Page 21 of Payback, Penelope

Penelope

I lean back on my elbows, laid out in a neon pink and orange bikini on a towel along the grassy shore of Lake Tyler, watching my husband swim with our two-year-old daughter, Kennedy, in her toddler-sized life jacket. Christopher and David went back to Dallas shortly after our picnic lunch, still in newlywed bliss five months after getting married. Our parents left about an hour ago, but we’ve decided to stay until dusk, just the three of us.

It won’t be much longer until our family of three turns into four, though. I place my hand on my belly when the baby kicks, smiling and soaking in the warmth of the leisurely summer day spent with the people I hold deepest in my heart.

“Penelope?” A shadow falls over me, and my attention darts to the voice I haven’t heard in nearly a decade. It’s a shock to lay eyes on Daniel in his red and white rash guard and boardshorts when I was hoping to never see him again.

Holy shit, thisis the guy I sacrificed my happiness for?He’s aged like cheese in the years since we’ve been divorced, his receding hairline so pronounced that it’s a wonder he hasn’t just shaved off the remaining artificially dyed brown strands clinging to his pink scalp. I can guess why when a bouncy little brunettewalks up behind him, further along in her pregnancy than I am, and links her fingers with his.

A flash of anger charges through me, hotter than the relentless sun. It’s quickly snuffed when I spot Jacob helping Kennedy onto the end of the dock, catching her when she bravely jumps into his outstretched arms in the water. I’m so thankful I’ve carried Jacob’s babies andnotmy sleazy ex’s.

“Hi, Daniel. Long time no see,” I say without enthusiasm.

Daniel’s eyes dip to my full breasts when I roll over onto my knees and gain my feet without his help. His gaze is lusty, which is surprising considering howunattractivehe found me when I wastoo oldat thirty and, funnily enough, forty-five pounds lighter. Go figure.

“You two know each other?” asks the young woman from his side, her eyes shifting between Daniel’s face to mine, down to my belly, and then up at Daniel again.

I snort. “You could say that.”

Daniel sighs. “Kayla, meet Penelope, my second ex-wife.”

“Oh my god, hi! It’s nice to meet you!” She waves and beams a blinding white smile, surprisingly friendly instead of hostile.

I cock my head to the side. “You’re Daniel’s…”

“Wife!” She holds up her left hand, a small diamond and plain silver wedding band sparkling in the sun.

“Interesting.” To Daniel, I ask, “What happened to Trisha? Things didn’t work out between you two? Shame.”

Daniel clears his throat, then coughs. I love watching him squirm. “We’ve been, uh, divorced for a year now.”

I turn to Kayla, and damn if the bouncy little thing’s smile isn’t strained. With a sneaking suspicion, I ask, “You don’t play pickleball by chance, do you?”

“I do! Best game ever. Sebastian introduced me to it, and we playallthe time,” she stresses. “He’s, like, my best friend.That’s how I met his dad.” She tips her head against his arm, and Daniel looks like he wants to shake her off. Another shame.

I gesture to her stomach. “So, I see congratulations are in order.” She’s all belly, no boobs, wearing the tiniest white bikini.

“Thank you! We’re having a boy, and we couldn’t be more excited,” she practically shouts.

“Oh yeah?” I turn to my ex, who looks positively miserable. This just gets better and better. In an offhanded manner, I ask, “Hey, what are the chances of a vasectomy failing after twenty years? What was it, what was it? I think I’ve googled this before.” I snap my fingers. “Oh, that’s right. Something like one percent. Or is it lower than that? Like, less than half of one percent?” I tilt my head, battling back the smirk tugging at the corners of my lips.

Kayla shifts on her feet and rubs her rounded belly protectively. “Oh, vasectomies failallthe time. Like, it’s so common. My friend’s boyfriend’s failed, and now they’re finally married. Happily ever after, just like us!” Her particular choice of words makes it sound like her friend’s boyfriend only married her after she miraculously got pregnant.

She must realize her mistake when Daniel eyes her as if it’s just occurred to him that maybe after fucking me without protection throughout our entire relationship when I’m clearly able to get pregnant means that there’s a rather large chance that his vasectomy has not, in fact, failed. That maybe she might have had a little help from thebest friendshe playspickleballwithallthe time.

“Your friend’s husband,” Daniel grumbles. “Doesn’t he own a talent agency in Dallas?

“Uh huh. Super successful.” She leans forward and says in a faux whisper as if her words are meant for just the two of us, “Huge mansion.” Her face falls again, realizing she’s made another mistake. Daniel drops her hand.

And wouldn’t you know it? Her best friend strides up to our sides at just that moment, dragging a cooler on wheels stacked with wet towels. His attention lands on Kayla’s stomach, then his dad’s pinched expression, and finally on my smirk. His bourbon eyes ringed with gold widen, and he sets his hands on his hips, his tanned, bare torso carved with abs.

“Wow, Penelope. I haven’t seen you in years. How have you been?”

My heart pings. I spent so many years caring about Sebastian’s well-being, making sure he completed his homework on time and turned it in, cooking his breakfasts and dinners on his weekends with us, and doing his laundry, yet I don’t get so much as a hug.

But that’s ok. I have Jacob, who suddenly appears next to me. He pulls me into his side, the water dripping down his skin, cooling me off. Kennedy, free of her life jacket, reaches for me. I prop my mini-me over my belly, and she gives me the world’s best hug, resting her head on my shoulder, reminding me that I have the beautiful family I’ve always dreamed of to love and care for now.

I don’t need to make introductions because Sebastian echoes his dad’s expression, their brows shooting up with shock. “Jacob? You and Penelope…?”

---