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Colin was returning to his Airbnb with bags full of food in his hands.He was sweating and all he wanted was to quickly get up to the apartment and take a shower while his friend Alfred prepared dinner. Unfortunately, his cell phone battery had died and he hadn’t been able to order an Uber, so he had to walk under the sun and in the humid heat of Cancun.

Colin had planned this trip to take a break from his brother Anthony, who kept bothering him with his incessant talk about settling down in London soon. He was a little tired, so he talked to his best friend and they quickly made the flight and accommodation reservations.

His mother was a little sad that he was leaving so soon, but she understood; at least he had always supported her, even though it hurt to have her son far away. Colin was also sad to leave his family; the truth was that he was starting to get tired of traveling so much. He was 33 years old and had spent half his life traveling. He liked meeting new people, trying new foods, and seeing new places.

However, if he was honest with himself, he was beginning to consider settling down permanently in London, finding a partner, and starting a family. He wouldn’t admit it, but he envied his siblings. His older brother had his own business, a wife named Kate, and four wonderful children.

His second oldest brother, Benedict, was a natural artist and had his own art gallery. He seemed very happy and fulfilled with his wife, Sophie, and their four children.

His twin sister, Daphne, was also very happy with her husband, Simon, and their children. They lived far away in the countryside, but every time he visited them at their estate, he could feel the joy and love in the air.

Eloise, her second younger sister, was also happy. She worked as a lawyer at a major law firm, was married to one of her best friends, Philip, and the two looked happy with their newborn children, Amanda and Oliver.

His third sister, Francesca, was happily married in Scotland to one of Colin’s traveling companions and best friends, Michael Stirling, and was pregnant with their first child.

His younger siblings, Gregory and Hyacinth, were in college, happy, making friends, studying, having fun, and building a secure future; they even had partners.

However, Colin, although always accompanied, felt incredibly lonely. He used to have Philip, Michael, and Alfred, his best friends and adventure companions. Don’t get me wrong, they were still best friends; well, now they were officially family. But Philip had Eloise and they were busy with their little babies, and Michael was absorbed in his new life as a father.

That left Colin and Alfred alone. He planned to stay with Alfred all summer to enjoy the Caribbean beaches, the sea breeze, the sweltering heat, and the delicious Mexican food.

When he returned to his accommodation, he cursed himself for choosing the tenth floor. He was tired of carrying bags full of wine, pasta, meat, vegetables, and cheese, and of walking so much. Parts of his body he didn’t even know he had were sweating. But the apartment was large and had beautiful views of the beach.

He prayed that the elevator had been repaired, as it had broken down the day before and Colin and Alfred had struggled to climb the stairs after returning from a long walk through the ruins of Tulum, during which they had taken photographs and climbed the pyramid at Cobá.

They loved the excursion, but none of them knew that the steps of the pyramid were so big and difficult to climb. Moreover, they were hot as hell and burned their hands when they touched them. They returned tired, out of breath, and quite sunburned. She didn’t know how the Mayans didn’t get tired climbing that every day.

And the worst part was having to climb ten floors entirely on foot. They both dragged themselves to the apartment door, only to discover that they had nothing to eat.

“Damn you and your big appetite, Colin. Yesterday you ate all the chicken we had left, and now there’s nothing to eat,” Alfred grumbled, slamming the refrigerator door shut and glaring at him.

“Sorry, bro, I was really hungry. I’ll order something now,” Colin replied breathlessly as he collapsed onto the sofa.

They ordered food delivery and gave the delivery guy a big tip for bringing it up to their apartment; they could even see the pitying look he gave them when he opened the door.

Now, to their great fortune, the elevator was under repair. He had never felt so happy in his entire life; he could even jump for joy, but his muscles still ached, so he dismissed the idea. He was about to press the elevator button when a voice stopped him.

“Stop, please, don’t close it yet,” shouted a beautiful red-haired woman as she ran quickly.

Colin stopped immediately, and when the petite woman entered breathlessly, he felt a strange fluttering in his stomach when he saw her face: she was a very beautiful woman. She was short, with curly hair that had frizzed up in the heat, but it still looked very cute. She wore a pretty short blue dress with a neckline that highlighted her large breasts. He felt his cheeks flush; he didn’t know if it was because of the infernal heat or because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Thank you for stopping the elevator,” said the woman with a big smile.

