Chapter 10 #2
“I don’t want to believe I’m that terrible at reading people, but I’ve been wrong before. No one is as important as you, Penelope. He can suffer the consequences of his actions.”
When she doesn’t respond, I lean around her and study her face. She sighs and leans her head back onto my chest.
“I don’t think he did. She chose him specifically because she knew he had clearance, no one would suspect him, and returning his badge would be just as easy as nabbing it.”
She covers her mouth as she yawns.
I reach around her, pull out a paper and pen, and place them in front of her.
“Give me the names, Penelope,” I insist.
She agrees and takes the pen, but halfway through writing the first name a long blink turns into a half-doze and she jerks awake.
Vague recognition flows through me as I predict the rest of the name. I think the girl was the head cheerleader from the class below me, but I’m not sure.
She begins the second name but can’t hold her head up. I sigh and take the pen from her before scooping her up against my chest and laying her on the couch.
“Just five minutes,” she mumbles.
I brush her hair back from her face and kiss her forehead before draping my suit coat over her.
“Of course, sweet pea,” I murmur, fully intending to let her sleep here all night while I keep watch if that’s what she needs, but by the time I put on new shirts, she whimpers, twitches, and pops awake.
Her labored gasps and terrified eyes vault my heart into my throat and yank me across the room toward her.
I drop to my knees beside her and stroke her arm.
“You’re okay, Penelope,” I murmur.
She takes a deep, shuddering breath before relaxing as she exhales.
“I know. I’m fine. Thanks,” she says.
She rubs a hand over her face and gives an almost convincing smile.
I help her to her feet and grab my briefcase before retrieving her purse and bag from her desk and ushering her to the elevator. As we step out into the parking garage, my phone rings with the ringtone I dedicated to my mother.
I slip my phone out of one pocket and my keys out of the other.
“Hey, Ma, wha—”
“Nana fell in the shower. I don’t know how long she was in there before I found her, but there was so much blood. The ambulance is almost at the emergency room. Come quickly, Sebastian.”
“Which hospital?” I grate through my fear-thickened throat.
I respond with a curt, “Be right there,” after she tells me the name.
As soon as I end the call, panic joins the adrenaline pumping through my veins, and my long strides erase the distance between me and my car before I remember Penelope’s small stature.
I stop a few paces away from my parking spot.
“Sorry, pipsqueak. My nana—”
Emotions clog my throat.
“Let me drive,” she suggests.
“Are you sure? My SUV is an extended length, so it’s bigger than most. It can be diff—”
“I can drive it, no problem,” she says.
I recall all the times valets—fully grown men with much longer legs than her—struggled to park my car. I shake my head.
“It’s okay, I can—”
She sighs.
“Do I need to pull out my CDL to ease your worries? Driving your extended-length SUV,” yes, the impertinent little pipsqueak puts finger quotes around the words, “will be easier than a walk in the park for me. I’ll get you to the hospital in no time.”
“Pull out your what?” I ask.
“My Commercial Driver’s License. I’m qualified to operate just about any vehicle on the road,” she boasts.
“Why do you have a Commercial Driver’s License?”
I don’t know why I’m asking her questions when I should be diving behind the wheel and booking it to the emergency room. It’s probably because I don’t want to process the fear of losing my nana.
“My roommate says I collect certifications like other people collect coins or playing cards.” The sneaky little imp yanks my keys out from the underside of my fist. I let her take them without arguing, since my panic threatens to consume me.
“I like learning, and once I start something, I don’t move on until I master it.
” She opens the passenger door for me and continues speaking as she waits for me to cram myself inside and fasten my seat belt.
“I started with a basic license, then went for my CDL, and continued until I had all the license endorsements the state of New York allows citizens to apply for.” She checks my seat belt before smiling, shutting the door, and rushing around the front of the car.
The top of her head bobs just below the hood.
She climbs into the driver’s seat and shuts the door with just the right amount of force. As she systematically adjusts the seat, pedals, steering wheel, and mirrors, she continues her story as though nothing is amiss.
I silently thank her for the much-needed distraction as my brain runs through one horrible scenario after the other. The thought of my nana suffering stabs a dagger through my heart.
“I practiced driving all sorts of vehicles including limousines, RVs, buses, semis and heavy machinery like forklifts, cranes, and excavators.” She starts the engine and checks out the windows before shifting into reverse.
