Penelope (14 page)

“This is incredible,” Penelope said moving toward the bookshelves filled with classic titles. “Some of these are original.”

“I think she was afraid Adam’s mother would sell them if she knew where they were.”

Penelope’s eyes narrowed. “But the house belonged to his father’s mother.”

Vivian nodded. “You’ve encountered her. It’s exactly like her. It didn’t matter who it belonged to.”

Brock moved toward the wall where he was sure the mice would climb from the other room. He moved the newly placed boxes out of the way and Amelia pushed them closer toward the light in the center of the room.

“These aren’t very dusty,” she said as she pulled open the top to the first box. Brock watched as she pulled out envelope after envelope. “These are all sealed.”

Amelia looked at the front of the letters and her shoulders dropped as she looked at Vivian.

“What’s wrong?” Vivian moved toward her, ripping the envelopes out of her hand. “What in the hell?”

She dropped down to her knees and pulled out another handful of envelopes. “Son-of-a-bitch!”

Penelope moved toward them. “What is it?”

Vivian looked up. Tears had filled her eyes as she clutched the letters to her chest. “They’re letters to me from Adam.”

There were three boxes of letters that Brock helped Amelia and Vivian carry down to the kitchen. In each box there were years of letters never given to Vivian.

“What are you going to do with these?” Penelope asked as she followed them all down the stairs.

“I’m going to read them. And then I’m going to pay his mother a visit,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I want to be there,” Amelia said taking out a letter that had been postmarked six years earlier. “I’ll bet you could scare the woman to death just by showing up on her doorstep with one of these letters.”

“And the watch she accused me of stealing,” Vivian added.

Penelope moved in and picked up a letter. “Why would she hide these here? If you were going to steal letters why not just throw them away?” They all looked at her and she shrugged. “I mean this way you risk getting caught.”

Brock sat down at the table and studied the women looking at the letters. “Do you think she wanted to get caught?”

Three sets of eyes looked his way.

“Are you kidding me?” Vivian snapped. “She’d want to get caught?”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Hear me out. People like her need attention. I knew that from the minute she went hysterical when I called looking for Penelope.” He gave her a small smile when he saw her gazing in his direction. “This gave her control over you—and him. Maybe you’ll find out just how much control if you read them in order.”

He could literally see Vivian deflate as she let out a breath. “You think everything that has happened was because of her?”

Brock shrugged. “Maybe in some little way. I’m just saying that when you read these maybe you’ll see him differently.”

All three sets of eyes were still on him, but he couldn’t help it. No matter what horrible things Sergeant Monroe seemed to have done, he’d saved Brock’s life and he’d never forget that. And maybe, just maybe, there had been a shred of decency in the man. Maybe.

Penelope had gone into the office when Vivian began to sort through letters and Brock started to assemble furniture. Amelia had followed her and was in Sam’s office with the last of the papers they needed to go over before they began taking on registrations for the daycare.

The plan was to open to registration the following week.

It gave Penelope a nervous, yet giddy tingle to think that the three, well four, of them had updated the old house and in a month is would be full of little ones. It was a big honor to think that parents would entrust their loved ones with them. It was a huge responsibility too.

Of course she was no stranger to facing responsibility, she thought as the baby shifted, and it caused her to do the same. She rubbed her stomach and thought—this little one would be all her responsibility. What kind of mother would she be?

Already, thanks to Amelia, she could ensure that she’d be an attentive mother. She wouldn’t have to work away from her baby. There was the promise of a roof over her head and good companionship when she needed it. The baby already had siblings—something Penelope didn’t have. And then there was Brock.

Penelope let out a slow breath and rubbed the ache in her side away. She’d been hard on him that morning when he asked her to go visit his parents. But now when she thought about it, he’d had her best interest in mind. Oh, she’d probably looked like an idiot. She’d kiss him then blow him off. And then she’d do it all over again. How did any man love a woman through her pregnancy?

And that thought stopped her.

He didn’t love her. He was a compassionate man and she was stupid. But she really liked him and by all accounts it seemed as though he liked her too.

Maybe before the daycare opened she should go back to visit his parents with him. She could see what a real family was like and she could see what he was like. Who was Brock Romero when he wasn’t fulfilling a last wish? In his parents’ home he’d wouldn’t be able to BS her, if he in fact ever had.

It would also give Amelia and Vivian time away from her. She knew she was a lot of work and both of them worried about her constantly. However, that did give her a lot of comfort. No one else had ever fussed over her before. If nothing else, she owed Adam for that.

The door to the office opened and she sat up in her chair. Did it say something about the man when Brock walked into the office and her heart picked up its pace?

“Hey,” he said smiling as he shut the door. “Sam told me to come by and get the key to the condo where I can stay.”

Penelope nodded because for the life of her she couldn’t even think of something to say in his presence. She’d been stupid this morning to jump all over his invitation and she knew she looked like a fool. But he was standing there smiling at her and looking at her with great contentment. Hadn’t he noticed that she’d been flip flopping over her reaction to him?

“Everything okay?” he asked inching toward her desk.

Penelope nodded. “Let me go get Sam. He’s in his office with Amelia.”

“Oh, I can wait if he needs me to.”

And she was sure he would. He was that kind of man. “His door is open. That means he doesn’t mind if I interrupt.”

She maneuvered, less than gracefully, out of her chair and walked down the hall to Sam’s office. Penelope tapped on the door and both Amelia and Sam looked up at her.

