Page 62 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"Gross. I'll reiterate the fact that I'm happily married...to your brother! And seven months pregnant. And you know what? James fell in love with me. So by default I couldn't possibly be the girl that everyone falls for before they find the one."

Jen shrugged. "Fine. But I do agree with everyone else. Don't sweat it though. Matt will find his person soon enough and stop hitting on you."

"He hasn't been hitting on me."

"Mhm."

The conversation made me realize that my friends were all insane. Matt in love with me? Utter nonsense. But I couldn't really be upset with them. It all meant that James and I had a relationship worth emulating. That's basically what they meant. I bit the inside of my lip. But Mason did go from a man-whore to a loving boyfriend within a few years of meeting me. And so did Rob. Tyler had actually told me that he loved me several times, including right before leaving on his road trip where he fell in love with Hailey. Did they have a point?

I shook away the thought. At least James hadn't found someone better after me. I didn't even want to think about that happening. I swallowed hard. So why was I trying to get him to promise me he'd do just that if I died? God, I'm making my crazy friends right! "Excuse me for one sec," I said.

"You okay, big momma?" Bee asked.

I laughed. "I'm fine. I just need to use the restroom." I quickly retreated to the hotel bathroom and locked the door. Panic had settled into my stomach. It almost felt like I was going to puke. I pulled out my phone and clicked on James' name. Maybe I'd calm down once I heard his voice.

"Hey, baby," James said. There was laughter in the background on his end.

"James?" My voice sounded desperate. Any hope I had of calming down was gone. Hearing his voice just got me more upset. I was his one, wasn't I?

"Penny, what's wrong? Are your ankles swelling?"

"No. I just...I don't want you to make that promise."

"What promise?"

"The promise to move on from me. The promise that I've been nagging you about."

"I already told you no, baby."

A stifled laugh escaped my throat. "James, am I the girl that everyone falls for before they find the one? If that's true then your one is still out there. And it's not me. And Scarlett's right and a snake is going to kill me. And then you're going to find your soul mate and replace me."

There was silence on the other end.

"James?" I croaked into the phone. Oh God, it was all true. "James?" I placed my forehead in my hand.

"Penny?" Jen said and knocked on the door. "Is it true that your pregnancy hormones have taken over your mind and you're crying in there?"

I sniffled. "Maybe."

"Okay, you can let him in!" Jen shouted.

"What are you talking about?" I asked and grabbed a tissue.

A few seconds later there was another knock on the door. "Penny, can you let me in?" James said from the other side.

I quickly unlocked the door. My knight in shining armor was standing there with a worried expression on his face. His chest was rising and falling like he had run through the hotel to find me. He shoved his phone into his pocket, joined me in the bathroom, and locked the door.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He put his hands on either side of my face and brushed away my tears with his thumbs.

"Jen was right, it's just my hormones."

He gripped my face a little harder. "Talk to me."

"We were discussing the fact that I'm the girl that everyone falls for before they find the one. Because Mason found Bee after meeting me. Rob found Daphne. Tyler found Hails. And now apparently Matt has a crush on me."

"What is this about Matt having a crush on you?"

"Nothing. It's all nonsense. I just...what if someone else is your one?" My tears started falling again.

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