Penelope (20 page)

“Not just a barbecue, but a baby shower too?” His dimple deepened as his voice toyed with her.

“Really?”

He smiled sweetly. “Really. C’mon, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Their fingers were still intertwined as he walked her toward a man and woman who were unmistakably his parents. There were parts of him that had distinctly come from each of these people and when they smiled at her she knew he shared that quality with both of them.

“Penelope, this is Gregory and Gwendolyn Romero. My parents. Mom and Dad,” he stopped on a breath. “This is, Penelope.”

Emma patted Penelope’s arm and diverted her attention. “Her name is the same one you picked for the baby,” she said in a whisper, which everyone could hear.

Penelope gritted her teeth and smiled as she held out a hand to his parents, hoping they hadn’t really heard Emma’s comment. His mother didn’t even acknowledge the hand offered. She wrapped her arms around Penelope so tight that her grasp on Brock was severed.

“Oh, look at you. You’re beautiful,” his mother said with tears straining her voice. “He said you were, but, oh, you’re even more pretty than the picture.”

She noticed Brock wince, but she ignored it.

“And look at this…” His mother placed her hands on Penelope’s stomach and the baby all but leapt toward her. “Oh, he’s a kicker.”

“Yes. Especially during the night,” Penelope added.

His mother moved in closer to her, as if to whisper in her ear. “We’re very sorry about the baby’s father. I’m very grateful that he saved my son, but I’m sorry he won’t be here for his own.”

Penelope’s mouth opened. She didn’t quite know what to say. They knew what had happened. Brock had told them what had happened and whose baby she was carrying and yet they opened their arms to her.

This was one of those moments when hormones and emotions collided and she’d break out into tears. She could feel them and yet she wished them away so they wouldn’t see her as weak.

“I’m Brock’s dad,” the man next to her said and she turned to see an older version of the man who still held her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you. Both of you. Brock has told me a lot about you.”

Gwendolyn smiled and tilted her head to the side as if she were admiring her. “He’s told us a lot about you too.” She touched Brock’s cheek and patted it gently. “We’re very excited for you and your baby. And we want you to know if you ever need anything—anything at all…”

Gregory placed his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “I think we’ve overwhelmed her and she hasn’t even met his brother or sister yet.”

Penelope swallowed hard. She hadn’t prepared for this at all.

Gwendolyn nodded and backed up so that the next woman coming toward them could say hello.

Penelope would have recognized her too. She was much shorter than Brock, a slender build with a little boy on her hip, but they had the same eyes.

“I’m Sadie,” the woman said and she did have tears in her eyes. She flapped her hands in front of her eyes as if to fan away the tears.

She didn’t even try to shake hands with Penelope, instead she pulled her in and embraced her, with the little boy, just as his mother had.

“I’ve heard so much about you. I’m so excited for you and my brother. Oh, and your baby. I’m…” The tears and excitement won out and she simply turned and walked away.

“C’mon. Why don’t we go inside for a moment and get you a glass of water and let everyone settle in. I think Ava and Emma want to open presents.”

Penelope looked toward the girls in their party dresses looking over all the big boxes on the table. She nodded her agreement to Brock who led her through the back door.

When she was inside she let out a long breath. “I didn’t expect this.”

“You weren’t supposed to,” he said as he brushed her cheek with his palm and then slid his fingers into her hair. “Surprises only work when the person doesn’t know about them.”

She giggled at him. “You brought your family.”

“I did. Mom didn’t want you traveling after the false labor. And Sadie didn’t want to miss the baby shower. Vivian and Amelia thought this would be a fun way to accomplish everything.”

“They make everything better don’t they?”

“They sure do try.”

Penelope gripped Brock’s hand, which was in her hair and moved it to her lips. “Your family seems to have the idea that we are together with this baby.”

His eyes went dark and he lowered them. “I suppose that would be because that’s how I’ve made it seem.”

Brock lowered his hands and wrapped them around her waist.

“Penelope, straight out, I love you. I don’t even want to pretend like it’s something I’m just thinking I feel for a woman in a picture, or a woman I just met—it is what it is. And I know that I love you.”

She batted her eyes against tears that stung.

Brock leaned in and brushed a kiss on her lips. “And, Penelope, I don’t just love you. I love this baby. And I have from the first moment I saw his tiny body on that monitor.”

“Brock, you shouldn’t be saying all of this.”

“But I’m going to, because I believe it and I think you do too.”

She forced herself to look away from him. She had to gather her thoughts. When she turned back to him and his eyes were still gazing at her she knew what she wanted for sure.

“I had given some thought to this, and it sounds crazy, but I’ve known you longer than I knew my own husband. I’ve slept in your arms more nights and shared more moments with you than I ever did with him.” She cupped his face in hers. “Brock, I don’t want to be alone and I don’t want to go through my life thinking that the only time I ever loved was fleeting and mistaken.”

He lowered his head to hers. “Are you saying you love me?”

She closed her eyes. “Yes, I’m saying that and…”

“No, wait.”

She opened her eyes and looked into his.

“Use the words,” he urged. “I want to hear them.”

She let out a sigh. “Brock, I love you.”

His face lit up and his smile took over his mouth before he moved against hers. She’d never had anyone react to those words in such a way.

Heat swirled in her and everything buzzed in her head.

“I was hoping you’d get around to feeling that way,” he said brushing another kiss on her lips.

“There’s more.”

