56. Penn
Chapter 56
Penn
Storm the castle.
I told Daisy I wouldn't, but here I am. Staring Duke in the face, and his dumb ass father, and the rest of the town who are all standing up from their chairs, watching the scene unfold.
I don't give Duke the chance to say a word. Pushing a stiff finger into his chest, I say, "She's not marrying you."
Duke opens his mouth to respond, but then from behind him comes the sweetest voice. Literal music to my ears.
"Penn?" Daisy steps around Duke. Behind me, there is shuffling, but I pay it no mind. Daisy's dad won't let that son of a bitch Hampton near me. He told me as much when I saw him outside the entrance. I was frenzied when I parked my truck, running so fast across the lot that I almost missed him. He said my name and got my attention, and when I told him I was here for Daisy, he asked for five minutes to break the news to Duke's dad. I paced out front, waiting, until I could take it no more.
Daisy tucks an escaped lock of hair behind her ear. My heart swells at the sight of her, her white silk robe draped over her creamy skin. She's wearing her bow earrings, the ones that are made up of tiny diamonds. "I thought you said you weren't going to interrupt the ceremony."
"I was wrong." I grab Daisy's hands, hold them in my own. "You can't marry him." Murmurs from the crowd, gasps and ohhs .
"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Glenn yells. Duke says something to his dad that I don't hear before walking away quickly. Glenn follows, but because he's a massive asshole with an ego to match, he turns back to Charles and sneers, "I won't forget this, St. James."
I ignore it all, blocking out the familiar faces and focusing only on the woman I love with my whole heart. "I'm not great with words, and I don't know how to say beautiful things. But I love you, Daisy. I loved you when I was a kid, and I love you now as a man. I know things have been messed up, and life hasn't been very kind, and if we're a fairy tale, we are fractured. And maybe that's ok. Maybe some people need broken roads. If all this struggle and strife means I get to have you at the end of the day I would do it over and over again and again and again. You might be the princess of this town, but you are my queen, Daisy." Big round tears roll down her face. I let go of one of her hands, only so I can dash away her tears with my thumb. "If you loved him, I would leave you alone. But you don't, and I know you're trying to do something nice for your mom, but Sunshine, if all you're wanting to do is show your mom the vision of you walking down an aisle in her dress, I'll put myself into that picture. I will marry you right now."
Collectively, the gathered guests draw in a breath.
"Penn, I love you," Daisy says, throwing her arms around my neck. "You definitely know how to say beautiful things." She pulls back, holds my face in her hands. "I'm not marrying Duke. We talked about it. We worked it out. I told my mom the truth." The short sentences trip from her mouth in her haste. "I was going to change and come to find you when I heard your voice."
"I came for you. I couldn't let it happen. No matter the repercussions, I had to lay it all out there."
She beams. Her eyes glimmer. "You crashed my wedding."
"Anything for you."
I kiss her. Long, devouring her softness, her touch singing through my veins. One hand wrapped around her lower back, the other cradling her head, and when our kiss is finished, I brush my lips over her forehead. "I will love you for the rest of my life, Daisy St. James," I murmur against her skin.
"I look forward to it," she whispers. "And when we get married, it's going to be our own wedding, under that special arch Hugo ordered."
"Nothing will stop me from meeting you at the end of the aisle, Sunshine."
"I might beat you there, Sailor."
A throat clears beside us. Daisy's mom. "You two sure know how to clear a room."
We look around, realizing the place is empty. From beyond the windows, I spot Hugo and Vivi directing people to the reception hall.
"All the food," Daisy groans, covering her mouth. "Vivi put so much work into this day."
Brenda pats her back. "Don't worry. I'm sure there will come a day when you make it up to her."
"We're going to be the talk of the town for, well, forever." Daisy rolls her eyes.
"Most definitely. You're probably already trending on the YouTube."
"Just YouTube, Mom." Daisy laughs, but cuts off when she realizes something. "That was all recorded, wasn't it?"
"I think I counted ten phones capturing it."
Daisy groans. I lift her hand, kissing her fingers. "If it bothers you, I'll go one by one to every guest who was here today and make sure they don't post it."
