“Come in,” I reply gruffly.
Penny’s face lights up when she sees the crib in the corner. “It’s so cute! Thank you!” She hops over Tank, who proceeds to yawn and roll on his back, gazing at Penny with sad little eyes.
I pull Penny into my side with one arm, roughly kissing her temple. She rests a hand on my biceps—something she’s done a lot in the last twenty-four hours.
“I think it’s right.”
We both stare at it for a moment.
“I mean, it looks like the one in the store. Fia’s going to love it,” she reassures me.
“Cool, cool.” I run a hand through my hair and catch the way Penny’s eyes are heavy. There’s a small flicker of guilt for keeping her up all last night—but then again, ten years without that laugh, that mouth, that body? I don’t feelthatbad.
“You’re a straight-up daddy,” Penny teases.
I grin and grab a handful of her ass, pulling her against me. “You know I’m good with being Uncle Jesse,” I murmur into her hair, letting the words settle between us.
She stills slightly, not pulling away.
“I mean it,” I say. “I love kids—working with them at the shelter’s the best part of my week. But I don’t need one of my own to feel fulfilled. I just want to be the uncle who shows up, spoils the hell out of them, then sends them home high on sugar.”
Penny pulls back, just enough to look at me.
“You don’t want kids?” she asks, her voice soft but curious.
I shake my head. “No, and I want you to know that. I never want you to second-guess it around me. And you don’t have to explain or apologize for not wanting to be a mom. I love you for exactly who you are. You’re enough for me.”
She blinks, like she’s letting the words soak in. Then, slowly, a smile spreads across her face—not her usual smirk or flirt, but something quieter and genuine.
“Uncle Jesse,” she says flirtatiously. “Kinda has a sexy ring to it.”
Penny stands on her tiptoes to lay a breathy kiss on my earlobe, and though it sends a shock of electricity straight down my body, I decide to be the good guy. Not the depraved sex god she claims I am.
I step back, head to the closet, and pull out my favorite black hoodie—soft, worn in, definitely going to hit mid-thigh on her. I toss it her way.
“Here,” I say. “Go put this on, get in bed, and take a nap. I think you’re delirious.”
Penny gapes at me, feigning offense, but she takes the black hoodie anyway.
“Fine. I’ll listen, but only because I need energy for later.” I see her sniff it, thinking she’s being sly. “Why do I need to wear this, though?”
“You’ve had your eye on it all week,” I say, watching the way her lip catches between her teeth.
“Go sleep,” I add, softer now. “You won’t miss anything.”
She steps back to the door. “Oh, you should know that Fia knows about us.”
I nod, letting that sink in. “She knows about the pastus?”
Penny nods. “And usnow.”
“Okay… That’s good, right?” I nervously stretch my arms.
“Yeah, it’s good.” Penny shrugs a little and leaves the room, my hoodie draped in her arms, leaving me standing there with a stupid grin on my lips.
She’s a wildfire that I’ve never quite been able to contain. Every time I think I have a handle on her, the wind blows and she goes in another direction, still taunting me to chase after her. And every time I get close, there’s a threat of being burned, but now, as I stand here alone in this room, only a few days left before she’s gone from this house, I yet again know there is only one choice.
I have to let myself get hurt so she can keep burning.
