A Penny Earned, page 3
“I am not high maintenance!”
“How long have you been home?”
“Three days.”
“Has he called you yet?”
“Well no.”
“See, he’s glad to take the break from you,” Delilah said, sticking out her tongue and laughing. “You better not stay here too long and go back showing him your little pooch. Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. Being away from someone who sucks all the air out the room can feel like freedom.”
Her sister was correct. She needed a moment to process the changes about to happen in her life. Several thoughts entered her mind, but the one that resurfaced time and time again was her plan to return to Fred. True, her home had more room, better lighting, and modern appliances, but his home had history and character. His home was full of memories, and he lived in a town where people knew him and the Quartermaine family. If he moved to where she lived, all of that would be unsettling for him, and Fred was settled.
It was Penny who had never settled down into anything except for the last two months with Fred. She even had a writing routine, ate regular meals, and had a set bedtime. Honestly, she felt better than she had in years.
“Girl hush. That man loves me.”
“Maybe, but love and sharing a life requires compromise, Penny. He showed you he can compromise, but have you done the same?”
Penny didn’t have an answer right away for her sister because there were issues that needed to be worked out in her head. On top of those issues, her mind continuously went back to the house where Philoneus had hid so many secrets. Each of them, Lana, herself, and even Desirío had found separate clues on the maps about the walls of the house.
It took four days to add three and three and get seven, but the one outstanding variable needed to be considered and thus compensated. Saturday morning, with her bags packed, she climbed into her Audi and began the trek to Fred. She didn’t bother to call, arrogantly believing he’d be home waiting for her to return. If he wasn’t there, she had every intention of breaking in and waiting for him in the middle of his bed, butt damned naked and ready to play.
“Dear Lord, I miss that man,” she said, looking at the ring on her left hand.
Chapter 3 - Draw
Aweek passed unacknowledged as Fred Quartermaine continued to work the job which put money in his pockets on a regular basis. Five days a week, his assistant Lana arrived, worked eight hours, and departed for home, leaving Fred alone to work on items around his home he’d made a list to get done over the past year. The insane travel schedule often prevented simple things from occurring like repainting the yellow kitchen to a bright white, which made the space look larger. The copper bottom pans his gran hung on the walls out of lack of cabinet space had become dust collecting nuisances he’d been meaning to rid the home of but just didn’t have the time to make it happen. Today, the copper gelatin molds and pans hanging on the walls were no more.
He managed to get it all done by Wednesday. On Thursday, he took on the laundry room, getting rid of the antiquated washer and dryer and having a newer model with steaming action in the dryer delivered. The fancy new appliances meant a quick coat of soft beige paint on the walls, which he finished at ten at night. He slept like a child with a new pacifier, pleased with his efforts.
On Friday, he took a peek at the dining room with the heavy wainscoting and dark green walls that he found to be depressing. Before he knew it, he’d taped off the space and begun painting the room with a soft buttercream yellow. He wrapped up the project at a little after 11 at night and headed to bed.
In truth, the work needed to get done, but in working late in the evening to the point of exhaustion, Fred wouldn’t have time to miss Penny. He missed her and wanted to call, but she hadn’t called him. He took such a blatantly obvious statement as the lady needing space to think and process what would come next for the two of them, if there would be a two of them.
Saturday morning required a trip to the local farmer’s market to stock up on food stores. Where he normally would buy for two, himself and Lana, today he found himself buying for three. Perhaps his purchasing was optimistic, but he and Penny had created a rapport which created an easy to share life and a space. He also thought it was amazing to wake up next to someone with goals for the workday and plans for the relaxing evening. Hopefully, she found it pleasing and would want more of the two months of sharing life they’d created inside the home. If so, he was prepared; if not, he’d dust himself off and continue with life.
A dusting of more than the molds on the walls was required. Fred entered the back door with the bags of sundries and heard the bell ringing at the front door. He didn’t check the monitor or the cameras to see who could be visiting on a Saturday morning. To his surprise, at the door stood Penny with three large suitcases and a rolling ox box which he assumed was her office.
“Hey, you,” he said, opening the door wide. He assisted with the luggage, rolling the bags to the elevator. A soreness lingered in his muscles from the three days of painting; the last thing he wanted or needed to do was carry luggage up the flight of stairs. “How was your drive up?”
“Uneventful,” she said, stepping inside. She opened the front closet to hang her lightweight coat as if this were a normal thing she’d do when returning from a book signing. “I was going to call to let you know I was on the way.”
“Yeah, why bother when you hadn’t called all week,” he said, taking the rolling bag to the stairwell to take down to the lower office.
“You didn’t call me either,” she said.
“I figured you wanted time and space to figure out the title you planned to award me in your life. If you wanted to talk, you would have texted you arrived safely or that you would be gone for a week,” he said, standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets. “So have you decided on the title I have earned in your life?”
Penny kicked off the driving slippers she’d worn and walked toward the kitchen. She needed to eat something, and her stomach growled as if it were about to attack her spine from sheer emptiness. From the fridge, she helped herself to a cup of the iced tea and half a sandwich.
