She looked around the entryway, staring at the beautiful banister, the expensive carpets, even the wall fixtures around us. And I knew what she saw. A man who had chosen to live on the streets to be the bane of existence while in fact owning this house the entire time.
“I spoke with Ruby,” Penny said quietly, stepping in, her posture elegant but rigid. “But I’m still not sure what to believe.”
“What did Ruby say?” I croaked out, my throat as dry as a bone. But before she could answer, I stumbled on. “You have to understand, when my wife died, I was ruined. I had spent years fixing this house, changing it, improving on it, desperate to find a way to make her happy.”
“But she wasn’t.”
My shoulders slumped. “She died in a car accident. She was with another man.”
Penny’s face was pale as she paused by the staircase, graceful fingers reaching out to brush over the wooden edge. “You didn’t know.”
“I had no idea. I was devastated, by both her loss and the fact that I was the last to realize that she’d fallen out of love with me a long time before that.” I gestured around the room. “After that, I couldn’t stay here any longer.”
“You could’ve gotten an apartment or maybe another house?”
This was the hardest part. “I barely knew myself at that point. My depression was a living thing. I believed I didn’t deserve any of it. That I’d driven her to her death by not loving her the way she needed.”
“Oh, Neal…” Penny’s hand covered her lips as she stared at me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. This house has done more good in the past five years than it ever did for me.” I bumped the toe of my boot into the ground, my head hanging low.
“It’s amazing, Neal. You turned tragedy into joy.”
I was already shaking my head. “I’m no hero, Penny.”
But then she was there in front of me, her perfume washing over me a moment before cool fingertips rested against my chin, gently turning my face up once again. When I looked, Penny was there, stepping closer until our bodies were nearly pressed together.
“Don’t you remember what I said?”
I looked up at her, dreading the look on her face when she realized what a coward I was. But she didn’t look horrified. She didn’t even look mad. She was crying, the crystal drops slipping down her cheeks slowly as she rose up on her toes and pressed a brief kiss to my lips.
“You’re the best kind of hero. You just don’t know it yet.”
We stared at each other, and a moment later, my arms snapped around her, hauling her up against me. “I love you,”I said before she could get in another word. Before whatever happened next, she had to know. It was the most important announcement of my life, and I had to tell her.
Penelope laughed softly, “I love you too.”
I grinned at her, leaning in for a kiss. She stopped me with a press of her finger on my lips. “We need to talk about this, you know.”
“I’m ready to tell you everything.”
Penelope leaned in, pressing her nose against mine. My eyes slipped shut, soaking in the sweetness of her body against mine, my earlier fears melting away as her hands stroked down my neck.
“Can we go home?” The question made my throat tight, my entire body pulsing as I waited for her answer. When my eyes opened, they met hers, blue and bright with love. Carefully, I put her back on the floor, keeping her hand tight in my own.
“Lead the way,” Penelope said softly, waiting for me to decide.
Without looking back, I grabbed my coat off the couch and led Penelope out of my past and into our future.
Chapter Eleven
Penelope
Neal and I stood shoulder to shoulder at the podium. He was smiling broadly, holding a massive pair of scissors as my brother completed the press conference announcing the opening of the small offices of Madeline Media’s first nonprofit, Nest.
“Nest is the beginning of a new era for Madeline Media,” Will said, looking over at us. “One where we are prepared to give back to the city that we grew up in. Nest will provide safe and affordable housing options for all of this city’s citizens, regardless of financial situation.”
Neal squeezed my hand, and I stopped listening. I’d heard Will practice this a hundred times. He’d wanted it to be perfect and had asked for Neal’s input a half-dozen times before my husband had told him it was fine and to get out of our house.
