Page 28 of Penny & Royce

Royce lost track of the number of times she’d yawned so he took the hint and carefully eased her off him.

She moaned her dissent and he chuckled as he scooped her into his arms. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to tuck you in before I head home.”

“But I don’t want our day to end,” Penny mumbled against his chest.

“I know, beautiful.” He adjusted his hold and carried her into the bedroom, then eased her beneath the covers. Penny’s eyes fluttered closed and she yawned again. His fingers grazed along her temple to brush the stray strands of hair from her face. “But I promise you, this is only the beginning.”

Another yawn slipped past her lips and she curled up on her side. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

He didn’t know how he was going to keep that promise, but he knew he wanted to try. Penny didn’t know who he was—not all of it—and the truth sat heavy in his chest as he watched her drift toward sleep.

He should tell her.

But not tonight. Not when she was exhausted and happy and trusting him to leave when he should.

But soon.

If this was going to be anything real, he couldn’t build it on half-truths and hope that neither family found out.

Penny deserved better than that.

Royce traced one gentle finger along her temple, brushing the last strand of hair from her face. “Good night, Penny.”

Her eyes stayed closed, but her mouth curved faintly. “Thank you for the best day ever,” she mumbled.

Royce froze for a moment, one hand still resting on the edge of the blanket.

The last thing he wanted to do was walk out that door and face the unknown waiting on the other side of this day. But he would, because Penny was worth doing things right.

Even the hard things.

He turned off the bedside lamp, stepped into the hallway, and left her bedroom door cracked behind him.

Then he let himself out quietly, already trying to figure out how to become the kind of man who could keep his promise to Penny Klein.

7

PENNY

Penny sat at her desk, her eyes landing on one of the dozen books Royce had purchased for her.

She could have gotten more during those three minutes, but she hadn’t wanted to overdo it. Besides, the stack she had now was already ridiculous. Ridiculous and thoughtful and sitting on the corner of her desk like proof that yesterday had actually happened.

Royce had spent the day showing her that he paid attention in ways she hadn’t expected.

The gallery had shown her a softer side of him. He could look at a piece of art and see something deeper than paint and canvas. He could talk about grief and hardship without sounding like he was trying to impress her.

The bookstore had shown her that he could be fun and thoughtful while also making her feel cared for in a way she wasn’t used to.

She’d told him she could buy her own books, and he hadn’t argued that point. He’d simply asked if maybe letting someone do something nice for her counted as out of character.

He hadn’t been wrong.

A light, floating feeling moved through her stomach when she recalled the way he’d looked at her afterward. Like he knew she was capable of taking care of herself and still wanted to be allowed to care for her a little too.

Then there was the dancing.