Chapter 23
Declan
It’s been six weeks since I last touched Penny and I think I’m starting to go crazy. All I want to do is storm next door, spank her ass for making me go mad, and fuck her senseless so she knows how I feel.
We’ve fallen into a routine as friends and the word tastes bitter on my tongue.
Because I’m pretty sure a friend doesn’t think about fucking another friend twenty-four-seven.
And not just fucking either. I think about taking her and Autumn out and parading them around town.
I think about how I never want Penny to feel the way she did when she told me about the prick who knocked her up and called her a whore.
And I think about how my heart hurts anytime my mind goes to the place where it sees her with some douchebag that’s not me.
I’ve been going to the coffee shop to see Penny daily, and when I can, I try to make it home early enough to see Autumn before she goes to sleep.
More often than not, Autumn will wave at me through the window of the shop when she comes home from school, and my cold, dead heart warms each time.
In fact, I’m pretty sure my heart is no longer ice.
It’s completely head over heels for my two girls.
When Penny told Autumn that I loved her, I was momentarily shocked, but at the same time, it didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would.
Since day one, Autumn has been slowly breaking down my walls, and I didn’t see it until she told me she loved me.
I have been so sure my whole life that I didn’t want to have anything to do with kids, and now, the tiny human next door has made me realize that maybe I was wrong.
That maybe, I was just tainted by my circumstances and needed someone to show me the light.
I might be biased, but she’s the coolest kid I know, and all I want to do is protect her and her pure heart.
If I feel this way about her, I can’t imagine how Penny feels about her then.
She’s the one who carried her for nine months, who birthed her, who has been there since the moment she was formed in her womb, and now I understand why she was so mad at me when I said the shit I said.
I deserve a lot worse than a brief few weeks of silent treatment and a couple of tongue lashings.
Whenever all three of us can, I try to get us to go do something fun.
We’ve done numerous visits to different parks, picnics at the beach, and been to both of the San Diego Zoos.
Lucas and Jordan join us when they can, and it feels like I have a family here now.
I even got to watch Lucas propose to Jordan on the beach the other day.
But pulling back from Penny has been the hardest part of the whole deal. It’s like the age-old saying, “You always want what you can’t have,” and that’s exactly how I feel about her. We’ve only had sex twice, but I want more from her.
So much more.
I completely forgot about the trip I booked to Las Vegas up until a few days ago, and I leave in two days.
Maybe when I get back, Penny will want to put the benefits part of our relationship back on the table, plus something more.
We stopped because everything got messy with Autumn, but now that things have cooled down, I’m hoping Penny will be on the same page as me.
I just need to convince her I’m worth taking a chance on.
Me: Hey, I’m leaving town for a few days, and when I get back, I want to talk to you.
Penny: Yeah, sure. I’m taking a trip too and get back Sunday afternoon. Talk then?
Me: That works. But where are you going?
Penny: I kind of forgot because I booked it last year, but there’s a coffee trade show in Vegas that I’m going to. I leave for the airport at six in the morning on Friday.
This must be some cosmic bullshit that only happens in romance movies because there is no fucking way we’re going to be in Las Vegas at the same time.
Me: Why don’t I take you to the airport?
Penny: That’s okay. Jordan’s going to take me.
Me: I won’t take no for an answer.
Penny: Aww… are you going to miss me? Don’t shed too many tears while I’m gone. Just because I’m still young and can party all night long–unlike you–doesn’t mean you need to get jealous.
Me: Okay, brat. I see how it is. But I’m taking you to the airport on Friday. Don’t argue.
Penny: Fine, fine. I relent, old man.
I wonder how much she’s going to freak when she finds out I’m not just taking her to the airport but getting on a plane to Vegas as well?
Maybe the benefits part of our friendship can start back up this weekend since we’ll be in Sin City.
But also, I want to have some fun with her on the strip and take her out… on a real date.
~ ~ ~
I’ve managed to keep the fact that I’m going to Las Vegas a secret for the last two days. It’s currently 5:45 in the morning and I’ve already put my bag into the truck, so Penny doesn’t suspect anything.
I knock on her door, and she opens it all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “Morning! I made you a coffee to go and a breakfast sandwich,” she hands me the treats and smiles wide.
“Thank you, you didn’t have to.”
