Chapter Text
Hyacinth was the first to send the TikTok link to Penelope, asking her to join the trend with her brother, but she knew it was just a joke among the Bridgertons ever since she and Colin started dating — so she probably wouldn’t be the only one.
Clicking the link, Penelope watched several TikTok videos of girlfriends calling their partners 'husband' on the phone with other people and recording their reactions. Except for one or two who reacted poorly, most of those men seemed like they had won the lottery, and she thought the trend was really adorable.
“Please, please, please, Pen! This trend was made for Colin ‘my wife’ Bridgerton to be exposed!”
“I don’t know, Hyacinth! I don’t want him to feel pressured because of a joke.”
“First, you’ve been together for over a year, so it’s not even pressure, especially since you’ve been friends since childhood! Second, it won’t feel like pressure if he’s already thought about it — which, knowing Colin, he has! And third, and most importantly: he was born to be Colin ‘my wife’ Bridgerton, and you know it, so it’s only fair you’re his match!”
She knew her sister-in-law was right. Colin had taken a while to realize she was in love with him and even longer to acknowledge his own feelings went beyond friendship. But when he finally understood, nothing could stop him from getting what he wanted.
“I’ll think about it. If I do it, I’ll let you know, okay?”
The idea lingered in her mind, and after watching so many videos and liking a few, more started showing up on her For You page in the following days. She began wondering how her boyfriend would react if she played the same joke.
When the two were getting ready to leave the house on Sunday morning for brunch at his mother’s, the opportunity seemed perfect. Penelope hid her camera on the car dashboard and got in after him, her phone already in hand.
“Hi, Gen! How are you?” she said, trying not to focus on the camera or look at the mirror to avoid getting distracted by Colin’s reactions. “No, we were just leaving the house; I just got in the car.”
Next to her, he pulled out his phone and adjusted his seat, distracted, but waiting for her to finish before starting the car.
“We haven’t done our Christmas shopping yet, but we always spend the holidays with my husband’s family at the country house.”
At that moment, Penelope had to suppress a laugh because, even without looking in the mirror, she could feel Colin turning toward her with excitement. Without her immediate attention, he grabbed her free arm with both hands, and she laced their fingers together, trying to appear unfazed.
“Yes, we can go this week. K, bye, Gen!” she pretended to hang up and finally turned to see her boyfriend’s expression. “Shall we, dear?”
Colin was grinning from ear to ear, making her laugh.
“Did you notice what you called me?” he pulled her into his arms, his voice so animated it seemed like he might shake the whole car.
“Dear? I always call you that, love,” she teased, stroking his hair sweetly as he shook his head vehemently.
“No, when you were on the phone with Gen, you called me your husband.” Colin sighed at the word, looking utterly ecstatic. “Was it accidental? Have you been thinking of me as your husband?” he kissed her cheek tenderly, making her laugh.
“Did I call you that? I think it just slipped out!” he pressed his lips to hers even more enthusiastically. “You seem genuinely happy about it, don’t you?”
“My love, you have no idea what the thought of being your husband does to me!” she kissed his neck, watching him close his eyes and sigh. “I think we should go back inside so I can show you just how crazy your hubby is about you!”
“Your mother is expecting us, hubby! But when we get back, I’d like to hear more about this!” she stopped him from pulling her closer, firm in her resolve.
He let out an unhappy groan but agreed, reluctantly letting her go and starting the car.
“I think I just decided on your Christmas gift!” he said with a mischievous smile.
“If it’s a T-shirt with your picture inside a heart, I should warn you Sophie already had one made for Ben, and you probably don’t want to think about what they do while wearing it,” Penelope laughed, and he pretended to gag.
“That was definitely not an image I needed in my head, for God’s sake, Pen! But no, it won’t be anything cheese like that. I thought it was pretty obvious, but since your mind went completely elsewhere, maybe I’ll make it a surprise!”
“That’s not fair — you know what I’m getting you for Christmas! Are you really going to keep me curious, hubby?” she emphasized the word sweetly, making him shiver.
“Don’t do that to me while I’m driving, love!” she smiled, looking very satisfied. “You don’t even have to touch me to throw me completely off balance. Do you have any idea how much power you have?”
“I’ll try to use this power only for good, I promise!” Penelope laughed as the Bridgerton house appeared at the end of the street.
Before getting out of the car, she grabbed the camera from the dashboard and slipped it into her bag. As they entered, Hyacinth rushed toward them, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Did you decide?” she asked excitedly, and Penelope laughed.
“Good morning to you too, Hyacinth!” Colin chuckled, glancing between them, curious.
“Good morning, Colin,” she waved dismissively at her brother, still focused on Penelope.
“So, this is how it’s going to be?” he laughed incredulously. “Fine, I was going to invite you to come with me to shop for the surprise Christmas gift I planned for Penelope, but now I guess I’ll go alone!”
“A surprise gift?” she finally turned to him, her eyes shining, and he walked toward the table, where his mother was watching from a distance. “I want to buy Penelope’s gift! What are you getting her? I want to know! Will you be able to keep it a secret from her until Christmas? You tell her everything!”
“I’ll. Can you?” He wrapped an arm around her, kissing his mother’s cheek as he got closer.
Still standing behind them, Penelope smiled, more in love than she thought could be possible. At that moment, she decided she wouldn’t share the video of Colin, not on her tiktok, not with anyone else, not even if Hyacinth begged. She would keep that memory just for herself, preserving his smile and happiness as her most precious treasure for the rest of their lives.