Page 47 of Penny & Royce

Penny hadn’t always been driven by reason. Once upon a time, she’d been the first one to recommend she and her friends do something spontaneous. Those were some of her happiest memories.

They were also the likely culprit for what she was considering right now.

What she’d been considering since the moment Royce presented the idea to her.

She glanced up at him again. There was nothing in his behavior that sent up red flags. Not the kind that made her want to run. He’d been courteous and respectful of her timeand space. He’d withheld the truth of his surname, and while she didn’t love that, she understood it a little better now with everything going on between their families.

Maybe the bigger question was whether or not she wanted this.

The answer came faster than she would have expected.

It was immediate.

“Yes,” she said aloud.

There wasn’t even an ounce of hesitation in her voice, and the excitement in Royce’s eyes was contagious.

He swept her into his arms and kissed her like they were already married. It was fueled by his excitement, all warmth and anticipation. It spoke of the promises they were about to make and the life waiting on the other side of them.

For one dizzying second, she could almost see it. Quiet moments under the stars. Family barbecues. Their kids running around with Royce’s blue eyes and her stubborn streak. A future built one day at a time, not because it made sense to everyone else, but because they chose it together.

Her connection to Royce was an explosion of everything good the world had to offer and set her off balance in the best possible way. She wrapped her free arm around his neck to steady herself while holding the small bouquet out to the side.

If there was anything in this world that could have convinced her she was making the right decision, it was this moment.

She might not know Royce as well as she ought to. But they had the rest of their lives to figure it out.

Heck, if people in arranged marriages could fall in love after the fact, so could she.

Except she was growing increasingly suspicious that her feelings of love were well on their way already.

“Ahem.”

They broke apart at the sound of someone clearing his throat. Penny’s cheeks heated when she caught sight of a grinning officiant. The man glanced from Royce to Penny and back.

“You are aware you’re supposed to save that kiss until after the ‘I do’s,’ right?” He winked at Penny. “It’s lovely to see two people who are so obviously happy.”

Penny shot a look at Royce, finding his eyes warm with affection and his boyish charm shining beneath it all. She ducked her head and hid her smile behind her bouquet.

In this moment, she could see that he had feelings for her too. This wasn’t some ploy to mess with her. It wasn’t a game.

Royce wanted this.

The officiant apparently didn’t care to wait for a verbal response. He turned his attention once more to Penny. “Are we waiting on anyone to walk you down the aisle?”

Her stomach dipped.

She knew this was going to be a difficult part of her future regardless of whether she eloped or had a big wedding planned back home. Her father was gone. He’d never be able to walk her down the aisle. At the moment, she couldn’t even think about who would have taken his place.

One of her brothers, maybe?

Royce came to her rescue in the way only he could. “We’re starting this marriage the way we plan to live it. Together. I’ll walk her down the aisle.”

Penny could feel his gaze on her, but her emotions were too tangled for her to meet it. Royce wasn’t perfect. She knew that.

But maybe that was part of why this felt real.

He was flawed. So was she. And somehow, standing here with him, she knew she was right where she was supposed to be.