Brock let out a breath. “More?”

She nodded and placed her hands on his chest. His heart beat under her fingertips.

“The baby knows you. I know that sounds silly but…”

“I think she does too.”

Penelope smiled. “The thing is I want a family. I want to belong. With Vivian and Amelia I have that. But I want more. I want a man who loves us both.”

“Penelope, you have that.”

She nodded again. “I know. So what I’d been thinking about is this—would you consider staying forever? I mean, would you be a father to my baby?”

His eyes narrowed and he pushed back slightly. “That’s what I want. I want to be her father, but I thought…”

“I’m not done.”

“Oh,” his dimple deepened. “Go on.”

“I’m scared, Brock. I rushed into marriage and now here I am with a baby on the way. I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

“You won’t.”

All of this seemed too fast and yet not fast enough. Could she do this? Could she ask him to marry her? This was crazy. It was what she wanted, but did she want it for the right reasons?

“Brock!” A man’s voice broke her concentration. “I’m ready to grill these dogs. I have a few kids out here eyeballing me.”

Brock laughed. “I’ll be right out,” he shouted. “Mason, my brother. I didn’t get that far yet to introduce you. C’mon. Let’s stop hiding and enjoy our party.”

He took her hand and began to lead her out of the house, but she wasn’t done. She still had things to say. It had to be done. She couldn’t have one more moment not knowing where the future lay with her and her baby. He wanted the baby. He loved her. This was right it had to be the right thing. Everything inside of her pulsed to tell her that.

“Brock, will you marry me?”

The words flew from her lips and he stopped walking and only then did she realize they’d stepped out onto the porch and everyone had heard her.

The air grew thick and her head began to spin.

Brock must have noticed because a moment later she was in a chair with him sitting right in front of her.

“You doing okay?” he asked handing her a glass of water that someone had handed him.

“Yes. I didn’t realize… I mean I thought…”

“Don’t you go taking back what you said.”

“Right. What I said. I thought we were,” she winced, “alone.”

“You were focused, weren’t you?” He chuckled and made her sip the water.

When she was done she handed him the bottle of water and looked around. Every eye was on her. Heat crept down her neck and across her cheeks. His mother was crying and holding on to his sister who also was crying. Amelia’s arm was wrapped around Sam and Vivian stood with her eyes open wide, next to four little girls, and a stunned Clayton at the other side of the girls.

Penelope leaned in toward him and whispered, “Let’s revisit this later.”

“Hell no. I don’t want to.”

His words sliced through her. He didn’t want to marry her. Not only that, hell no he didn’t want to, that’s what he’d said.

Oh, this certainly had been a mistake—a horrible, horrible mistake.

Brock stayed in front of her, kneeling on the ground. He turned toward his mother and motioned for her to come to him.

“Do you have that little gift I had for Penelope?” He asked with his brows raised.

Her eyes lit and she smiled wide. “In my purse. One moment.”

He turned back toward Penelope and took her hands in his. “We can discuss this in just one moment.” That flash of his smile twisted her inside and the baby rolled so that she could literally see him move.

She sat back in her seat and both she and Brock rested their hands on her stomach.

“Did you see that?” She shot out the question.

“I did!” His enthusiasm glowed on his cheeks and in his eyes.

“Brock, here.” His mother handed him a small wrapped gift.

He took the gift and looked at it. “I wanted to give this to you when you opened all those presents. But you kinda need it now.”

She sat up in her seat and took the box from him. Emma and Ava had inched up closer to watch.

Penelope tore open the paper and when it revealed a small felt box her hands began to tremble.

“Go on. Open it,” Brock urged.

Penelope opened the little box and when she saw the small ring inside she had to bite down on her lip.

Brock pulled it out of the box. “It’s little, I know. But I wanted you to know how serious I was. When things work out, I’ll get you a bigger one. I promise. I just…”

Penelope pushed a finger to his lips to stop him. “It’s got to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. You were going to give that to me?”

“I was going to ask you and the baby to be mine. I didn’t expect you to beat me to the punch.”

“You want to marry me?”

“More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

“We’re going to get married and have a baby? Together?”

Brock smiled wide. “There’s no other way to have it. I love you.”

She nodded. “I love you too.”

He slipped the ring on her finger and stood, pulling her up into his arms.

With Brock’s arms wrapped around her she felt that pure love that she’d always wanted. They would be a family and she owed that to Adam, strangely enough. Maybe falling in love twice hadn’t been so bad. With Adam, the quick fire of it had been lit, but with Brock it was a constant burn. But he wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for Adam. She’d have to make sure to thank Adam for that, in time.

Once Penelope had stopped sobbing over the mixed proposal and the new ring on her finger, she finally met Brock’s brother and sister-in-law.

They’d dined on burgers and hotdogs, and she graciously took a big bite of his mother’s potato salad, keeping the delighted smile on her face as she forced herself to swallow it.

Emma and Ava played with Brock’s nieces and nephew until his nephew fell asleep on Brock’s shoulder. When it was time to finally open gifts, Clayton walked over to her.

“Thank you very much for having us today. I think it’s time to get the girls home. They’ve been playing all day and we still have some settling in to do.”

Brock shook his hand but Penelope looked around to see where Vivian had ended up. She must have been inside because she didn’t see her around at all. Wouldn’t she want to say goodbye?

When she looked back at Clayton his hand was extended and she shook it, only then noticing on his other hand he wore a wedding ring.