Penelope (7 page)

He helped her to a chair and went back to pull a cup from the cupboard and fill it with water. There were towels folded next to the sink. He took one and ran it under the cold water and that was when he heard the gasp and the sobbing cries.

Brock turned and saw her sitting over the opened box he’d brought in. A gold band was shaking between two clasped fingers.

Perhaps he should have considered what would happen when she opened that box. More tears. Of course there were more tears. Well, he certainly couldn’t leave now. Not until the others got home and could take care of her.

He set the glass of water and the towel down next to her on the table. Pulling out the chair next to her, he sat down and placed a hand on her back.

He could feel her try to push breath in and out between sobs.

“You have to calm down. This isn’t good for you.”

She nodded as though she knew, but couldn’t stop.

“His wedding ring,” she managed looking at the gold band in her hand.

“He wore it when we were in camp. He’d take it off and put it in his pocket when we were out.” Brock swallowed hard. “He’d pulled it from his pocket and gave it to me before he died.”

Penelope looked up at him, her eyes red and moist. “That had to have been horrible for you to hold him like that.”

Now she reached her hand toward him and rested it on his.

It hadn’t been on his mind—ever—that it was horrible for him. Sergeant Monroe’s blood soaked his clothes. His last words rang in his ears. His wife’s photos got him through the next few months. But during it all he’d been thinking about getting to her and not the emotional toll it had actually taken on him.

“He would have done the same,” he said. “In fact,” he cleared his throat. “He saved many lives the day he died. Mine included.”

“You’re here because he saved you?”

Brock nodded. “That and he sent me to you.”

There were those eyes staring at him, again. Making him long to move in and take what he shouldn’t.

She looked back down into the box. “These are all the pictures I sent him.”

Brock nodded. “He had them in his pocket too.” This was the moment he needed to come clean. “I kept them in my pocket until I landed on U.S. soil. You saved my life too.”

“Me?” Her voice rose in curious pitch and she had managed to move away from him by only leaning further back in her chair.

Brock nodded. “The anticipation of meeting you kept me going. It kept me sane in my attempt to clear my mind of what I’d seen—what I’d been through.”

She relaxed a little and that, he thought, was a good sign.

“Your smile. The sparkle in your eyes. I swore sometimes I thought I could hear you laugh just as you must have been when the pictures were taken. I’d taken on the mission to find you. To return the items to you, just as Sergeant Monroe asked me to. Getting here was part of my healing—part of my forgetting.”

“Wow. That’s a lot of responsibility on me to make sure you’re okay.”

He chuckled, though she hadn’t expected him to, which was obvious by the shock on her face. “I am okay. I’m very okay. I have my life. I’m back on U.S. soil. My mama will cry tears of joy and so will my father when they see me. I might have a few hard nights, but I have support.” He reached for her again, because he felt he needed to touch her so she’d understand. “You let me be part of a very important day in your life. I’m only twenty-five, and I’ve seen a lifetime of amazing things to balance out the bad. I think I have enough support to build a solid life with.”

“You came here first,” she said moving in closer to him. “Why didn’t you go home to your mother first?”

Simple reaction took over again and he reached up and caressed her face with his hand. “I’ve been looking into those eyes for months. I had to get here. I had to see them.” Now he swallowed hard and felt a knot form in his stomach. “I needed to see that they didn’t gaze at me the way they had been from the pictures. That gaze was for another man. A man I respected. But I think I got a little lost in it all.” He hadn’t realized that was the truth until he spoke it.

Her lips parted and she was near him again, just as she’d been in the street. “And these eyes,” she said as she blinked them. “How do they look at you?”

How did he answer? Truthfully, he decided, because that’s who he was.

“They look as though they are gazing at me.”

“Hmmm,” she purred. “Now what do we do about that?”

He wasn’t very sure at all, but their bodies were leaning in closer and this time their lips did touch.

Was this the draw, Penelope thought? Was this why women went to bars and picked up men only to have sex with them the same night?

Her heart rate was beating so fast. Her insides were twisting. Parts of her that hadn’t pulsed in nearly six months were—pulsing.

Brock’s hand moved from her cheek into her hair as they deepened the kiss. Holy cow, this was one amazing trip! She couldn’t believe she was six months pregnant and there was a man kissing her and making her feel like a real woman.

She could feel clouds begin to billow in her head and they spun until she thought she might just fall out of the chair.

But the moment came to a halt when someone cleared their throat and Brock pulled back from her, nearly taking a handful of her hair as well.

He was on his feet and when she could focus she saw Vivian standing in the doorway, the girls giggling and tucked behind her.

Penelope struggled to clear her mind, but everything was still spinning. Oh, why had she had to interrupt?

“Sorry, ma’am. We were—I just…” He stopped, pushed his shoulders back and looked Vivian in the eye. “I’m very sorry.”

“Girls, why don’t you go out to the front and get the iPad out of my bag and watch a movie?” The girls scurried off laughing. But Vivian wasn’t laughing. She stepped further into the kitchen with her hands fisted on her hips. “Do the two of you mind telling me what’s going on?”

“I got caught up,” Penelope spurted out. “I’m all stirred up and crazy right now with this body.” She planted her hands on her stomach. “When Brock touched my stomach today at the doctor’s office I got all giddy.”

She saw him fight off the smile that was trying to form when Vivian took another step toward them. “You took him with you?” She turned to Brock. “You went with her? You went
in
with her?”

