Page 18 of Penny & Royce

“Well, that’s because you think this whole thing is a joke—” Lincoln started. Then he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Royce. I didn’t know. Is it serious?”

He couldn’t help it. He grinned wide. “I’d like it to be.”

“How long have you been seeing her?”

Royce made a face and glanced away. “I’ve known about her for a while. But we’ve only talked once. Well, twice, I guess.” He cleared his throat. “We’re taking it slow.”

But not by choice.

Lincoln’s smile matched his own. “That sounds great. When can I meet her?”

All the air whooshed from Royce’s body, and Lincoln noticed the change in his demeanor immediately.

“You don’t want us to meet her yet?”

“Like I said,” Royce hedged, “we’re taking it slow. I don’t want to scare her off. Our family… it’s a lot. Eight kids. And then there’s the whole thing with the Taylors.”

Lincoln frowned. “Yeah, I get it.”

“Do you? Because one moment you’re trying to get me to settle down, and then you’re willing to back off and let me take things at my own pace.” Royce was skirting the line again. He really shouldn’t be pushing his brother, especially knowing exactly how Lincoln would react if he knew Royce was interested in someone connected to the Taylor family.

When a sigh escaped his brother’s chest, Royce finally allowed himself to relax a little more.

“Yeah, you’re right. But now that I know you’re interested in settling down and you’re done messing around, I’ll make sure you have enough time set aside for your girl.”

Royce’s smile returned. “It’s great to hear you say that. Because I wanted to do something really romantic with her. It’d be an all-day sort of thing, so I wouldn’t be able to stick around here much.”

Lincoln waved a hand through the air, dismissing his concerns. “Whatever you need. As long as you tell me a few days before, we’re good.”

“Yeah?” Royce couldn’t believe how easy this was going to be. He could take Penny to the city, and they could spend the day really getting to know each other. “You’re not pulling my leg?”

“No legs to pull.” Lincoln placed both hands on Royce’s shoulders. “Just promise me one thing.”

Royce waited with bated breath. If his brother wanted him to promise not to date a member of the Taylor family, that would be a hard no.

Then again, it was all about the phrasing of the promise, right? He wasn’t going to date a Taylor. Technically, Penny was a Klein.

But then Lincoln surprised him again.

“Promise me when it gets serious that I can meet her. I know I’ve been hard on you, but when it comes to family, I’m going to have your back. I want to make sure she’s good enough for you.”

“Believe me. With this one, she deserves even more than me.”

Royce believed it. He didn’t know Penny well enough yet, and he wasn’t going to pretend he did. But there was something about her he couldn’t shake. She made him want to show up better than he usually did. Less coasting. More like the kind of man who might actually deserve a woman like her.

“Right, well, that’s good then. Congrats, man.”

“Don’t congratulate me yet.” Royce chuckled. “I still have to convince her I’m worth the trouble.”

5

PENNY

“Hey, Doctor Klein?”

Penny lifted her head to see Shelly in the doorway. The gleeful smile on her face indicated something was happening, and Penny wasn’t sure she wanted to know. “What did you need, Shelly?”

She thumbed over her shoulder. “A delivery came for you.”