“No, no, I mean, there’s no need to thank me, don’t worry,” he stammered, feeling a little silly, as he had never before been tongue-tied when talking to someone.

“Still, thank you. I’m Penelope,” she said, holding out her hand. Colin immediately put the bags down on the floor to shake it.

“I’m Colin, Colin Bridgerton,” he said, shaking her hand. At that moment, he felt a spark.

“Ouch!” they groaned in unison, quickly letting go of each other.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Penelope, rubbing her hand.

“Don’t apologize, I’m sorry,” said Colin.

“You don’t have to apologize, it was just a spark.”

“Well, you apologized,” said Colin with a knot in his stomach. Although it was just a spark from their hands touching, he felt an electric charge running through his body.

“Oh, yes, well, I think we can close the elevator now,” said Penelope, blushing as she pointed to the buttons.

“Which floor are you going to?” Colin asked as he closed the elevator doors.

“The tenth floor,” Penelope replied shyly.

“Oh, I’m going there too. Are you in the apartment across the hall?” he dared to ask.

“Yes.”

“Wow, I haven’t seen you before,” he said, surprised. Colin wondered to himself how it was possible that he hadn’t seen her before; she was a total beauty, very hard to ignore.

“I arrived yesterday afternoon with my best friend,” Penelope replied.

“No wonder I didn’t see you. I’m traveling with my best friend too. We arrived yesterday, exhausted from a hike we did. We were like zombies. We barely registered our existence. My knees are still aching.” At that moment, Colin shut his mouth and pressed the button for the tenth floor. He didn’t know why he was explaining so much to her, but to his surprise, she let out a charming giggle.

Colin was about to say something when he saw another spark, but not the one he was expecting: the elevator stopped immediately on the fourth floor. They were both surprised; no, no, this couldn’t be happening.

“No, no, my God! It’s completely stopped,” Penelope grumbled, annoyed, running a hand through her hair.

“My God, it didn’t work all day yesterday, and now it’s completely stopped.”

Colin tried to use the button to call the manager, but to his surprise, it didn’t work. “It’s not possible, it’s not working.”

“I’ll call my friend to find someone to help us,” Penelope said, taking out her phone. At that moment, Colin cursed himself for not charging his phone battery enough; he couldn’t call Alfred.

“Hello, Penelope, where are you? Why are you taking so long? Is something wrong?” He hears his friend on the phone.

“Marina, I’m stuck in the elevator on the fourth floor. None of the buttons are working. Can you go get help?”

“Sure, Penny. Wait a minute.” There was silence on the line, and then he heard something that almost made him burst out laughing: “Hey, Alfred, can I ask you for help? My friend is stuck in the elevator.” This couldn’t be real, no way.

“Yes! Yes, gladly, I’d love to.” Colin couldn’t contain his laughter when he heard his best friend stammering like a fool in front of the girl. “We’re on our way, Penelope.” He hung up the phone.

Penelope put her phone away, turned to him, and looked at him with a frown, as if he had grown another head. “What’s so funny?” she asked, puzzled.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that, if I’m not mistaken, the man your friend asked for help is my best friend. I’ve never heard him stutter like that before,” Colin replied.

“It can’t be,” Penelope said, letting out an incredulous giggle. “How is that possible? Wow, this is like something out of a movie.”

They both continued laughing. Just when Colin thought the situation was improving, boom! The power went out completely. This was too much! They both cursed. He had already been through enough in the last few days.

First, he had barely made it back because the elevator wasn’t working and he was reluctant to rent bicycles during his visit to Cobá. He thought nothing was better than walking and fully enjoying the sun, the wonderful view of the ruins, the jungle, and the animals in the area.

Then he climbed the pyramid and came back with burned hands and completely sunburned, despite the large amounts of sunscreen Alfred had forced him to use all over his body.

Then there was the stupid elevator and its damn habit of always stopping at the top floor. To top it all off, the phone was completely dead, and without a doubt, the worst part was the intense, humid heat of Cancún. He loved any beach in the Mexican Caribbean, but the heat was unbearable.

The days were hot, but you were easily distracted by any activity: watching the folk dancers, buying handicrafts (many pieces especially for Hyacinth), trying the delicious food and candies (several of which were very spicy; he didn’t understand why anyone would make spicy candy, but they were delicious and he wasn’t going to question the Mexicans about it), or enjoying the white sand and warm, turquoise water.

But the nights were difficult to bear without air conditioning and an open window.

