In the Crease
Page 106
“Yeah, all of us, just not with multiple women—or men, in Wells’s case.”
“Thank you,” Wells said with a nod, and they all laughed as Winston just shook his head.
“Man, it’s like old times with you three home.”
They all nodded, sharing a familiar moment as Winston got up, heading out of the room toward the bathroom. Watching as his father left, Wells shook his head. “How’d he not know?”
Jensen shrugged. “Denial, probably.”
“Yeah, because you never brought home a girl. Oh! But remember, man, what was his name?” Vaughn said, snapping his fingers, and Wells scoffed.
“So you can remember all the girls you were with, but not my first boyfriend?”
Jensen laughed at that as Vaughn shrugged innocently. “Yeah, sorry.”
“Nicolas,” Wells said, shaking his head with a grin pulling at his lips. “Man, I loved him.”
“Yeah, and I’ll never forget your dad catching you guys kissing. I heard him down the road,” Vaughn laughed.
“I wouldn’t leave my room. Neither would Wren,” Jensen chuckled. “We sat on the bathroom counter and just listened to the screaming.”
Wells’s face didn’t change, a grin on his face as he shrugged. “That’s when I came out to him. It was nasty.” Exhaling hard, he looked out the door and shook his head. “At least he stopped screaming at me about it, and he’s coming to the wedding.”
Jensen and Vaughn both agreed, but only with a nod as a silence fell over them. Jensen wasn’t sure what everyone else was thinking about as they ate the pie that Elaine had made for them, but Jensen’s mind went back to his dad. He couldn’t imagine not being able to talk to his dad without raised voices. But that was Wells’s life since his dad had found out. They used to be best friends, but that all changed when Wells came out. To that day, Jensen still felt bad for them. While it wasn’t Jensen’s cup of tea, Wells was his best friend, and he loved him for him, not for who he loved. Jensen just wished Winston could see that.
“So you’re still gonna marry him?” Vaughn asked, and Jensen closed his eyes.
“Really, Jo?”
Vaughn looked over at Jensen. “What? I mean, I’m just making sure.”
Wells scoffed. “Yeah, man, I’m marrying him.”
“You sure? We can head out, no questions asked.”
Reaching out, Wells wrapped his arm around Vaughn’s shoulder. “I love him.”
But Vaughn wasn’t convinced. “You sure?”
“Jo! Stop.”
“Hey, this is our best friend. We have to make sure, and you know damn well he doesn’t look at Alex the way he looked at Matty.”
Jensen pressed his lips together, looking away. “It doesn’t matter. It matters what he feels. He loves the guy, leave him be.”
When Jensen glanced up, Vaughn and Wells were sharing a look. “I only ask because I love you, man. I don’t want you to make a mistake.”
Wells sighed heavily as he shook his head. “The only mistake I made was giving Matty my whole heart when he didn’t even give me a piece of his.”
Vaughn looked to Jensen with his eyes wide, and of course, he was telling him clearly that he was right. But Jensen shook his head before looking over to his friend. “Do you want to marry him? Alex?”
“Yeah, because I have to.”
“You don’t have to do shit, son.” They all three looked to the door, where Winston stood, his brows pulled together as he glared at Wells. “If you don’t want to marry this boy, don’t. I don’t care how much money we’ve spent. I want you to be happy.”
A little taken aback, Wells’s hand came to his chest. “No, Dad, it’s not that. I do love Alex, I do. Which is why I have to. It’s the right time.”
Winston slowly nodded. “Then that’s that.”
With that, he turned and headed out the back door, and Jensen assumed he was going to his woodshed. Looking back to Wells, he found his best friend with his mouth hanging open as he watched his father cross the backyard to his shed. “What just happened?”
“No clue,” Vaughn said, his mouth hanging open too.
Pointing to his father’s woodshed, Wells asked, “Did my dad just accept my lifestyle?”
“I think so,” Jensen said, a little shocked too.
“Or we all blacked out, and this is a dream,” Vaughn supplied, but all three of them nodded.
“That seems more believable,” Wells muttered before the three them found themselves laughing from the gut.
Leaning on the counter, Jensen looked over at the two men who had been his constant buddies. Two men he knew he couldn’t do life without. His best friends. As Wells’s laughter subsided, he looked between them and grinned. “I’m thankful to have you two. Honestly. You’ve never stopped loving me in a non-gay way, and I truly love both of you, in a non-gay way, for that.”
“I mean, we are all pretty much the coolest dudes ever. It’s only natural we flock together,” Vaughn said in his own cocky manner.
Snorting, Jensen reached out, squeezing Wells’s shoulder. “Right back at you. I was just thinking the same thing, that this life would be boring without you two.”
Rolling his eyes, Vaughn scoffed. “Whatever, you’ve replaced us with Wren.”
“Oh yeah, she’s your life now,” Wells teased, and Jensen flipped them off.
“While, yes, she is my everything and so is my son, I know I need you two assholes, too,” he admitted, looking down at the counter. “So I hope you two are ready to raise my son with me.”
Wells let out a sigh as Vaughn laughed. “And my daughter with me.”
“I can get a dog for you guys to help raise if I need to since Alex doesn’t want kids yet, but I’m so down for raising some babies!” Wells announced, and Jensen’s face started to hurt, he was grinning so hard.
“In due time. But in the meantime, let’s go get you married.”
“Or drunk so you can get married,” Vaughn supplied, and Jensen shot him another dirty look. “What? I still don’t think it’s gonna happen.”
