“What?” she screeches out. “Why haven’t you told anyone?”
“Because Penny wanted to ease Autumn into the thought of us being married. It’s been a month, and we spend every waking hour together. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it in that we’re married.”
“Maybe you need to get a ring and propose to her with it like a normal person, instead of doing the whole shotgun thing.”
“I technically gave her a ring.”
“In Vegas? Yeah, a cheap, gold dice ring doesn’t count.”
“No. I gave her one that I had bought a while back.”
Silence again. Maybe I need to shock Kate more often. “I don’t understand.”
I run my free hand through my hair and start to pace my living room. “I was passing by a jewelry store one day and saw a yellow diamond ring and thought it would be perfect for Penny.”
“And when was that?” she asks cautiously.
She’s going to think I’m crazy. Penny doesn’t even know. In fact, she hasn’t asked me about the ring I took from her finger in Las Vegas at all. I’m pretty sure she forgot. “It was a week after Christmas.” My cheeks are hot, and I know I sound like a fucking stalker at this point. I had convinced myself so thoroughly after I found out who Penny was and that she had a kid that I would never entertain the idea of us together, but something made me walk into that jewelry store. The ring was too perfect for her.
“Are you dying, Declan? Because a week after Christmas sounds an awful lot like you have some mental issues you need to deal with.”
“It’s crazy, I know.”
“Yeah, it’s crazy. You’re kind of insane. But also, kind of cute. Does Penny know?”
“No. She would think I was insane, too. And I’m pretty sure right now she’s getting cold feet about the whole marriage thing, so I don’t want to give her any more reasons to run.”
“Probably a good idea. So, what’s next?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that I don’t want to keep this a secret anymore. I love her so fucking much, and I want our relationship out in the open.”
“Hmm… well, I might have an idea.”
“Anything would help.”
At this point, I’ll take all the advice I can get because I’m at a loss for what to do.
Penny is my endgame, and I’m not going to let her railroad me into quitting on us.
She’s just going to have to deal.
Chapter 29
Penny
It’s been harder to keep this secret than I thought. It’s been over a month now, and I keep beating around the bush with Declan on when we’re going to tell everyone. But I’m scared. I don’t want people to think that I trapped Declan. I mean, look at him. He’s so beautiful it hurts. I know I shouldn’t care what other people think about me, I usually don’t, but this is different. I’m a single mom, and Declan is… Declan. And let’s be honest, everyone judges people who spontaneously get married in Las Vegas.
Plus, Autumn is getting more and more attached to him by the second, and I can already tell that when we say something to her, she’s going to flip out.
There’s also another thing that has been giving me anxiety. I want to tell Declan about who Autumn’s father is. I want him to know the whole truth, but I’m so afraid that if I open my mouth, the boogeyman himself will appear. The NDA I signed specifically said that under no circumstances could I tell anyone, and if I were to get married, my husband should never know either.
It’s been a terrible secret to keep from my parents and everyone around me, and it’s eating me alive.
The coffee shop wasn’t super busy this afternoon, so I decided to go pick Autumn up from school myself.
“Mommy, will Declan go to the father-daughter dance with me?” she asks as we walk down the sidewalk, back toward the shop.
I stop us in our tracks and blink a few times. “Um…”