And now, without the air conditioning in the elevator, Colin was starting to sweat profusely, which he found extremely unpleasant; he didn’t want to look like a fountain in front of Penelope.

“Just what we needed, the damn power going out,” Penelope complained, crossing her arms.

“This is going to be torture, it’s so hot,” she moaned, dropping the bags on the floor and looking for a couple of bottles of water. Luckily, they were still cold. She offered one to Penelope.

“Here, I think we’ll need these.” Penelope grabbed the water bottle, and for a second, their fingers touched. Colin swore he felt another spark, and he was sure Penelope felt it too.

“Thanks, I do need it.” Penelope took a big sip, and Colin froze as he watched a drop of water slide from her pretty lips, run down her delicate neck, and finally disappear into her cleavage.

Colin bit his lip, looked at the elevator wall, and forced himself to think about bunnies, sheep, Anthony in a thong, or anything else other than the breasts of the beautiful woman he had just met; he didn’t want to look like a damn pervert.

“Penelope, can you hear me?” Thank God! Finally, they were coming to rescue them.

“Marina, we’re here!” Penelope shouted.

“We are? Are there other people there?” the girl asked.

“Yes, just one. His name is Colin.”

“Colin?”

“Colin!” “You’re there too, are you okay?” He heard Alfred shout worriedly.

“Alfred, please help us, it’s hot in here,” she pleaded, banging on the elevator door.

“It’s okay, brother. We’ll go get help right away. Come on, Marina.” She heard their footsteps running away quickly.

“What a day. What do we do now?” Penelope asked timidly, fiddling with the ruffles on her dress.

“Well…”

“Ah, ah, ah… Colin, harder please,” Penelope moaned as she grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her mouth to give him a passionate kiss.

“I’ll give you everything, baby. God! You feel so good.” Colin penetrated her faster as his hands held her buttocks. He gave her a hard spank that made her shudder and squeeze his cock.

“Oh, Colin, that’s so good!” Penelope moaned as Colin took a nipple into his mouth and began to lick and suck it hard.

Colin didn’t know how he had ended up in this wonderful situation: sweaty, with his clothes strewn on the floor, Penelope pressed against the elevator doors, completely naked, panting his name, digging her nails into his back, and his cock buried deep inside her beautiful, wet pussy.

Well, actually, he did know: it was a long story, one he would be sure to tell his future children (he would have to cut out quite a few things, of course). He and Penelope had had plenty of time to talk, since Alfred and Marina had been unable to find the building manager. It was already nighttime and completely dark; they hadn’t been able to call anyone, since the signal was also gone and their Spanish was poor.

Upon returning, Colin had scolded Alfred harshly in front of the girls, as the blond had refused to take the Spanish course that Colin had asked him to take months ago, which would undoubtedly have made it easier for him to learn the basics of communication.

As Alfred had understood after a lengthy conversation (very difficult to translate) with other guests in the building, someone had crashed into a power transformer and the company responsible for the repair had already finished its work for the day.

So the whole street would have to wait until the next day for someone to come and fix the problem. The driver had been arrested for drunk driving, or at least that was what Alfred and Marina had been able to understand.

Colin would undoubtedly have given anything to see his friend racking his brains trying to translate everything as best he could in his head so as not to look like a fool in front of Marina.

After that, Alfred and Marina had tried to open the elevator doors, but it was difficult, considering the lack of light and their limited strength. Colin and Pen (a nickname Colin had quickly given him) had also tried, but without success; they had only managed to open them enough for air to enter.

So, after a long time, Marina and Alfred fell asleep. Colin knew this because his friend’s snoring could be heard a mile away. Besides, from what Penelope had told him, Marina could fall asleep on an F1 car engine and not hear a thing.

So Colin and Penelope started chatting. He discovered that her full name was Penelope Anne Featherington, that she was 31 years old and had three sisters: Prudence, Phillipa, and Felicity. The two older sisters were already married and both had two daughters each; the youngest, Felicity, was engaged and planning her wedding for the end of October.

Penelope was the third daughter (a coincidence that made him smile, as he was also the third). Her mother was Irish and her father British, but they moved from London when she was five and she lived in Ireland until two weeks ago, when she moved to London with her cousin for work.

It turned out that when the summer was over, she would start working as an editor at Danbury Publishing, which seemed like another great coincidence, as the owner of the company, Agatha Danbury, was Colin’s mother’s best friend.

