In the Crease
Page 100
“Hey!” Wren and Vaughn complained, and then everyone was laughing.
And at that moment, Jensen didn’t want to be anywhere else but with his arms around his wife in the middle of his second family’s kitchen, with his loved ones.
He went from having no one to having so much love it was overwhelming, and he wouldn’t change a damn thing.
Brie: Did you tell him?
Wren: No, I chickened out. Twice.
Brie: Wren! It’s the day before the wedding, you need to tell him.
Wren: I know, but I have bigger things to deal with at this time.
Brie: What?
Wren: I’m meeting Shanna for lunch.
Brie: Oh. Shit.
Wren: Exactly.
Wren: Fucking Jensen.
Brie: How the hell did he manage to get you to go?
Wren: He was going down on me, and he asked right when I was screaming yes, so he took that to heart.
Brie: Wow. Smooth. And smart.
Wren: Yeah, gotta give it to him, he knows how to work me.
Brie: That’s so cute.
Wren: I hate you.
Brie: Aw! We’re like Vaughn and Jensen.
Wren: I don’t think that’s a good comparison.
Brie: Maybe you’re right.
Brie: Well, Godspeed. Let me know how that goes.
Wren: Will do.
Glaring at her phone, she tucked it into her purse as the warm air of the summer breeze hit her in the face. It was a gorgeous, hot day in Colorado, and she’d rather be in the air conditioning than trekking to the little restaurant Shanna and her husband were waiting at. When she squeezed Jensen’s hand, he looked over at her as they walked down the little street of the town. “Do we have to go?”
He nodded. “Yes. I told them we’d meet them.”
“Can we blow it off?”
“Wren, come on, she misses you.”
“I’ll go down on you in the car,” she suggested, and he scoffed, his face beaming with a grin.
“That’s unfair.”
“But I will.”
“No, I think you need this.”
“How in the hell do I need this?”
“I think you need the closure. If you don’t want to talk to her after this, that’s cool, because at least you’ll give her a reason and explain your reasoning.”
“Or, I can keep ignoring it.”
“Or, you can get out those lady balls I know you have and tell her the truth.”
The truth. God, she hated the fucking truth at that moment.
Clearing her throat, she grumbled as they made their way to the little burger joint that had been in the town since the dawn of time. She didn’t want to do this. She knew it made her an asshole to cut Shanna out of her life the way she had, but she seriously couldn’t help it. She felt Shanna wouldn’t have been there for her, and she couldn’t deal with any more rejection at the time. Bradley had done enough, and she couldn’t take it from her best friend. So she did what she did best, she shut everyone out.
When he reached for the door, she looked up at him. “Don’t leave me alone.”
“Wren, be real.”
“Jensen Monroe, promise me right now.”
He shook his head. “Fine. I’ll piss my pants to keep from leaving you alone.”
“Solid plan,” she said as he opened the door, and he laughed, letting her in before him. When her gaze fell right on Shanna in a booth, alone, her stomach dropped.
Where the fuck was her husband?
Unsure of herself, Shanna got up slowly, a grin pulling at her lips. “Oh my goodness! Look at you!” Wren plastered the fakest smile she could muster and met her halfway in a tight hug. “I can’t believe it. You’re pregnant.”
“Yup, I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Right? You never wanted kids.”
“And now I couldn’t imagine not getting ready to have one,” she said nervously before Shanna hugged Jensen.
“I was telling Jensen at the rink how excited I am for you guys. This is awesome. I always knew you guys would get together.”
Wren smiled up at Jensen as he pressed his hand to her back, helping her into the booth. “You and him, both. I was late to the game.”
Jensen smiled. “Better late than never.”
He kissed her temple before she looked around nervously. “So, where’s Jay?”
“So now, the other two boys have strep, and I was worried if I told y’all he wasn’t coming, you wouldn’t.”
Wren wouldn’t have.
“Oh, no, of course, we would have come. I might have let Jensen stay home, though,” she joked. “I doubt he wants to hear about girl shit.”
“I can leave,” he suggested, and Wren’s eyes widened.
“Really? That wouldn’t hurt your feelings? I would love to catch up! Just us girls,” Shanna all but screamed, and Wren slowly turned her head, her eyes burning into his.
Don’t you leave me, don’t you leave me.
“I mean, it’s up to you, babe,” he said, his eyes widening with hers.
Oh, she was going to kill him dead.
She could feel Shanna staring at her, pleading with her eyes. Damn it, she owed it to her. Jensen was right. She needed some sort of closure. So, reluctantly, Wren nodded her head. “Yeah, go. I’ll call you when we’re done.”
“You sure?”
“Yes! I’ll take care of her, promise,” Shanna gushed, patting his hand, and he sent her a grin.
“Yeah, go help Vaughn with NateWay.”
“Okay, I will. Call me, okay?” he asked, and she nodded as he kissed her temple before getting out of the booth, saying bye to both of them. Before he could get out the door, though, she was already texting him.
Wren: I’m gonna kill you.
Jensen: Not if I can find the biggest Snickers and chuck it at you.
Keeping in her laughter, she looked across the table at her ex-best friend. Shanna looked so much like Bradley with her light brown hair and big blue eyes. She wasn’t as tall as Bradley, but then, no one really was. Except for every other man she knew. God, she was nervous.
“So!” Wren gushed, and she never gushed, so she pressed her lips together to cover up the fact that she was freaking the fuck out. This was the last thing she wanted. Damn it. “How’s life?”
She saw something flash in Shanna’s eyes before she shrugged. “You know, just raising kids and being a wife. I don’t do anything special.”
