Great job, Walker. This is the exact opposite of the outcome I was going for.
49
Penny
My pants are around my ankles and the toilet seat is now warm and toasty under my ass. I’ve been sitting in my aunt’s dark bathroom for far too long, crying into a wad of toilet paper.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I’ve waited almost thirty years for the man I love to say he wants me, and when he finally did, instead of leaping into his arms, giving him a heartfelt blowjob and riding off into the sunset with him, I pushed him away.
Was that the right decision? Or am I just a masochistic freak?
Walker has sent me a million text messages since I left, trying to convince me to come back to the cabin to talk. But I need some time alone with my thoughts before I can face him again.
The sound of Aunt Lucille’s bedroom door creaking open fills the quiet house. With a less than regal hobble, I arise from the porcelain throne. My aunt doesn’t need to walk in on an unannounced houseguest—me—with her pants around her swollen ankles, ugly-crying into a fistful of bathroom tissue.
When I’d texted her earlier to ask if I could crash here, my message went un-read. I’m not too sure what that means but I have an emergency key to her house and this feels a whole lot like an emergency to me; I’m pregnant and broken and in need of somewhere to stay. At least until I get an apartment of my own.
I waddle to the sink at top speed to wash my hands right as the bathroom door swings open.
“Hey,” I say quietly so as not to give my unsuspecting aunt a heart attack. “It’s just me. I’m here.”
In my periphery, a body comes into view and I hear a yip. A deep, husky, male yip.
I snap my neck over at the door and am greeted by a pale chest, a hairy belly and a penis. A penis I’d rather not describe. Because said penis belongs to none other than…
“Frank?!” I drop the hand soap.
Walker’s family lawyer watches me from the doorway with bulging eyes. “Penny?!”
A moment passes and we stare at each other in silent shock. Then the man jolts out of it and cups his palms over his exposed genitals. A little skin-toned sack drops from his fingers to land at his feet.
A used condom.
My aunt sashays up behind him, satin robe flapping open, waving a purple silicone wand in her hand. “Gotta wash the Rabbit, baby…” I hear the sultry tone in her voice. When her gaze shifts to where I’m standing, she yelps. “My god, Penny, honey. What are you doing here in the dark?”
“I’m sorry. I-I needed somewhere to stay.” I keep my gaze above neck-level.
“What is it? Are the twins okay? What are you doing here?” With a worried brow, she clutches her robe closed across her chest and takes a step closer.
“It’s…” My eyes flash over to Frank. I purse my lips.
My aunt turns to her man. “You go warm up the shower, babe. Give me a second with Penny.”
“Sounds good, beetle. Let me help you with that.” With one hand continuing to cradle his junk, Frank gallantly stretches his other hand to retrieve the sex toy.
She sets the thing into his hand and moans. “So chivalrous. Where have you been all my life?” The two share a loud, smacking kiss.
Gag.
My aunt leads me out into the hallway and I grab the toilet paper because I know there’s about to be a whole lot of tears involved. Frank closes the bathroom door behind us.
“So what is it, Penn? Is everything all right? What’s going on?” She’s rambling with concern.
I awkwardly slide down to the floor in the shadowy hallway. Back leaned against the wall, legs crossed campfire style beneath my belly, I explain everything to her. She sits opposite me and listens intently. I tell her about Walker suddenly professing his love for me and my concerns about whether he really means it or if he’s just being blinded by his loyalty to me.
“Oh, honey. I always knew a declaration of love would come pouring out of that big, reclusive man.”
“That’s the thing,” I mutter. “He hasn’t actually said he loves me. Only that he wants to be a family with me and the babies.”
My aunt flinches.
“I think he’s making the offer out of a sense of obligation. And he’s already sacrificing his own business plans to accommodate me. That’s a recipe for resentment down the line.”
I hear the sympathy in Aunt Lucille’s voice when she speaks. “I know how hard it must be for you to keep your distance when you’ve loved him for so long. It’s incredibly mature of you to put your children first when blindly hopping on Walker’s offer would be the easier thing to do.”
“So you don’t think I’m being an idiot?” I quietly blow my nose.
She smiles softly. “No, darling. You have to be sure. You’re making a brave decision and I’m proud of you.”
I sigh. “Maybe I’m being selfish for not agreeing to be with him but I want to know that he’s in love with me. What woman wants to be with a man who only sees her as a burden, a responsibility?”
“I understand where you’re coming from.” My aunt nods. “You deserve a man who’s crazy about you. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be loved, Penny.”
That makes me feel marginally better about my conundrum. I brace my belly with both palms as my pair of little night owls kick up a storm.
“In the meantime, you can stay here for as long as you’d like. I promise Frank and I will be more discreet with our love-making when he’s in town from New York.”
A weight rolls off me. “Thank you. I appreciate that so much.”
“Of course, honey. You and Iris are my girls. You know that.” Aunt Lucille opens her arms wide for a hug.
The
