Page 93 of Penny & Royce

River squeezed her hand. “Okay. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but…”

Penny lowered her attention back to River. “But…”

Her friend sighed. “You’re making a decision for both of you because you’re scared of what his family might cost him.”

Penny looked away.

“Two people went into this marriage,” River said softly. “If Royce doesn’t want to end it, then maybe you should hear him out. Especially since you clearly don’t want to go through with it either.”

Grimacing, Penny covered her face with her hands. “The problem is that he’s not going to go through with it even if it’s for the best. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want in order to keep the people we love safe.”

River was quiet for a moment.

Too quiet.

Penny lowered her hands.

River’s expression was kind, but there was a firmness there too. “Do you really think leaving him is keeping him safe?”

Penny swallowed.

“I’m a therapist,” she said, though the words sounded weaker than she wanted them to. “I see people every day who sabotage their own lives because they think they want something that isn’t good for them.”

“With all due respect, this isn’t an issue with addiction. This isn’t self-harm. And it doesn’t sound like sabotage in the way you’re talking about it.” River squeezed her hand again. “This sounds like two people who care about each other and got dealt some very hard cards.”

Penny’s throat tightened.

“You don’t have to break things off just because his family is struggling with it,” River continued. “The Bible talks about love being patient. But patient doesn’t mean running away from hard things before God has a chance to work through them.”

Penny got to her feet and paced. Her head was racing. Or maybe it was her heart. She was starting to feel sick again.

“I can’t think about this right now. I need—I need…” She shook her head. “I think I need to go home for the day.”

She moved to her desk and gathered her things. “Sorry about cutting this short.”

River stood, her hands in her overalls. “It’s fine, Penny. You don’t have to apologize. I…” She blew out a breath. “We’re here for you when you need to talk. Mathew and me.”

She seemed to be waiting for something, so Penny cut a look in her direction.

Then River nodded slightly. “Your brother and I do agree on one thing. You deserve to be happy. And if Royce is that person for you, then don’t let him go without a fight.”

Penny didn’t speak after that.

She nodded, swiped at another tear that slipped free, then headed home.

She shouldn’t have been surprised to find Royce leaning against the wall beside her door when she arrived. He glanced up, hope flickering across his face when he heard the jangle of her keys. He pushed away from the wall and stepped toward her.

“Sweetheart—”

Penny held up a hand. “No.”

He stopped in place, his expression falling. “Penny…”

Shaking her head, she fumbled with her keys and nearly dropped them. It took a few tries before she got the door open.

“We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t. I’ve already told you my decision.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, but based on the tension that continued to thicken between them, she wouldn’t have been surprised to see him struggling with his own control.