Page 55 of Keeping Penny

“We’ll see,” she hedged.

He mentally shrugged, too excited about the prospect of her and Bowie staying the night tomorrow to be bummed that she hadn’t immediately agreed. It wasn’t as if he was asking her to move in with him…was he?

Before he could go any further down that train of thought, she kissed him again, and Pyro was once more lost in the overwhelming feelings this woman evoked when he was around her. He wanted to be a better person. Wanted to be the kind of role model for Bowie that he’d never had. Wanted to be a man Penny could depend on and trust.

After another few minutes of kissing, Pyro forced himself to step back and open the apartment door. He needed to leave now, before he did something he’d regret. That would ruin the trust he’d built with Penny.

“Drive safe,” she said softly.

“Always. I’ll let you two sleep in tomorrow. Is ten o’clock okay for me to come by and pick you up?” He wanted to say he’d be there at six, but he didn’t want to seem completely deranged. And it was late. Penny would want to sleep in.

“That sounds perfect. It’ll give me enough time to pack beach bags and overnight bags. And I got my first paycheck deposited today. It’s not a lot, as I’ve only been working for a week, but it’s more than enough to buy suits for us.”

She wasn’t paying for bathing suits. Especially since going to the beach wasn’t her idea. But he’d fight that battle tomorrow. “That’s great, hon. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks. I’m proud of me too.” Penny smiled.

It took every ounce of self-control not to take her into his arms again, back her into the apartment and carry her to the bedroom. But Pyro managed to take a step backward. Then another. “See you in the morning.”

“Okay. Please text me when you get home.”

“I will.”

The words were there at the tip of his tongue. Almost desperate to be said. But Pyro swallowed them down. He wouldn’t do or say anything to make Penny second-guess their connection. But he couldn’t stop himself from stepping back toward her, taking her face in his hands, and kissing her on the forehead gently.

Then he let go, spun around, and walked down the hall. He turned at the stairwell and looked back. Penny was still standing in the doorway watching him. He smiled at her and she blew him a kiss. Then shut the door.

Pyro closed his eyes for a moment, almost trembling with the need to go back. To stand guard. To see her one more time. Instead, he opened his eyes and entered the stairwell. He’d have twenty-four hours with Penny and Bowie all to himself tomorrow. He couldn’t wait.

* * *

Around four o’clock the next day, Pyro was pleasantly exhausted. The beach day was a huge success. Bowie had been uncharacteristically clingy at first. Needing to hold either his or Penny’s hands. He supposed it was the newness of the entire beach scene. The way the sand felt under her feet, the sound of the water lapping at the shore, the seagulls screeching overhead, looking for someone not paying attention so they could swoop down and steal food from their hands or blankets, and the playful shrieks from other people as they discovered a pretty shell or missed a thrown ball.

But thankfully, little by little, and with time and patience, she began to relax. Pyro couldn’t imagine what it was like for her. To enter completely new experiences without the advantage of sight. The sounds were probably confusing and overwhelming, especially to a six-year-old.

Penny, of course, understood, and she took her time explaining everything to her daughter. Letting her feel the sand in her hands, putting a shell into her palm and describing it in such vivid detail, Pyro could picture it without seeing it himself. The first time he and Bowie walked toward the water together, they’d held hands as the gentle waves lapped at her feet.

Bowie looked adorable in her pink and black one-piece swimsuit. It had bows at her shoulders but was otherwise free of adornments. Penny pulled her hair back so it was out of her face and had slathered sunscreen all over her arms and legs. The sun was shining, and it was warm but not hot, which made for a perfect beach day.

They’d set up three chairs Pyro had picked up at the store that morning, and a large umbrella. They had buckets and spades, a cooler with food and drinks, and towels galore. It felt as if they’d packed for a group of twelve instead of the three of them, but Pyro had wanted their first beach experience to be perfect.

He’d about swallowed his tongue when Penny had finally taken off her coverup to take Bowie into the water. He’d had to sit in his beach chair for a while because getting up with his dick as hard as it was would’ve surely resulted in some sort of indecent exposure charge.

The suit was black, and plain, but it hugged every one of Penny’s curves. She was slender but not skinny. Her tits were probably a solid C cup, and seeing her ass in the bathing suit made Pyro’s palms itch to squeeze it. Her thighs were thick for such a small frame, and he couldn’t help but imagine how they’d feel wrapped around him as he eased inside her body for the first time.

Yeah, it had taken at least thirty minutes of him sitting there, staring at Bowie and Penny playing in the water, for him to be able to get control of his wayward dick. Seeing how much fun they were having made him smile. He figured they probably hadn’t had many opportunities to completely let go like they were now. Laughing and splashing each other as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

When he was able to stand without his cock leading the way, he joined forces with Bowie in splashing her mom. Then he’d urged Penny to take a break while he began Bowie’s swim lessons.

And he’d been right. The girl took to the water like she was half fish. The trust she’d shown him when he put her on her back with a hand between her shoulder blades and told her to relax was humbling. She didn’t like the taste of the saltwater, but he wasn’t surprised. He didn’t like it either, although he’d gotten used to it over the years.

By the time they walked out of the ocean, Bowie could float like a champ. She wasn’t too good at actually propelling herself through the water yet, but that would come in time. The first step was floating, and he made sure to keep up a steady stream of praise.

The afternoon had been long, leisurely, and wonderful. When he saw both Bowie and Penny’s eyes struggling to stay open as they sat in their chairs, he decided it was time to call it a day. They packed everything up and headed for his car. They stopped for some fast food on the way back to his place—of course, Bowie wanted chicken fingers—and ate an early dinner in the car.

When they got to his apartment, Penny took Bowie into the bathroom to shower and change. They both emerged with pink cheeks from the sun and wet hair. It was adorable how alike they looked at that moment. Pyro told them to make themselves comfortable as he took his own shower. He didn’t dally though, as he wanted to spend every moment he could with his girls.

They played Connect 4 and Uno for hours, games that Pyro purchased last week, which had been modified for the blind. He’d made popcorn to snack on and his apartment was filled with laughter for the first time ever.