"I love that about you," Daisy says, smiling at me with so much love it makes my own heartbeats stutter. What a relief it is to say these things to each other openly, without reserve.
"Hey," Vivi says from the entrance. She's gripping the door jamb with two hands, the upper half of her body in the room. "We're turning this day into a party. Might as well." She eyes me and Daisy. "It's not like we don't have something to celebrate. Maybe we'll call this day ' two fools finally figure their shit out. '"
Daisy laughs. "I don't think that will fit on the town calendar."
Vivi blows her a kiss. "Get changed, then meet us in the reception hall. I have to take the bride and groom off the cake, and smooth out the top."
"Kathleen already did it," Brenda says. "She said it was the first thing she was going to do."
"Well, then." Vivi straightens. "Let's go get a drink, Brenda. There's a margarita calling my name." She cups a hand around her ear, pretending to listen. "There it was again. Come on." She motions for Daisy's mom.
"She is certainly not subtle about giving you two alone time," Brenda whispers loudly so Vivi can hear her. She takes a step away from us, but Daisy's arms fly out, stopping her.
"I'm sorry I made such a mess of things," Daisy says, wrapping her mother up in a hug.
"I'm sorry I made you feel such pressure, sweet girl. I loved you wholly and completely from the moment I laid eyes on you. Nothing you do could make me love you more, or less." She pulls back, lightly pinching Daisy's chin between her fingers as she gazes into her daughter's eyes. "That's true love."
Brenda joins Vivi, and they walk away. Daisy looks up at me, eyes watery. "It's just like you said. True love doesn't have to be romantic."
I surprise Daisy by picking her up, spinning her around. She holds onto my shoulders. When I set her down, I say, "But it can be that, too."
I follow Daisy into the dressing area, watching her change. She slips the robe from her shoulders, standing only in a strapless bra and a thong. Every cell in my body is at attention.
"Do we have to go to the reception?" I complain, my eyes performing a leisurely and greedy perusal of her curves. "I want you in my bed."
"Like this?" she asks, bending over and grabbing the back of the couch, the perfect globe of her ass stuck in the air.
Without giving it much thought I'm next to her, biting down. She yelps, and I step back.
"Did you just bite my ass?"
"Yes," I answer, without shame or hesitation. "And I'll bite it again, if you serve it up to me like that."
"Oh, Sailor," she says, pulling one of her floral dresses over her head. It skims the floor, and she adds an oversized sweater that opens in the front. "We are going to have so much fun together."
She slips her feet into her shoes, and I pull her close. "I'm yours, Daisy. Body and soul. I meant what I said to you. This is the truest of true love, the kind that will walk through fire if called upon to do so."
"You are far better with words than you give yourself credit for." She rises on tiptoe to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth. "I always hoped you would return, Penn. I dreamed it, and I prayed for it, and I imagined what it would be like to see you again. But all of this? I couldn't have dreamed it this way." Her tongue traces my lower lip, changing course and returning, this time with a tug of her teeth. "I love you, Penn."
"I love you too, Daisy." It takes everything I have not to throw her over my shoulder, march her out to my truck in full view of everybody in the reception hall, and drive her the hell out of here. The only thing stopping me is how much work Hugo and Vivi put into this day.
Hand in hand, we leave the building. The midday sun shines bright, doing its best to break through the cold front that has moved in.
Beside me, Daisy smiles, the sun glinting off the diamonds in her earrings. "You broke up my wedding."
"Ehh…" My head tips back-and-forth. "Sounds to me like it was already broken up."
"You know what I mean," she says, shouldering into me. "You arrived prepared to object."
"That I did."
"You restored my faith in true love. Your words, and your actions."
"I had some help."
"From?"
"Hugo."
Her eyebrows raise. "So he was here this morning, working with his event planner on the first wedding hosted at Summerhill, all the while knowing you were going to show up?"
"I didn't tell him I was coming here. He came to my house last night and gave me a very parental talking-to." Daisy laughs. "And this morning, Margaret brought me my mother's favorite sandwich." Daisy's jaw drops. "Something about that got to me. Drilled right through the layers of bullshit, and made me see everything clearly. It almost felt like it was my mom, reaching out. Giving me a push in the direction I needed to go."
