Chapter Text
One year later
Penelope looks up at the sky, basking in the feeling of the sun across her cheeks. She’s missed the country air. The country sun.
London is nice, but so is a holiday. Especially when it’s to your husband’s family's country home. Penelope can’t help but think that romantic novels, society and even her mother were right - it is nice to marry rich.
But it’s even nicer to marry someone you love.
It’s just lucky the person she happens to love is a man of great standing.
Smiling Penelope shuts her eyes, her neck tilting backwards. A nap right here, right now, would be just perfect.
“Is it boring you that much?” Colin’s teasing voice echos out from beside her.
Penelope's fingers slide through the papers sitting perilously on her lap. Colin’s papers. His first novel. And he’s been generous enough to let her look over it.
She knows first hand how hard it can be to reveal your inside thoughts to a person. Even if that person is your person. It’s like exposing a wound. Raw and real.
Penelope opens her eyes to see Colin staring at her. He’s smiling, but there’s needy concern in his eyes. As if he truly believes his work placed her in a sleepy stupor.
“You know it isn’t,” Penelope says reaching over to take his hand, squeezing it supportively, “I’m tired is all,”
It’s true. She hardly gets any sleep these days.
“Are you okay?” Colin’s tone immediately switches, his face the picture of husbandly concern.
His fingers around her own clench, his blue eyes worrying over every inch of her as if he expects her to collapse at any second.
Her Alpha likes to think he’s tough, but really he’s a worrier. Or perhaps the last few months have brought the worrier out in him.
“Fine love,” Penelope rubs her thumb over the back of his hand, “Promise,”
Colin relaxes, at least a little, his long legs stretching out.
The pair have set themselves up on white garden chairs just before the stairs that lead down to Hastings sprawling lawns.
It’s strange that Penelope can remember herself walking down there on those gravel paths a year and a lifetime ago preparing to marry a man she tolerated.
Now she’s holding hands with the man, the Alpha, she loves. Her mate. And life is just perfect.
“Remember that folly?” Colin points out the stone grey building still sitting pretty in the distance.
“It is hard to forget,” Penelope laughs gently into the soft summer air.
“Do you ever think about recreating the past?” Colin leans over to murmur in her ear, his words seductive and slow.
Penelope raises a questioning eyebrow up at him, looking down at her stomach then back up again.
“I don’t think I could make it down the stairs Colin, let alone make love in a folly,” Penelope muses, rubbing an obvious hand over her large baby bump.
It was a lovely surprise, her pregnancy. Penelope had always wanted kids and kids with Colin… it’s beyond words for what it means to her. It brings tears to her eyes just to think about it. A beautiful person made of the both of them.
Violet says their union is blessed- a pregnancy born from the first heat as a mated pair. Penelope thinks she’s blessed just by having Colin.
Penelope shifts in her chair, attempting to find a more comfortable position. Nine months isn’t a particularly long time, but it is when you have your Alpha’s son growing inside of you.
“How’s our Pup?” Colin asks, moving their combined hands down to sit on her belly.
“Active,” Penelope winces as their baby kicks her rib enthusiastically, as if he knows exactly where his fathers hand is and is trying to reach it.
Colin’s face explodes into a grin as he feels him tapping just under her skin.
“Hello sweetling,” Colin whispers his face full of such love it makes her heart hurt, “It’s your Dad,”
“I don’t know if he can hear you,” Penelope says sceptically, but she’s smiling. It’s hard not too when Colin is cooing over belly. Already he’s such a good father.
Penelope is absolutely petrified about the birth, but everything afterwards. Everything afterwards fills her with nothing but joy.
The beginning of their next adventure. The beginning of their family.
She’s going to be a mother. The mother she always wanted for herself.
“Of course she can,” Colin waves her words away.
He’s been speaking to him from the first moment Penelope felt him fluttering inside of her. About her, about their family. Reading him books or passages from the newspaper he finds especially amusing.
“He,” Penelope corrects him immediately.
Colin looks up and meets her eye with a look of challenge. It’s been a constant argument between them, ever since they discovered she was with child.
She is sure it's a boy. Colin is certain it’s a girl.
