Page 104 of Penny & Royce

“Not yet, Penny. Please.” His voice broke around the words. “Let’s not talk about any of that until after.”

“Okay.” She glanced down at the folder in her arms. “I’ll just… hold onto this, then.”

“Okay.”

Penny half expected Royce to ask her to talk a little more or to offer her a hug.

But he held back.

And she hated it.

She hated what their lives had become, even if she still believed she was doing the right thing by the man she loved.

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.