Page 74 of Penn

Waking up alone in Penn’s bed has me sitting up as fast as possible in my state, my heart racing. “Penn?”

“Don’t get up,” Penn calls. “I’m on my way to you.”

Too late. I have to pee. “Be right back,” I call, relieved.

We got home late last night. They had to perform surgery on Princess for internal injuries, but they expect her to make a full recovery. We’ll be able to pick her up in a few days, and I feel like I can breathe again. Seeing her get hurt was more than I could bear.

I use the restroom and wash my hands, and when I walk out, Penn stands holding a tray with my normal breakfast of tea, eggs, and toast. “You made me breakfast?”

“I figured you haven’t eaten in a while, and you need to keep up your strength,” he says. “I was hoping to surprise you in bed with it.”

“With this kid using my bladder as a trampoline, I would’ve had to get up anyway,” I say, sitting down. “Thank you. For everything.”

My stomach growls, and I dig into the breakfast, not realizing how hungry I truly am. It’s really sweet of him to think of this, and it reinforces how I feel about Penn.

“Last night was kind of a lot, so I want to tell you that there’s no pressure. And you are welcome to stay here as long as you want, Dixie.”

Setting the fork down, I look into his eyes. “Penn—”

“I mean it. We had something I think is so damn special, and I want it again, but I want you comfortable and safe. I want you to have a home and feel settled. That’s the most important thing to me.”

“If I don’t want to have a relationship with you right now, you’re okay with that?”

He licks his lips and looks at the comforter as he sits on the edge of the bed. “Yes. It’ll kill me a little bit, but I can handle it. As long as you’re happy. I’m here if you want me, but I’m not expecting anything.”

“If I ask you something, can you give me a real, honest answer? Not just something you think I might want to hear?”

“Of course.”

“Do you really want to be with me when I’m having another man’s baby in a few weeks?”

Frowning, Penn looks almost hurt. “I thought I’d already made that clear.”

I suppose he already has. Resting my hand on my stomach, I sigh. “It’s hard to believe, I guess. Part of me thinks it’s just protective instincts, but once the baby’s here, and the hard stuff starts, you’ll realize it’s not your responsibility.”

He stands. “Can I show you something?”

“Please don’t do a gross sex joke where you whip out your dick. Totally not as funny as guys think it is.”

“What guy whips his dick out as a joke in front of a woman? Trust me, the last thing I want when I get naked with you is laughter. At least when it comes to that part of me,” he says, setting the tray on the ground.

Laughing, I let him help me off the bed and toward the room at the end of the hallway I’ve never been inside. He pulls a key from the top of the doorframe and unlocks the door.

“Is this where you’re going to take Stephen to hurt him?” I joke.

“Absolutely not.”

He leads me inside, and when he turns on the light, I gasp. “Penn…”

“I started working on it a few weeks ago,” he admits. “Jethro and I carved the crib together. And he taught me how to refinish the rocking chair. You do not want to know what it looked like before this.”

I run my hands along the pale blue walls and try to catch my breath. It’s beautiful. Everything I’ve been trying to figure out how to get. Everything I could need.

“There’s a closet full of diapers and clothes. Enough for the first few months, at least, and we can go shopping for more. I wanted to have a place for him when he comes home from the hospital.”

In the crib sits an almost perfect replica of Princess, and I can’t fight the tears. It’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

“Penn…”