Recap of Chapter 30: While Penny is busy making notes about her future life, she realizes how prominently Matthew features in her plans. He’s been on a trip visiting his family, due to return in a matter of hours. Although she can’t wait to see him, she is troubled by a phone conversation with her dad. Something is definitely bothering him. But, thinking about Matthew’s return overshadows her concern.
When Matthew’s plane landed, he was the first one to pop up and grab his luggage from the overhead. Then he strode to the front of the plane anxiously waiting for the crew to open the door. Yeah, he thought. I’m that guy. He had taken a ridiculous flight to get home, and he couldn’t wait to get on with his plan. He hovered by the train door for his stop, pushed in front of slow movers on the escalator and hustled to the parking lot.
By the time he’d collected his car, hopped on I-70 and climbed the hill, the sun was just rising as the Evergreen exit came into view. Gone were the Christmas lights, which Matthew felt was a loss. He adored all the comforting twinkling lights everywhere. He made a promise to himself to soak it all in next year. The roads were quiet all the way through town, allowing his trip to replay in his mind.
“Enjoying the game, he gently climbed onto the bed in increments meant not to awaken her.”
Upstate New York was beautiful this time of year under a blanket of snow, and he admitted that it was good to get together with his family. His brother, Mark, was his usual obnoxious self, despite being a full-fledged grown-up now with a wife and a baby on the way. Witnessing his brother nestled in domestic bliss was a side he’d never seen before. Matthew had to admit that it suited him. And that he liked his wife too. He told him as much while passing a blunt late one night—something he never did in his real life. Brothers have a way of making people regress to their old ways. In this case, all the way back to being a teenager, sneaking off to smoke pot. Naturally, everyone wanted to know more about this Penny person he kept talking about. The teasing was good-natured, but relentless. Finally, his dad took a serious tone one morning when it was just the two of them having coffee at the worn kitchen table. “So… tell me more about this girl you’ve been seeing. Penny, is it?” Leave it to Dad to be direct, but with a knowing smile. Of course Matthew said good things about her when asked, and most of the time when he wasn’t asked too. When they parted at the airport, his dad pulled him into a bear hug. “Take my advice, son. Don’t let that one get away,” he said at the curb. Then he patted him on the back and drove away. Good ol’ Dad.
Not letting Penny get away was foremost on Matthew’s mind when he pulled into the empty Lucky Penny parking lot. Closed hours ago, Matthew was glad that he wouldn’t be stalled in the bar. He let himself in as quietly as he could, rushed to disarm the alarm system, and carefully relocked the door behind him. He looked around. In the dim light of the restaurant, he spied fresh flowers on the tables in the restaurant—a romantic touch leading up to Valentine’s Day. He tucked his overnight bag in the corner, stole roses from several of the tables and crept up the stairs to the apartment. Once inside, he shrugged off his coat, slipped out of his shoes, and headed toward the bedroom, flowers clutched in his hand. Gus stood in the doorway, staring up at him and twitching his tail. Matthew made a ‘shh’ signal and tiptoed into the room.
Penny was sound asleep, a mere lump in the covers with her back to him. He assessed the room. How should he wake her? He decided on rose petals. He’d pluck them from the roses and let them fall onto her sleeping form, like a rain of petals. He checked his breath, smoothed his hair and then plucked the petals from the roses, dropping them on the corner of the bed in a pile. Penny shifted noisily, flopping onto her back. Better, he thought. He had to suppress a laugh when she began to snore. Had she not stopped, he would have laughed out loud. If she opened her eyes to see him standing there covering his mouth holding a handful of stems, it would ruin his romantic plan. She might scream. For a brief moment, he wondered if she kept a weapon close by. Should he be worried? He shook his head. Nope, nothing was going to thwart his mission. He picked up a handful of rose petals and began scattering them around her on the bed. He then dropped a couple on her exposed bare arm. She didn’t stir. Emboldened, he dropped one on the skin showing above the neckline of her camisole, noting the color: blush pink and made of a silky material. Hmm, this gets better and better, he thought. Gus jumped on the bed and she adjusted her legs to accommodate him. But, still, she didn’t have a clue that he was there. Enjoying the game, he gently climbed onto the bed in increments meant not to awaken her. He couldn’t believe it when he managed to fit his entire body onto the bed next to her without waking her. He made a mental note to install an alarm system for her safety. Holding a single rose petal he gently brushed a line down her forehead, then to the tip of her nose. Her eyes fluttered open. She blinked, then squinted her eyes, her forehead furrowing into a frown trying to comprehend what she was seeing.
“Hello, beautiful!” he said. The sound of his sexy voice broke the spell. She clued in and gasped. “Oh my God!” she squealed. “It’s you! You’re here.” He kissed her lips, which felt warm and dreamlike. “Is this a dream?” she asked in a sleepy voice that sounded more like a purr to Matthew’s ears. He shifted to lay on top of her and she ran her arms up to his shoulders. Instead of asking all the questions that were on her mind—why are you here so early? for one—she breathed in his scent and sighed. He smelled of warm cedar and sandalwood mixed with his own intoxicating pheromones. She kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Why are you on top of the covers and why aren’t you naked?” she teased. He slid backward off the bed in a reverse army crawl, stood and began unbuttoning his shirt and dropping his pants to the floor, stepping out of them quickly. “Oooh, a show,” she said, propped up on her elbow to watch. He jokingly moved his hips like an exotic dancer before getting ready to launch himself onto the bed. “Wait!” she said. He stopped, a questioning expression on his face. “Your socks,” she reminded, pointing to his feet clad in black socks. “Oh no,” he said, laughing. “The socks stay.” And he jumped onto the bed, upsetting Gus who retreated to the corner of the room.
He threw back the covers, sending rose petals flying and exposing Penny’s silky camisole and matching panties. He groaned and she giggled, drawing him close. “I think I need a closer look,” he said, then ducked under the covers, throwing them over his head. And Penny settled into the pillow enjoying Matthew’s skilled attention, feeling lucky from head-to-toe.