They had both sat down on the floor, as they were getting tired of standing for so long. Colin opened a bottle of wine, which, fortunately, was cold thanks to the bags of frozen vegetables that Alfred had insisted he buy.

They spent some more time talking and drinking wine, while Colin told him about his work and his family.

They laughed when he told him how tough Anthony was, but he also told him a funny story or two about him and his wife.

“I swear, we found him crying dramatically outside his house in the rain. All because he had had a fight with Kate and she had left him outside for hours. But he never realized he had his keys in his pants pocket, so he stood there in the rain for six hours.”

Then he told her about Benedict and his talent for painting, and about the time they found him kissing a painting of his wife Sophie, completely naked and drunk.

“I can’t believe they actually filmed him kissing a painting,” Penelope gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

“I swear, Ben kept shouting, ‘Sophie, Sophie, forgive me!’”

She told him more funny stories about her other siblings and her many nieces and nephews, all the mischief they had gotten into and the vases they had broken. Plants they had damaged in her uncle Philip’s greenhouse, which had caused him to almost faint.

He also told her about the time Daphne had knocked Anthony unconscious during a self-defense training session; his sister was undoubtedly too strong for a 17-year-old. The time Eloise put a fish in Benedic’s bed as revenge for some prank. The time Francesca kicked Anthony hard for accidentally breaking her sheet music.

And the time they had to take Gregory to the hospital because Hyacinth broke a bottle over his head for taking the heads off her dolls.

“Your mother is a saint, raising eight children! My goodness, four would be more than enough for me!” Penelope sighed, resting her head on Colin’s shoulder.

She also told him about her father’s death and how it had affected them all, but they managed to move on because they all wanted to honor their father in their own way.

“I still miss him, you know. Sometimes I wish I could have him back for just five minutes, to hug him and tell him how much I miss him”. Colin wiped away the tears that began to roll down his cheeks and blamed the wine for making him talk too much.

But Penelope didn’t make him feel silly; on the contrary, she hugged him and let him cry freely. He felt ridiculous crying like a child in front of a woman he had just met, but also, for the first time, he felt understood, valued, and cared for. Again, he noticed that strange spark when their hands intertwined.

When they finished the bottle of wine and the fruit, Colin felt the urge to taste her lips. They were beautiful and full, and undoubtedly very soft. Penelope felt it too, leaned toward him, and with a slight nod of her head, gave him permission to kiss her.

And my goodness! It was the best kiss he had ever received in his life. Colin Bridgerton had kissed many women, but no kiss had been as special as this one. Penelope’s lips were soft and delicate, and her taste was intoxicating, still sweet from the wine and fruit, but there was something else, something unique about her. He was completely in love.

They continued kissing for a long time, alternating between soft kisses and more passionate ones. They only broke apart to catch their breath. They let themselves go, and soon Penelope’s underwear was in Colin’s bag. She lay on the floor, naked, her legs over Colin’s shoulders.

“Colin, don’t stop, please don’t stop,” she moaned, grabbing his hair and rubbing herself against his face.

“You taste absolutely delicious, baby,” Colin said in a seductive voice as he sucked on her sore clit and plunged his fingers into Penelope’s wet pussy. The sounds coming from her pussy as he slid his fingers in and out, combined with the ragged moans coming from her mouth, were pushing him to the edge, and he hadn’t even touched himself yet.

Soon, with his free hand, he began to masturbate, certain that when she came, he would too.

“Come on, Pen, be a good girl and come for me.” With one last hard suck on her clitoris, she reached orgasm, arching her back and letting out a series of moans, which made Colin come quickly.

That was just the beginning, because as soon as Colin got hard again, Penelope set out to return the favor with an amazing blowjob. He was standing against the cold elevator wall, but he hardly noticed; his body was burning with desire as he watched Penelope take his penis into her mouth.

Her beautiful blue eyes, which reminded him of the Aegean Sea, were filled with tears, but she never stopped. She gagged, but ignored it. He was sure he had never come so hard and fast in his life, but he couldn’t help it.

It was a sight to behold: she was sitting on his knees, her beautiful breasts moving with each thrust, her delicate hands on the base of his penis, her red, curly hair beautiful and completely wild, her beautiful lips surrounding the tip of his penis as she sucked the last drops of his semen.

