only saw the good in everyone. Even now, Penny had complete trust and faith in the man who was too cowardly to tell her he wasn't going to marry her tomorrow.
"What about tomorrow?" Penny prodded gently, wondering if she should slip out and try to get one or the other sets of parents. Maybe they should take him to the emergency room tonight. Perhaps something suddenly had come loose inside his head, causing his rather strange and unusual behavior.
"The wedding," he managed to say, desperately seeking the right words to tell her.
"That's right, Brad," she said in the same soothing tone she'd been using for several minutes, "Tomorrow is the wedding. And I'm getting married."
"No, you're not," he said baldly.
Oh, dear. He was getting more and more irrational.
"I'm not?"
"No."
"I see. Why am I not getting married?"
She sounded so calm, as though she were humoring him. Of course she'd been under a great deal of strain this week, herself. "Because Gregory isn't going to marry you." There. He'd told her. He waited for her reaction. He knew the rest of the night was going to be hell. At first she'd try to deny it. That was only to be expected. Then she'd probably cry, and get angry—the anger would help, he decided. He would stay with her through all of it, and whatever she decided to do in the morning, he'd agree. If she wanted him to marry her, he would. That's what friends are for, after all, to help in a time of crisis.
What he hadn't expected was her calm acceptance. "Why isn't Gregory going to marry me?" she asked casually.
"Why?" he repeated, not knowing what to say.
"Um-hmm."
"Oh. Well. It has something to do with me, I think. I'm not sure."
"Brad, are you still feeling guilty because you intended to break up our engagement?" she asked with sudden inspiration and understanding. She put her arms around his waist and lovingly laid her head on his chest. "Oh, you poor darling. That's what we were discussing just before the accident. It must have been haunting you all week." She glanced up, unable to see the glazed look in his eyes. "Brad, love, I have forgiven you for that. Please try to understand. No one is going to hold your intentions against you. After all, you changed your mind. And you were even concerned enough to tell me, which I appreciated, very much." Placing her head back on his chest she continued, "Now I want you to go home and get some rest, okay? I appreciate your coming over tonight, I really do. But I don't want you worrying about anything, you hear me?"
She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, like a bird beating its wings against a cage. Penny felt like crying. There was no telling what was going through his poor, confused mind at the moment. Whatever it was, he was concerned about her. No matter what he was suffering, he was still thinking of her.
"Penny!" he said in a strangled voice, "You don't understand!"
She raised her head and kissed him lightly on the lips. Surely Gregory would understand why she would be kissing another man the night before her wedding. The kiss was meant only to comfort. She had to do whatever it took to calm Brad down until they could get some help for him.
His arms came around her convulsively and he hung on to her like a drowning man. During all the hours he had agonized over how to tell her, how much to tell her, never had Brad envisioned that she wouldn't believe him.
He couldn't understand why not. Was her faith in Gregory Duncan so strong that the only proof she would accept would be entering the church in the morning and finding no groom waiting?
She felt so small against him, and she was so vulnerable. Penny had no idea what she had to face tomorrow, unless he took Gregory's advice and became the substitute bridegroom.
Is that why Gregory had told him, instead of her? Was he giving Brad the option of marrying her, himself?
How could he explain to her? "Penny?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
She smiled, her head resting on his shoulder. ''I'm so
"What about tomorrow?" Penny prodded gently, wondering if she should slip out and try to get one or the other sets of parents. Maybe they should take him to the emergency room tonight. Perhaps something suddenly had come loose inside his head, causing his rather strange and unusual behavior.
"The wedding," he managed to say, desperately seeking the right words to tell her.
"That's right, Brad," she said in the same soothing tone she'd been using for several minutes, "Tomorrow is the wedding. And I'm getting married."
"No, you're not," he said baldly.
Oh, dear. He was getting more and more irrational.
"I'm not?"
"No."
"I see. Why am I not getting married?"
She sounded so calm, as though she were humoring him. Of course she'd been under a great deal of strain this week, herself. "Because Gregory isn't going to marry you." There. He'd told her. He waited for her reaction. He knew the rest of the night was going to be hell. At first she'd try to deny it. That was only to be expected. Then she'd probably cry, and get angry—the anger would help, he decided. He would stay with her through all of it, and whatever she decided to do in the morning, he'd agree. If she wanted him to marry her, he would. That's what friends are for, after all, to help in a time of crisis.
What he hadn't expected was her calm acceptance. "Why isn't Gregory going to marry me?" she asked casually.
"Why?" he repeated, not knowing what to say.
"Um-hmm."
"Oh. Well. It has something to do with me, I think. I'm not sure."
"Brad, are you still feeling guilty because you intended to break up our engagement?" she asked with sudden inspiration and understanding. She put her arms around his waist and lovingly laid her head on his chest. "Oh, you poor darling. That's what we were discussing just before the accident. It must have been haunting you all week." She glanced up, unable to see the glazed look in his eyes. "Brad, love, I have forgiven you for that. Please try to understand. No one is going to hold your intentions against you. After all, you changed your mind. And you were even concerned enough to tell me, which I appreciated, very much." Placing her head back on his chest she continued, "Now I want you to go home and get some rest, okay? I appreciate your coming over tonight, I really do. But I don't want you worrying about anything, you hear me?"
She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, like a bird beating its wings against a cage. Penny felt like crying. There was no telling what was going through his poor, confused mind at the moment. Whatever it was, he was concerned about her. No matter what he was suffering, he was still thinking of her.
"Penny!" he said in a strangled voice, "You don't understand!"
She raised her head and kissed him lightly on the lips. Surely Gregory would understand why she would be kissing another man the night before her wedding. The kiss was meant only to comfort. She had to do whatever it took to calm Brad down until they could get some help for him.
His arms came around her convulsively and he hung on to her like a drowning man. During all the hours he had agonized over how to tell her, how much to tell her, never had Brad envisioned that she wouldn't believe him.
He couldn't understand why not. Was her faith in Gregory Duncan so strong that the only proof she would accept would be entering the church in the morning and finding no groom waiting?
She felt so small against him, and she was so vulnerable. Penny had no idea what she had to face tomorrow, unless he took Gregory's advice and became the substitute bridegroom.
Is that why Gregory had told him, instead of her? Was he giving Brad the option of marrying her, himself?
How could he explain to her? "Penny?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
She smiled, her head resting on his shoulder. ''I'm so
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