“You’re right. It’s time to go for what I want.” I swallowed down all my nerves, and caressed my hands from his shoulders upward, linking my fingers behind his neck. “I want to see you again if you can fit me into your busy schedule.”
His hesitation should have spoken volumes. “Pen… I’m not sure that’s a good idea. All these years, I still let Brianne’s shit bother me. Look at you. Gorgeous and all grown up, smart and bright. You need a man who isn’t broken. Not me.”
The song ended, and the emcee announced a costume contest starting soon.
“Look, I have to go do something. Maybe we’ll run into each other later?” He released me without another word, melting back into the crowd.
How did I let my feelings run rampant, from meeting for coffee as friends, to this disappointing moment? Or was this part of a larger issue of not wanting to face up to the changes I needed to make in my life?
Tears threatened as I turned in time to see Brier and Westley leaving the floor. As I approached them, they were deep in conversation, his head bowing to hers, her face glowing. The intensity between them normally would be enough to make me swoon and blush, but my mood spiraled.
“Penny, are you okay?” She noticed the tears streaming down my cheek when I reached her side. “Bathroom. Now.”
In the tiled glow of the ladies’ room, she leaned against the counter and ensured I had an ongoing supply of tissue to dab my face.
“Did Archer upset you? Should I have Westley take him out to the alley and deal with him?”
I choked on a giggle. “I’ll bet he’d do anything you asked of him, but no. It’s my fault for wishing for things I can’t have. Archer says he’s too broken.”
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry if I pushed too hard. I just thought the two of you… but it doesn’t matter now. Why don’t you come out with Westley and me after this? He invited me to a nearby steakhouse, where he and some of his crew are going to eat. Who knows, maybe there’s a fine single Navy SEAL who would steal your heart away from any more thoughts of Archer.”
“No. I’m good, really. I think I’ll just go home if you’re okay to be here on your own with him? Will he make sure you get home?”
She fanned herself with her hands. “He invited me to his hotel room.”
I blinked. “Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. That’s fast.”
“Fast? It’s twenty years overdue. Good thing I wore my nice lingerie.” She worried her lip between her bottom teeth. “What am I doing, Penny? Am I too old to fall again?”
“Are you kidding? The way you two stared at each other out there? I doubt he’s looked at another woman since the day you typed inHelloon AOL.”
I resisted letting her in on the big secret that she’d probably fallen for him years ago. Instead, I dug into my party purse, the little black one I always took out with me on nights like this.
“You are not too old; you’re just right. But there are modern rules to dating, including always being prepared. Here…” My fingers hit a few packs of foil. I pulled out a square triumphantly. “Emergency stash.”
Her jaw dropped. “You just handed your aunt a condom. Oh, my God. What is happening to me?”
“You’re finally getting your storybook ending, Aunt Brier. And it’s the loveliest thing ever.” I hugged her and then urged her out the door. Back in the ballroom, Westley waited, massive and steady. His gaze softened, chest heaving, the second his eyes landed on her.
“Now, Westley,” I said, suddenly serious with protective energy, “you’ll be a perfect gentleman, right?”
He arched a brow. “Of course.”
“And you’ll get her home safely in one piece?”
His mouth curved into a smoldering grin. “Yes, Penny. I’ll take good care of her.”
Brier swatted at me. “Penny!”
“What? Someone has to ask.” I crossed my arms, though warmth tugged at my chest about the two of them. Hope surged through my veins. If they can fall after all these years, then maybe someday I will, too.
He took her tiny hands in his massive ones. “Brier, I’ve been waiting for you a long time. Trust me, whether tonight ends with us cuddling in each other’s arms and talking all night or we fall asleep and wake to watch the sunrise together or… whatever else we think up… This isn’t just one night. It’s our beginning.”
Shit, even I swayed, swooning at his words. He rendered me speechless. I swallowed back another oncoming stream of tears. I wanted a man to say those words to me.
