“How...is he?” Pen hated herself for asking, but she couldn’t not ask.
“Stressed. He looks tired. Heartbroken. About like you do.” At Pen’s wan smile, Stef tapped the envelope. “Expensive card stock. What do you think it is?”
Pen flipped over the envelope where there was a return address in black block letters, but no name.
“Not sure.” Pen tore open the back and pulled out a sturdy white square with a vellum overlay. In gold lettering, two names stood out. Ashton Weaver and Serena Fern. “It’s a wedding invitation.”
Stef snatched it back and read the invite. “The actors?”
“Yep.”
“Wow. I don’t get starstruck often, but wow.”
“They’ll probably make it.” Pen, shoulders rounded in defeat, trudged to the couch, shoved the baby stuff aside and collapsed onto a cushion. “And then I’ll have to go to their twenty-fifth anniversary party knowing that two unlikely souls made it at the same time my engagement ended.”
She pulled a pillow onto her lap and squeezed. Stef made room for herself and joined Pen on the couch. Pen had decided not to wallow. She’d decided to move on and pick up the pieces and focus on being the best mom ever. Her wounded heart had delayed those plans.
“I didn’t mean to,” Pen admitted around a sob.
“You didn’t mean to what?” Stef’s voice softened. She rubbed Pen’s back and Pen realized abruptly how badly she’d needed a girlfriend to confide in. Stefanie was the exact wrong person to lean on. As Zach’s sister, she shouldn’t be forced to choose sides.
And yet, when Pen opened her mouth to say “Never mind,” she said, “I fell in love with your stupid brother,” instead.
“Chase?”
Pen let out a surprised bleat. Stef smirked.
“Chase is stupid. Zach is the idiot.” But Stef’s smile was one of concern when she continued rubbing Pen’s back. “You love Zach. You’re having my niece. He proposed. What’s the problem?”
“Oh, you know. Just that he doesn’t love me.” Pen swiped her cheeks and sniffed. “He loves the idea of a family and us being together. We’re super-compatible in bed.” She sniffed. “Sorry if that’s too much information,” she mumbled when Stef wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“I’m trying to absorb it. I am.” Stef sighed. “How can he not love you? I love you.” After a brief pause, she added, “Do you want to marry me?”
Pen let out a watery laugh. “I’ll be fine. No, I’ll be great. It’s hormones, you know? And there have been a lot of big changes lately. I’m sure it’ll all shake out.”
Pen gave Stef a reassuring nod, but when Zach’s sister nodded back, it was obvious the youngest Ferguson was placating her. Pen could take the placation. What she couldn’t take another second of were the tears of regret.
“Enough of that.” Pen slapped her hands to her thighs. “Do you want to help me take the tags off my daughter’s clothes and sort them for the laundry?”
Stef’s face brightened. “That, I can gladly do.” With a quick clap of her hands, she leaped off the couch, baby clothes in hand.
Laundry was a lot better than wallowing.
* * *
The baby clothes weren’t working.
Zach sent package after package from Love & Tumble, and had yet to hear anything from Penelope. He’d have to move on to something else.
Something bigger.
He’d fill her apartment with flowers. Hire a skywriter. Buy an island...
He didn’t own an island yet.
iPad on his lap, he typed islands for sale into the search engine as a red sports car growled to a stop at the front of his house. Yeah, the house. He’d sworn he’d move back into his bachelor-pad apartment, but after Pen put the final nail in the coffin of their us status, leaving felt like giving up.
He wasn’t about to give up.