32. Double Down

DOUBLE DOWN

The whole timemy team is drinking champagne and downing canapés and I mingle around with the same assholes I've known my whole career, I can't help but glance at Penny.

She's fucking beautiful in her sparkly champagne-colored dress and a beaming smile on her face.

When I shake hands with Carter Salvo and greet his wife, Valerie, all I can think about is how Penny should be on my arm. I should be flaunting around my gorgeous girl to all these stuck-up assholes.

I'm petulant, but I'm working on it. Penny wants to do a good job for Krystal and the last thing I need to do is push her any further. Slowly but surely, I think it's sinking in that this is real, that we're in this for the long haul. The more she understands just how serious we are, the more prepared she'll be to go fully public.

"You know, Lincoln, my cousin Cecelia is here. I think you two would hit it off," Valerie says, looking around the room. Carter seems used to his wife's antics and shrugs.

"I'm actually seeing someone."

Valerie gasps. "You didn't bring her?"

"Unlike your husband, I don't plan on torturing her," I joke, they laugh, it feels gross and of course at that moment Penny comes up to us taking a picture.

"They want us to take our seats," she says softly, waving hello to Carter and Valerie.

"I'll see you later," I tell Carter, though I won't. I'll see him next year at this event like I do every year.

I picture what next year will look like. Would Penny be working for Krystal, doing the same grunt work of keeping us all on track, or will she be on my arm as my girlfriend, or possibly something more?

Penny squeezes my biceps and Valerie tracks the movement with a twitch of her lips as we head to the reception hall.

"You probably want to sit next to Jacob and Paula since they're both up for awards," she says.

"No, I want to sit next to you."

She glances up at me with a small, shy smile on her face as she nods. Everything around us disappears, the fancy decor, the clattering of drinking glasses, and loud chatter.

"You're not going to fight me on this, are you?"

"No, I'm not," she says as we take our seats.

It's clear that all my employees note who I'm sitting next to. I'm not sure how inconspicuous we've been, because I truly don't care. Part of me feels like Penny doesn't either.

I place my hand on her thigh, where it belongs, and she doesn't move my hand as the ceremony begins.

It's long, tedious, and fucking boring.

Paula and Jacob both win their awards and Penny is frantic with getting up and down, taking photographs of them and their awards.

The award for best commercial design comes up, and it's a project that took years. It meant a lot to me and my dad. It was the first project he had no part of and he handed me over the company. It took years to get it off the ground with all the site development issues we had, but I'm proud of it. Even if it doesn't win, I have that.

"Goes to the Optic Center by Carlson Commercial Enterprises."

My jaw goes slack as I look around the table. It happens so fast as Penny grabs my face, kissing me publicly for the first time. It's not scandalous, but it's significant. As she pulls back, her eyes water as she beams at me.

"I'm proud of you. Go get your award."

It takes a moment for me to pull away from her. If anyone is shocked at our table, I don't notice as I go up to the podium and accept the award. Penny takes a ridiculous amount of pictures as I head back to our group, placing my award on the table.

My employees congratulate me and Penny looks at me like I hung the moon.

"Well, now we need to really celebrate," she says.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Just wait and see," she grins.

Is this what it feels like to be on top of the world?

Penny insistson taking all the awards back to our room before the after party, stating she would cry endlessly if someone lost theirs and we didn't bring it back home. As soon as they're on the table in our suite, I grip her hips.

"We could just stay up here."

"No way, mister. You just won the award. We're celebrating."

"I can think of better ways of celebrating," I reply, kissing the column of her throat.

"Good things come to those who wait," she says, grabbing my chin and placing a small kiss on my lips.

"You kissed me in front of everyone," I remind her.

"I did."

"You're not worried?" I ask, sounding like an insecure asshole.

She smiles and shakes her head. "You're too bright to be hidden away, Lincoln Carlson."

I grip her hips harder. "Now I really just want to stay in the room with you."

"Too bad we're celebrating. Tuck in your dick and let's go."

I grumble, but grab her hand, feeling lighter as we enter the party holding hands.

The space has bright lights while still being opulent. The music is loud as people dance and drink. Penny drags me to the bar where my employees are waiting. She holds out her hand and I give her the company card as she starts a tab for everyone.

