“If you say so…” The line goes dead, and I throw my phone back onto the passenger seat.
Fuck.This is getting out of hand.
I pull into my driveway a few minutes later. Killing the engine, I sit in my truck for a few minutes before getting out.
Quietly, I walk through the house and into the bedroom. Penny is still in bed, looking like she hasn’t moved at all.
As I take in her sleeping form, something feels different. I feel different. Less burdened, less angry toward her. Now that Thomas is dead, in a way that gave me closure. I blamed her for so long when, in reality, it was his fault. Now he paid for it. The debt is settled.
The only question is, where does that leave us? What’s going to happen between Penny and me? Can I go on letting her think she owes me, just to keep her here?
Stripping out of my clothes, I climb into the bed beside her. She stirs, and her eyes fly open, looking around, alarmed. She pushes herself off the bed, but then she sees me, and her panic retreats. Her head falls back onto the pillow.
I lie down, turning onto my side, so I can see her. Even in the dim light, I can make out the bruises covering her face, reminding me I did the right thing tonight.
“Tommy is dead,” I say before I can stop myself.
I hear her sharp intake of breath, and for a split second, I’m worried. Worried that she is going to mourn him, that she is going to cry for him, but when I study her face, there is nothing but relief.
She doesn’t ask how it happened. Maybe she doesn’t care, or maybe deep down, she knows the answer. Either way, she closes her eyes a few minutes later, her features turning peaceful, almost angelic. Her breathing evens out, letting me know she went back to sleep.
Even though I’m satisfied with the outcome tonight, I can’t seem to sleep. I stay up watching her for a long time, wondering what the fuck I am going to do with her. She doesn’t owe me, maybe she never really did, but I don’t think I can let her go regardless.