Chapter 15
PENNY
“Hey, sis, it feels like forever.”
Penny startled, her head shooting up to see Mathew entering her office. Right behind him stood a breathless Shelly.
“Sorry,” Shelly said. “He didn’t ask me if you were available.”
Penny smiled tightly at her secretary. Normally, she wouldn’t have cared if her brother dropped in unannounced, but Royce had been here ten minutes ago. He’d only left to pick up some lunch. If they had bumped into each other, she wasn’t sure what she would have done.
Especially if the door had been open when Mathew showed up and he caught them mid-kiss.
“It’s fine, Shelly.”
Mathew chuckled. “Yeah, it’s fine. She’s my sister, and when the door is open…” He winked at her secretary, and Penny rolled her eyes.
“Aren’t you trying to win back the girl of your dreams?”
“Not trying. Have. We’re starting fresh, and it’s going great.”
Penny sat back in her seat and grinned wide at her brother. “That’s amazing. I’m glad it worked out. Will she be your date to the wedding?”
“Of course she will.” Mathew moved farther into her office, but then he stopped short, his eyes locking on the piece of artwork Royce had given her as a wedding gift. “Wow, that’s… amazing.”
Her blood ran cold.
She knew before he even asked what he was going to say next.
“Did somebody give that to you?”
Slowly rising, she focused on keeping her breathing even and her voice calm. Mathew was a pro at noticing whenever she wasn’t being honest.
“I take offense at that.” She forced a laugh. “Am I not allowed to purchase artwork for my office?”
Mathew arched a brow and looked at her, his gaze piercing. “No…” he drawled, “but you’re not exactly known for splurging even when you can afford to.”
Shoot.
He was right. She was the most frugal out of her siblings. Beneath his stare, she fidgeted. “Well, I really liked it. So I got it.”
Her brother’s mouth twitched. Then he shook his head. “If you say so.” He moved closer to her desk. “Anyway, as I said when I got here, I was wondering if you’d like to get some lunch.”
Penny stiffened. “I—I can’t.”
“You… can’t?”
“I’m busy.”
Mathew chuckled. “Well, even you need to take a break for lunch. I don’t mind picking something up and bringing it to you.”
“No.” She winced at the sharpness of her tone and tried again. “No, that’s fine.”
“Penny, I know you. And I know that sometimes you work so hard you don’t take care of yourself. It’s my treat.”
She cut a glance at the door. Any second, Royce could show up with their lunch, and she’d have a lot of explaining to do. She wasn’t ready for that. They were supposed to be strangers to each other except for the few people they’d confided in.
Anxiety swept through her, triggering that nausea she hated so much. She couldn’t let Mathew bump into Royce. Not here.
She reached for her purse so suddenly that Mathew jumped.
“Fine. Your treat. And it has to be quick.”
She hustled toward the door, focusing on her breathing to quell her churning stomach. Her nerves seemed to be getting worse ever since Morgan caught them at Royce’s property. It was only a matter of time before they were found out.
“Penny?” Mathew called after her. “Wait up.”
“If you want lunch, you’re going to have to keep up,” she shot over her shoulder.
They made it outside and were heading down the street as she attempted to send a text to Royce about the change of plans when she collided with a hard body. Her phone clattered to the ground, and she muttered an apology as she reached for the device, but the person in front of her got it first.
She focused on his boots, then lifted her eyes to his face just as Mathew stopped beside her.
Royce.
Penny pleaded with him using only her eyes. He knew the rules. He knew that in public, they couldn’t show who they were to each other.
He knew.
And yet the slow curve of his mouth told her everything she needed to know.
He was far too tempted to enjoy this.
“Hey there,” Royce said, handing her the phone. His eyes held hers one second too long. “You all right?”
Mathew stiffened beside her.
Penny took the phone quickly. “I’m fine. Sorry about that.”
Royce dragged his eyes from Penny to her brother and back, and a flash of recognition crossed his face. “Penny, right?”
Her stomach twisted.
Her brother took a threatening step forward as if he planned to stand between them. “You know my sister?”
“Not well,” Royce said lightly.
Penny shot him a warning look, and this time, he seemed to catch it.
Mathew’s gaze narrowed. “I think it’s best if you stay away from our family.”
Royce cocked his head, his eyes still holding a bit of mischief. “Oh really?”
Mathew released something akin to a growl. “I’m well aware of the issues you have with my cousins. It’d be in your best interest to steer clear of us and them. We don’t need to add to the conflict between our families.”
“No,” Royce said, the teasing fading slightly. “I don’t suppose that would be wise.”
Penny cleared her throat to draw their attention back to her. “Sorry about bumping into you. My brother and I were just going to lunch.”
She lifted her brows and flared her eyes, praying Royce would understand that she needed him to leave.
Royce’s expression sobered. For half a second, she saw an apology flicker in there. Then he touched the brim of his cowboy hat.
“Enjoy your lunch.”
Mathew opened his mouth, probably to argue, but Royce brushed past them and continued down the street.
This was just great.
Penny wanted to throw up. She had zero appetite after that run-in. But with her brother’s hand at her back, she was forced to continue down the street in the direction of the café where Jason worked.
What she wouldn’t give to gather up the courage to tell Mathew that she didn’t want to go to lunch with him.
This thought only intensified when she noticed who was at the café when they arrived.
She gasped and spun around, bumping into her brother’s chest. “Matty.”
He chuckled. “What’s the matter, sis? Is there a reason you don’t want to have lunch with Emerson, River, and me?”
A freaking double date?
