Chapter 26
ROYCE
They had officially come full circle.
This was where everything had started.
With Penny in his truck and his heart full of impossible dreams.
She squirmed in her seat, the hem of her shirt between her finger and thumb. Penny was nervous.
Was that a good thing?
It had to be.
He could tell she didn’t want to end their marriage. She just needed a reason to believe staying wouldn’t cost them more than they could survive.
Royce wanted to give her that.
He could use the next twenty-four hours to remind her how much she meant to him.
One stop at a time.
The first place he pulled up to was the pet store.
Penny snorted when her eyes landed on the sign. “I don’t think I need anything. We—I still have more than enough for the cat.”
He turned off the engine. “You handed the reins over to me for the day, Penny. If I want to buy our cat something, I’m buying our cat something.”
She pressed her lips together in a clear attempt to stop herself from smiling, but she failed miserably.
Royce reached over and gently worked one hand free from her shirt. He spread her fingers out and kissed each tip one at a time.
She shivered, but she didn’t pull away.
“I love you, Penny.” His voice softened. “More than anything this world has to offer. I’m not saying that to pressure you. I just need you to know it. Nothing about the last week has changed that for me.”
Her lashes fluttered with each rapid blink. No tears spilled. She was remaining composed, and for some reason, that alarmed him.
When she stopped caring, he knew that meant it was really the end.
Curling her hand into his, he pressed a kiss to the smooth skin at the juncture of her hand and her wrist. “Let’s go pick out some treats for the queen of the manor.”
She smiled then.
Full and wide.
It was free from the weight of what they both knew would come next, and he reveled in it.
Once they picked up the cat treats, they headed for the bookstore. It was one of the many places he’d taken her on their first date. He kept an eye on every single book she pulled from the shelf in order to read the synopsis. Then when she passed by, he put the book in his cart.
Neither one of them was hurting for money, and if this was the last time he’d be able to treat her to something, he wasn’t going to squander the chance.
They made their way through the city, and though the artist was no longer being showcased at the gallery, Royce had called ahead to ask where he could purchase a print. After they made their way through the gallery, he took her to where he could pick it up.
Penny had been mostly quiet at all their stops. With each one, she seemed to smile more. Her shoulders were more relaxed. And she even allowed him to pull her close so she could lean into him while they walked.
Royce never released her hand.
Not until this stop.
She stared up at the nondescript building. Not even the name on the front gave away what was being sold. When they stepped inside, she glanced around at all the artwork for sale.
He stopped by the front counter while she browsed, and when he completed his purchase, he came up beside her.
Penny was staring at a picture of a farmhouse on rolling hills. It was an actual photograph, and the detail was amazing. In the corner was a signature. And beneath that was the word Colorado.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I’ve always loved stuff like this.”
He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. “I’ve always imagined myself living in a place like that. My own little plot of land. Nothing fancy. Not like the farm my family runs. But somewhere I could raise my children.”
“You wanted children.” It wasn’t a question. More like a statement of fact.
“Want children.” He nearly said with you, but he refrained. She didn’t need him to push her too hard. “I still do.”
She nodded. “Me too. One day.”
Royce slipped his hand into hers, then held the small bag out to her. “This is for your room. Or wherever you want it to be.”
Penny seemed surprised by his offering, releasing his hand to pull the framed picture from the paper bag. She gasped and held a hand to her lips.
It wasn’t exactly the same image as the one he’d gotten her for their wedding. This one was brighter. Where the original had only glimpses of sunlight coming through the clouds, this one was void of rain. The sun had come out in full force.
“I don’t remember this being in the show that night.”
“That’s because it wasn’t.” Royce stared at the picture. “It was unveiled the following night. I only found out about it when I purchased the other print.”
She traced the image with her fingertips, her lips parted in awe. When she didn’t say anything, he couldn’t contain his question.
“Do you like it?”
Penny didn’t look up at him when she nodded. Then she whispered, “Yes.”
At the end of their night, they found themselves on her balcony again.
Royce stared up at the sky, and all he could think about was how he could feel her slipping through his fingers. She’d been unusually quiet. Both of them had. They were reliving the happiest day of his life, and at the same time, it felt like he was saying goodbye to it all.
Devastated didn’t even begin to cover how he felt when he gazed over at the woman who had stolen his heart and made him believe he could have everything he ever wanted.
He’d made so many plans for their future. He’d been so sure he could convince his family to see reason when it came to the woman he wanted to spend forever with.
And he’d been wrong.
The longer the night wore on, the less Penny met his eyes. She didn’t want to be the one to break his heart. And maybe it wasn’t fair that he needed to hear the words from her, but he did.
That would be the only way this came to an end.
His eyes shifted to her hands, clasped so tight in her lap that her knuckles had gone pale. He reached for the hand closest to him and tucked it between his own.
She slid her eyes toward him, so full of want and yet so void of hope.
Hope.
Faith.
They didn’t mean anything without the courage to fight for what mattered.
Wasn’t there some kind of Bible verse about that?
“Royce,” she started.
He didn’t want to hear the rest.
Not yet.
He leaned in slowly enough for her to stop him, his gaze searching hers before his mouth crashed down on her lips.
Penny let out a soft, broken sound and melted into his touch as he made one last attempt at showing her how well they fit together. This wasn’t just about their chemistry or the fact that they had similar views on the world. This wasn’t about their marriage or even their families.
This was about the part of him that had recognized her before logic ever got a chance to catch up.
There was no going back to the existence he’d had before he met her.
Before he loved her.
Penny kissed him back like she didn’t want the separation either, and that almost made it worse.
Royce groaned against her lips, then pressed his forehead against hers.
“What can I do to convince you that we belong together? I’ll do anything.
Say anything. Just give us a chance to work through this.
I know it’s not going to be easy, but anything is possible.
” His voice cracked. “Anything feels possible when I have you.”
She exhaled.
It was a resigned sound, and he knew before the words even left her lips that she’d made her decision long before tonight.
Penny wasn’t the kind of person to change her mind once she believed she was protecting someone she loved.
That list she’d made had been a cry for help. It had been her way of trying to mix up her life. She’d wanted to add light to her life—just enough to scare off the shadows that plagued her.
And he’d done that.
“Don’t,” he rasped. “Please don’t say it.”
He pulled back from her, searching her eyes. And all he could see was that same hardened resignation.
Without waiting for her to utter the words, he shot to his feet and rushed from the apartment.
He couldn’t breathe.
He couldn’t think.
This had been his one chance, and he’d gone and messed everything up by trying to recreate the magic from their first date. He’d been foolish because he knew it had been unnecessary. Penny still loved him. He hadn’t needed to make her fall in love with him again.
He should have tried to figure out a way to reassure her they could be together.
Royce reached his truck, opened the door, and settled behind the wheel.
It was then he noticed the folder in Penny’s seat.
Had that been there this whole time?
How had he missed that she’d brought it along?
No. He would have seen it in her hands. There had to have been a moment when she’d slipped out here to place it in his truck.
It was the easiest way for her to make herself do what she thought needed to be done.
And the worst part was that he couldn’t even blame her for taking it.
Because if he were in her position, terrified and hurting and convinced this was the only way to keep from ruining the man she loved, he might have done the same thing.