Page 46 of Crazy Love

We walk toward the door and Penn turns out the light.

“Can you…check on me later?” Sam asks. “Just to…I don’t know…make sure I’m still here?”

Penn’s throat bobs and he swallows hard. “You’ve got it. I’ll check on you lots. And I’ll leave this door cracked, okay? Nobody can bother you here, my man. I’ve got top-of-the-line security, and anyone who comes after you from here on out has got to get through me first. Got it?”

Sam nods, his lips trembling. “Got it,” he whispers.

When we leave the room and walk into the hall, Penn leans against the wall and puts his head in his hands. I put my hand on his shoulder and when he lifts his head to look at me, his cheeks are wet.

“I can’t let that little boy down again,” he says quietly.

I wipe the tears from my face and follow Penn as he moves down the hall. There’s an alcove with a couch and bookshelves. Penn motions to the couch.

“You probably have to go, but if you want a glass of wine or anything, I can bring some up here for us. I want to stick close just in case he needs me.”

I sit down. “I don’t need anything. I’m still full. But I do want to talk to you about something.”

Penn tenses and sits down next to me, concern on his face.

I take a deep breath, feeling a bit shaky. “Ever since I met Sam and you told me what’s been going on with him, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to help.” I laugh awkwardly. “I’ve been unable tostopthinking about it. I couldn’t stand the thought of him going hungry, but today, seeing him in pain…we have to do something. He can’t go into another situation that puts him at risk like that.”

“Thank you for caring. You just met him and already you care more than a lot of people would. And I agree. I can’t stop thinking about it either,” Penn says quietly.

“I know what to do,” I tell him.

His eyes widen.

“It became clear to me when I told Mrs. Murphy that I’m your girlfriend.”

His lips lift a little. “I forgot to thank you…and tease you about that.”

I laugh. “Well, you can tease me more soon because…I think we should get married.”

He just stares at me.

I wasn’t nervous before I said it, but the longer he goes without saying anything, the more nervous I get.

“Penn—” I start but leave it hanging.

He blinks. Then blinks again.

“Did you hear me?” I finally ask.

Still quiet.

And then?—

“I heard you, but it can’t be right because it sounded like you said we should get married.”

“I did.”

He sits up straighter. “Oh.”

“Hear me out. You saw how she jumped on me being your girlfriend, and you’ve said she’s talked about you not being a family unit…we can fix that easily by getting married. Totallylegitimate and noble reasons, but it’ll cut through a ton of red tape…”

“Wouldn’t that be marriage fraud?”

Now my eyes widen. “What? No! This is the opposite of fraud. This is, like, ethical fraud, I mean, marriage. Ethical marriage, if that’s a thing. You want to adopt him one day, right? But you’re a single guy with a hectic job and the system doesn’t exactly love that. They want stability, a partner, blah, blah, blah…so we get married, they give you custody of him, and it solves everything.”

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