“I hate you,” Wells groaned, but then he squeezed Vaughn. “But I love you too.”
“Thank you,” Wells said with a nod, and they all laughed as Winston just shook his head.
“Man, it’s like old times with you three home.”
They all nodded, sharing a familiar moment as Winston got up, heading out of the room toward the bathroom. Watching as his father left, Wells shook his head. “How’d he not know?”
Jensen shrugged. “Denial, probably.”
“Yeah, because you never brought home a girl. Oh! But remember, man, what was his name?” Vaughn said, snapping his fingers, and Wells scoffed.
“So you can remember all the girls you were with, but not my first boyfriend?”
Jensen laughed at that as Vaughn shrugged innocently. “Yeah, sorry.”
“Nicolas,” Wells said, shaking his head with a grin pulling at his lips. “Man, I loved him.”
“Yeah, and I’ll never forget your dad catching you guys kissing. I heard him down the road,” Vaughn laughed.
“I wouldn’t leave my room. Neither would Wren,” Jensen chuckled. “We sat on the bathroom counter and just listened to the screaming.”
Wells’s face didn’t change, a grin on his face as he shrugged. “That’s when I came out to him. It was nasty.” Exhaling hard, he looked out the door and shook his head. “At least he stopped screaming at me about it, and he’s coming to the wedding.”
Jensen and Vaughn both agreed, but only with a nod as a silence fell over them. Jensen wasn’t sure what everyone else was thinking about as they ate the pie that Elaine had made for them, but Jensen’s mind went back to his dad. He couldn’t imagine not being able to talk to his dad without raised voices. But that was Wells’s life since his dad had found out. They used to be best friends, but that all changed when Wells came out. To that day, Jensen still felt bad for them. While it wasn’t Jensen’s cup of tea, Wells was his best friend, and he loved him for him, not for who he loved. Jensen just wished Winston could see that.
“So you’re still gonna marry him?” Vaughn asked, and Jensen closed his eyes.
“Really, Jo?”
Vaughn looked over at Jensen. “What? I mean, I’m just making sure.”
Wells scoffed. “Yeah, man, I’m marrying him.”
“You sure? We can head out, no questions asked.”
Reaching out, Wells wrapped his arm around Vaughn’s shoulder. “I love him.”
But Vaughn wasn’t convinced. “You sure?”
“Jo! Stop.”
“Hey, this is our best friend. We have to make sure, and you know damn well he doesn’t look at Alex the way he looked at Matty.”
Jensen pressed his lips together, looking away. “It doesn’t matter. It matters what he feels. He loves the guy, leave him be.”
When Jensen glanced up, Vaughn and Wells were sharing a look. “I only ask because I love you, man. I don’t want you to make a mistake.”
Wells sighed heavily as he shook his head. “The only mistake I made was giving Matty my whole heart when he didn’t even give me a piece of his.”
Vaughn looked to Jensen with his eyes wide, and of course, he was telling him clearly that he was right. But Jensen shook his head before looking over to his friend. “Do you want to marry him? Alex?”
“Yeah, because I have to.”
“You don’t have to do shit, son.” They all three looked to the door, where Winston stood, his brows pulled together as he glared at Wells. “If you don’t want to marry this boy, don’t. I don’t care how much money we’ve spent. I want you to be happy.”
A little taken aback, Wells’s hand came to his chest. “No, Dad, it’s not that. I do love Alex, I do. Which is why I have to. It’s the right time.”
Winston slowly nodded. “Then that’s that.”
With that, he turned and headed out the back door, and Jensen assumed he was going to his woodshed. Looking back to Wells, he found his best friend with his mouth hanging open as he watched his father cross the backyard to his shed. “What just happened?”
“No clue,” Vaughn said, his mouth hanging open too.
Pointing to his father’s woodshed, Wells asked, “Did my dad just accept my lifestyle?”
“I think so,” Jensen said, a little shocked too.
“Or we all blacked out, and this is a dream,” Vaughn supplied, but all three of them nodded.
“That seems more believable,” Wells muttered before the three them found themselves laughing from the gut.
Leaning on the counter, Jensen looked over at the two men who had been his constant buddies. Two men he knew he couldn’t do life without. His best friends. As Wells’s laughter subsided, he looked between them and grinned. “I’m thankful to have you two. Honestly. You’ve never stopped loving me in a non-gay way, and I truly love both of you, in a non-gay way, for that.”
“I mean, we are all pretty much the coolest dudes ever. It’s only natural we flock together,” Vaughn said in his own cocky manner.
Snorting, Jensen reached out, squeezing Wells’s shoulder. “Right back at you. I was just thinking the same thing, that this life would be boring without you two.”
Rolling his eyes, Vaughn scoffed. “Whatever, you’ve replaced us with Wren.”
“Oh yeah, she’s your life now,” Wells teased, and Jensen flipped them off.
“While, yes, she is my everything and so is my son, I know I need you two assholes, too,” he admitted, looking down at the counter. “So I hope you two are ready to raise my son with me.”
Wells let out a sigh as Vaughn laughed. “And my daughter with me.”
“I can get a dog for you guys to help raise if I need to since Alex doesn’t want kids yet, but I’m so down for raising some babies!” Wells announced, and Jensen’s face started to hurt, he was grinning so hard.
“In due time. But in the meantime, let’s go get you married.”
“Or drunk so you can get married,” Vaughn supplied, and Jensen shot him another dirty look. “What? I still don’t think it’s gonna happen.”
“I hate you,” Wells groaned, but then he squeezed Vaughn. “But I love you too.”