“She,” Colin states pointedly.
They’ve had the nursery painted a pale green because the pair truly couldn’t decide on pink or blue. Violet suggested a yellow colour for the room, but if there’s one thing Penelope won’t have associated with her baby it’s yellow.
“We’ll see,” Penelope says diplomatically, but she really can’t believe it.
It’s a boy. She feels it in her soul. With her hair and his eyes.
“We can have a boy next time,” Colin shrugs cheekily, his eyes brimming with promise, the solution apparently simple to him.
Another baby. Child number two when they haven’t property met child number one.
“You are ridiculous,” A laugh bursts out of Penelope’s nose.
Sometimes he is such an Alpha. She turns to him in amusement, but Colin’s face is heated and serious.
“Say yes Omega,” Colin murmurs, his voice dark and tempting.
It’s hard to say no to anything when he says it like that.
“Yes Alpha,” Penelope breathes back.
“Good,” Colin whispers infuriatingly smug.
He kisses her cheek, long and lingering, before leaning back in his seat.
Eloise clops up the stairs. Her hair is undone and waving round her shoulders, but her mating gland remains obviously visible, a brand on her neck.
Penelope is so happy for her sister - although to be honest she didn’t believe her at first when she said she had found a mate. But to see her and Phillip together, their love for each other is undeniable, even though the loss of Marina makes her chest ache.
Phillip is currently playing with the children on the lawn, the Alpha laughing with his chest. Penelope is glad to see it. He has the eyes of a person who has known far too much loss.
“Penelope, your face looks a little red,” Eloise says, turning to face her brother with judgement in her eyes, “Colin, why are you letting her sit out in the sun?” She cocks her head at her brother, frowning deeply.
“I’m fine El,” Penelope sighs tiredly, but it’s no use. The pair are already sizing each other up.
She supposes it's sweet in a way. That they care about her so much they’re prepared to argue over her health. She just wishes they weren’t about to do it over her lovely afternoon.
“Are you questioning my judgement sister?” Colin growls, clearly offended that Eloise has dared to question his care.
“Yes,” Eloise nods, her lips pulling down in a frown, “Right now I am,”
“Both of you stop it,” Penelope warns them, not liking the tension in the air between them.
Like they’re about to tackle each other. She can almost see them tumbling down the stairs into a bruised and grassy heap at the end of the hill.
Colin doesn’t look particularly happy, but he doesn’t make any other skiving comments.
Penelope rolls her eyes fondly. She has found lately she’s been testing out her mothering skills with the Bridgerton siblings.
“Is this your next Lady Whistledown?” Eloise points to the papers still sitting on top of Penelope’s bump like a lady bug on top of a leaf.
She told her. Penelope was petrified, but she told her.
Eloise was furious at first. Yelling, crying type of furious. Penelope didn't know if they were ever going to make up. But Colin didn't leave her side.
Penelope didn't know if it was her pregnancy, Colin having a talk with her, or the strength of their friendship that brought them back together. All Penelope knows she is so grateful that they are- together again. Eloise and Penelope. Sisters. The way they were always meant to be.
“It’s something of Colin’s actually,” Penelope holds up the book for her to inspect, but not close enough to read. Colin is comfortable with her reading his manuscript, but as far as she's aware no one else as of yet.
“Really?” Eloise raises interested an eyebrow, apparently struggling with how to not sound too enthusiastic, “Impressive,”
“Thank you,” Colin responds in clipped, sharp syllables.
Penelope can’t help it. The pair look so much like toddlers saying sorry over a glass of spilt milk that she bursts out into giggles.
“What is so amusing?” Eloise asks like a petulant child, her arms crossed across her chest.
“Nothing really,” Penelope shakes her head, her shoulders trembling with mirth, “l just love you two so much,”
Eloise’s expression softens seemingly against her will.
Colin's sweet sugary scent wafts around her, contented.
“I love you too Penelope Bridgerton,” Colin says with feeling, his smile crooked and sure.
Penelope beams back at him, her cheeks rosy and warm. She has the two people she loves most in this world, and inside her is soon to be one more. Everything is just perfect.