Page 35 of Only Lovers in the Building

and failed ones, but had he ever wanted to devote his life to another person? If the answer was yes , it would devastate her. There would be no hiding it. She might take off running to the far end of the terrace, gasping for

air. Like Sierra, she might howl in frustration into the void. She wasn’t a competitive person, but this time she wanted to

be first.

His answer was blunt. “No.”

“Oh, thank God!”

“Thank God? What do you mean by that?” he asked, laughing again.

“I’d feel bad for that poor woman, that’s all,” she said jokingly to better hide the truth. “Marrying a regular guy is hard

enough, let alone an artist and certified genius.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever marry,” he said.

“Why?”

“I’d take it seriously,” he said.

“You’d be the only one ever,” she teased. All at once, she recalled the conversation they’d had the night he’d showed her

his father’s journals. “Does this have anything to do with your father?”

A tic pulled at his jaw. “I swear I’ve never had to talk about the man as much as I’ve had to since he died, and I’m sick

of it.”

“It’s a blow you can’t ignore,” Lily said. “The feelings won’t magically go away. If you push them down, their roots will

grow deeper. You should talk to someone, and it might as well be me. You’ve helped me so much this summer, you have no idea.

I want to help you, too.”

“Lily,” he said, lightly tracing the knuckles of her hand, “why are you so easy to be with?”

“Easy?” she choked out. “Wait until I bombard you with free and unsolicited advice. You’ll be sick of me soon.”

“I don’t think I could ever be sick of you. I don’t think that’s possible,” he said. “Which is why I want to protect this.”

Her throat tightened. Ben’s father was the flaky artist no sensible woman ought to marry. Ben was the hero with the heart

of gold.

“Tell me,” she said. “Why has your father turned you off marriage?”

Ben went on running a finger along the back of her hand, following the patterns of her veins.

“He married three or four times,” he began.

“It’s an approximate guess because one of those wives might’ve just been a live-in girlfriend.

She wasn’t quite divorced, at least that’s what the research shows.

In one of his many obituaries, he’s described as a ladies’ man , feeding into the Latin lover nonsense.

What they don’t realize is that he married for money. Poets are poor. Unless they’re

born rich or marry rich, they’re poor. There’s no way around it. No prize money will keep you living at the Biltmore Hotel,

which he did for a time. He seduced aging heiresses, widows, and not-quite-divorced women who funded his lifestyle. He might

have loved my mother, but she had nothing to offer. They were never married. He abandoned her for wife number four. The free

ride ended when he got old and sick. He died penniless.”

“Your father was quite a character.”

“He was.”

“Are you researching his life for a project? A memoir or biography?”

“Maybe.”

“It would make for an interesting project, you know, for the grant. People are fascinated with him and would welcome your

perspective.”

“Maybe,” he repeated.

“Just one thing, though,” she said. “The whole Latin lover thing, it’s not nonsense.”

“You’re right,” he said. “It’s a stereotype.”

“Even stereotypes have a kernel of truth.”

He smirked. “Oh, yeah? You know this from experience?”

“Let’s say I’m researching the topic.”

“Tell me more.”

“Ben! There you are! I’ve been looking for you.”

The man making his way to their table was the groom, no doubt about it. The runaway groom. Looking clean-shaven and well-groomed, wearing a stark-white linen suit with a purple orchid pinned to his lapel, and taking

long, nervous strides. He was bald, tan, and of muscular build, the type who frequented the gym, not the cozy local bookstores.

“Rick,” Ben said in greeting. “Big day for you. Congratulations.”

“Thanks, man. That means a lot.”

“This is my date, Lily,” Ben said. “Lily, this is Ricardo Perez, Roxanna’s husband—shortly.”

“Thanks for having me,” she replied, “and congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“You said you were looking for me?” Ben asked.

“I was hoping we could talk. I have some things to say...”

He hesitated. Did he want her gone? Anticipating her reaction, Ben tightly curled his fingers around her wrist, making it

clear that he wanted her to stay.

“Your approval means a lot to Roxy,” Ricardo said. “You think she’s making a mistake, and I don’t blame you. It’s my fault.

I need you to know that I’m gonna do right by Roxy and Oscar. That last time, I wasn’t ready. I panicked. I thought I had

more time to chase some dreams, hit my goals. But none of that matters now. My family needs me, and I want to do the right

thing.”

“I appreciate you speaking to me,” Ben said calmly. “I want nothing more than to welcome you into the family.”

Lily credited herself for this measured response. If Ben didn’t have such a tight grip on her arm, she would’ve patted herself

on the back.

“Thanks, man!” Ricardo beamed.

