Page 111 of Penny & Royce

Morgan headed for the door. “Rose, you stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Time seemed to slow after that. Rose did her best to calm her with words that didn’t register. She followed Penny as she paced the kitchen. The whole time, Penny couldn’t stop thinking about how she’d signed that paperwork and how it was likely already too late to go back.

There was a good chance Royce had sent it to his lawyer.

Why wouldn’t he?

She wouldn’t blame him if he never wanted to see her again.

When Morgan returned, she had three different kinds of tests. Her face was beet red as she shoved the bag in Penny’s direction. “I expect each of you to defend me if you hear even a whisper that I’m a harlot. Because we all know how fast gossip spreads. I’m certain I was caught by two of the biggest town gossips when I went through checkout.”

Her words sounded more like an obnoxious buzzing as Penny fingered the plastic bag that held the tests.

She wasn’t ready for this, and yet somehow, she knew the women wouldn’t leave without confirmation.

Not only that, but she was fairly certain Rose’s assumptions were right.

What was she going to do?

Seven minutes later, she stared at the first test.

Two distinct pink lines stared right back.

There wasn’t any way to claim the test had given her a false positive or that they’d read it wrong.

She lifted her eyes to the women as she exited the bathroom, tears in her eyes.

Rose was the first to approach, and when she glanced down at the test, she didn’t even react.

Everyone had already known.

Without thinking it through, Penny clutched at Morgan’s arm. “You can’t tell him.”

Morgan’s expression hardened. “He has to know, Penny. That’s his child too.”

Penny’s blood chilled. “That’s not… I didn’t mean…” She closed her eyes, and a sob broke free of her throat. “Just… please. Let me be the one to tell him.”

When she forced herself to meet Morgan’s gaze once again, she couldn’t say she’d ever seen anyone fiercer.

Morgan looked like a warrior. Arms crossed with a strong stance. She studied Penny for a moment, and only when Rose whispered her name did she soften a fraction.

“Fine. When?”

Swallowing hard, Penny shook her head.

“I’m not going to let you keep this from him for long. He deserves to know.”

“I know. I get it, I do. I just…” Penny pressed a hand to her stomach, still too stunned to fully understand what was happening. “I need some time to wrap my head around this.”

Morgan huffed. Suddenly, it didn’t feel like she was Team Penny anymore. “I need a timeline. He’s miserable. And if he finds out that I kept something like this from him…” She shook her head. “I don’t want to be in that position either.”

Penny nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I know.”

“I don’t understand why you’re not picking up that phone right now.”

And that was when the tears flowed harder. “What if…” Penny choked on her words. “Everything is such a mess.”

“Yeah, it is.” Morgan’s voice softened, but it stayed firm. “But now you have a bigger responsibility. That little life growing inside you needs two parents who will stop at nothing to protect it. Even if that means protecting it from a decades-long feud. I don’t care what you have to do. Talk to my brother and figure this out. Move away if that’s what you need to do to make it work.”