Finding Michael was no difficult task. Penelope simply called his secretary again. She knew that if he wasn’t home, he was either with his mistress or at work. Michael had a tendency to throw himself into his work whenever he was stressed, and she wasn’t surprised when his secretary confirmed that Michael was indeed working today. “He just went to lunch with a business investor, but I expect him back in an hour,” Peppy informed her. “Shall I give him a message?”
“No, thank you. I’ll catch up with him later,” Penelope assured her. And catching up with Michael was exactly what she planned to do.
Penelope had to admit that sitting outside of Michael’s work felt slightly stalker-ish, but she loved him and felt compelled to fix things. At the very least, she had to try. Michael was a stickler for punctuality, and at one o’clock precisely, his Jeep Cherokee pulled into the front parking lot. Penelope was waiting for him. Before he could even step out of his vehicle, she was standing there at his side. Michael closed his eyes, bracing himself for another attack, but she surprised him by throwing her arms around him in a strong embrace.
“I love you,” she whispered, holding on to him as long as she could. She searched his eyes questioningly, trying to gauge his reaction.
Michael’s eyes were tearful, and his expression was riddled with guilt. He wiped his eyes with the back of his polo sleeve and said, “I never meant to hurt you, Penelope.”
“Michael,” she began, “I know you’ve been through a lot when it comes to relationships. I know Lexi broke Elijah’s heart and yours when she left. And I know,” she continued, “that it’s been stressful, planning the wedding, getting a house that you didn’t really want…”
He lifted his hand to stop her. “No, there’s no excuse for cheating on you. I had no right to do that.”
His words resonated in Penelope’s heart and for a moment, she was certain that they could recover from this and move forward with the life they had planned. But then she heard the words that would stop her heart for what seemed like forever.
“I think I love her, Penn.” Michael buried his face in his hands, unable to look at her. Once upon a time, he had loved Penelope. He had wanted to marry her. She was a great mother, and he had always been able to rely on her. But Violet…
Part of Michael almost wished he’d never run into Violet that night at the bar. He would have been just fine raising his son and stepdaughter with Penelope. They had a happy life together, they really did. Such a thought surprised him, and he looked into the eyes of his fiancée, and for the first time in a long time, he remembered his reasons for asking her to marry him. She was kind and beautiful, and most of all, she loved him and his son unconditionally.
Penelope was stunned by his proclamation, and he immediately wished he could take it back. He reached for her, but she cringed at his touch and stepped back.
“Penelope, wait. I do love you,” he pleaded.
“Well, which is it, Michael? Do you love her or me?” she demanded. The length of his silence was unbearable. Penelope threw up her hands and turned to walk away.
“I know you don’t owe me any favors, but do you think you could wait?” Michael asked.
“Wait for what?” she asked.
“I have an opportunity to go to Chicago for a business deal. I’ll be back in a month. Will you give me some time to sort through my feelings?”
Penelope felt an impulse to slap him just then, but somewhere deep inside, she could still feel a small glimmer of hope—hope that somehow, some way, this could all still be repaired. “Okay,” she agreed. “Should we tell the children?”
“No. Let’s wait, shall we?” he pleaded.
“I won’t tell them,” she promised. “I do love Elijah. You know that, right? I never would have abandoned him the way Lexi did.”
“I know,” he replied.
“At least I’ll get to spend one last month with him,” she concluded, more to herself than to him.
Penelope turned around and walked back to her car. “Whatever you decide, Michael,” she called back to him, “I can live with it.” And she could.