She was his undoing. They took a moment to breathe and catch their breath, only for him to have her against the wall, thrusting into her hard. She was so wet, so tight around his cock, that he was sure he would come at any moment, but no, he couldn’t without feeling her come first on his cock.

“Will you be a good girl and cum for me, Pen?” he said as he bit her delicate nipple.

“Yes, Colin, yes,” she gasped as she brought her fingers to her mouth and licked them, then moved them down to her swollen clitoris and began to rub it.

“I’m so close, Colin.” With one particularly strong thrust, Penelope reached orgasm, screaming his name. Colin needed only three more thrusts to come deep inside her. Penelope gasped as she felt his penis pulsing inside her.

“You were a very good girl, Pen,” he praised her as they both came down from their intense orgasm and their breathing seemed to normalize.

“You were a good boy too, Colin Bridgerton,” she murmured, planting wet kisses on his neck until she reached his ear, which she nibbled gently, almost bringing him to his knees.

Next, they got dressed and settled down to sleep. When he woke up, he realized Penelope was still curled up beside him. He gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head and tucked a wild strand of hair behind her ear.

Suddenly, the lights came back on and the elevator doors opened. There stood the building’s maintenance man, a man in his 60s, looking very concerned. Colin could also see Alfred and Penelope’s friend huddled together on the stairs, both with their mouths open and snoring like tractors, but neither of them woke up.

“Penelope, Penelope honey, wake up,” Colin whispered as he gently shook her until she finally opened her eyes.

“What’s going on, Colin?” she asked in her sleepy, slightly hoarse voice as she rubbed her eyes. “Oh, thank God, we can finally get out,” she exhaled with relief.

“Sir, are you all right?” the man asked as he reached out his hand to help them up.

“Yes, I think so, it’s just very hot,” she explained as she stretched. Her bones creaked painfully. The elevator space, although large, was not a suitable place for a man over 6 feet tall to sleep in; it was fine for Penelope, who was adorably petite, barely 5 feet tall, although sleeping on the floor was not pleasant for her either.

“I’m sorry, sir. I always tell them they can call me, but the power went out and I lost signal, and I was getting sleepy, so I couldn’t answer anyone,” the man apologized as he helped him take the bags out of the elevator, even though he knew he would have to throw everything away, because it was extremely hot and the cheese and meat wouldn’t last that long.

“Are you okay, miss?” he asked Penelope.

“Yes, although a little sore; the floor is very uncomfortable.”

“I apologize again, I fell asleep and forgot to do my nightly rounds,” he said as he checked the elevator buttons.

“Don’t apologize, we didn’t have a bad time anyway,” she said, winking at Penelope, which made her blush and kiss her on the cheek. Thank God the man didn’t notice; he was still checking the buttons.

“Penelope, oh, thank God, you’re finally out,” her friend murmured, trying to shake off her sleepiness. At that moment, Alfred woke up and got up with her.

“Oh, buddy, you’re finally out. I’m sure it was torture being in there, I’m sure it was really hot,” she said as she hugged him.

“It was very hot, but also very revealing,” he said as he pulled away from the embrace and pulled Penelope closer to his chest, kissing her on the lips. Alfred and Marina were frozen in place.

“Well, well, well, I think we get it, you had a great time,” Marina smiled mischievously, giving Penelope a playful push.

“Hey, how about we get ready and invite them over for breakfast? I’m starving, and I really want a plate of chilaquiles,” Alfred said.

“I think that’s a great idea, I love chilaquiles,” Marina said, nodding quickly.

“Well,” Penelope said, breaking Alfred and Marina’s little bubble of happiness, “I think we all need a good bath.”

“That’s exactly what I need right now: a nice bath and some good food,” sighed Colin as he climbed the stairs. There was no way he was getting back in that elevator (not while there were other people around; he’d only get in if he was with Penelope).

“Damn stairs, Penelope, why do you always have to choose the top floor?” complained Marina, throwing her head back as she climbed, almost reluctantly, the stairs alongside Alfred.

“I’ve already told you, I like to have the best views,” explained Penelope, which made Colin smile. They were undoubtedly meant to meet.

“Colin is the same; on our trips he always books the top floor,” Alfred complained, looking at him angrily.

“Yes, and I don’t regret it,” Colin smiled, kissing Penelope.

After several reproaches and groans, they reached their respective floors. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had run a marathon.

“Okay, then see you here in an hour,” Marina declared, entering her apartment. Alfred quickly followed her.

