Page 70 of The Soldier's Homecoming

“You okay?” he asked.

Penny was nervous. He’d known her long enough to recognize it.

In fact, she looked terrified.

“Yeah,” she said, but her voice was shaking, “I’m fine.”

They stopped at their floor and stepped out. Daniel led the way and opened their door, standing back again to let her through first.

“Oh, Daniel!”

He saw the room only a moment after she did.

Wow. It was beautiful.

“I thought, just on the off chance you wanted to spend the night together here, that I’d make it special.”

Penny had tears in her eyes as she turned to him; her hand was covering her mouth.

“Is it too much?” Damn it! He thought she’d like it.

Penny shook her head. “It’s not that, Daniel, it’s…”

He went to take her hand, to comfort her, but she took a step back.

She looked bewildered as she surveyed the room again.

The rose petals strewn over the bed, champagne and chocolates on the side table, a few candles flickering.

Penny pulled away from him.

“I need a minute.”

Daniel’s pulse started to race, but he tried not to let it show on his face. She was backing out, he could feel it.

“Take all the time you need.”

Penny looked like she wanted to bolt. Like she was going to run for the bathroom then look for an escape route. Climb out the window or something, and never look back.

He hoped not.

She crossed the room and disappeared. Daniel sunk onto the bed, before thinking better of it and opening the bottle of champagne he had ordered earlier. Chilled and waiting for them.

The last thing he wanted was to get drunk, but right now he neededsomething

Penny placed her hands on either side of the sink bowl and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, palms clammy.

She couldn’t do this.

Could she?

Daniel was her husband. The man she’d pledged to spend the rest of her life with. So why was this so hard?

Because all of a sudden she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Daniel had seen another woman naked. That he’d been with someone other than her.

Would she measure up? Would he compare their bodies? Did he really even want her still?

Penny turned on the cold tap and let the cool water run over her wrists.

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