Change of Heart - By S.E. Edwards Page 0,78

up to touch my own nose. “And some of his cheek.” He holds his hand to the side of my face. “You are undoubtedly his daughter.”

Those words shock me.

All of a sudden, I’m crying. I don’t know why. I never cry. But what Rich had said means so much to me. More than all the words I’ve heard all my life put together. More than all of those multiplied by a hundred.

Rich puts his arms around me. He holds me tight. I sob into his shoulder like a wreck. He doesn’t press me. He doesn’t judge me. He just holds me, stroking my hair, whispering soothing sounds in my ear.

“It’s all I have left of him,” I cry weakly.

“Shh,” Rich coos. “Shh. It’s all right, Penny. Let it out. I’m here. I’m here for you.”

Those words send me bawling all over again. The sobs rock my body. It’s humiliating. I’ve always prided myself on holding myself together. On being strong. On always, always staying in control.

My whole life, I had done my best not to let myself feel. I’d never trusted anyone enough for that. I sure as hell didn’t trust myself.

But with Rich, I feel safe. With his arms around me, I feel protected. Everything we’ve gone through, all the experiences we’d shared… they make me feel I can confide in him.

“I never met him,” I say between sobs into Rich’s chest. “I’ve never even seen my dad.”

“We can find him,” Rich assures me. “I know some people…”

“No.” I pull away from him, wiping the tears from my eyes. “It’s no use. He’s dead.”

“Oh.” Rich’s face crumples. I can actually see the turmoil play out on his features. There’s a flash of shock, followed immediately by… sympathy. Not the fake kind, either. The real, genuine kind. The kind I’d never seen on anybody’s face before.

“Shit, Penny, I’m sorry. I must look like the biggest asshole to you.” He sounds all kinds of guilty. “Fuck! I had no idea. And this whole time, I’ve been going on and on about how much of a dick my father is… just… Fuck!”

“It’s okay,” I tell him, feeling more in control of myself. “You didn’t know.”

“Still, I should have asked, or realized something was wrong, or…” his hands curl into fists and he punches his thigh. “Fuck! You must hate me now.”

I start to laugh. Just a little, at first, but soon it turns into full-bellied laughter. Rich looks at me like he thinks I’m insane. I probably am.

“Hate you?” I say. “Of all the reasons I could possibly have to hate you, you think I’d pick that out?” God, it feels good to laugh. “After you lied to me, drugged me, kidnapped me, and pawned me off as your sister? After you made it impossible for me to go back to my old life? After all that, you think I’d hate you because of something you had absolutely no clue about?”

Rich smiles tremulously and chuckles a bit. “I guess when you put it that way… so, we’re good?”

“Yes,” I agree. “We’re good. I don’t hate you, Rich. Not even close.” I wrap my arms around him in a hug. “And lord knows I have more than my fair share of reasons to.”

Rich laughs at that. “You’re right. Still, I’ll try to avoid mentioning my father. Since it’s a sensitive subject for you.”

I let go, then hit him on the arm. Hard, so he knows I’m serious. “I’m not some glass doll, Rich. I can handle the truth.”

“But—”

“There’s nothing I hate more than when people start patronizing me.” I give him a stark look. “So don’t you go doing that.”

He smiles. “Deal. You know Penny, I’ve said this before.” He pushes himself up. “But it doesn’t make it any less true. I think I’m starting to really like you.”

With that, he turns and starts toward the path in the forest.

“Thanks,” I say long after he’s out of earshot.

Despite all the things I’d told Rich last night outside the bar, despite everything I’m afraid of happening… he’s growing on me. All the things I said about us being wrong for each other had been me saying the “right” thing. It’d been me chickening out, trying to chop off the feelings growing inside me at the head before they had a chance to take hold.

Well, it is too late for that now. After the way he’d made love to me beneath the stars and the way he listened this morning, those feelings had taken full