Chapter 29
PENNY
Penny stared blankly at the wall in her quiet apartment.
Daytona was completely over snuggling in her lap and had chosen instead to curl up beside her.
Maybe the kitten knew she still needed the support.
Or maybe that little fur ball was wondering when Penny would finally get off her behind and open a can of cat food.
It was Sunday.
If Morgan followed through with her ultimatum, then Royce would know about the baby by tomorrow morning whether Penny had a hand in telling him or not.
The hours were ticking by, and she had her phone in her lap. She’d attempted to type out a text several times. Not to tell him he was going to be a father, but to ask him to come over so they could talk. Each time she got the message written, she chickened out and deleted it.
Then she returned to staring at the wall.
Penny had to be the one to tell him. She wouldn’t forgive herself if he found out through Morgan. She could already see the hurt in his eyes, feel the pain in his chest when he realized she’d kept it from him and his sister had found out before he did.
Groaning, she let her head fall back on the couch.
All the additional nausea made sense now. The fact that she felt like death each and every morning before she had something to eat. The tenderness. The exhaustion. All of it had been dismissed because she’d thought she was just too stressed out.
What was she going to do if Royce hated her?
Would he still want to follow through with the divorce and raise the baby in a co-parenting sort of way?
Her heart splintered at that thought.
She’d known Royce would make an excellent father. He loved with his whole heart. Every action he took was with others in mind. She’d seen it in the way he talked about his family and the job he wasn’t thrilled about. She’d experienced it firsthand with the way he treated her.
She placed a hand over her still-flat stomach and sighed.
Time had officially run out.
She’d allowed herself twenty-four hours to come to terms with the idea of being a mother, and now it was Royce’s turn.
Sucking in a shaky breath, she reached for her phone again.
Just as she sent off the message, something pounded against her door.
Penny jumped, and Daytona scrambled off the couch and darted into her bedroom. She glanced in that direction, wondering briefly if she should have gotten a dog instead. Then she shook her head and got to her feet.
Chills skittered up her spine when the person at the door knocked again.
Then her heart stopped when she heard his voice.
“Penny. Please open the door.”
With trembling fingers, she unlocked the front door and pulled it open.
Royce stood there, chest heaving, eyes bright with emotion. He drank her in like a man dying of thirst in the desert. His gaze moved over her face, her form, lingered briefly on her stomach, then lifted to her face once more.
He knew.
Oh, no.
Royce knew.
The only way that could have happened was if Morgan had told him. She hadn’t given Penny the time she’d promised.
“Royce?” Her voice broke. “I can explain.”
It wasn’t that she was scared for her safety. She knew Royce wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. He was a good man with a good heart.
And yet, she was trembling before him.
A muscle in his cheek bounced, and his jaw flexed. Those eyes. They carried so much pain she could hardly stand to look at him.
She braced herself for the onslaught.
He had every right to be hurt. Every right to blame her for the new mess they found themselves in.
Her throat seemed to close up, and her voice came out ragged as she forced herself to speak. “Royce, I—we—”
His face crumpled.
That was all the warning she got before he stepped forward and wrapped his strong arms around her.
Penny folded into him before she could think better of it. His arms locked around her as if he’d been holding himself together by sheer will, and this was the moment all of it finally gave way. He buried his face against her hair, his shoulders shaking.
Royce was crying.
Then so was she.
“I’m so sorry,” she choked out. “I was going to tell you. I promise I was going to tell you.”
He took a deep breath before pulling back enough for her to see his face.
His eyes were red-rimmed, and yet there was a new kind of clarity within their depths.
Royce brushed the loose hair from around her face, his touch a soft caress.
His calloused fingers were unusually gentle as he swiped at her tears.
“I’m going to be a father,” he rasped.
She blinked several times, releasing more tears. “Yeah.”
“We’re going to have a baby.”
She swallowed hard and nodded, a sob escaping her throat. “Yeah, we are.”
He pulled her in tight once again. “You’re going to be such a good mom, Penny.”
Still, the tears fell. These ridiculous emotions were going to get the best of her. She already knew it.
“Hey, hey,” he murmured. “It’s going to be okay.”
Penny shook her head against him. “It’s not, though. This doesn’t change anything. Your family still hates mine. We’re still getting div—”
“Don’t.” His voice broke on the word.