“Brock is here for the key,” she said softly and Sam gave her a nod as he walked from the table where he and Amelia worked to his desk.

“I’ll come talk to him,” he said as he moved toward her. But just as he made it to the door and Penelope turned to walk back to the lobby, a pain ripped through her side and had her reaching for him, her breath caught in her chest.

“Whoa!” Sam grabbed hold of her and she was very aware of Brock coming toward her and Amelia right behind her.

She let out short breaths just like the ones she’d been reading about when another pain shot through her.

Brock was no longer just in front of her, he was next to her, scooping her up into his arms and somewhere between them they had discussed taking her to the hospital, but she’d never heard anything but her own breathing.

As Brock carried her out of the building another pain pierced her stomach and this time she let out a yelp as Sam opened the door to Brock’s truck and he slid her inside.

“We’re right behind you,” Amelia said as she put her phone to her ear and she and Sam disappeared.

“Where are we going?” She asked as Brock climbed in next to her and she panted against the pain.

“To the hospital. I think you’re in labor.”

“I’m not ready to be in labor. I’m too early. Way too early…” But another wave of pain had her reaching for her stomach and holding on for dear life as Brock sped away from the office building.

Brock had hidden behind bushes, crumbling walls, and under tanks during gunfire, yet he’d never been as scared as he was at that very moment.

Penelope’s breaths were quick pants and he knew she was as nervous as he was. The baby wasn’t due for almost three months.

“I just realized I have no idea where I’m going,” he said as he got to the stop sign.

Sam pulled up behind him and Amelia rolled down her window. “What are you doing? Go!”

“I don’t know where I’m going,” he yelled back.

Sam gave him a nod and pulled out in front of him. Brock followed and within six minutes and twenty-four seconds they were at the door to the emergency clinic.

Brock slammed the truck into park and ran to the other side where Amelia had already pulled open the door.

“Are you okay?” She asked and Penelope only nodded. “I’m going to get you a wheelchair and Sam is already inside telling them you’re here.”

Amelia turned and hurried for the door as Brock scooped her up and followed.

“Brock, I think it’s over. I think I’m okay.” Her voice was weak and he didn’t like it.

“We’re taking you in and making sure.”

She rested her head against his shoulder and he placed a kiss on her head. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to them. In his heart he knew this was where he was supposed to be. Sergeant Monroe might have asked him to simply find her and deliver the box, but there was so much more. He wasn’t so manly that he couldn’t admit—at least to himself—he was in love with her and the baby. It would devastate him to lose either one of them.

Amelia moved toward him as he walked through the door. She pushed the wheelchair to him and he gently set Penelope down.

Her skin was pale and her eyes sunken. Something was wrong. He looked up to see Vivian walking through the door with a girl holding each hand.

“Is she okay? What happened? Why is she still right here? She should be with a doctor.” She walked right past them and to the counter where Sam was still talking to the woman behind the desk. “She needs a doctor right now. I’m not going to have her sitting here waiting. The baby needs attention and so does she. Where is Doctor Barker? I saw his car and he needs to see her right now.”

Brock watched as Sam tilted his head to look at her and a smile crossed his lips before he looked back at the woman behind the desk.

“I’m calling him right now. I swear he’ll be right out. I’ll take you back to a room for observation.”

“That’s better,” Vivian said as she turned back around.

“I think we should get you a law degree. I could use you in my office,” Sam joked as the woman walked toward Penelope.

“Who is the father?” The woman looked at the group that had formed around Penelope.

Amelia stepped forward, her eyes narrow. “We all go back.”

The woman shook her head. “No. Only one.”

All eyes shifted to Brock when Penelope reached up and took his hand. He swallowed hard and gritted his teeth to keep them from chattering.

“Okay then,” the nurse acknowledged Penelope’s movement as she began to push her down the hallway and Brock, his hand still grasped in Penelope’s, jogged to keep up.

The nurse pushed Penelope into a room. The pain had subsided, but she kept reminding herself to breathe—though she was beginning to feel very light headed.

“Can you help her onto the bed?” The nurse looked at Brock as she pulled a monitor from the corner.

Brock stood in front of her. “Can you stand?”

Penelope held her hands up for him to take and he eased her out of the chair. Gingerly, he helped her to the bed and eased her down.

His eyes were wide and she knew the look of fear. Did he really worry that something was wrong?

Penelope lay back against the raised bed, her hands on both sides of her stomach. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being here. I need you here.”

“I’ll never be anywhere else.” He cupped her face. “You’ll let me stay?”

“Please,” she croaked out. She needed him. She wanted him. There wasn’t a moment she wanted to turn him away again.

The nurse moved in next to the bed and Brock shifted to the other side. She lifted Penelope’s shirt and attached a monitor to her stomach.

As she started up the machine she asked Penelope the routine questions about what had happened and why she was there. A moment later the doctor walked through the door.

“Having a little excitement today are we?” He smiled at Penelope as he walked over to her. “Let’s look at the baby and make sure everything is okay.”

He moved the ultrasound machine from the corner and Penelope reached for Brock’s hand and squeezed.

“It’s all okay,” he whispered to her as he ran his other hand over her hair. “I’m here.”

He would be too, she thought. Brock Romero seemed to be exactly that man who did what he said he’d do.

As the doctor spread the gel on her stomach she realized she was holding her breath. The room was silent as the doctor moved the wand over her stomach.