Today sucks! I spent the morning waving off my fiancé at the Edinburgh airport. I was a sniffling mess. I didn't realize that saying goodbye would hit me so hard. Blimey, he’s my fiancé! Of course, the paparazzi were all over us and hours later my bloodshot eyes and snotty nose were all over the gossip pages. Thankfully, I had swapped my engagement ring over to my other hand and turned it around so they wouldn’t see it. The tabloids only just realized Axel and I are actually dating because some fans spotted us in France. They would lose their minds if they really knew the extent of our relationship. If they smell one little bit of news that we are engaged, all hell will break loose. Luckily, I will be staying at my old cottage at the castle while I search for a manger for the estate. There is no way they can find me there; it will give me a little bit of peace and quiet.
I keep staring at my stunning engagement ring, the thing is huge. I didn’t want something so ostentatious, but when you are presented with the most beautiful rings in the world to choose from, what’s a girl to do? I actually never thought I would be that girl who wanted the huge diamond ring, but when the sparking rock is on your hand and mesmerizes you, you have to have it. Of course, the man that loves you decides it is definitely the one, you have no choice but to keep it.
“Still staring at your ring?” Penny startles me from my trance
“Yeah, sorry,” I reply, feeling a little embarrassed being caught looking at it.
“It’s okay, it’s a beautiful ring and you are just happy.” Penny smiles at me. This newfound Penny is still taking me a little to get used to. She has moved into the village and set herself up in a gorgeous little home. Ivy is going to redecorate it for her as it hasn’t been updated since the 80s and I’m not sure Penny is into granny chic. I’m really impressed though; she has been coming into work every day and looking after our wedding and events section of the business. She’s a quick learner and has only had a tantrum once, okay maybe once a day, but still, I think that is progress. Eddie on the other hand is MIA until the paternity test results come in, which should be any day. Guessing he doesn’t want to stick around until he has to.
“Thank you.”
“I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t apologize enough for being a bitch to you, I know my quick personality change will take a while to get used to, but this baby…” She rubs her nonexistent belly. “This baby changes everything. I don’t want this little one to grow up in a family where the members hate each other.” I move my lips to speak but she shushes me. “I did this to our family, not you. God, you put up with my jealousy all your life…you’re a better person than me, Liv. I don’t want my child to see me like that, a toxic human.” Wow, I seriously think Penny being knocked up is the best thing in the world for her. It’s like she’s been replaced with a normal human being.
“Well, I am pretty proud of you right now,” I say, giving her a smile.
“I know I have lots to do to repair the damage I have done between us, but I am going to try. You’re going to be the aunt to this child and I am going to need you, it’s going to need you.” My eyes get glassy. I guess Penny’s pregnancy is hitting me. I am going to be an aunty.
“Well, I am here for you, no matter what.”
Penny nods. “Okay, enough emotional crap, we have work to do. I’m so sick of carrying you,” She laughs at her joke. This, this is what I have always wanted between us.
***
Penny and I have been going through the resumes of candidates for the estate manager job. We have had a meeting with Camryn and Kimberly who are finalizing their bid proposal for taking over the events side of our estate. I think I am finally getting on top of things and I haven’t thought about Axel in like two minutes.
Penny’s phone starts ringing, making her jump. “Shit, it’s the doctor.” My stomach sinks. “Hello.” She answers with hesitation in her voice. “Yes, this is Penny.” She is silent, her face like stone. She would be great at poker, not giving anything away. “Okay, thank you.” Then she hangs up.
“What? Is Eddie the father?”
Tears well in her eyes and she bursts out crying, I quickly jump up from behind my desk and put my arms around her as she sobs against me. “I lied to you, Liv.” What is she talking about? “I lied, I’m so sorry.” My stomach does somersaults; she pulls away from me. “I knew Eddie wasn’t the father.” I’m stunned. “I just said it was him because well…” At least Penny has the balls to look ashamed. “I wanted to hurt you. You caught us the day of your wedding. You mentioned the pregnancy test. I was in shock finding out I was pregnant and I was there with Eddie and then bombarded by our family and I panicked. I said it was his because I knew that the guy who is probably the father will never be with me. He and I can never be together.” Penny breaks down again in my arms. This is a lot of information to take in right now.
“So you know who it could be?” She nods. “Why can’t you be together?” I’m pretty sure any man would want to know if they are having a child.
“Because, Liv…” Penny takes a deep breath. “Because he’s married.”
“Penny!” I scold her, not meaning to.
“I know, I know. So fucking stupid. That’s kind of why I was sleeping with Eddie. I could never be more than this man’s mistress.”
“Are they high profile? Would it be a scandal if it came out?” I ask.
“Yes, very much so,” she confesses. Bugger! “A political scandal.” My eyes widen.
“Pen, who the hell is it?” I question her.
“You have to promise, Liv. I mean it, please. No one, and I mean no one, knows I have been his mistress for five years.”
“Five years,” I squeal. I have no idea who my sister is.
“Yes, I know it was stupid, but…I love him.” I want to feel sorry for her, because loving someone you can’t have sucks. I’m also angry at her because the man is married, he has a wife, probably has kids as well. “I know exactly what you are thinking,” Penny hisses. “It is not what you think.”
“So tell me then. Because at the moment I feel for you but you are also messing up someone else's life. He’s married, Pen. Married!”
“I know he is, but there is nothing I can do about that until he is out of office and we can be together, plus his wife kind of knows about me.” Yes, my jaw hits the floor at that statement.
“His wife knows?”