Mathew couldn’t be serious. He was going to pay for this. Although in all fairness, he didn’t know about her and Royce.
What was Royce going to say?
Her thoughts continued to be a jumbled mess even as her brother led her to the table where Emerson and River waited.
River had a bright smile on her face. “Penny! I’m glad Mathew could convince you to come to lunch with us.”
“Believe me, no one is more surprised than me,” Penny said.
A flicker of discouragement seemed to pass behind Emerson’s expression, but he hid it so quickly that Penny wasn’t sure she even saw it. She sat stiffly beside him and picked up the menu.
“Hello, Emerson.”
He cleared his throat and leaned in close. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”
She shook her head but couldn’t bring herself to speak. He’d been a pawn in this game as well. She wasn’t upset with him. She was upset with the situation.
Jason appeared shortly after to take their orders, and he grinned at her like he knew about this plan as well.
Something told her this had more to do with the fact that her brothers were now taken and she was the only single sibling.
Except they couldn’t be more wrong. She was involved with someone. More than involved.
She was married.
“So, Penny, the wedding is coming up,” Mathew hedged. He glanced at River and took her hand in his before bringing it to his lips. “You figure out who your plus-one is going to be?”
She’d been in the middle of taking a sip of water and nearly choked on it. When she managed to catch her breath, she murmured, “I don’t think I’ll be bringing anyone.”
Of course that was what this was about.
It was more than a double date. This was a setup. Her stomach twisted even worse the longer she sat at the table. Her palms were clammy, and she just wanted to get out. She was itchy and felt sick.
Suddenly, she was on her feet.
“I’m sorry,” she said to Emerson more than anyone else. “I’m not feeling well. I don’t want to get you sick.”
Then, with that, she grabbed her purse and rushed for the bathroom for a moment before leaving the café.
Mathew could take care of her food when it arrived. She was fully aware that they likely thought she was crazy, and at this point, she would have agreed.
Unfortunately, she didn’t get far. She’d only made it past one storefront when Emerson called for her.
She stopped short, her hand flying to her chest, as she turned around. “Emerson.”
He held out a to-go carton of food, which made her even more suspicious that Jason was in on everything and had taken his sweet time getting their food out to them. Emerson offered her a wan smile.
“Sorry you’re not feeling well. I thought you could save this for later.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Emerson didn’t move after she accepted the carton. He rocked back on his heels and glanced away. “I was thinking… if you don’t have a date to the wedding, I could—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” she said with a lift of her hand. “Remember? I told you before, I’m… involved with someone.”
“Involved? Like you’re dating involved? I didn’t realize it had gotten serious.”
She nodded because what else could she do? Even if technically it was a lie. “Yeah. It’s has.”
At least that was true.
“I don’t want to lead you on. Clearly, my family thought it would be great to set us up, but…” She lifted a shoulder. “Sorry.”
“And they don’t know about him, I’m guessing.”
Penny swallowed hard and looked down. “Yeah. And if you could keep it to yourself, that’d be great. I don’t want them rushing this. I’d rather not scare him off.”
Another lie.
There was nothing, it seemed, that could scare Royce off.
“Of course. Thanks for letting me know.”
Emerson looked almost heartbroken, and Penny wished she could do something to ease the pain. Things were only going to get more complicated the longer she kept this marriage a secret, and the ambush of the double date made that even more clear.
“Have a good day, Emerson.”
He nodded, and she watched him walk away before she trudged forward.
Just as she passed an alleyway, Royce stepped out from the shadows and motioned for her to come over.
She gasped in surprise, but the second she saw him, she relaxed and walked into the alleyway with him. His eyes flashed with something that could only be described as desperation.
“I heard,” he said.
Penny’s stomach dropped. “Royce—”
He stepped closer, his gaze moving over her face. “Can I kiss you right here, please?”
Her breath caught at the rawness in his voice.
She nodded, and he closed the distance, his mouth claiming hers like he’d been holding himself together by the thinnest thread. He kissed her like he needed to remember she was real and she was here and she had chosen him.
She lost track of time and feeling. If it wasn’t for him holding her up, she might have collapsed right there in the alley. When he pulled back, they were both breathing hard.
“Penny,” he rasped. “You don’t know what it did to me, hearing Emerson ask you out.”
Her eyes widened, and guilt swept over her. He didn’t sound mad. If anything, that desperation from before seemed to seep into each syllable he spoke. “I’m sorry—”
“Don’t apologize to me.” He brushed his thumb along her cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong. This is on the situation, not you.”
Her throat tightened.
“We…” He exhaled and rested his forehead against hers for one brief moment. “This is getting harder.”
“I know.”
“And I don’t want you carrying the worst of it alone.”
She searched his face. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll figure it out. I promise you, we won’t have to keep this a secret much longer.” His hand slid from her cheek to her shoulder, gentle but sure. “I think I’ve figured out how to ease our families into this.”
“How?” she demanded, hope washing away some of the anxiety that had managed to leach her energy during lunch.
Royce shook his head. “Let me figure out the details, and then I’ll tell you.”
“But I can help.”
“I know.” His voice softened. “And I’ll need you. I don’t want to shut you out, Penny. But I also don’t want to hand you half a plan and make you worry over it all day.”
Her tenuous grasp on control was slipping. She craved it, needed it in order to stifle the twisting anxiety that continued to exhaust her. But one look into his eyes, and she could see what he was trying to offer.
She needed to learn to hand over the reins for a little while. Give herself a room to breathe.
Royce had done so much for her, helped her find pieces of herself she’d thought were gone for good. She could let him carry some of the weight.
For now.