In the Crease
Page 104
“They are my family too,” she said simply, looking up at him as she stood. “Wells will understand. If you go, I go.”
His eyes welled up. “And miss your brother’s wedding? Your only brother?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes burning into his, and he could see she was holding back tears. “You are my husband. Where you go, I go,” she asserted once more.
Silenced stretched between them as he threw the blankets off, getting out of bed and taking the suitcase from her before throwing it on the bed. Reaching for her, he pulled her into his arms before he wrapped an arm around her neck. “Mum said not to miss Wells’s wedding, that she has everything under control. But if that changes, she’ll call us.”
She blinked, a tear rolling down her face. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “I want to go, but my mum knows what she is doing. I also know I’ll feel like shit if I rush out there, miss my best friend’s wedding, and everything is fine. But then, what if I don’t go, and he di—” His words fell off. Closing his eyes, he bent his head to hers as he drew in a deep breath. “I have to trust my mum. This isn’t the first time, and we knew there would be a chance he’d lose limbs with his diabetes.”
Holding on to him, she kissed his jaw. “I’m sorry, Jensen.”
He nodded against her head. “He’ll be fine. I know it.”
“Yeah, but maybe we should pack, just in case.”
“Or let’s sleep. We have a big day today,” he suggested.
“Like you’ll sleep,” she countered, and he shrugged.
“I am mostly worried about you sleeping.”
“Don’t. I’m fine. Let me worry about you.”
A smile pulled at his lips as he cuddled her in tight, feeling completely and utterly secure. He was worried, and it ran deep, but he trusted his mum. He knew if it was serious and he needed to come, she would tell him. Plus, Wren had him.
He trusted that entirely.
“I don’t know how I ever made it without you.”
She scoffed. “Please, you were fine. I was the hot mess express going straight into a wall,” she joked, kissing his jaw before taking his hand in hers, hitting the light, and dragging him to the bed. They cuddled together, their legs tangled, their hands all over each other. He kissed her temple before she reached over him, taking his phone and laying it on the pillow above them. “Just in case.”
He nodded. “She said she’ll call me in a couple hours.”
“So we’ll hear it.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, moving a piece of hair out of her eyes.
“I’m worried,” Wren whispered, and Jensen nodded.
“Me too.”
“Maybe we should call?”
“You can, get the wrath of Emma Monroe.”
“That’s not fair,” she complained, and he smiled against her hair.
“She’ll call.”
But Wren was already moving. Reaching for his phone, she was pushing buttons, and then he heard his mom’s voice. “Hey, no, it’s Wren. Is everything okay? Oh, okay. Yeah, no Jensen said. Oh, okay, well, do you want us to come up there? Oh. Okay. No, I understand. I know, I love you too. But we should…or not. Yeah, you’re right. Wells would understand, though. Yeah, okay, so call us as soon as you hear something? I know you told Jensen that, but I just want you to know it doesn’t matter what’s going on. Call us. Okay. All right. Love you too.” Hanging up, she gave him a grim smile. “She told me I was distracting her.”
“Yeah, I figured she would.”
“She said she’s got it under control, and she’ll give us updates.”
“That’s what she told me.”
Wren seemed annoyed as she set his phone back in the spot by the bedpost before lying back in her spot. “Does she always do that to you?”
He laughed. “Every single time.”
Still annoyed, she lay down. “Fine, I’m going to try to sleep,”
“Good plan,” he said as she kissed his cheek, his eyes falling shut before she wrapped her body around his.
As she lay there, her heart was pounding in her chest, and the rhythm was mind-altering. He wanted to say he was about to fall asleep, but that wasn’t going to happen. His mind was moving a million miles a second, and he was worried for his dad. He wanted to call his mum again, but like she had done with Wren, she would do to him, but worse. He sort of wished he had let Wren take him away.
But that wouldn’t be fair to Wells, or even to his father.
Antoine would get so mad if they made their way up there and missed Wells’s wedding. His father was untouchable in Jensen’s eyes. The diabetes was just a setback, he would be fine, but Jensen wasn’t naïve. His father was aging, and he wished he had listened to Wren, bought a house up there and never left. But then his dad would have really had killed him for giving up his dreams. Antoine was Jensen’s biggest cheerleader when it came to him living his dreams. Because of that, Jensen knew he was going to be there for his son the way his dad had been there for him.
His son.
Man, his heart ached.
Opening his eyes, he watched as she stared at the wall, and a grin pulled at his lips. “Hey, babe.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and ready to go. “Yeah? You wanna go?”
He shook his head, his throat closing up as his mouth went dry. “I won’t ask again.” Her face twisted in confusion, and he figured he’d given her nothing there. “About the douche that knocked you up. This baby,” he said, pressing his hand on her belly, “is mine.”
“He is.”
“So I won’t ask, and I appreciate your reasoning because I think you’re right.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I don’t want that either. I like the thought that I’ll only see you, and maybe me, in him.”
“I love you too much to allow you to do anything else when I know you love Gunner so much.”
“I do, but, Wren?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you just as much.”
Her lips curved as she ran her finger along his jaw. “I love you too.”
“And thank you for wanting to run off to be with my dad.”
“Of course.”