“Then see you here in an hour,” Colin said, pulling her close to kiss her neck, which made her gasp.

“In an hour, not a minute more or less,” Penelope said when they finally parted.

After showering and changing, the two couples left happily. Luckily, the elevator had been repaired, so they left without any problems.

They had breakfast and decided to explore the streets together. They went to the beach, rented jet skis, and had fun all day.

Alfred suggested that they spend the rest of the summer together, and the girls enthusiastically agreed. Colin was surprised that Alfred was taking his relationship with Mariana so seriously; he had never seen him so determined to settle down with someone and stay in London.

But Colin was also surprised at himself. He talked to Penelope over the following weeks, and they agreed to move in together in her apartment in Bloomsbury. It was close to Penelope’s work, and Colin came up with the idea of publishing his travel diaries. Penelope thought it was a splendid idea and offered to help him edit them.

With each passing day, Colin fell more and more in love, felt like a man with a purpose, and, at last, at peace. He had never felt such peace or happiness before.

Fortunately, they were surprised to discover that both couples’ flights were on the same day, another delightful coincidence that led them to swap seats: Alfred would sit with Marina and Colin with Penelope.

The trip was wonderful. They returned tired, tanned, and incredibly happy. Colin offered Penelope to spend the night at his apartment, and she accepted. She had no idea where the other couple had gone when they set foot on English soil, but she was sure they would be together.

A few weeks passed, and Penelope settled in wonderfully to her job and also to the chaos of the Bridgerton family. She met everyone at the brunch her mother organized every Sunday, and quickly became best friends with her sister Eloise; the two had a sharp wit and loved being able to talk about any topic very naturally, as if they had known each other all their lives. Of course, Eloise’s children ended up loving her on the first day, as did the other nieces and nephews.

Her brothers congratulated Colin for bringing Penelope, as they all loved how well she fit in with the family. They laughed a lot when the two of them told them how they had met. After a series of jokes, her mother took him aside for a moment to talk to him in the kitchen.

“I’m so glad to see you so happy, my son.” His mother hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

Colin looked over at Penelope, who was sitting with little Violet in her arms. The girl was melting in her arms and flatly refused to go with Benedic.

“She makes me very happy, Mom. She’s the most beautiful, funny, and intelligent woman I’ve ever met, and I want to settle down here in London with her for good.”

His mother looked at him with tears in her eyes as she hugged him tightly.

A year later, he asked Penelope to marry him. It was a lovely evening, and they were walking under the Christmas lights; she was glowing. Colin gathered his courage, knelt down, and took a small box out of his pocket containing the ring his father had given his mother on the day he was born. It was a heirloom that his mother had kept especially for Colin’s future wife.

They were married in a small private ceremony attended by the Bridgerton family, Penelope’s family, Marina, and Alfred, who were expecting their first child. It was a surprise, as Marina and Alfred did not want to announce it at their best friends’ wedding and steal the spotlight, but Colin and Penelope quickly figured it out and celebrated happily.

Colin suggested that they go to Cancun for their honeymoon, the beautiful place where everything had been possible, where they had first met, and where they had sealed their future together.

Penelope immediately booked a luxurious suite on the top floor of the hotel. The room was large and had beautiful views of the sea.

As they were about to close the elevator door to go to their room, Penelope stopped him, “Colin, there’s something important I need to tell you.”

Colin stopped before pressing the button, “Here, honey? Wouldn’t you rather tell me in our room?” he asked.

“It’s something very important, and I need to tell you in the place where our story began,” Penelope replied.

Penelope took a small envelope out of her bag that contained something plastic inside.

Colin opened it quickly and his heart began to beat very fast. “Are you pregnant, honey? Are we going to have a baby?” Colin said, his voice breaking and his eyes clouded with tears that were beginning to fall.

“Yes, my love, we’re going to have a baby,” Penelope replied, smiling and unable to hold back her tears.

“I love you so much, Penelope. Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world,” said Colin, and he hugged her, covering her face with kisses and making her laugh.

“And I love you, Colin. Well, what do you say we continue the celebration in the bedroom, Mr. Bridgerton?” said Penelope mischievously.

“That sounds like an excellent idea, Mrs. Bridgerton,” Colin replied, and kissed her passionately. Then the elevator closed and took them to their room, where they would begin a new adventure. A new and greater adventure in the place where it all began.