She nods. “It’s socially accepted in France for a man to take a mistress. He also allows his wife to seek others.” My mind is blown. “Eddie and I might have swung with them a couple of times.”
“You and Eddie?” My voice raises to an unnatural squeal.
Penny takes a deep breath. “Yes, you might not understand this or maybe you do now, after being with a man like Axel.” My body tenses at her mentioning his name. “I am part of a secret sex club.” My stomach flip flops. Oh shit, does she know about The Paradise Club? I stay quiet. “See, I knew you would judge me.” Penny stands up and moves away from me.
“Penny, I’m not judging you, I am just listening to your story.” She settles down a little.
“It’s a private member’s swingers club in Paris, it’s only for couples.” I relax a little as I know The Paradise Club is definitely open to all. “Eddie and I would go together as a couple.” Okay, I can understand that bit. “It’s for VIPs who want discrete fun. You know, celebrities, politicians, the odd royal. It’s different to The Paradise Club.” My whole body stills. “Which I know you are familiar with.” Penny gives me a sly smile.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I add quickly.
This makes Penny laugh. “Liv, I know about The Paradise Club. Axel mentioned you two had been to an island together at dinner, an exclusive island. And I’d heard around London about The Paradise Club Resort that was going to be opening in the Caribbean soon. Then I remembered seeing Nate Lewis, who owns the clubs, at New Year’s Eve and I realized that if he was invited to the wedding then the Dirty Texas guys must know him. So I put two and two together figuring they must go there if they are that friendly to invite Nate to the wedding. I also found out that it was Nate’s boat that you all hung out on for the bachelor party.” How the hell does she know all this? I stay quiet. Penny laughs, “I know you can’t talk about the club. I understand, but just so you know, I think it’s pretty cool if you have been there.” I give her a small smile. “I knew it, I knew it, you little deviant.”
“I’m not saying a word. This is your story.”
Penny’s eyes narrow. “You are going to tell me your story one day.” I just shrug. “I guess we are more alike than we thought.” This makes me chuckle.
“So, what happened?”
Penny turns serious for a moment. “I can trust you, can’t I, Liv?” she questions me.
“Of course you can. I would never spill your secrets.” She slowly nods and looks a little nervous.
“Well, I met this couple at the club, years before Eddie. One of my boyfriends introduced the club to me. I thought it was going to be fun, and of course it was. I didn’t realize who he was when I met him, but he swept me off my feet. He and his wife were stunning. I mean the club was full of beautiful couples but there was something about them. They came over to us and we started to chat, you know I am a sucker for a French accent. When they conversed between each other in French not realizing I could understand, I replied to their conversation with a yes.” She pours herself a glass of water and takes a sip. “His wife had told him how beautiful she thought I was and how she would really like to watch us together.” Wow, not sure if I could handle Axel with another woman, but I can understand it. “She very much liked the look of my partner at the time. I think he was some young footballer. They were older, maybe by about fifteen years, but they most definitely worked out. Anyway, I will spare you what happened next, but after that weekend we continued sleeping with each as a foursome until I broke up with the footballer. I hadn’t seen the husband for maybe six months until stumbling upon him at a social event. That night was the first night we were together without our partners.”
“Is it still continuing?” I ask and Penny nods. “He knows you married Eddie?”
“Yes, he does, but he doesn’t know I am pregnant.”
“And you are going to tell him, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I think so. Just not sure when I will be in Paris again. He is a hard man to get a hold of.”
“And who is he?”
“The President of France.”
I clutch my chest. I cannot believe it. “You mean Julien Soucy?” She nods. “Like the world’s hottest politician, Julien Soucy?”
“Yes.”
“The same one that is in the middle of campaigning for a second term as President.” Penny nods her head. “Who’s married to a famous French actress?”
Penny rolls her eyes. “Yes, that same couple.”
“Shit, Pen. You have gotten yourself into a sticky situation.”
“Oh, gee thanks, Captain Obvious,” she snaps back.
“Hey, sorry. I am in shock here. I just…bugger, if this comes out it’s going to be a scandal.”
“I know, Liv. I know all of this. Five years I have been living in fear of someone finding out and now, now I am going to be a single mother. A soon to be divorcee, and I’m sure Eddie is going to tell everyone why he divorced me. I am going to be the laughing stock of the social scene when people find out that Eddie is not the father. I mean, it was lucky that people didn’t bat an eyelid when the wedding changed brides. But with this scandal, I am going to lose all my friends and I am going to be alone. I know this is some karmic retribution for being a raging bitch to you for the past twenty-eight years.” Penny bursts out crying.
“Hey, hey.” I try and comfort her. “You have me by your side. I’m not going to let anyone say anything about you.”
“Even if it’s true?” Penny sniffles.
“You’ve made bad decisions, but now you are going to have to make the right ones because you have a tiny human to take care of and they are going to be relying on you for everything.”
Penny sniffles again. “Jules’s wife never wanted children, she has no desire for them. He said that it was one of the greatest disappointments in his life that he never had kids.”
“You have to tell him, Pen.”
“But it’s not going to change anything.”
“Maybe not, but he is still that child’s biological father.”
“I’m scared, Liv, so scared.”
“I know, but you have me now and I will help you wherever I can. I mean I have to go to Paris to go wedding dress shopping. You would be in the same place at the same time. You could talk to him then.”
Penny looks up at me. “You would do that? Help me.”
“Of course, we are family.” She bursts out crying again.
“How did I get so lucky to have you as a sister. I will never ever fuck this up ever again.”
And I honestly hope she means it.