“Siblings? Did he say siblings?”
“West has no siblings.”
Skeptical glances were exchanged while journalists raised their hands again, already asking loudly if he was speaking about his team when he said siblings…and Penny lost her patience. “For goodness’ sake, let him finish. Remember he said no questions!” she shouted, annoyed.
Everyone abruptly turned to her, but she didn’t care about the press. All that mattered was Jack’s expression.
Jack’s surprised look. He was confused, and he blinked at her…and she smiled. She couldn’t do anything else but put all the warmth she carried in her chest into her expression.
“Keep going,” she stated calmly, her voice loud in the suddenly quiet room. “Just tell them…everything.” She pressed her hands to her chest to include herself ineverything,hoping that he understood.
And now he smiled, too. Stared at her for an endless amount of time, returning the gesture. He put a hand on his chest before muttering into the microphone, “Dax Temple is my brother, and I love Penelope Clark.”
All hell broke loose.
Shocked cries of“Dax Temple?!”alternated with cries of“I knew it!”as a flurry of camera flashes erupted in the room.
Penny didn’t care. It didn’t matter that Jack wasn’t the only one the press was shouting questions at. It didn’t matter that within the next few minutes, photos of her with tears on her cheeks would be on all the social media outlets.
Because Jack loved her. Why should they care about anything else today?
“Jack! You said you’d break it to them gently,” she heard Lucy call out in annoyance.
“Sorry, I was suddenly in a hurry,” he replied, shrugging as he rose.
Penny laughed and pressed her hand to her mouth as Lucy groaned and shouted loudly into the microphone, “Please, everyone sit. I will answer questions while Mr. West and Ms. Clarkimmediatelyexit the room.”
The reporters seemed torn between wanting to take more photos of Jack and Penny and wanting to hear what Lucy had to say.
Penny didn’t care what they decided. Heeding Lucy’s words, she grabbed Jack’s hand and hurriedly slipped out of the room with him.
And as the door closed behind them, muffling the excited voices of the journalists, a pleasant calm surrounded them, and Penny heard nothing but her own hectic heartbeat.
“You told everyone,” she whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks before she raised her eyes and gazed into Jack’s familiar face.
“Well…yes,” he said, lifting one corner of his mouth while brushing a few strands of hair off her face. “You know I thought it would be nice to just not have any more secrets.”
She swallowed, sinking into his touch. “Yes. I think you’re right.”
“I even told Dax about Dad.”
Her eyes started to sting. “You did? That must have been difficult.”
Jack shook his head. “No. It was good. Easier than I thought.”
She nodded and her heart lightened simply because his had to be, too. “I told my parents that they hurt me back then. And that I want the Hawks…and you. They seemed to be all right with it.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “That means…we both no longer have any secrets.”
“Yeah,” he murmured thoughtfully, frowning. “What are we going to do with all our newfound free time?”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, I can think of a couple of things.”
He smiled crookedly. “Orgasm number thirty-three and thirty-four, for example?”
She snorted. “Did you seriously count?”
