Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
I wouldn’t say this is the Penelope I remember because it’s been too many years. But I would say this feels as comfortable as what I remember—as intimate as the times we used to have.
Penn is beautiful, sitting there with her hair down. Wearing black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, she has one leg tucked beneath her rear, her blue eyes so unlike mine and Skipper’s.
And just as unexpectedly, we find ourselves sitting closer. Close enough that our legs are touching, and her hand gently taps my knee when I make her laugh.
“I’ve missed you, Penn.” I find myself whispering words I’ve held inside, resenting the fact that I felt them. Why on earth would I purposely want to miss the woman who wronged me?
I should resent her, shouldn’t I?
But that was then, and this is now—and we have a new understanding.
We have a new beginning, and I intend to take it. I have a family, and I want them in my life.
I want my family.
“I’ve missed you, too, Jack.” Her nose is a bit red from emotion and the wine, and I lean forward, touching the tip of mine to the tip of hers, our wine-soaked breaths mingling.
Penelope inches her mouth forward by tilting her chin, lips touching mine. Again.
Soft.
Hesitant.
I take the wineglass from her hand and set both glasses on the coffee table, then pull her close, hands roaming her face so I can look in her eyes.
“I’ve missed you.”
Don’t fucking cry, Jack.
Her lips are the softest lips I’ve ever felt in my entire fucking life, and damn if I’m not underexaggerating. For a few minutes, we just sit here like this exploring each other’s mouths tentatively—almost as if we were reliving the past and our former selves. Our former, younger selves. Those twentysomething kids who knew absolutely nothing about the life that they were heading toward when they thought they’d be together.
My fingers lightly caress her hair—those long silky strands I used to marvel at, especially when she curled them. I used to love when she would get all dressed up, pull her hair back and twist it so that later when we got home, I could take the clip out and let it fall down her back.
Our soft kisses become passionate. Tentatively, Penelope opens her mouth so I can explore it with my tongue. Our heads tilt. The kiss is wet and delicious and intoxicating. An intoxication that has nothing to do with the wine.
I swear I’ve been waiting for this moment for the past seven years. And now I not only have Penelope but we also have a daughter.
I have a family.
My parents are both gone, and I have no siblings, so I’m not about to let this opportunity slip through my fingers—to have a life I know we both deserve.
“God, I’ve missed you,” she says, hands on my shoulders, kissing me senseless. Kissing me like this is the last time she’ll see me.
Shit.
Maybe that’s what she’s thinking—that I’m going to leave and not come back again. Leave and not come back for days or weeks or even months.
I pull back. “How would you feel about coming to Colorado and catching a game?”
“Me and Skipper?”
“No, just you. Come to Colorado, come to a game, and let me show you where I live.”
Maybe you’ll want to live there, too.
“When?”
“Whenever you want. Next week.” Tomorrow.
Tonight.
“My boss is going to kill me.”
“Penn, I see no other way. At some point…you’re going to have to make sacrifices to see where this goes.”
“But…my job?”
I lean back on the couch, considering. “You’re right. It’s a big ask, asking you to miss work. Maybe just Monday. I have a Sunday night football game. We could spend Saturday together, and you could fly home Monday.”
“I’d have to see. The only one I have right now to help me with Skipper is Davis, and it’s hard. I can’t keep relying on him.”
“I get that.” I pause. “Think about it. We can make something else work. I’ll just fly back—it’s no big deal.”
“You can’t…” She shakes her head. “I can’t let you keep flying back and forth all the time. It’s not fair.” Another shake. “You’re right. The time is now to make the hard decisions. I’ll ask my brother and see what he has to say about watching Skipper for the weekend.”
“Penn, I can hire you a nanny so you have more flexibility. I can—”
“Stop, Jack.” She says it with a laugh, hand on my thigh. “I love that you’re willing to do that, but ugh, this is all so overwhelming.”
But she’s going to think about Colorado.
She’s going to think about flying to see me.
This…
…is what we call progress.
Chapter 13
Penelope
If I hadn’t only had two glasses of wine last night, one would assume I was hungover…
I’m surprised to see Davis and Juliet in my kitchen when I walk into it this morning, the sight of danishes, eggs, fruit, and drinks also greeting me.