As their lips met, Jensen knew they were going to be better than okay.
His eyes welled up. “And miss your brother’s wedding? Your only brother?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes burning into his, and he could see she was holding back tears. “You are my husband. Where you go, I go,” she asserted once more.
Silenced stretched between them as he threw the blankets off, getting out of bed and taking the suitcase from her before throwing it on the bed. Reaching for her, he pulled her into his arms before he wrapped an arm around her neck. “Mum said not to miss Wells’s wedding, that she has everything under control. But if that changes, she’ll call us.”
She blinked, a tear rolling down her face. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “I want to go, but my mum knows what she is doing. I also know I’ll feel like shit if I rush out there, miss my best friend’s wedding, and everything is fine. But then, what if I don’t go, and he di—” His words fell off. Closing his eyes, he bent his head to hers as he drew in a deep breath. “I have to trust my mum. This isn’t the first time, and we knew there would be a chance he’d lose limbs with his diabetes.”
Holding on to him, she kissed his jaw. “I’m sorry, Jensen.”
He nodded against her head. “He’ll be fine. I know it.”
“Yeah, but maybe we should pack, just in case.”
“Or let’s sleep. We have a big day today,” he suggested.
“Like you’ll sleep,” she countered, and he shrugged.
“I am mostly worried about you sleeping.”
“Don’t. I’m fine. Let me worry about you.”
A smile pulled at his lips as he cuddled her in tight, feeling completely and utterly secure. He was worried, and it ran deep, but he trusted his mum. He knew if it was serious and he needed to come, she would tell him. Plus, Wren had him.
He trusted that entirely.
“I don’t know how I ever made it without you.”
She scoffed. “Please, you were fine. I was the hot mess express going straight into a wall,” she joked, kissing his jaw before taking his hand in hers, hitting the light, and dragging him to the bed. They cuddled together, their legs tangled, their hands all over each other. He kissed her temple before she reached over him, taking his phone and laying it on the pillow above them. “Just in case.”
He nodded. “She said she’ll call me in a couple hours.”
“So we’ll hear it.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, moving a piece of hair out of her eyes.
“I’m worried,” Wren whispered, and Jensen nodded.
“Me too.”
“Maybe we should call?”
“You can, get the wrath of Emma Monroe.”
“That’s not fair,” she complained, and he smiled against her hair.
“She’ll call.”
But Wren was already moving. Reaching for his phone, she was pushing buttons, and then he heard his mom’s voice. “Hey, no, it’s Wren. Is everything okay? Oh, okay. Yeah, no Jensen said. Oh, okay, well, do you want us to come up there? Oh. Okay. No, I understand. I know, I love you too. But we should…or not. Yeah, you’re right. Wells would understand, though. Yeah, okay, so call us as soon as you hear something? I know you told Jensen that, but I just want you to know it doesn’t matter what’s going on. Call us. Okay. All right. Love you too.” Hanging up, she gave him a grim smile. “She told me I was distracting her.”
“Yeah, I figured she would.”
“She said she’s got it under control, and she’ll give us updates.”
“That’s what she told me.”
Wren seemed annoyed as she set his phone back in the spot by the bedpost before lying back in her spot. “Does she always do that to you?”
He laughed. “Every single time.”
Still annoyed, she lay down. “Fine, I’m going to try to sleep,”
“Good plan,” he said as she kissed his cheek, his eyes falling shut before she wrapped her body around his.
As she lay there, her heart was pounding in her chest, and the rhythm was mind-altering. He wanted to say he was about to fall asleep, but that wasn’t going to happen. His mind was moving a million miles a second, and he was worried for his dad. He wanted to call his mum again, but like she had done with Wren, she would do to him, but worse. He sort of wished he had let Wren take him away.
But that wouldn’t be fair to Wells, or even to his father.
Antoine would get so mad if they made their way up there and missed Wells’s wedding. His father was untouchable in Jensen’s eyes. The diabetes was just a setback, he would be fine, but Jensen wasn’t naïve. His father was aging, and he wished he had listened to Wren, bought a house up there and never left. But then his dad would have really had killed him for giving up his dreams. Antoine was Jensen’s biggest cheerleader when it came to him living his dreams. Because of that, Jensen knew he was going to be there for his son the way his dad had been there for him.
His son.
Man, his heart ached.
Opening his eyes, he watched as she stared at the wall, and a grin pulled at his lips. “Hey, babe.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and ready to go. “Yeah? You wanna go?”
He shook his head, his throat closing up as his mouth went dry. “I won’t ask again.” Her face twisted in confusion, and he figured he’d given her nothing there. “About the douche that knocked you up. This baby,” he said, pressing his hand on her belly, “is mine.”
“He is.”
“So I won’t ask, and I appreciate your reasoning because I think you’re right.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I don’t want that either. I like the thought that I’ll only see you, and maybe me, in him.”
“I love you too much to allow you to do anything else when I know you love Gunner so much.”
“I do, but, Wren?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you just as much.”
Her lips curved as she ran her finger along his jaw. “I love you too.”
“And thank you for wanting to run off to be with my dad.”
“Of course.”
As their lips met, Jensen knew they were going to be better than okay.