A bunch of industry members are here, and I glance over at her as she shrugs. "I sent out an email to see who would be interested in an after party. We didn't have to book the space as it's open to the public. Everyone just has to open their own tabs."

I smile at her and she blushes.

Everyone starts to branch off, doing their own thing and hanging out with people they usually only see once a year.

"Dance with me?" Penny asks, after we both get our drinks.

We head to the dance floor, some pop song loudly playing and it hits me then, with her body pressed against mine. I'm at the peak of my career. I was okay with life before Penny, but I realize now I was just going through the motions of staying alive.

Being with Penny is like seeing colors for the first time, and I can't hold it back anymore.

"I love you," I whisper into her ear, and she whips around, spilling some of her drink over her knuckles.

She blinks at me a few times before a smile takes over her face. Without a care in the world, she wraps an arm around the back of my neck and pushes me down so we're face to face.

"I love you too," she replies, her eyes locked in with mine before we kiss.

It's not the chaste kiss from earlier. This is the kiss.

My heart is racing in my chest and I just want to repeat how much I love her repeatedly. I'm all fucking in and Penny isn't going anywhere.

I pull back my lips a few inches from hers.

"Let's get married."

She pulls back further, but doesn't move her arm from my neck. "What?"

"I'm all fucking in, Penny. We're in Vegas, we could do it tonight. You wanted to know that this was real, that I wasn't going anywhere. Marry me. Our family can learn to deal with it."

She blinks at me rapidly. "How much have you had to drink?"

"This is my third since the event."

"You're being impulsive."

"No, I'm not," I tell her sternly, and her eyes search mine.

"You'd really want to marry me?"

"I want everything with you. I'm sick of not showing you off, of not being with you in the way I want to be. Be my wife, be my everything."

She thinks for a long moment, and I wonder what Penny always pictured her wedding looking like. Did she want something big and extravagant and I'm crushing her dreams?

"Why do you want me to be your wife?"

I fist her hair, holding her face close to mine. Everything and everyone around us is irrelevant.

"Because I've never been this happy. You make life worth living, Penny, and I want to spend the rest of mine with you proudly on my arm, my ring on your finger, our kids running around. I want everything and I want it with you."

She wraps her other arm around my neck, squeezing me tight.

"You are actually the most romantic person I've ever met."

"Is that a yes?"

She pulls back, smiling. "Yes, it's a yes."

Her lips crash against mine. The music blares in the space as relief fills my chest. Fuck the repercussions, what anyone thinks. I'm marrying her before she has a chance to change her mind.

We endup in Downtown Las Vegas. There's a woman in a motorized scooter with duct tape over her nipples, a man contorting his body, and another dressed as a politician dancing.

Penny tugs on my hand as we head to the small wedding chapel. It's not classy by any means.

"It's a bit of a hole-in-the-wall," I say, and Penny smacks my chest but laughs.

"It was your idea."

"You're still good with this?" I ask, cupping her face looking down at her. As bad as I want it, I'd understand if she said no.

But this is how our relationship works, zero to one-hundred with everything we do. Her hands drag down my chest and she looks back up at me.

"I don't know how I'm going to tell my parents that I got married without them and it's to you. But I want this, I want you, Lincoln."

I kiss her as we enter the door, and the hostess runs us through the packages.

We go with one of the mid-tiers that includes a witness and photos. It's almost serendipitous that she's in a floor length dress and I'm wearing a suit as we get situated in front of the officiant.

He's fast and concise.

"Little lady, do you take this man to be your lawful husband?" he asks.

"I do," Penny says, holding her shitty looking bouquet with a massive smile on her face.

"And do you take this little lady to be your lawful wife?" he turns and asks me, he isn't dressed like Elvis, but it's clear he plays the role often enough.

"I do."

"Then, by the power that's vested in me by the state of Nevada, I pronounce you husband and wife."

The officiant moves out of the way as I grab Penny by the waist and the back of her head, crashing her lips to mine. It's a messy kiss filled with smiles and laughter as we pull apart and pose for a few photos.

We sign some more paperwork and it's official. We're married. In a matter of minutes and a few signatures we've tied ourselves together forever.

"What do we do next?" she asks, both of us looking at where we just signed.

"We celebrate," I tell her, grabbing her face and kissing her roughly. "I love you," I whisper against her lips.

"I love you too," she says softly, with no fear or regret, only pure happiness written on her face. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and she's finally all mine.