Page 141 of One More Chapter

anthony

“We really don’t haveto drive in together,” I say, contrary to every single neuron in my body that started buzzing the second Penelope put her three different bags, lunch box, and two water bottles into my truck to drive to school the Monday after the wedding. The domesticity of it all has my skin hot.

Pen turns around at the open door to my truck, head tilted in cheeky defiance as her arms find my waist.

“What if I want to?”

She tugs me close, and I remember to breathe.

“Then who am I to deny you?”

I plant a gentle kiss to her lips, and that settles the bees in my brain to a quietness I’m learning to expect when she’s around. But the moment she reaches across the center console to hold my hand? You’d think someone just whacked the hive with a two by four.

“Do I atleastget a little preview of what this big after school emergency meeting is about, now that I’m sleeping with the assistant principal?” she asks, running her thumb over the back of my hand.

I lift her hand to my smirk and kiss her knuckles. I haven’t told her this yet. We’ve been a little preoccupied with jumpingover all of our mountains—and then jumping each other’s bones all over the new house all weekend. Anytime we did speak, it was a mixture of sweet nothings and Uber Eats orders. As that thought hits me when we pull into the school parking lot, I turn and take her hands in mine.

“Uh oh. He’s got his serious face on.”

“I don’t want to just be the assistant principal that you’re sleeping with, Pen.”

Her eyes widen and soften, and I see her swallow a golf ball.

“Oh. Yeah, me neither. You’re umm… You’re mine now, Anthony. I don’t want to go back to a time that you weren’t.”

“Damn. You stole my line,” I chuckle, my smile beaming at the way that things can be so easy after deciding to read from the same page.

She exhales, and I cup the back of her neck to pull her to me. I don’t give two shits that we’re in the parking lot at school. I kiss her. I’m not technically the APyet.

“So… What’s the big secret?” she asks when we pull away.

It’s my turn to blush.

“I uh… They’re recommending me for assistant principal, effective immediately. And they’ll also be implementing the behavior plan district wide starting next year, so I’ll be coordinating that, too,” I squeak out, scratching the back of my neck.

“Anthony!” she squeals. Her arms around my neck are my new safe space. But she pulls away to tell me, “Yes! I amsoproud of you!” andthosewords become my safe place to land.

They get me through the chaos of the day—meeting with students, recommending mentors, going over the sports schedules to give both schools ample practice facility time. When the entire doubled staff meets in the library, I do get a little jittery. I check my watch several times, waiting for the clock to strike three-thirty. Penelope is standing with our crew andoffers me a smile and a thumbs up, mouthingYou’ve got this!I give her a tight smile in return, then head to where my laptop is plugged into the Smart TV to go over my slides one more time when I hear it.

It’s faint, buthername carries over the crowd, sticking out like a beacon.

“…sounds like Penelope Barker has been writing dirty books on the side. I can’t believe they still let her teach.”

My head snaps in the direction of the lewd gossip, finding Amanda White at the center. She has her phone out, and is no doubt showing an article or photos or something to the group of Meadow Ridge teachers who all show the same distaste to her news.

I know I should stay out of it. She shoots her gaze one circle over to where Pen stands, and I grind my teeth.

“IfIwere administration,Icertainly wouldn’t let one of my staff write smut on the side,” she tosses, projecting her voice so that Penelope and her circle can hear. “What kind of people do we have teaching ourkids?”

And that’s where she fucks up.

They all turn. Aaron and Sam with furrowed brows, Lucy and Juliet with claws out. Penelope clocks it all, and raises her chin.

“If you have something to say, you can say it to my face,” she says, taking a step closer to Amanda, who lifts her nose in disdain.

“Says the woman who hides behind a pen name so her employer doesn’t find out her dirty little secret?” she retorts, running her tongue over her teeth.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I like to keep my two lives private.”

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