Page 104 of Someone You Deserve

“Tell me about this benefit,” he says, surprising me. I thought for sure he’d dive right in to talking about the elephant in the room we’ve yet to address. But honestly, I’m grateful he hasn’t yet.

“You mean…”

“The one you never told me about.” He bops me on the nose. “Remember, we both kept things from each other before this happened.” He gestures between the two of us with his hand.

Yeah, but I’m keeping the worst secrets, Penn.

“Well, it’s all Willow’s fault, honestly.”

Penn laughs. “When the woman gets an idea, she goes all in.”

“That she does.” I spend the next few minutes explaining the details of the event to Penn.

He trails his fingers up and down my arm, leaving tingles in their wake. It never ceases to amaze me how his touch makes me feel, how this shift in our friendship feels so natural that even my guilt isdwindling the more we’re together. Lying here with him feels so right. “So, what’s on the menu?”

“Two types of cupcakes and custom cookies with the Morgan logo on them.”

“You know…” he says thoughtfully, continuing to trace gentle patterns on my skin. “I’ve been wondering why you haven’t made a Ferrero Rocher cupcake yet, considering they’re your favorite chocolates.”

The question makes me hesitate. Honestly, after years of Brandon's dismissive attitude toward my baking, I never got too adventurous with my recipes. But I can’t explain that to Penn without getting into everything with Brandon. So, I just shrug and say, “I guess I never really thought about it.”

“Maybe you should for the benefit. A specialty cupcake like that would really make an impression.”

“But some people are allergic to hazelnuts. And that many chocolates would be expensive.”

He nods and goes quiet, clearly trying to devise a solution. Then, his eyes light up and he says, “You put your own spin on it, incorporating similar flavors without the actual candy. And you can make the other cupcake an allergy-free option.” He smiles broadly, visibly excited on my behalf. I reach up and cup his jaw, moved that he takes interest in things that matter to me.

I take a moment to consider his suggestion. The flavor profile wouldn’t be hard to recreate with simple ingredients. All I’d really need is chocolate, hazelnuts, and alotof Nutella. “Okay,” I say simply, returning his smile.

“I assume Willow is going to be there, right?”

“At the benefit?”

He nods.

“Yeah, she’ll be there.”

“Anyone else coming?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What are you asking, Penn?”

He leans in and presses a chaste kiss to my lips. “I want to be there, Astrid. I want to support you in such a pivotal moment in your career.”

God, this man. Brandon would never have wanted to do that. Even if I asked him to, it would have been unlikely. And here Penn is begging to be able to stand by my side.

“Are you sure you want to go all that way? I’ll have help.”

“I have a job that morning and some supplies being delivered to my rental, but I’ll be there. You know I’ll fucking be there for you, Astrid. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

“I know. I would love to have you there, Penn.” I kiss him again, this time letting my lips linger.

“But I want to be there for you as more than your friend. I want people to know that you’re mine, Astrid,” he says, his voice low and his eyes penetrating mine when he lifts his head.

My heart starts to race. Our eyes are moving back and forth between each other’s, and suddenly the topic I’ve been dreading is unavoidable.

“Penn…”

“I don’t want to hide anymore, babe,” he says, pushing my hair away from my face as he stares down at me. “I understood why we needed to for a bit, but life is too short to keep denying ourselves.”

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