“Yes, ma’am. I offered to accompany her, but my going in, well that was a misunderstanding. But I must say, it was an experience I will never forget.”

Penelope felt the tension drain from her body. He had thought the experience was as special as she had. Would Adam have even been that enthused?

“Oh,” Vivian said and then sat down in the chair that Brock had occupied. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

Penelope had been too, but she was fairly sure she’d gotten over that.

“I think it’s time for me to head out,” Brock said and Penelope stood, slowly.

“You’re heading to your parents?”

“Yes. It’s time they know I’m here.” He took her hands in his. “Thank you for sharing your day with me.”

“Thank you for going.”

“My offer still stands to come and help with the play yard.”

“Right, I, um,” she looked down at Vivian. “I think that would be nice.”

“I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

Vivian planted her hands flat on the table. “Oh for heaven’s sake go ahead and kiss her goodbye. Don’t let me be so shocked by it all that you keep falling over yourselves.”

Penelope waited as Brock leaned in and pressed another kiss to her lips. It was quick, but it still drove her just as wild.

He gave her a smile and finally turned and walked out.

Penelope sighed and Vivian moaned.

“Seriously? Some guy shows up here and says he knew Adam, now you’re kissing him? What is wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry.” she fell back into her chair. “I couldn’t help myself. I have all these hormones chugging through my body and I don’t have an outlet.”

“So you think he’s it?”

“I just happen to think he’s very kind and compassionate.”

Vivian nodded. “What’s all of this?” She pulled the box toward her.

“This is what Adam sent with him. This is why he’s here—to give me this.”

Vivian flipped through the pictures of Penelope. “Who took these?”

Penelope bit down on her lip. “Adam. When I got them printed off I sent them to him. That’s when I told him about the baby.”

She could see the change in Vivian when she looked at the pictures. It must have been hard to even be cordial to her when everything Penelope said or did only reinstated that her husband had been unfaithful to her.

Vivian put the pictures back in the box and looked inside again.

“What in the hell?” She pulled out a pocket watch and dangled it by the chain. “Where did you get this? Where did Brock get this?”

Penelope stared at her. Her face had flushed and her brows narrowed.

“I didn’t know it was in there. I hadn’t looked all the way,” Penelope stammered as she watched Vivian examine the watch.

“Son-of-a-bitch!” She opened the front and looked at it again. “He had this the whole time?”

“What is it?”

“It’s his grandfather’s pocket watch. The one his mother accused me of stealing and selling.”

Penelope wasn’t completely sure what had happened between Vivian and Adam’s mother, but she was sure it was about to get even more interesting.

Watching Vivian process the moment was a bit like watching a chameleon change its colors, Penelope thought. Her face had become bright red when she saw the pocket watch and then pale white as she held it in her hand. Her hands began to shake and then she bit down and Penelope could hear her grind her teeth.

“Why did his mother accuse you of stealing it?” Penelope asked.

“Because she’s a hag,” she said in a near whisper looking down the hall toward where the girls were sitting. “She accused me of stealing this very watch and selling it. And don’t you think it’s odd that Brock said he never got any letters from me? That damn footlocker should have been plastered with pictures of his daughters. I sent him new pictures nearly every week. I just assumed he didn’t care.”

“You think she had something to do with that?”

“Damn straight I do. You saw how upset she got over everything. His father was always escorting her out of situations.”

“Then why did you spend so much time around her?”

Vivian gave a low growl. “I wanted her to accept me. She loved him. She loved my girls. I just wanted her to want me too.”

Penelope reached for her. “She’s out of the picture now. You don’t have to worry about her.”

That caused Vivian to let out a sarcastic snort. “Is that what you think? Don’t be so naive. This is her grandchild,” she said resting her hand on Penelope’s stomach. “So are they.” She pointed down the hall. “They are all she has left of him.”

Penelope felt that panic that had her breaking out in a sweat that came with pure fear. “Do you think she’ll come after my baby?” She rested her hands on her stomach.

“No. And don’t you go freaking out on me. I just think you need to watch your step. Especially with that Brock guy.”

“Brock? Why?”

“Some guy shows up with items I’ve spent nearly six years looking for and stories of how wonderful Adam was? Maybe she sent him. Did you consider that? How do we know he was with Adam? His parents were told how he died. Maybe that’s his story too.”

No, she didn’t want to think that. But, what if?

“He’s coming back next week,” Penelope said softly, hoping Vivian wouldn’t become even angrier with her. “He’s offered to help put the play yard together and the classroom furniture.”

Again, Vivian let out a groan. “There is only one reason I’m going to agree to that. We sure could use the help. Besides,” she said cupping the watch in her hand. “We could use a little more muscle and he had plenty.” She finally smiled. “And it wouldn’t hurt to have him close by. If he is working with Adam’s mother against us, it would be my pleasure to hang him by his balls.”

Penelope gasped and covered her mouth, but Vivian hadn’t seemed to notice. Just the thought of harming Brock seemed to give her some sense of calm.

Penelope wasn’t sure that was what she wanted for him. Maybe she should warn him.

~*~

Gwen Romero hadn’t disappointed Brock. When she’d come to the door and saw him she’d nearly gone into hysterics.

It had taken her another three minutes before she was calm enough to even open the door to him. When she did, he pulled her into him and just held her.

She’d caused enough commotion that his father had come looking to see what was going on.

When he saw Brock standing there holding her, his father wrapped his arms around both of them. And there they stood in the doorway of his childhood home, sobbing and hugging.