Page 54 of Penny & Royce

That night, she showed him just how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness.

They made plans to head to the city so they wouldn’t be caught by anyone, and so far, it was coming close to toppingtheir first date where he’d promised to help her fall in love with her life again.

And maybe with him too.

Penny rested her head against his shoulder and sighed happily. He pulled her to a stop at the sourdough bread booth where he purchased two sliced loaves.

“I don’t think we can eat all of that before it goes bad,” she insisted.

He kissed her temple and whispered, “You have a freezer, sweetheart. I’m sure we can make room for it there. And if not, I’ll give it to my family.”

“And when they ask you where you got it?”

Royce made a goofy show of being worried. “You’re right. I guess we’ll just have to gorge ourselves on it when we get home.”

Home.

It was strange to hear him call her place his, but that was what it was becoming. They were married. They were essentially living together. And yet it still all felt so surreal. She loved the happy little bubble they’d managed to find themselves in. It was beautiful and full of sunshine, and she didn’t want to share it with anyone yet.

Her smile faltered, but Royce never missed anything. He squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him.

“What is it?” he asked.

Penny chewed on her lip thoughtfully. “Have you mentioned anything to your family? About us?”

She could have sworn his skin paled slightly. His reaction should concern her. She should want to get everything out in the open.

But doing so could set them up for failure. It would pop their little bubble of happiness.

And that was the last thing she wanted.

He must have misunderstood her reason for asking because he pulled her close to offer comfort. “I will. I promise. I was just waiting?—”

Pulling back, she placed a finger on his lips. “We’ll do it when it feels right. Okay? I can’t explain it, but right now, I just…” She pressed her lips together firmly. “I just want it to be you and me for a little longer. Does that make sense?”

Relief flickered in his eyes. “Yeah, it makes perfect sense.”

They were alreadyon their way back to Copper Creek when she got a phone call. It was a familiar number, but she couldn’t place it. Tossing Royce a reassuring smile, she brought the phone to her ear to answer. “This is Penny Klein.”

Royce mouthed the word, “Meyers,” with a flash of heat in his eyes, and she grinned. She hadn’t changed her name officially, but he’d been calling her Mrs. Meyers when they were alone.

“Penny? Oh good. I’m so glad you answered. It’s about your mother.”

She straightened in her seat, spine stiff and anxiety pooling in her stomach. Already, the nausea was threatening her self-control. “What’s happened?”

The conversation was short and only made her feel sicker. She hung up with shaking, clammy hands.

“What’s wrong, beautiful?” Royce asked, a cautious edge to his voice.

Penny closed her eyes briefly. She hadn’t told him that her mother was struggling with her memory. She hadn’t wanted the real world to encroach on the happiness they’d found. But he was her husband, and he deserved to know.

“My mother was found by the neighbors,” she said, her voice barely steady. “Wandering the street in her nightgown.”

Mortification didn’t begin to cover the way she felt when Royce didn’t say anything. She was used to dealing with people who needed the assistance of someone in her specialty. But when she was the one dealing with it—when it was her mother—it was harder.

“I’m sorry to cut our day short, but I need to?—”

“Penny.” Royce’s words were calm, collected, and held an edge of determination that had her turning her focus to him. His jaw was set, but he didn’t look angry. If she had to describe him, she would have said he looked ready to help. “You don’t have to handle this on your own.”