“Oh, but I did. I know this is early for you, and I wake up this early almost every day. It was no big deal. Come on in, I’ll be ready in just a second.”
She’s got her shoulder-length hair curled in beach waves and is wearing sand colored, wide-legged linen pants, a black t-shirt, and black and white checkered platform vans. She’s also wearing a ton of gold jewelry and no makeup.
She’s so fucking beautiful it hurts.
Once we pile into the truck and head towards the airport in downtown San Diego, I ask, “Are you going to miss Autumn?”
Penny lets out a deep breath. “I am. I did this last year, too, and missed her like crazy. But to be honest, it’s nice to have a couple of days just to myself. I have major mom guilt for thinking that, though.”
“Don’t. Trust me when I say, Autumn won’t even remember you being gone come a week from now.
I would have killed to have parents who only took a few days off instead of my whole life off,” I tell her honestly.
My parents were absent, whether they were in the house or not.
Penny taking a few days off for herself is nothing in the grand scheme of things.
“That’s a good way of putting it. So, what are you going to do this weekend?”
“I was actually planning on going out with some guys and a girl I know.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see Penny’s hand clench as she looks out the passenger window. “Cool,” she says, saccharine sweet.
Is she… jealous?
Interesting.
“Yeah. I’m excited. It’s going to be fun.” Am I poking the bear? Maybe.
We sip our coffees in silence until we get close to the airport, and when I pull into a long-term parking area, Penny tells me, “You’re supposed to be taking me to departures.”
I go through the ticket booth, give the guy my reservation number, and drive through the lot to find my spot. “I know.”
“Declan. What the hell are you doing?”
I park the truck and turn to look at her. “You’re not the only person going to Las Vegas.”
Her eyes go wide. “What?”
I smile at her and open my door. “Let’s go. The shuttle should be here any minute.”
I grab both of our bags from the back, and she finally gets out of the truck. “I’m so confused right now. I don’t understand.”
We start to walk towards the shuttle pick-up area, and I tell her, “I booked this trip a few months ago and kind of forgot about it until this last week. When you told me the other day you were going to Vegas, I thought I would surprise you. Surprise!”
“Seriously?” She’s looking at me like I have two heads.
“Seriously.”
“Are we on the same flight?”
“I’m not sure. There are a few headed out pretty close together this morning.”
“I’m on the eight-ten flight through Spirit,” she tells me.
I smile wide. “Me too.”
Once we get through airport security and make it to our gate, I grab Penny’s hand and take her up to the counter with me.
“What are you doing?”
“Just go with it,” I tell her. I put a smirk on my face that pops the dimple on one side of my cheek. “Hi. I was wondering if you have any seats that are together. My fiancé and I got put in two separate seats, unfortunately.”
The gate attendant blushes and bites her bottom lip. “Um, I’m not sure, but let me check.” I throw a wink at the attendant for good measure, and she beams at me. Checkmate.
Penny leans to whisper in my ear. “We don’t need to sit next to each other for a forty-five-minute flight.”
I don’t dignify her with a response. Instead, I tell the gate attendant, “We’re heading to Vegas to get married.”
The attendant looks up at me, shock written all over her face, and then she smiles wide. “Oh wow. Congratulations!”
Penny’s hand squeezes mine, and I almost let out a laugh. I turn to Penny, who is staring at my profile with narrowed eyes, and I lean in to kiss her on the cheek. When I pull back, her lips twitch slightly, but she refuses to smile.
“We have two seats together in the back. Is that okay?”
“Perfect,” I say, and we hand the attendant our tickets so she can change them out.
Once we sit down by the gate, Penny unloads. “Married? Really? Now that poor girl thinks we’re a couple.”
I shrug my shoulders and let out a chuckle. “It was kind of fun though, don’t you think?”
She shakes her head. “No. Where did my silent, brooding Declan go? I like that version of you better. That version keeps his mouth shut.”
“Brat,” I tell her and grab her upper thigh to tickle her. She lets out a small yelp and laughs with me.
~ ~ ~
“Text me when you get done, and I’ll come and find you,” I tell Penny as the taxi drops her off first.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to hang with me if you don’t want to, Declan.”
I hand her her bag. “I’m sure.” I kiss her on the cheek and get back in the taxi so she doesn’t argue with me.
We’re staying in different hotels, but they’re pretty close to each other, and the taxi driver drops me off next.