She stilled.
Royce pulled back, his hands moving to her shoulders. His expression was wrecked, but his touch stayed gentle. “Please don’t finish that sentence. Not right now. Not after this.”
“But—”
“I know.” He drew in a shaky breath, then let it out slowly. “You’re right. This doesn’t magically fix everything. And yet it changes everything.”
It took a few moments for her to finally allow herself to relax into him. “What do you mean?” she asked in a whisper.
“This changes nothing about how I feel about you. I love you, Penny. I loved you before I knew about the baby, and I still love you now. This isn’t the reason I want our marriage.” His eyes searched hers. “You are.”
She bit down on her lower lip, trying and failing not to cry again.
His mouth tugged slightly, though the smile didn’t quite hold. “I need you to know that under no circumstances am I signing those documents now.”
Penny stilled. Then she pulled back sharply enough that Royce’s hands dropped away from her. She searched his eyes, seeking any confirmation that he might be reacting only because of the baby.
But she found none.
“You didn’t sign them?” she whispered.
Royce shook his head. “I almost did,” he admitted. “But no. I didn’t get that far before Morgan intervened.”
Her eyes rounded. “Morgan?”
“It’s a long story.” His expression softened. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think she meant for me to find out like that. Quinn guessed you were pregnant. And Morgan didn’t exactly deny it. That’s how I found out.”
Penny closed her eyes. “I asked her to let me tell you.”
“I know.” His voice was quiet. “And I’m sorry you didn’t get to do it the way you planned.”
Her eyes opened at that. There was no accusation in his tone that would indicate he was upset with her for not telling him.
Just Royce looking at her like she mattered more than his own hurt.
“You’re not getting rid of me,” he said, his voice low but steady. “Not just because of the baby. But because I’m in this with you. I’m going to be in this baby’s life. I’m going to help raise him or her like I’m meant to. And I want to do that with you.”
Her breath caught.
“If our families can’t accept that,” he continued, “then we’ll figure out what comes next. Maybe that means moving. Maybe it means staying and letting them learn how to deal with it. But we are not making decisions out of fear anymore. Not either of us.”
“But—”
Royce lifted one hand, brushing his thumb along her cheek. “Talk to me. Argue with me. Tell me you’re scared. I can handle all of that. But don’t ask me to pretend this marriage is over when I know you don’t want it to be.”
The words hit too close.
Penny pressed a trembling hand to her stomach.
Royce’s gaze followed the movement, and his expression shifted into something almost reverent. His hand hovered near hers, asking without words.
She nodded.
He rested his palm gently over her hand.
“You’re my whole world, Penny,” he whispered. “You…and now this baby, too.”
Her breath hitched, getting painfully lodged in her chest. She rested her free hand over the top of his and shivered. “You really think we can make this work? Even with how everything is between our families? I don’t want to lose them. But I know I can’t live without you.”
He exhaled. The sound was so heavy, so burdened, that she grimaced inwardly. She’d been a large part of the weight he’d carried.
“I know we can,” he said. “Not because it’ll be easy. It won’t. But because we’re going to stop trying to carry everything alone.”
Tears blurred her vision again.
“I’m not letting fear make decisions for us anymore,” he said. “And I don’t want you to either.”
Penny nodded slowly, even though she wasn’t sure she fully knew how to do that yet.
Royce’s smile appeared then, tentative but real. For the first time in a long while, he looked more like himself instead of a shadow of the man she’d grown to love.
“Besides,” he added, “if there’s one thing my dad can’t dispute, it’s how important family is. Blood. Loyalty. All that stuff. When he finds out his first grandbaby is on the way, I don’t think he’ll have a choice but to at least consider a truce.”
Penny couldn’t help it.
A laugh bubbled free from her chest.
There was still so much they had to work out between the two of them.
She wasn’t so na?ve to believe their relationship would pick up exactly where they’d left off.
It was on shaky ground at best. Trust would have to be earned again.
They’d have to communicate better. Her fears, while understandable, had caused so much hurt, and she’d have to do a lot to make up for it.
Hopefully, Royce would give her the chance to do just that.
As if he knew exactly where her thoughts had gone, he touched his forehead to hers.
“One day at a time,” he whispered.
Penny closed her eyes and finally let herself lean into him.
“One day at a time.”