Chapter 53
“You made us late.”
“It’s not my fault you were all tied up with things to do.” I resist laughing.
Penny sighs. “It was most definitely your fault, Collins.”
“Next time, come a little faster.”
“We aren’t going to find a parking spot. And the popcorn concessions will probably have run out by now, at least of the good flavors. I’ll probably have to run to make up for lost time and then get blisters again that will fill up with pus by the time the night is over and be squirting out all over the sidewalk for everyone to step in. Someone will slip and fall, sue me for all I’m worth, and then I’ll forever feel guilty for them spending the rest of their life in a wheelchair.”
I look over at Penny who can’t stop fidgeting in the passenger seat. “That is quite the visual. Anything else to add?” I laugh. “I feel like you’re on a roll now.”
She turns in her seat glaring. “And I’m sure we missed the opening act.”
“Why must you have so little faith in me?”
“Because you chose giving me orgasms over prioritizing this epic concert I waited like half a year for.”
“Why limit yourself when you can enjoy orgasms and the concert?” I challenge, feeling extra logical.
“It would have been best just to give me those orgasms at the concert and save a whole hell of a lot of time.”
“You do like public intimacy,” I point out. My sweet princess has a dirty side for sure.
“Don’t sweeten what I want with flowery words. I want to be railed and taken advantage of by you in any setting—public or private. I’m not picky.”
I smile brightly as I turn on the road for the Japanese Garden. It feels like we are coming full circle, and maybe in a way we are. Penny has that effect on me of making me see the sentiment behind normal everyday things. She’s turned me into a sap who now might consider himself partially romantic.
Maybe.
“I can do that too.”
“Only if my hands aren’t tied, and I can eat popcorn while you do your thang .”
I shrug. “The options really are endless when you are content picking kernels out of your teeth.”
“Okay, now you’re killing the romance… Like stabbing it to death.”
Well, that didn’t last long.
This evening’s concert performance is being given to just five hundred people, so I find a parking spot easily, despite Penny’s initial trepidation.
The weather is comfortable for late fall, with low humidity and clear skies. Penny has on a pair of perfect-fitting jeans that have subtle sparkles all over them and an eyelet pink blouse. She looks amazing and definitely outshines me, in a pair of jeans and white button-down with the sleeves rolled up.
“Wait here,” I say, a warning tone to my voice, as I exit the vehicle and make my way to her side.
“Ready to Fall in Love ?” I ask, utilizing the name of Grace and Jace’s tour title as a play on words.
Taking my offered hand, she allows me to assist her. “I already have.”
I bend down to capture her lips with mine. “Maybe we should skip the concert and have car sex.”
“No,” she snaps. “Grace and Jace…”
Now she changes her tune?
I close the door and lace the fingers of my hand with hers. “Oh, the irony. I do recall many times of you propositioning me for car sex.”
“Wowza, you’re dating a slut.”
I pull her closer, tickling her sides. “And I love every second of it.”
Escorting Penny to the check-in area, I provide the worker with the tickets that I got for Penny for her birthday. It feels so good that we can do this together. So much has happened in the last few months that it almost seems like we are living in a dream.
Once we get through the gates, I turn to the girl who has captured my entire heart. “I love you, Penny.”
She stands on her tiptoes and places a kiss on my lips. “A lot?”
“More than a lot.”
“Me too, Collins. I love you more than a lot. Somewhere between your brooding silence and your chivalrous nature, I fell for you. And I fell fucking hard. I never want to let you go.”
“Penny, I fell in love with you long before I even realized it was happening. You make me want for things I thought I couldn’t have. You are imprinted on my heart, ruining me for anyone else. It’s been you, Princess. It’s always been you. Even when having a romantic relationship was far from my mind, you consumed my life. You beguile me.”
Tears fill her eyes, and I use my thumbs to hijack any that escape to make their journey south.
We keep walking along the paved and lit path, until we reach the beautifully decorated concert space. It’s enchanting with white and pink roses adorning the stage and elegant seats for all the guests in attendance. Little tables are speckled about for resting any food and drinks.
The crowd buzzes about while drinking specialty cocktails and snacking on appetizers.
“I don’t see popcorn,” Penny says, scanning the options.
“There,” I say, pointing to the little cart set up with a worker dishing out cotton candy-flavored popcorn into little pink snack boats.
“Oh, my goodness, my two favorite things as a single treat.”
We walk over to the cart and I order her popcorn and a strawberry daiquiri that is served in a heart-shaped flute. I settle for some cider.
If I’m going to deal with Penny’s impending crash in roughly thirty-four minutes, I shouldn’t also be dealing with one of my own.
Placing a hand on the small of her back, I trail my fingers along her spine. “Ready to go to our seats?”
She nods, as her mouth is entirely full of pink popcorn. I’m pretty sure that’s the only thing I’m in competition with for her heart. Me versus popcorn…
Her mouth gapes. “We are in the front row?”
I shrug. “I thought you would like to see better.”
Penny practically squeals. “Umm, yeah!”
Getting settled at the table, she places down her snacks and then leans over to give me a hug. She didn’t realize that I’d upgraded the tickets from the original pair that I got her for her birthday. Seeing her this happy makes any extra cost worth it.
Penny is worth it.
The opening act is a solo artist who just needs a piano and a microphone. The music spreads throughout the garden, making the entire space feel alive.
Penny offers me a sip of her drink and laughs at me when I make a face over the sweetness. Yup, she is most definitely going to have a sugar crash.
“Good, yeah?”
I kiss her. “Hmm, I think it tastes better off your lips.”
She playfully smacks my arm. I fake wince, pretending to look offended.
Penny makes it easy to get lost in the moment.
Once the opening act finishes up, Grace and Jace make it to the stage and the crowd goes wild, standing and chanting for them.
