One: So This Is Love


The first time she meets her future husband, she's five and Daddy has taken her to the White House, where the President lives. "Penny, honey, Daddy needs you to wait right here," he tells her as they stand in front of a security checkpoint. "These nice men are going to keep an eye on you for just a few minutes while I get something from my office, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy…" But the big men look kind of scary. Mike is big, but she knows him too well for him to be scary anymore.

Kicking her feet in the air, Penny tries to wait patiently on the bench. Really, she does. But like children tend to do, she gets bored.

The big scary men are distracted as some obnoxious-sounding woman approaches them and begins to berate them. Penny sighs, hops down from her seat, and begins to wander. As she nears an open door, she perks up as her nose detects a heavenly smell.

Cookies!

She tries to follow the aroma but soon loses it. She pouts, disappointed that her cookie mission was a failure, and turns to go back and wait for Daddy. That's when she realizes she has no idea where she is.

The hallway looks very big, metallic, and frightening. Something creaks in the distance, and she jumps. I want Daddy! Her lip wobbles, and soon she begins to cry.

Penny isn't alone with her tears for long. She hears footsteps hurrying toward her, and she looks up in hopes of Daddy. Instead it's a strange man, very tall—taller than Daddy—and dressed in a suit. She stares at him as he approaches her; last night's viewing of Disney's Cinderella is fresh on her mind, so as he kneels in front of her, the first words out of her mouth are "Prince Charming?"

He looks perplexed for a moment, and then he laughs. "No, I'm afraid not. My name is Aaron. Are you lost?"

She nods, marveling at the man before her. He's even handsomer than Prince Charming! "I can't find my daddy."

"Can you tell me your daddy's name?"

Before she can answer, the click-clack of high heels rushes toward them. "Penny, there you are! Your dad's been looking everywhere for you."

"Emily!" Penny exclaims, recognizing the nice woman who works for her daddy.

Aaron stands back up as Emily comes to a stop beside them. "Emily," he greets. "Is this Secretary Kirkman's daughter, then?"

"Yes," Emily answers, sounding very frazzled. "Thank you for keeping an eye on her. She was supposed to wait by security."

"The secretary does know that security isn't a daycare, right?"

"He's aware," Emily snaps. "It was out of necessity and only for ten minutes. Even you could keep an eye on a well-behaved child for that long, couldn't you?"

"I had a lot of younger cousins growing up, so yes, I daresay I could."

Penny interrupts their bickering by tugging on Emily's hand. "Can I see Daddy now?"

"Of course, Penny." Emily shoots one last glare at Aaron. "Mr. Shore," she says crisply.

"Miss Rhodes," he replies mockingly.

Penny looks up at him. "Bye, Mr. Aaron."

His expression transforms as he smiles back at her. "Goodbye, Princess Penny." For good measure, he kisses Penny's hand. Despite herself, Emily finds it incredibly sweet.

For several weeks after that, Penny obsessively watches Cinderella nearly every night. Daddy looks over her shoulder one evening as she finishes a drawing. "Is that Cinderella and Prince Charming?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"That's so good! But why is Prince Charming so much taller than Cinderella?"


To Be Continued...

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