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Ugh, I was hoping she wouldn’t notice her. I don’t want Nora to wake fully so I can quickly put her back to sleep and I can pick up where I left off with Penelope.
“Hi Nora, your dad and I were just hanging out,” Penelope whispers. I peer over Nora’s curls to try and read Penelope’s expression.
“Daddy, can Penelope take me back to bed? I wantherto tuck me in.”
“I’m sure Penelope needs to get going sweetheart, but I can do it.”
“No Daddy, I really want her to. Pleeeease?”
I can tell she’s still in that space in between sleep and wake. When she’s like this, she gets stubborn and emotional, which means she could be on the verge of a complete breakdown.
“I can do that, Nora,” Penelope says.
“You don’t have to, Penelope, I can take her.”
“I don’t mind, really,” she says.
A moment later I feel her presence behind me. As soon as Nora notices, she reaches for her. To my surprise, Penelope lets Nora climb into her arms.
“Be right back,” she whispers as she gently places her hand on the back of Nora’s soft curls.
“Goodnight Daddy.Mwah.”
“Goodnight baby, go right to sleep, okay?”
I watch them go as they head toward Nora’s room, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest. No other woman, besides my mom and Sally, have put Nora to bed since Michelle died. I’m not sure if it terrifies me or if it warms my heart to see them together.
I guess I didn’t realize how much Nora enjoyed having Penelope around. Between the dinners at the inn and the festival, Nora has gotten to know Penelope and clearly really likes her.
Unfortunately, that makes two of us.
I’m not looking for a relationship now. And maybe I’ll never be looking for one, but, Penelope is not the type of woman you hook up with one night and forget the next. She’s intoxicating. She’s someone worth committing to and spending all your time with.
The complete opposite of what I want in my life.
It’s not that I don’t get lonely, because I do, but when I exchanged vows with Michelle all those years ago, I meant every word of them. I truly felt like she was the love of my life—my soulmate. No one could ever take her place, and I’d never want them to.
The problem is that I could see Penelope fitting nicely into my life, in her own way.
Would she like staying in this small town? I’m not sure. She’s enjoying it now because of all the Christmas festivities, but how would she feel making this her home for good? She’s used to New York City which is a far cry from Winterberry.
Why am I even thinking about this?
Her lips have sent me spiraling.
Grabbing the empty cocoa mugs, I take them to the kitchen to clean them, so I can attempt to silence my mind. I need a distraction from how I’m feeling.
I hear footsteps coming quietly down the hall a few minutes later, and I turn to see Penelope entering the kitchen.
She’s out of this world beautiful. Way out of my league.
She’s still flushed, lips swollen from my kisses. The shy smile on her face tells me she might be feeling what I am.
“Your little cutie is asleep,” she says as she reaches me. “She asked me to rub her back, and within a few minutes, she passed out. You honestly have the sweetest child in the world, Brent. You’re doing a great job with her.”
“Thank you. Some days I feel like a complete failure as a parent. I never expected to be a single dad.”
“All you have to do is look at her and see that you are definitely not a failure. She’s something else.”
