Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
“I saw Gretchen at the event,” I say. Even in the darkness, I can see her face is streaked with tears. She’s been crying, and the sight of her pain sinks right into my chest. “She spoke to you, didn’t she?”
I don’t even need an answer. But when Penny nods, a ball of rage forms inside my chest so hot that I could scorch a hole to the center of the earth. I step closer, but slowly.
“What did she tell you, Penny?”
Penny opens her mouth to speak but pauses, as if what she’s about to say is simply too painful – as if she needs a moment to prepare herself.
This is all my fault.
I should never have left her alone at an event like that. I should have been by her side the entire time. I just didn’t want to bore her with the kind of conversations I was having or make her even more nervous than she already clearly was, so I thought it was best to go do my thing and come back to her. If only I’d just had her by my side, none of this ever would have happened.
“She…she said that I was just your…s-side…piece.” The weakness in Penny’s voice nearly breaks my heart, but the words she speaks cause both of my hands to ball into fists at my sides. “That she was your ‘main girl,’ and you have an understanding…”
“That is a lie,” I say with every ounce of conviction in my soul.
“She said that was why you wouldn’t see me at the office or any time other than late at night—”
“Penny, you know why that is—”
“I know, and that’s what I told her!” she says, sitting up, her eyes tearing. “But then she pointed to some woman you were talking to with a white dress and like…these big ol’ boobies and said she was going to be the next me and I just…I started doubting everything!”
“The woman in the white dress!?” I can’t even control it. A laugh escapes my lips, and I brace myself on the corner of her bed.
“Hey!” Penny squeals. “This isn’t funny!”
“I know, sweetheart,” I reply as I compose myself. “It’s just…that woman was Jennifer Biggins—”
“Biggins!?” Penny all but shouts.
Smirking, I hold up a hand. “And she was trying to get me to do an interview. An interview which I really don’t want to do. On top of that, I really did not want to be talking to her. The entire time I was humoring her, all I could think about was getting back to you.”
Going for broke, I reach my hand out and take Penny’s in mine. She allows it – doesn’t back away or pull her hand from mine.
“Nothing Gretchen said to you is true, Penny,” I say softly. “I haven’t seen her since I fired her. She and I are not in some kind of secret, open relationship, and I am not looking to replace you. I promise.”
Christ, I’m so close to her right now, but I feel as though I’m on the verge of losing her. Even though her hand is in mine, and those bright, innocent eyes are staring back at me, I know it’s going to take more than some words to convince her that what she heard tonight was just a bunch of lies from an ex-employee looking to get back at me.
Just go for it. You have to.
I glance over my shoulder and see three sets of eyes peeking in through the cracked door and sigh. I turn back to Penny, who is still looking at me with hopeful eyes, begging to be given more.
“Well, this isn’t how I wanted to do this,” I admit with a smile. “And to tell you the truth, I didn’t even know I was going to do this tonight, but…” Keeping my eyes on hers, I get down on one knee beside her bed. Her jaw drops, and I hear three audible gasps behind me. “But if this is what I need to do to prove I love you, then this is what I need to do. Penny Johnson, will you marry me?”
Epilogue
Jude
Four Years Later…
* * *
I feel like a proud father, sitting with the rest of the families, watching as the students take the stage in cap and gown to accept their diplomas. Only to my wonderful NY grad, I’m not father, I’m Daddy.
After accepting my marriage proposal, Penny then accepted my offer to leave her secretarial position at my company and attend NYU for four years to earn her bachelor’s in psychology. She also minored in accounting so she could “make sure I never accidentally threw away my entire fortune.” That was entirely her idea, and it only made me love her more. It turned out that first time with me hadn’t gotten her pregnant, and so we got her on the pill right away so I could go bare for the subsequent four years.