I can’t sleep over.”

I lean against the headboard and stretch, temporarily distracting her with my toned stomach. “But we’re engaged.”

“You know my mom’s rule—no living with a man until you’re married.” She mimics her mom’s voice, and it’s surprisingly accurate.

“We can easily fix that problem.”

“Sure, in a year and a half. Maybe two.”

My mouth falls open. “What?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Two. Years?”

“It’s not like we’ve been together for very long.”

“So?” I ask, still shocked by her timeline. “My dad married my mom within two months of knowing her.”

She pauses in the middle of fixing her dress. “What? I didn’t know that.”

“It was quite the scandal back then. No prenup either, not that it mattered since they walked away from the business.”

I know Lily is far too interested in hearing more stories about my parents, so she pauses her plan to leave and climbs back onto the bed. She fits perfectly in my arms, and I enjoy the feel of her body pressed to mine.

She looks up at me with a grin. “Tell me more.”