Chapter 30
“MAMA!” Vince ran to Penelope and hugged her. He spread his hands in front of her as if asking for something.
Penelope gasped after remembering that the kid requested an ice cream before she left the house. “I’m sorry, baby. I forgot your ice cream.”
Vince made a face that made Penelope laughed. “Let’s order online,” she said and took out her phone. “What flavor do you want?”
“He likes rocky road,” Laura answered from the kitchen. “How’s your meeting?”
Penelope felt guilty for lying to the woman just to meet Nicholas. Justin gave the weekends for her as a day off. Still, Nicholas won’t meet her on weekends because of church services, so Penelope secretly asked Laura to look for Vince for just a couple of hours. She told the woman that she just had an urgent meeting to attend.
“It went well,” Penelope said with a sigh and told Vince to go back on the couch. “Did Justin call while I’m out?”
Laura shook her head. “Maybe he’s busy on rehearsals for his upcoming concert,” she said as she removed her pot gloves. “I’ve cooked dinner. I’ll go now before Justin see me here.”
Penelope laughed awkwardly. It seemed the woman knew that she doesn’t want Justin to see that she left the house. “Thanks, Laura.”
“Mama!” Vince ran towards her again. He was holding a black box and shaking it. “Toy!” he said and dropped it on the floor.
She gasped when the contents spread on the floor. Laura came over to pick up the things on the floor. “I’ll handle it, Laura. You can go home now—” She paused when she saw the bloodstained blanket on Vince’s hand. She took it from him and looked at it closely. “Who owns this blanket?”
“As far as I can remember, Justin mentioned that it belongs to Vince,” she said and knotted her forehead. “Why?”
Penelope looked at the blanket. She turned it upside down as if looking for something. And when she found it, she froze in shock. Her fingers trembled as she touched the embroidered cloverleaf on the edge of the blanket.
“It can’t be…” she said as tears fell from her eyes.
______________
JUSTIN checked himself on the rearview mirror before he got out of his car. He smiled as he imagined Penelope’s reaction when he gave her the large bouquet of white roses.
“I’m sure it’s her first time to receive flowers from a man,” he said as he got out of the car.
He found Penelope standing on the terrace alone. Justin grinned at the perfect moment to give her the flowers. He walked silently towards her, careful to not get her attention.
“Thinking of me?” Justin murmured and planted kisses on her neck. “I bet you miss me.”
Penelope turned around to face him. Justin was expecting her to be irritated with him, but she doesn’t. Instead, Penelope looked distracted from her deep thoughts.
“I didn’t notice you,” she said in a gloomy tone. “Are you hungry—”
He gave her the bouquet that he’s hiding from his back. “I personally chose these fresh buds for you,” he said and smiled. “A beautiful woman deserves beautiful roses.”
Penelope took the bouquet. She looked at its buds for a moment and smiled. “It’s beautiful…”
“Just like you,” he said and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “Penelope…”
She looked at him. “Hmm?”
“Can you stay here with Vince and me?” he asked, not taking his eyes off her face. Justin knew that it was a sudden question and could shock her, but he still wanted to try. “Can you?”
Penelope’s expression doesn’t show any surprise. She just looked at him neutrally and just couldn’t read her eyes. “I’m staying here on weekdays. Don’t you want me to give the time off?”
He groaned. “Come on, Penelope, that’s not what I mean—”
“Then what is it?” she asked in an odd tone that Justin thought she wasn’t in a good mood today.
He held her shoulders and found them tensed. “Hey, is there something bothering you?” he asked softly. “Is it Nicholas again?”
Penelope heaved a sigh. “It’s not about him…” she said. “It’s just nothing.”
But Justin wasn’t convinced. He took the bouquet from her hand and put them on the coffee table in the veranda, then he wrapped her hands around him. “Do you want me to ease your worries?”
Penelope arched a brow. “Aren’t you tired from work—”
Justin claimed her lips and passionately kissed her. When he pulled away, he planted a kiss on her forehead down to the bridge of her nose. “I like you, Penelope…” he whispered. “Please, stay here with my son and me.”
It took moments before Penelope could speak. “How about your agency?”
He chuckled. “I can always handle them,” he said. “I want to see you every time I arrived home… I feel excited to go home because I know that you and Vince are waiting for me here.”
“What if they found out about Vince and me?” she asked. Justin can now see the fear in her eyes. “What if it caused your downfall again?”
Justin cupped her face and looked straight into her eyes. “It’s for me to worry about, sweetie. But one thing is for sure, you and Vince are much important than my career.”
Tears pooled around Penelope’s eyes. “Is that true?” she asked, her voice cracked. “Why are you doing this? Do you love me?”
Justine chuckled. “If choosing you over my career is called love, then I guess I’m crazily in love with you—”
Penelope started to cry. “I’m sorry…” she said as she wept. “I’m sorry, Justin…”
Justin didn’t expect her reaction. “Hey, don’t cry…” He hugged her. “It’s okay, Penelope. Don’t cry. I know my supporters will understand. And, my agency cared for me, I’m sure that they won’t just let go of me…” he assured her. “Don’t blame yourself, okay?”
Penelope continued to cry. “Thank you, Justin…” she whispered in between tears. “Thank you for taking care of Vince.”
***