Page 27 of Keeping Penny

“Obi-Wan’s girlfriend, Zita, has just moved to Norfolk as well. Maybe you guys could move in together. The last thing he heard was that she’s thinking about moving into an apartment in a building with great security. I’m sure after she meets you and Bowie, she won’t have any problem with you guys as roommates.”

“I doubt she was thinking about living with a stranger and a six-year-old blind kid,” Penny said.

“The truth is, I’m guessing she’ll spend most of her time at Obi-Wan’s, anyway.”

“Then why would she want a place of her own?” Penny asked, confused.

“She reminds me a lot of you, actually,” Pyro said. “She’s very independent, and she didn’t want to move across the country for a man she’s known less than two months without some sort of safety net. She’ll never need that net, because Obi-Wan is completely besotted, and there’s no chance he’ll do anything to fuck up what he and Zita have together. So he has no problem giving her what she needs in order to feel comfortable and safe making the move to be with him. Hence, Zita getting her own place. But since they’re madly in love, I predict a lot of sleepovers,” he finished with a grin.

It was a good answer. A great answer, in fact. Penny admired and respected Zita all the more for it, even if she’d never met the woman. And Obi-Wan rose in her esteem too.

“I don’t have any money to pay for a place though. Not right away, at least,” Penny felt obligated to point out.

“I’m thinking that won’t matter to Zita. You guys could always work out a payment schedule or something after you have an income. If you feel too uncomfortable living with a stranger, I can come up with more options. I just…I can’t stomach you and Bowie being in a shelter,” Pyro told her with a frown. “At the very least, let me put you two up in a hotel until we figure something else out. Until you can meet Zita. Oh, I know! I can bunk with Chaos or Edge for a while at either of their places, and you and Bowie can have my apartment until we find you a more permanent living situation.”

“You’d give up your apartment for us?” Penny asked, shocked down to her very core at the offer.

“I have a feeling I’d give up a whole lot more,” Pyro told her with a completely straight face.

“I can pay you back,” Penny said. “Once I find a job.”

“Not happening. I don’t need or want your money, Pen, I just need you and your daughter to be safe.”

She wanted to accept, but the offer seemed too good to be true. And in her experience, when something seemed to be this perfect, there were usually strings attached. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course. I’ll talk to Casper, Laryn, Obi-Wan, and Zita about what I proposed, so they can think about it as well. It’ll be about a week before we get to Norfolk, so we have some time to come up with other options. But know this, Penny—my offer comes with no ulterior motives.”

It was as if he could read her mind. But then again, he came from a background much like hers. It wasn’t a surprise that they thought along the same lines.

“I just want to ask one thing.”

Right, here it was. The strings. Penny waited for the other shoe to drop.

“I’d like to spend time with you and Bowie. I like you guys. A lot. I admire you. Bowie is fun, and she’s a great reminder of why I do what I do.”

Penny waited for more. But Pyro stopped speaking and met her gaze head on.

“That’s it?” she asked, frowning.

“Yes.”

“You confuse me,” she admitted. “You’re nothing like any men I’ve known in the past. Everyone wants something. Nothing’s free in life.”

“You’re right, on both counts. You’re also right that I’m nothing like the assholes in your past, Pen. I’m going to prove to you that there are still good men in the world. I’m going to find this Colvin bastard and make it clear that you and Bowie are off limits. I’m going to help you get back on your feet, so you can give Bowie the life you’ve dreamed of for her. But, for the record, I think you’ve done a hell of a good job with almost nothing. As you told me earlier, you’re safe, warm, you have food in your bellies, and you have each other. Those are the most important things in the world.”

He wasn’t wrong. “I’d like that. To spend more time with you. As long as you let me know when you need a break. Bowie can be…a lot.”

“I won’t need a break, but you’ve got a deal,” Pyro said with a smile. It transformed his face. Making him seem younger than he was. Lighter somehow.

Penny couldn’t help but feel hopeful about her future for the first time since they’d gotten word to get to Libreville to be evacuated.

Pyro had offered her some solid solutions to her living situation once they arrived in Norfolk. She’d be stupid to turn him down and let Bowie, and herself, suffer needlessly. She just wanted a little more time to be sure that she wasn’t making a huge mistake. Even though deep down, she didn’t think she needed that time.

She wanted to accept right now. But she’d been cautious for so long, and it wasn’t just herself she had to worry about.

If Pyro could truly help with the Colvin situation and get the man and his goons off her back, her life would be so much easier. There would be so much less stress. She’d never known when they’d show up, and God forbid she didn’t have the money Colvin demanded. Not having that hanging over her head would be a huge relief.

And honestly, the thought of being a nanny to Casper and Laryn’s baby sounded like heaven. She loved babies, and if she could help the man who’d literally saved her and Bowie from that roof—and from being shot with a freaking missile—it would be an awesome way to pay him back.