And at that moment, Jensen didn’t want to be anywhere else but with his arms around his wife in the middle of his second family’s kitchen, with his loved ones.
He went from having no one to having so much love it was overwhelming, and he wouldn’t change a damn thing.
Brie: Did you tell him?
Wren: No, I chickened out. Twice.
Brie: Wren! It’s the day before the wedding, you need to tell him.
Wren: I know, but I have bigger things to deal with at this time.
Brie: What?
Wren: I’m meeting Shanna for lunch.
Brie: Oh. Shit.
Wren: Exactly.
Wren: Fucking Jensen.
Brie: How the hell did he manage to get you to go?
Wren: He was going down on me, and he asked right when I was screaming yes, so he took that to heart.
Brie: Wow. Smooth. And smart.
Wren: Yeah, gotta give it to him, he knows how to work me.
Brie: That’s so cute.
Wren: I hate you.
Brie: Aw! We’re like Vaughn and Jensen.
Wren: I don’t think that’s a good comparison.
Brie: Maybe you’re right.
Brie: Well, Godspeed. Let me know how that goes.
Wren: Will do.
Glaring at her phone, she tucked it into her purse as the warm air of the summer breeze hit her in the face. It was a gorgeous, hot day in Colorado, and she’d rather be in the air conditioning than trekking to the little restaurant Shanna and her husband were waiting at. When she squeezed Jensen’s hand, he looked over at her as they walked down the little street of the town. “Do we have to go?”
He nodded. “Yes. I told them we’d meet them.”
“Can we blow it off?”
“Wren, come on, she misses you.”
“I’ll go down on you in the car,” she suggested, and he scoffed, his face beaming with a grin.
“That’s unfair.”
“But I will.”
“No, I think you need this.”
“How in the hell do I need this?”
“I think you need the closure. If you don’t want to talk to her after this, that’s cool, because at least you’ll give her a reason and explain your reasoning.”
“Or, I can keep ignoring it.”
“Or, you can get out those lady balls I know you have and tell her the truth.”
The truth. God, she hated the fucking truth at that moment.
Clearing her throat, she grumbled as they made their way to the little burger joint that had been in the town since the dawn of time. She didn’t want to do this. She knew it made her an asshole to cut Shanna out of her life the way she had, but she seriously couldn’t help it. She felt Shanna wouldn’t have been there for her, and she couldn’t deal with any more rejection at the time. Bradley had done enough, and she couldn’t take it from her best friend. So she did what she did best, she shut everyone out.
When he reached for the door, she looked up at him. “Don’t leave me alone.”
“Wren, be real.”
“Jensen Monroe, promise me right now.”
He shook his head. “Fine. I’ll piss my pants to keep from leaving you alone.”
“Solid plan,” she said as he opened the door, and he laughed, letting her in before him. When her gaze fell right on Shanna in a booth, alone, her stomach dropped.
Where the fuck was her husband?
Unsure of herself, Shanna got up slowly, a grin pulling at her lips. “Oh my goodness! Look at you!” Wren plastered the fakest smile she could muster and met her halfway in a tight hug. “I can’t believe it. You’re pregnant.”
“Yup, I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Right? You never wanted kids.”
“And now I couldn’t imagine not getting ready to have one,” she said nervously before Shanna hugged Jensen.
“I was telling Jensen at the rink how excited I am for you guys. This is awesome. I always knew you guys would get together.”
Wren smiled up at Jensen as he pressed his hand to her back, helping her into the booth. “You and him, both. I was late to the game.”
Jensen smiled. “Better late than never.”
He kissed her temple before she looked around nervously. “So, where’s Jay?”
“So now, the other two boys have strep, and I was worried if I told y’all he wasn’t coming, you wouldn’t.”
Wren wouldn’t have.
“Oh, no, of course, we would have come. I might have let Jensen stay home, though,” she joked. “I doubt he wants to hear about girl shit.”
“I can leave,” he suggested, and Wren’s eyes widened.
“Really? That wouldn’t hurt your feelings? I would love to catch up! Just us girls,” Shanna all but screamed, and Wren slowly turned her head, her eyes burning into his.
Don’t you leave me, don’t you leave me.
“I mean, it’s up to you, babe,” he said, his eyes widening with hers.
Oh, she was going to kill him dead.
She could feel Shanna staring at her, pleading with her eyes. Damn it, she owed it to her. Jensen was right. She needed some sort of closure. So, reluctantly, Wren nodded her head. “Yeah, go. I’ll call you when we’re done.”
“You sure?”
“Yes! I’ll take care of her, promise,” Shanna gushed, patting his hand, and he sent her a grin.
“Yeah, go help Vaughn with NateWay.”
“Okay, I will. Call me, okay?” he asked, and she nodded as he kissed her temple before getting out of the booth, saying bye to both of them. Before he could get out the door, though, she was already texting him.
Wren: I’m gonna kill you.
Jensen: Not if I can find the biggest Snickers and chuck it at you.
Keeping in her laughter, she looked across the table at her ex-best friend. Shanna looked so much like Bradley with her light brown hair and big blue eyes. She wasn’t as tall as Bradley, but then, no one really was. Except for every other man she knew. God, she was nervous.
“So!” Wren gushed, and she never gushed, so she pressed her lips together to cover up the fact that she was freaking the fuck out. This was the last thing she wanted. Damn it. “How’s life?”
She saw something flash in Shanna’s eyes before she shrugged. “You know, just raising kids and being a wife. I don’t do anything special.”