"I miss your mom," Daisy says, smiling at me sadly.
"I miss her, too."
"We'll make her a part of our day, ok? Whenever that day comes, we'll make sure she's represented."
I pause outside of the reception hall, pull Daisy in close. "We were made for each other, Daisy. I knew it when we were kids, but I could never articulate it. And then I saw you again, here, and it was like everything inside me sighed in relief. My heart had finally come home. Not just to Olive Township, but to you."
"You woke me up, Penn. I was living this muted existence, but it was no life."
I kiss her again, a kiss we could both sink into and stay for a while, but Vivi interrupts us. "Hey, lovebirds. You know you're standing in front of a window, right?" Hugo, quiet beside her, rolls his eyes. "Come in. Enjoy yourselves. Don't worry, Mr. Hampton is not in here."
Daisy winces. "What about Duke?"
Hugo shakes his head. "I don't know where he went, but he's not here."
Vivi pulls Daisy out of my arms, dragging her through the open door. "Happy Rectified Fools' day," she announces.
"No way." Daisy shakes her head. "That is not going on the town calendar."
"We'll see about that," Vivi says cheekily, handing Daisy a margarita.
For the next half hour, people approach Daisy, unsure of what to say, but trying their best. She is gracious, explaining that things got a little messy, but they're back on track now. She promises that Duke is fine, they're still great friends, and she is right where she wants to be.
Margaret pulls me aside. "It was the sandwich, wasn't it?"
"Maybe," I say, chuckling.
"Knew it," she says confidently. "Thanks for providing us with one hell of a show today."
"You're not horrified your town princess is ending up with me instead of the golden boy?"
Margaret sends me a disapproving look, but her eyes are soft. "I wonder what it will take for you to realize you are one of our own. You were born here, and this was your home for the first thirteen years of your life. You might have lived your teenage years somewhere else, and gone on to be a big, tough man doing big, tough things, but Olive Township is in your blood. The same way you are an integral part of the makings of Olive Township."
I don't know what to say, because it's everything I needed to hear and never would have asked for. To cover up my discomfort (and underlying jubilation), I make a joke. "You are only saying that because I'm supposed to act in the town play, and you don't want me to get cold feet."
Margaret guffaws. "I wish you the very best if that's the course you take. Noelle would happily knee you in the balls."
I make a face at the mention of that tender area being on the receiving end of violence. "Never mind. I'll see you at the play."
"I'll be in the front row," Margaret assures me. "My granddaughter, Lincoln, is the director."
That makes perfect sense.
Margaret ambles away, and Daisy replaces her. "You ready to take me home, Sailor?"
I look around the room. The party is in full swing, everybody eating and drinking. There are furtive glances being sent our way, and plenty of gossip shared around tables. I wouldn't have expected anything less, nor do I anticipate it dying down anytime soon.
"Follow my lead, Sunshine." I head for the kitchen, where I know there is a back entrance, because Hugo mentioned it on one of our phone calls when he was telling me about the design of the new buildings.
Unfortunately, Vivi the Shark is in the kitchen, helping her staff. She glances at the clock on the wall. "You lasted longer than I thought you would."
Daisy laughs, and Vivi pulls her close. "I am so happy for you."
They hug for a few extra seconds, and I say, "That is exactly how I hug Hugo."
Vivi pulls back, leveling me with her serious gaze. "This is the part where I tell you that if you hurt her, I hurt you."
"I think you'd have to get in line," I reply. "Daisy is kind of a big deal around here."
Daisy rolls her eyes, and Vivi is quick to respond. "Believe me when I tell you, I'd be first in line. And you would never see me coming."
I look at Daisy, thumbing at her best friend. "Does Vivi not know I was a SEAL? I've done things I will never be allowed to talk about."
Laughter tugs at Daisy's cheekbones. "Flying fish," she says.
"Never mind. Vivi, your warning has been noted. Bye." I tug Daisy through the stainless steel labyrinth, past the walk-in fridge, and out into the fresh air.
I lean her up against my truck, rake my fingers through her hair until the pins fall and her golden hair tumbles down. She breathes out once, heavy and hard, her hands holding onto my ribs, finding their way to my back. "Take me home, Penn."