Page 82 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

I sighed. It worked when James did it. Clearly I didn't have the same air of authority.

"We really don't mind taking her," Daphne said. "When was the last time you had a night all to yourself?"

I hated nights all to myself.

"I'll bring her by in the morning before work," Rob said. "It's fine."

"Well, okay then. Are you sure, Scar? I had a fun day planned for us."

"I'm sure. Mommy, you should come with us. It's safer."

Rob raised both his eyebrows at me.

I decided it was best to not acknowledge her comment. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Have a fun day, baby girl."

"I will."

And that was it. She turned away from me and started playing with the food on Rob's plate. "Thanks," I said to Rob and Daphne.

Daphne was giving me that look. The one that meant she was concerned about me. But like I had said to Matt, there was nothing to be concerned about. I felt better than I had in days. Yes, my daughter didn't want to spend time with just me. But I was okay. I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

I wandered over to Mason and Bee's table. "I'm going to get going," I said and leaned down to hug Bee.

"So soon?" she asked. "We'll be here for at least another hour. Our flight isn't until noon."

"Yeah, I need to get going." I didn't need to. But being here alone made me realize just how much weddings sucked when you were single. I didn't want to hang out anymore. I missed James. I just wanted to call him. "Have fun on your honeymoon, you two." I reached over and patted Mason's shoulder.

"Oh, we will," Mason said.

"Thanks for everything, Penny," Bee said. "Are you still going to grab my dress..."

"I've got it all taken care of. Don't worry about a thing. See you guys when you get back. I can't wait to hear all about it." They were finally taking that trip to Italy. Originally Mason had planned to propose there. They were going to meet us on our honeymoon so that we'd all be able to celebrate together. But Isabella had foiled those plans. They had been sitting in a hospital on the day that Mason had planned out for months, waiting to see if James would come back to us. I was happy that they were finally taking the trip. Maybe one day James and I would finally get to go. We had never talked about recreating our honeymoon itinerary. Instead, we had gone to the Bahamas for a late honeymoon once he recovered. Italy was still highest on my list of places I wanted to see. But there was plenty of time. I truly did feel good. Healthy. My chest didn't hurt at all.

I stepped outside of the restaurant and took a deep breath.

"Penny!"

I turned around to see the Caldwell brothers' father pushing through the doors. "Hi, Mr. Caldwell. Did I forget something? Bee's dress is already in the car. I was going to take it to get it preserved."

"No, dear. You didn't forget anything." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I didn't know when the best time to bring this up would be, but I wanted to catch you before you left. Mason told me about your heart condition."

That explained the look of pity he had given James at the rehearsal dinner. It had still been bothering me in the back of my head. Now it made sense. I thought maybe some business deal had gone south. I hated that people knew about my heart. But at least James hadn't

told him. He promised he wouldn't tell anyone else.

"I wouldn't call it a condition. I'm fine. I was actually just thinking about how great I feel."

"Good. But either way, I wanted to give you this." He pulled out a business card from his wallet and handed it to me. "I'm sure you're seeing a great doctor. But this is the number for my cardiologist. I can't recommend him enough. The man saved my life. I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for him."

I looked down at the card. "Thanks, Mr. Caldwell. But I really am good. There's nothing to worry about."

"It never hurts to get a second opinion. Just think about it." He gave me the signature Caldwell wink that Mason and Matt did so often.

I smiled. "Thanks. I will."

"I should get back to the festivities. Take care, Penny." He gave me a quick hug and then disappeared back into the building.

I looked down at the card again. Normally, thinking about my heart would make it hurt. But it didn't ache at all today. I stuffed the card into my purse and started walking home.

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