Nineteen
Zach took in Pen on the balcony, observing her as he had when he’d first laid eyes on her. A white lace dress hugged every inch of her, from exquisite breasts to shapely hips. The graceful line of her neck led to pale blue eyes that could stop a man dead in his tracks—and full lips that had stopped his heart for at least one beat on several occasions.
Now, knowing her the way he did, he still appreciated her physical attributes, but what he mostly saw was beauty. Beauty in a dress that showed off what women at the party kept referring to as her “baby bump.” Beauty, decadently outlined in white lace, snatching away first place from the breathtaking sunset behind her.
Beauty that was all woman.
That was all his.
Was. That word punched him in the solar plexus so hard, the room around him seemed to cant. He’d been possessive over her since the beginning, not wanting to let her go.
And now she was going.
Pen played with a few strands of her hair that had come down from an elegant twist at the back of her neck, her other hand resting on the railing. Her red shoes had tall, spindly heels, in spite of how many times he’d asked her not to wear them.
Throughout the evening, his flared temper had died down. His thoughts, while meeting guests who were his parents’ friends more than his, kept returning to Penelope and his unborn child. His future.
Not only his future.
Theirs.
He envisioned his daughter’s birthdays. Holidays. Family vacations.
As he’d glimpsed each fractured bit, he realized it was an impermanent, if not impossible, future.
Because Penelope was backing away from him.
There was no escaping how much she’d infiltrated his life in a short period of time. Zach barely recognized himself from the man who’d smoothly followed her back to her apartment for what was supposed to be a hell of a one-night stand.
And tonight it was ending.
Pen turned and caught his gaze, only to face the city lights once again. Over his shoulder, Chase spoke, and Zach wrenched his attention away from her.
“You’ve done it, haven’t you?” Chase asked, expression serious.
Zach threw back his champagne and wished it was beer. He had a good idea of what his brother was referring to, but damned if he was about to guess.
“The pretending has become real.”
“The pretending,” Zach said, relinquishing his empty glass to a nearby table, “is about to come to an end.” At Chase’s frown, Zach explained in a low voice so no one could overhear. “The engagement is over.”
“Why?”
“Why?” Zach practically spat the word. “Weren’t you the one advising me not to get in too deep because I thought this would be ‘fun’?”
“Yes.”
Their silent standoff ended with Chase explaining.
“It’s become clear to me that she means a lot more than a good time to you. So again, I ask, why?”
Zach blinked, his brother’s stern visage blurring as Stef’s voice crackled over the speakers in the room.
“Five minutes until we learn whether I have a niece or a nephew!”
The crowd clapped, and there were a few titters of excitement.
“If you don’t know, you’d better figure it out in five minutes,” Chase recommended. Zach followed his brother’s gaze to Penelope and the world wasn’t just canting but swimming.