Using the mirrors and back-up camera with mouthwatering ease, she reverses out of the parking spot and shifts into drive.
“Not that it matters, but I even got certified in transporting hazardous materials. Oh, and I can hook up, drive, and detach double and triple trailers on semi-trucks.” I sit in silence as my cock throbs and heart hurts as she exits the parking garage with sexy confidence and maneuvers through the busy streets with impressive skill.
“I always felt like a missile cruising down the road with all that weight behind me, but I suppose that’s kind of how you feel whenever you walk into a room, isn’t it?
The biggest, most powerful thing around.
Now with all the momentum of success behind you, you’re basically unstoppable. It’s impressive, Sebastian.”
When I don’t respond, she reaches across the center console and squeezes my hand.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes. Don’t get too far in your head; your mom needs you,” she says.
Her words snap me out of my panic and fill me with purpose.
She’s right. My mother needs me. Wallowing in my despair will help no one. I clear my throat and return her squeeze with a gentle one of my own.
“Thank you, Penelope,” I rasp.
“Of course,” she says.
When she doesn’t pull her hand away to put it on the wheel, I uncurl my fingers, but she tightens her grip and continues navigating through traffic with one hand like a pro.
If I wasn’t in love before—which I was—I am now. Totally. Wholeheartedly. Completely.
She backs into a parking spot only four rows from the hospital, choosing a spot near the strip of decorative plants to accommodate the long ass end of my SUV, and engages the parking brake before turning off the engine. At my quizzical glance, she shrugs as she unbuckles.
“I know the parking brake isn’t necessary, but it’s a force of habit with the big boys. This newer model will alert you if you try to drive with it on, so no harm no foul, right? Do you want me to come with you or stay here?”
“With me,” I reply without hesitation.
She may not be able to help my nana, but I need her by my side, and even though she puts on a brave front, the misery lurking in her eyes tells me she has experience with what’s ahead.
I don’t know how or why she may have gone through such hardships, but there’s no denying the strain of memories bracketing her eyes.
“Okay. Lead the way. I’ll catch up,” she says.
I entrust my vehicle to her and dart across the parking lot and into the emergency room entrance.
My mother paces along the back wall. I call her name and rush to her.
She turns and dives into my arms. I hug her tight enough to assure myself she’s okay.
After a few heart-wrenching sobs, she pulls herself together and pats my back.
“I’m okay, I just needed a moment,” she says as she pushes me to arm’s length. “You give the best hugs. Thank you, son.”
“Of course, Ma. How is Nana?”
“I haven’t heard anything since they took her back,” she says.
Her gaze drifts behind me, and I turn to see Penelope standing a few feet away. With the angle of her body and the cold sweep of her gaze across the waiting room, she stands like a tiny but fierce guard dog.
“Who is this?” my mom asks.
“Ma, meet Penelope Miles. Penelope, this is my mother, Angela Sterling.”
Penelope shifts her weight and rubs her arm, clearly uncertain of her reception.
“Nice to meet you, Penelope, although I wish it were under better circumstances. I’m not quite okay right now,” my mom says.
“I understand, Ms. Sterling. Don’t worry about me. I can leave if you—”
“Don’t you dare. If Sebastian brought you, you’re welcome. I’ll always—”
A doctor in green scrubs shuffles out from the tempered double glass doors.
Although sympathetic, the man talks in code, and half of what he says goes in one ear and out the other.
When he pauses as though awaiting a response, I grind my teeth and pull in a deep breath through my nose but still don’t understand what he’s asking.
I turn helplessly to my mother, but her half-panicked eyes relay the same confusion as mine.
Penelope’s dainty hand settles on my forearm, creating the only bit of warmth in my entire body.
“Your nana is okay. They stopped her bleeding and began a blood transfusion. He wants to order x-rays to make certain she didn’t break anything when she fell. Is that okay?”
Her plain English cuts through my overwhelm. I nod and address the doctor with an emphatic, “Yes, whatever you think is best.”
When my ma’s shoulders slump in relief, I gather her to my chest and pat her back. A few minutes later, she sighs, lifts her head, and smiles at my sweet pea.
“I would’ve never understood that man. Thank you, Penelope,” she says.
“Dr. Anglewood has deplorable people skills, but he’s a great doctor,” she responds.
“You know him?” my mother asks.
Penelope shrugs.