“Only, if you ever panic again, and your first instinct is to run and abandon Roxy and Oscar, don’t.”

Ben’s tone was almost threatening...

Oh damn. Lily averted her eyes and buried her nose in her cup. She slurped down the watery rum, mint, and sugar concoction that passed

for a mojito.

Ricardo nodded. “I deserve that,” he said. “And don’t worry, I won’t.”

“Good to hear,” Ben said. “And again, congrats.”

Ricardo turned to Lily. “Roxanna asked me to come back with you, if that’s okay.”

“Are you sure she asked for me?” Lily asked, confused.

“Yes,” he replied. “She said, ‘If you see Lily out there, bring her back. I need to speak with her.’”

Well, that was clear enough. What wasn’t clear was why the groom was conversing with the bride before the wedding. It was

bad luck. Why tempt fate? Things were rocky enough.

Ben released his grip on her wrist and brought her hand to his lips. “I’ll be waiting here.”

She followed Ricardo through the main room and out a sliding glass door to an area of restricted access, the sacred realm

of the bridal suite.

Roxanna sat at a vanity table, adding the finishing touches to her bridal look. She looked lovely in a simple ivory slip dress

and her dark hair in a sleek bun.

“Lily!” she said. “Thanks for coming. Don’t you look pretty!”

“And you look regal, just gorgeous!” Lily replied. “Very Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.”

“That’s what I was going for,” she said. “You’re the only one who understands. My mother wanted a remake of my quinceanera gown, lace, lace, and more lace.”

“Your mom can’t deny you look lovely.”

Roxanna slipped on a pair of white tulle gloves. “Have you met Oscar, my son?”

She pointed to a bassinet in the center of the room. Lily approached it, and her heart swelled. A plump baby with rosy cheeks

and a tuft of dark hair was fast asleep, sprawled out on his back, arms flung wide.

“He’s adorable,” she whispered.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Roxanna said. “That boy can sleep through a hurricane. I scheduled the ceremony around his nap time so we could have some peace. He gets so fussy now that he’s teething. If he does wake up, we hired a babysitter to feed him.”

“Good thinking.”

“I asked you here because I need a favor.”

“Anything you need.”

Roxanna had her hands full: a baby, a wedding, a mother who dreamed of lace. It was a lot.

“My friend Bella is a no-show. First she said she was coming late. Now she says she’s not coming at all.”

Lily stiffened at the mention of Bella, the image of her crying in the elevator fresh in her mind. Of course she would attend

the wedding! Was that the real reason Ben had seemed nervous?

“She designed the wedding program. Her job was to distribute them to the guests. Now they’re just sitting in a pile by the

entrance. Could you grab them and hand them out? It won’t take long. We have fifty-some guests in total. Is that okay?”

Lily blinked and tried to find her words.

Roxanna tore her gaze away from her own reflection in the mirror. “Shit,” she said. “You know.”

Lily nodded. “She’s Ben’s ex-girlfriend.”

“She’s his ex-something,” Roxanna said. “Not very classy of me to ask Ben’s new girlfriend to do the job of his ex. It’s been

a crazy day. I can’t pin down any of my cousins. They’re running wild. Besides, I know you’d do a fantastic job. You’re a

natural.”

Lily had no issues playing hostess. She had other concerns. “Why isn’t Bella coming?” she asked.

“Obviously she doesn’t want to run into Ben. Somehow word got back to her that he’s seeing someone new. I don’t know who’s

smuggling information out of the building. Better not be Noah!”

“Don’t blame Noah,” Lily said. “Bella... ran into us once.”

“So you are together?”

“No,” Lily said firmly. “I’m not trying to blow up my life right now, and Ben isn’t interested in starting something new.

He’s trying to change.”

“ Change? That’s hysterical,” Roxanna said dryly. “We don’t change. We’re stubborn. He’s feeling guilty. That’s all. It’ll pass.”

Guilty? Lily swayed uneasily. Despite everything, she’d believed in Ben’s innocence. What exactly had gone down between him

and Bella? She was done tap dancing around the question. She had to know.

“Listen up.” Roxanna reached for her pair of sparkly earrings and clipped them on. “I’m in a rush, so I’ll make this brief.

Something is going on between you two. I clocked it right away. Because of the Bella situation, I tried to intervene. I was wrong.

I can admit I was wrong. Ben and Bella, as cute as that sounds, were a car crash waiting to happen. It was painful to watch.

The friend group will never be the same and—”

“Honestly, you don’t owe me an explanation,” Lily interrupted. She wanted to hear it from Ben. “It’s your day and—”

“You’re right! It’s my day, and I’m going to speak my mind.”

Chastised, Lily sank into the nearest chair. “All right.”