away from you. They wouldn't even entertain the idea
that I actually loved you." I shook my head. They were so disgusting.
"They tried to pay you off?" He lowered his
eyebrows slightly and then ran both his hands down his face. It looked like he
was understanding something for the first time. Like how evil his parents truly
were. "Did you take it?" It came out as a barely audible whisper.
"What?"
He stared at me. He looked defeated and tired. Normally I
couldn't see the age difference between us. But as he looked at me now, I could
see the small crinkles around the corners of his eyes. They probably weren't
laugh lines. The thought made my chest feel tight.
"James..." my throat caught. "How could you
think that?" The rollercoaster of emotions from the night suddenly seemed
to catch up to me and tears started running down my cheeks. The salty water
stung as it slid down my left cheek. One of Isabella's rings must have left a
small cut on my face.
He just stood there looking stunned. I quickly wrapped my
arms around him. I winced when I pressed the side of my face into his chest. Hug
me back. His body seemed to stiffen instead. "James?"
He wrapped his arms around me in response. "I'm sorry.
God, I'm so sorry." He put his chin on the top of my head. "I knew
better than to bring you here. I don't know what's wrong with me. Nothing's
changed. They'll never change. I'm so sorry, Penny."
"Don't apologize, this is what I wanted. You knew I
wanted to meet them, so you made it happen. And now I have. It's done. We don't
have to see them ever again."
He sighed. "Except for the wedding in two weeks."
"I uninvited them."
He laughed. "What?"
"Oh." I leaned back to look up at him. "Sorry,
I mean, it was just in the heat of the moment. Obviously if you want them
there..."
"No." He put his hand on the side of my face,
gently rubbing his thumb over the bruise on my cheek. "No, I don't want
them there. I'm done with them."
"I'm sorry that I forced all this. I just thought if
they met me, maybe I could change their minds, you know? I was just trying to
help."
"You can't change my parents' minds. Trust me, I've
tried my whole life."
I wanted to ask him about the paper in his book, about his
relationship with Rachel, about his whole childhood. I wanted him to fill in
all the blanks. But right now all I wanted was for him to take me home. I
needed to get out of this house, away from all the memories that seemed to
upset him.
"But it was really sweet of you to try."
"Or foolish. What a disaster of an engagement party. Can
we go home now?"
He smiled down at me. "Let me show you one thing
first." He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the window.
"It wasn't a good night, but I'm not going to fling
myself out the window."
He laughed as he pushed the window up. He put his hands on
the windowsill and looked back at me. "I used to sneak out of my room all
the time. Let's leave this way."
I looked past him toward the lawn. We were really high up.
"I'm wearing heels. And I've had too much to drink."
"I dare you."
I smiled. Neither one of us had ever backed down from a dare.
"Well, I guess a few more bruises won't hurt me." I took off my shoes
and peered out the window. "Did you really just jump?" I tossed my
shoes out the window and watched them hit the lawn below. "It seems kind
of high."
"Geez, no." He grabbed my arm and started laughing.
"Were you seriously going to jump out the window?"
"You said you did it all the time. And you dared me."
"There's a trellis." He stuck his head out the
window and pointed to the right. He started laughing again.
"Don't make fun of me for trusting you." I poked
him in the middle of the chest.
"I'm lucky you said something before you jumped."
"Mhm." I rolled my eyes at him as I stood up on the
ledge. "Who were you running off to see in the middle of the night growing
up?"
He held my waist as I grabbed the edge of the trellis. It
took every ounce of restraint not to look down. I slowly stepped
that I actually loved you." I shook my head. They were so disgusting.
"They tried to pay you off?" He lowered his
eyebrows slightly and then ran both his hands down his face. It looked like he
was understanding something for the first time. Like how evil his parents truly
were. "Did you take it?" It came out as a barely audible whisper.
"What?"
He stared at me. He looked defeated and tired. Normally I
couldn't see the age difference between us. But as he looked at me now, I could
see the small crinkles around the corners of his eyes. They probably weren't
laugh lines. The thought made my chest feel tight.
"James..." my throat caught. "How could you
think that?" The rollercoaster of emotions from the night suddenly seemed
to catch up to me and tears started running down my cheeks. The salty water
stung as it slid down my left cheek. One of Isabella's rings must have left a
small cut on my face.
He just stood there looking stunned. I quickly wrapped my
arms around him. I winced when I pressed the side of my face into his chest. Hug
me back. His body seemed to stiffen instead. "James?"
He wrapped his arms around me in response. "I'm sorry.
God, I'm so sorry." He put his chin on the top of my head. "I knew
better than to bring you here. I don't know what's wrong with me. Nothing's
changed. They'll never change. I'm so sorry, Penny."
"Don't apologize, this is what I wanted. You knew I
wanted to meet them, so you made it happen. And now I have. It's done. We don't
have to see them ever again."
He sighed. "Except for the wedding in two weeks."
"I uninvited them."
He laughed. "What?"
"Oh." I leaned back to look up at him. "Sorry,
I mean, it was just in the heat of the moment. Obviously if you want them
there..."
"No." He put his hand on the side of my face,
gently rubbing his thumb over the bruise on my cheek. "No, I don't want
them there. I'm done with them."
"I'm sorry that I forced all this. I just thought if
they met me, maybe I could change their minds, you know? I was just trying to
help."
"You can't change my parents' minds. Trust me, I've
tried my whole life."
I wanted to ask him about the paper in his book, about his
relationship with Rachel, about his whole childhood. I wanted him to fill in
all the blanks. But right now all I wanted was for him to take me home. I
needed to get out of this house, away from all the memories that seemed to
upset him.
"But it was really sweet of you to try."
"Or foolish. What a disaster of an engagement party. Can
we go home now?"
He smiled down at me. "Let me show you one thing
first." He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the window.
"It wasn't a good night, but I'm not going to fling
myself out the window."
He laughed as he pushed the window up. He put his hands on
the windowsill and looked back at me. "I used to sneak out of my room all
the time. Let's leave this way."
I looked past him toward the lawn. We were really high up.
"I'm wearing heels. And I've had too much to drink."
"I dare you."
I smiled. Neither one of us had ever backed down from a dare.
"Well, I guess a few more bruises won't hurt me." I took off my shoes
and peered out the window. "Did you really just jump?" I tossed my
shoes out the window and watched them hit the lawn below. "It seems kind
of high."
"Geez, no." He grabbed my arm and started laughing.
"Were you seriously going to jump out the window?"
"You said you did it all the time. And you dared me."
"There's a trellis." He stuck his head out the
window and pointed to the right. He started laughing again.
"Don't make fun of me for trusting you." I poked
him in the middle of the chest.
"I'm lucky you said something before you jumped."
"Mhm." I rolled my eyes at him as I stood up on the
ledge. "Who were you running off to see in the middle of the night growing
up?"
He held my waist as I grabbed the edge of the trellis. It
took every ounce of restraint not to look down. I slowly stepped
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