Page 37 of Penny & Royce

He nodded and watched her step outside the pizza shop, phone pressed to her ear.

The second she was gone, Royce dragged a hand over his face.

Coward.

The word landed hard because it was true.

He’d been right there. One breath away from telling her the part that could change everything. And as much as he hated the interruption, a small, selfish part of him was relieved.

That was the part of himself he liked least.

Penny deserved the truth. She deserved all of it. Not just the pieces of him that made her smile or made her feel like she was checking things off her list.

But if he told her here, in the middle of a pizza shop, before he could explain what the feud did to both families, would she even hear him out? Or would she shut down the second she heard the name Meyers?

Royce leaned back in his chair and stared at the empty seat across from him.

He wasn’t going to keep it from her forever.

He couldn’t.

But when she came back inside, he needed to make sure she understood one thing first.

This wasn’t a game to him.

Penny returned a minute later, slipping her phone back into her purse. “Sorry. One of Shelly’s rescheduled appointments got mixed up with tomorrow’s schedule. Crisis averted.”

“Good.”

She sat, but her eyes searched his face. “You were saying?”

Royce held her gaze.

He should tell her.

Instead, fear and hope tangled in his chest until all he could do was reach for the truest thing that didn’t start with his last name.

“I was going to say that my time with you isn’t something I want to take for granted.” His voice came out quieter than he expected. “I know we don’t get guarantees. Not with people. Not with days. Not with anything.”

Penny’s expression softened.

“I knew from the moment I saw you that I wanted you in my life. I don’t know how to explain that in a way that sounds reasonable.” A faint smile tugged at his mouth. “Maybe there isn’t a reasonable way to explain our love story.”

“Our love story?” She swallowed hard. He couldn’t tell if she was in shock, if she believed what he’d said, or if she simply wanted to run away in this moment.

“My time with you isn’t guaranteed, beautiful. But the way I feel about you is. My feelings…” He placed a fist over his heart. “They’re only getting stronger. So, if you’re up for my crazy idea, I would love to elope with you.”

She gasped. “You’re serious.”

He stared at her for a moment longer, then a laugh broke out of him, drawing a glance from a nearby table. He lowered his voice again, though he couldn’t quite hide his smile. “What part of all that made you believe otherwise?”

“Most of the part where you asked me to marry you over pizza.”

“Fair.” His smile softened. “But I’ll tell you this much. I’m not going to do anything you don’t want to do. I won’t pressure you into a decision you’re not ready for. If you want to sleep on it, sleep on it. If you want to say no, say no. I’d rather you go into this with your eyes wide open.”

Penny continued to study him, her eyes darting back and forth as she took him in.

He’d put almost all his cards on the table. But not all.