“It’s tuna!” she said after biting into it. Her eyes were on him, looking closely at his facial expression. In his eyes, she saw the smugness of male satisfaction at her return with three suitcases filled to the brim with personal items. She wanted to take some of the wind out of his sail. “You started with the ring, so I assume you wanted at least the title of fiancé. However, between Philoneous’ house and my stay here, you’ve earned the title of Baby Daddy. If you want to go further, to make me Peyton Quartermaine, then we can do that as well, especially if your deposited genetic material is a boy and you want it to be a junior. So, you tell me.”
Fred hadn’t moved. He stood in the doorway, his hands in his pockets, simply staring at her face. His eyes didn’t wander to her belly.
“How soon?”
“How soon what? I take your name or us being parents? You don’t seem to be very surprised by the information I shared,” she said.
“Kind of figured,” he said, pointed to the half of a sandwich she was inhaling. “I found myself craving a tuna salad sandwich, and I don’t like tuna. I made it in the middle of the night and stood here, eating half of it, wondering why I was craving something I despised.”
“That’s your reaction to finding out you’re going to be a father?”
“Right now,” he said, saying nothing more. Fred took a pause before adding, “I missed you. I missed you a great deal, but thought it was mean and selfish of you not to call me, say ‘Hey, knot head. I made it home safely.’ Yet here you stand after walking in and telling me to decide what my title in your life will be, and in the middle of all of it, you tell me we’re pregnant and are shocked at my reaction.”
“Yes, I am shocked at your calmness. This tuna sandwich is amazing,” she said. “Can I have another?”
“No; mercury and all that,” he said. “I’m waiting.”
“Waiting for what, Fred?”
“I’m waiting for you to complete your thought process. You are a writer; use your damn words. Make me feel as if you want me in your life and the life of that child. I’ve earned that, Peyton,” he said through gritted teeth. He was amazed at his own anger at the casualness of her approach to this major change for both of their lives.
“Fred, I don’t know what to expect from you or your facial expressions. You go at one speed. Yes, it is wonderfully stable, but I know you wanted children. We just didn’t plan for them now, but here we are. I know you wanted children, but you didn’t necessarily say you wanted kids with me, or anyone who looked like me,” she said. “I don’t know what I want you to say or do because I’m terrified. I’m not 25 anymore. This may well be a risky pregnancy.”
He finally moved forward. His hand went to her cheek. Unable to stand it any longer, he pulled her into an embrace. “I can’t kiss you because you have tuna breath,” he said, squeezing her tightly.
They stood in the embrace while he gathered his words. “I never knew how it felt to truly love someone until I found myself at 10 at night painting a laundry room for you that you might not have even noticed.”
“I noticed the white kitchen walls and the copper bottom cookware is gone,” she said. “The dining room is no longer green. I noticed, Fred. I spotted it all.”
“Did you also take in the look of relief on my face when I opened the door and spotted you standing on the porch?” he asked, overcoming the taste of tuna in her mouth to kiss her fully. “Peyton, I love you. The idea of me becoming a father and you a mother is overwhelming, but in a good way. Me a dad. Thank you for keeping my child, for giving me a chance to be a father. The ring was my way of asking you to marry me and make us a family.”
“Yes,” she said, clinging to him and kissing him back.
“Yes, you will marry me?” he asked, pulling away to look at her tear-stained face.
“I will marry you, Fred,” she said, tiptoeing to kiss his lips.
“When? You want to do a church wedding or simply head to the courthouse and get it done?”
“Courthouse is fine,” she said, “if that’s okay with you. I mean, I don’t want to deny you the pomp and circumstance of it all. Your parents deserve to see you in all the regal attire and to have your friends and family celebrate you finally settling down.”
“Naw, I just want to know you carry my name and I’m yours,” he said, smiling. He stepped back, his hand running over her abdomen. “When? I know I asked that before, but how soon can we expect the little one?”
“We are pretty early, maybe two months along. I need to get a doctor here and make an appointment,” she said, pulling away. “We have a lot to discuss.”
Fred hugged her again. “No, we don’t actually. Monday, we can go to the courthouse and make it official. We keep both houses so when we visit your folks, we have our own place to stay. You love me, I love you back, and we raise a family.”
“What about our travel schedules?”
“I have learned I can work from home. If need be, Lana can get promoted and do her own thing,” he said, “or I can take a teaching gig over at Yale, bring in a nice check.”
“You make it seem so easy,” Penny said, looking him deeply in the eyes.
“Life is easy. When people want to add layers and other people into the equation, you have drama and miscommunication. You can author more novels, or retire, or if you still want to travel, we can,” he said.
“Fred what do you want?”
“I want you, Peyton van Cardin, to become Peyton Quartermaine. I want to wake up to you and this sexy new haircut every day, which I love, by the way. My life is richer with you in it,” he said. “What I want from you is simply to be loved.”
“I love you, Fred.”
“Then we start here,” he said, holding her close. “I want a son, but a daughter will be lovely with bows and ribbons and tea parties. This will be amazing.”