“My father worked at the steel mill. He had an accident when I was in high school. He’s been in and out of the hospital ever since, so I’ve met most of the doctors here.”
Before I fully digest the information, a nurse calls us into the back and leads us to my grandmother’s bed.
Sectioned off by curtains, she lies with her eyes closed and a half-empty bag of blood dripping into her IV.
I’ve never seen her so pale. A ball of ice forms in my stomach. Terror steals my voice.
When my mom calls my nana’s name and her eyes open, I breathe a sigh of relief and relax the death grip I didn’t realize I had on Penelope’s hand.
Horror races through me as I realize I could’ve crushed my sweet pea’s bones, but she gives my arm a reassuring pat when I bring her knuckles to my lips for an apologetic kiss.
She smiles up at me before nudging me closer to Nana’s bedside.
Despite her begrudging act, the relief pouring from my nana’s eyes as she accepts our greetings and hugs releases the worry banded around my ribcage.
“Who is this?” Nana asks as she eyes Penelope.
I introduce them and end with a lame, “I was taking her to dinner when I got Ma’s call, so she came with me.”
The sharpness in Nana’s gaze as she narrows her focus on Penelope’s face fills me with indescribable relief even as Penelope’s awkwardness triggers my protective nature.
Knowing my nana’s mental functions aren’t compromised after hitting her head is an amazing blessing, but I vow to do anything to make Penelope feel more comfortable, even if it means lying to the two women who raised me.
“Is she a friend or a date?”
Penelope and I respond at the same time.
“Friend—”
“Date—”
I stare at her. She stares at me.
My brain struggles to process the moment. She called herself my date.
Nana’s chuckle ends with a wince. My mom pats the back of her hand.
“Alright, Nana, don’t give them a hard time. You scared the hell out of us and interrupted my son’s first date.”
When I open my mouth to argue, certain Penelope said date only because she felt pressured, my mother gives me the look only mother’s know how to give and tilts her chin toward Penelope.
“According to our soon-to-be daughter-in-law, you owe her a meal, so go on. We’re fine here now.”
Penelope’s fingers twitch in mine as she blinks startled eyes at my mom, but my nana’s small, pale face in a hospital bed steals my attention.
“But Nana needs—”
“Get out of here,” Nana interrupts. “I won’t be able to rest with the three of you hovering over me. One is enough. We’ll call you back tomorrow, if they haven’t discharged me already.”
“Speaking of calls, did you get an alert from the house security system? I almost didn’t call you because I thought you’d have known already,” my ma says.
Fresh fury washes over me.
“No, I didn’t, and the technicians are worthless,” I growl.
“I can look at it, if you want,” Penelope says.
I gather her hands in mine, turn us to face each other, and pour my hope and gratitude into my answer.
“There’s no one I can think of who I’d trust more than you. Yes, please, lend me your skills, sweet pea. I’ll feed you and be forever in your debt,” I vow.
Her uncomfortable half-smile and shrug tell me I’ve gone too far.
“A meal is good enough for now. Leave the debts for more important things,” she says.
Nana chuckles, winces, and smiles.
“There aren’t more important things, sweet pea. My entire world is in this room,” I say.
Wide, glittering hazel eyes peer into my soul. I welcome her into every corner of me, eager to have her any way she’ll take me.
“Go, you two,” my ma says with a shooing motion of her free hand.
I turn Penelope toward the door and slip my arm around her. With our height difference, her shoulder digs into my side, but I wrap my fingers around her upper arm and hold her tight against me. She reaches around my lower back and grabs a fistful of my shirt.
“Before you leave,” Nana calls out. I pivot us so my sweet pea can see the room without my body blocking her view.
Electricity zaps through me as the two women I’ve cherished my entire life smile at the girl who stole my heart.
“Welcome to the family, Penelope,” Nana says.
Penelope’s eyes widen, and her mouth opens in shock. When panic and tears fill her gorgeous hazel orbs, I admonish my nana the only way I dare—with a slitted glance—and usher my date out of the room.
Date. She chose it herself. Whether she was trying to save face for me or felt pressured doesn’t matter. I want her to be both my friend and my date. In fact, I want her to be so much more.
I never doubted my matriarch’s acceptance of her, but with my nana’s words echoing in my ears and Penelope’s shocked yearning replaying in my mind, I can’t help but imagine in vivid detail having Penelope in my home. She fits right into my family.
I want to marry Penelope Miles and make her mine forever.