“Wow, I can already tell that this,” Grace says, looking out into the crowd, “is going to be an amazing night.”
“It’s a true blessing to be here tonight,” Jace continues, “and I hope that you take those pictures, sing those songs, and make those memories.”
“And fall in love,” Grace says, looking up at Jace, “all over again.”
He wraps her in his arms and kisses her, while we all cheer.
“Because tonight is going to be unforgettable!” Jace yells into his microphone.
Grace smiles at the audience, blowing kisses to a few members and waving. “How about we kick off the show with our first single from our new album titled, ‘Forever With You.’”
Sitting back in my chair, I listen to the two of them sing, enjoying the slow rhythm and the delivery of the message.
Once I realized you exist,
I had no willpower to resist,
And am thankful beyond measure,
Forever mine to treasure
Lacing my fingers in Penny’s, I kiss each of her bent knuckles.
Even from a long distance I see
It’s so logical to me
It has always been true
I want to spend forever with you
The concert extends beyond the normal set, taking in requests and doing some covers of other popular songs that allow for duets.
Hours pass, and by the third boat of popcorn, I think Penny is on an all-time high.
Luckily, she switched over to sparkling water after the first daiquiri to stay sober.
I most definitely need her to be coherent tonight.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, getting up from my seat. “I need to use the restroom.”
Penny looks over at me. “Okay.” She tosses some popcorn up into the air and catches it on her tongue like a pro. “I’ll be here.”
I nod and exit to the side where the restrooms are located.
Sneaking behind them, I move my way over to the side of the stage and wait for the worker to give me the signal to approach.
Taking two steps at a time, I walk across to where Jace is standing. He pats me on the back, while Grace gives me a half hug.
Passing off the microphone to me, Grace and Jace move to the side, allowing me to be front and center.
Looking out into the crowd, I find Penny who is wide-eyed and scooted all the way to the edge of her seat. She must have given up on her popcorn, because the boat is flipped partially over on my seat, with kernels scattered about where I once sat.
She is my beautiful, chaotic mess of a girl.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Collins.”
“Hi, Collins,” the crowd says back.
“I hope you all don’t mind if I call the beautiful Penelope Hoffman to the stage to join me for something a little off script tonight.”
Penny hesitates for a few seconds, but when several people nudge her forward, she stands up and makes her way to the side where the stairs are located. The crowd erupts in cheers as she finally joins me on stage, creating an energy circulating among us.
Rocking on her feet, she twists her fingers together in front of her.
I take one of her hands and give it a squeeze. “Don’t be nervous. Everything is going to be alright.”
“What are you doing?” she mouths, unable to produce sound.
Speaking into the microphone, I make my declaration to this girl who has enraptured my heart.
“Penny, I love you.”
“I love you too,” she says with a raspy voice.
“My whole life, I thought I wasn’t good enough or easy enough to love. Then I looked into your eyes and saw the reflection of myself in them. It’s you, Penny. It’s always been you, and it will forever stay you. You are my endgame. You are everything that I’m willing to fight for and won’t ever stop fighting for… When I look at you, I see more than just today—or even tomorrow. Princess, I see the next one hundred years of my life with you in it. And there isn’t a measure of time long enough when it comes to you. But I will settle with forever.”
“Oh, Collins…” she whispers. Then she grabs the microphone. Keeping her eyes on me, she smiles. “I love you, and I will keep loving you, for all the days of my life.”
Bending forward, my mouth captures hers, and I quietly—and with intention—surrender my life to her.
“Penny, I lived a tortured life before you.” I place my hand over where my script tattoo of the word Litost is located. “But it was you who helped me out of my own misery and made me believe in the possibility that someone could love a man like me.”
“And I do,” she chokes out, probably overcome with the implications of the next steps.
Then, reaching into the back of my jeans pocket, I pull out a little box. “Penelope Josephine Hoffman…” I get down on one knee and reveal the heart-shaped diamond to her and those now standing in the audience in anticipation. “Would you do me the great honor of becoming my forever partner, my wife?”
“Yes!” she screams, flopping down onto the stage floor to join me in a hug that knocks us both off-balance.
The crowd goes wild with excitement.
“Thank heavens,” Donna says, her voice cutting through above anyone else’s. She snaps a few pictures of us on stage, while she’s down below.
“This is awesome,” Angie calls out.
Claire echoes the sentiments. She chants and waves her fist into the air, careful not to jostle Scarlett, who is resting against her chest sleeping.
“Congrats,” Graham and Nic say in unison.
Beaming with pride, Germain speaks next. “I couldn’t be happier.”
“My family is here,” Penny says between sniffles.
“Yes, of course.”
I could never do something this profound without the people who have loved and supported Penny along the way being here. It felt right to invite them.
“So, they knew about this?”
“Yes. And everyone has accepted what I’ve known to be true for a while now. I want to spend forever with you, Penelope Josephine Hoffman.”
“And I’d be honored to be your wife.”
I stand up from the stage. Then I lean forward and scoop up an emotional Penny into my arms. I carry her down and off the platform, then set her back on her feet. Grace and Jace play one last song, while Penny’s family hugs us. Champagne is served, and the love surrounding us expands to complete strangers, wishing us well on our future together.
Taking Penny into my arms, we start to slow dance to the softer ballad.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
My brow furrows. “You are welcome. But for what?”
“For loving me at times when I wasn’t sure I could love myself.”
I kiss Penny on her forehead, feeling the most at peace I ever have in my entire life. Around us those invisible strings are tied a little tighter, binding us by the promise of forever. And the boundaries I thought my heart wouldn’t be able to stretch expand enough to make room for all the future has to offer us.
But I know for certain just one thing…
Forever won’t be long enough.