A quiet weekend went by with time spent in the backyard grilling steaks, saying little, living in the moment. On Sunday evening, Fred made a call to Lana to give her Monday morning off with an option to come in the afternoon. On the calendar was a life-changing ceremony with a no fuss marriage on Monday morning uniting Fredrick Quartermaine to Peyton van Cardin, and just like that, they’d become husband and wife. Fred surprised her by being a bit emotional when she slid the ring on his finger. The weight of the gold band paired with the engagement ring on her own hand, coupled with the knowledge of a life growing inside of her, nearly broke her calm façade. On the ride to the house, she too geared up; this time she wanted to get it right. She had the right man, and they would make a right fine life together.
Sitting on the couch, Fred looked at the heavy gold band she’d purchased and brought with her, engraved in the metal, the floor gave way to love. He took the ring off and read it again. He thought of the walls in Philoneus’ home. Another thought popped into his head as well.
“I had a suitcase packed by the closet,” he told her. “If you hadn’t come in by Saturday afternoon, I was coming for you. I was going to come and bring you home to me.”
“How? You don’t even know where I live.” she said, laughing.
“Baby, I was going to call your Daddy and get the deets.”
“Please, tell me what you planned to say to my father to get my address out of him. As far as he knew, I could have been running away from you,” she said, chuckling at the idea of Fred with a pencil making an imaginary draw in the line of sand.
“I was going to tell him my baby was acting up and I was coming to get you, spank that ass, and bring you home where you belong,” Fred told her.
“Oh really, spank my ass?”
“Yeah, we should try it to see how you feel about it,” he said, reaching for her. “There are a few other things I’d like to try with you as well, my wife. I like the sound of that, ‘my wife.’”
“Watch yourself there, husband,” she said, snuggling close to him.
It wasn’t ideal or even realistic, but they were husband and wife. She needed to call her parents and let them know. Her mother, who seemed to be forever disappointed in her, more than likely would not approve, but it was a done deal.
Quietly, she made the call. Karla van Cardin answered right away with a deep sigh in the line as if whatever her eldest was about to say would make her tired of living. Penny knew her mother was bracing herself.
“Hi Mom,” she said. “I wanted to let you know I’m back in Connecticut with Fred.”
Karla exhaled, “So how long do you plan to keep living like that with him?”
“We made it official today since we will be expecting our first child around Christmas,” she told her mother, listening to the woman gasp. “Yeah, I’m keeping my house there in Maryland so when we come for a visit, we have our own space. Let Daddy know, will you?”
“Peyton! That is no way to tell your mother you’re married and planning to have your first child! What about Harold?”
“Mom, I hate Harold. I truly despise that man, and for whatever reason, you seem hell bent on making this an issue between us. I’ve married Fred. I’m carrying Fred’s child. There is no Harold,” she said. “Hey, I just wanted you to know.”
The silence lingered on the phone. Finally, her mother spoke. “Fred is a good guy. Your father really likes and respects him. He has a nice family. You will be happy.”
“I am happy and look forward to our life together,” she said. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, Sweetie,” Karla said, ending the call with her daughter. Quietly, Karla van Cardin walked into the other room to inform her husband that Peyton had married the big white guy. To her shock, Jerry van Cardin began to do a happy dance. He was excited about getting to fish on the boat with his son-in-law and have more man talk.
Maybe her daughter had finally gotten it right.
Chapter 4- Obtain
Fred was wide-awake, lying-in bed, staring at the ceiling. This was highly unusual for a him, considering he’d trained himself to fall asleep once his head hit the pillow. However, that was before he’d become a husband to a woman that he didn’t believe he’d actually convinced to marry him. To add to his current train of thought and utter amazement, the same sexy, intelligent, and highly attractive woman was carrying his child.
“Me, a dad,” he said, thinking of all the knowledge he wanted to impart to the little one. “If it’s a girl, I’m going to teach her how to fish too.”
He spoke into the early morning air, trying not to wake the wonderful creature who’d consented the day before to becoming Mrs. Frederick Quartermaine. He was no longer alone. In a few short months, there would be an addition to his newly developed family unit. When he found out on Saturday, he was too shocked to process the news. Most of Sunday he spent thinking of names for his son, and Roderick kept popping into his head. “I’d call him Roddy, for short. I like that.”
Slowly he turned in the bed to stare at his wife’s profile to find she was also awake and looking at him. He loved the way she looked at him. He’d learned over the last few months to read her facial expressions. The one she currently provided meant loving was on the menu. Anytime she provided him with that look, he prepared himself to give the lady everything she needed.
Fred reached for his wife. His hand slid under the pajama top, gently rubbing the orbs of honey brown delight. It only took moments to replace the hand with his mouth and to have Penny flat on her back. Fred’s hand slid into the pajama bottoms, coming in contact with moisture. A deep growl emanated from the back of his throat as his mouth clamped around her left nipple, creating a vacuum effect as he sucked hard. Agile fingers worked the lower half of her body, raising the temperature between them from slightly warm to steamy.
“Fred,” she whispered huskily, reaching for him. Penny’s hands went into his dark hair, tugging and bringing his mouth fully onto her breast. Her back arched as she moaned loudly, loving the feel of the heat building in her center. “Ohh,” she moaned into his ear.
