Page 36 of Penny & Royce
“You don’t even know all the practical things,” he said before she could start listing them. “My last name. Whether I want kids. Whether or not I believe in God. How I handle money. Whether I leave socks on the floor.”
“Do you?”
“Leave socks on the floor?”
Her mouth twitched. “Believe in God.”
His teasing eased into something quieter. “Yeah. I do.”
Some of the tension in her shoulders softened. “Me too.”
He nodded, like that mattered to him. Like he was tucking it away with all the other pieces he was learning about her.
“And the socks?” she asked.
His mouth curved again. “Sometimes.”
She let out a startled laugh, then looked irritated with herself for it.
His smile softened. “See? These are important details.”
“They are.”
“I know.” He nodded once. “So ask me.”
Her brows drew together. “What?”
“Ask me the things you need to know before you decide whether I’m reckless in a charming way or reckless in a run-for-the-hills way.”
Penny searched his face, suspicion and curiosity warring in her expression. “You’re really going to answer?”
“As much as I can.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That is a suspicious qualifier.”
“It is,” he admitted.
“Royce.”
“I know.” His chest tightened. “There’s something more I need to tell you about me.”
The words were right there.
Meyers.
He should say it.
He should get it out before he asked her for anything else.
Then Penny’s phone rang.
They both startled.
She glanced down at the screen and winced. “It’s Shelly. I’m sorry. She wouldn’t call during lunch unless it had something to do with a client.”
“Take it,” Royce said, though his pulse was still pounding in his ears.
Penny slipped her hands from his and stood. “I’ll be right back.”
