In the Crease
Page 119
“Good, be right back,” he said with a wink before he kissed her hand and went to sign stuff for the fans. As she stood there, watching as he gushed over the kids, was great with the adults, and signed as much as he could, she couldn’t help but think she couldn’t love anyone more than him. He had been wonderful the last couple months. They were great and so happy. She still couldn’t believe she had tried to keep her heart hidden from him. It was useless.
He owned it.
Her hand slid down the front of her belly where her son struggled inside of her for room, and her eyes drifted shut. She hadn’t heard from Bradley since Wells’s non-wedding. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking, so Jensen made sure to hire a wonderful lawyer just in case. Since she had the texts from Bradley telling her to abort their child, her lawyer was confident they would be able to terminate his rights to Gunner if need be or if he ever tried to take her to court. Meanwhile, though, the plan was to have Jensen sign the birth certificate because Gunner was his, and that was that.
Coming toward her, Jensen wrapped her up in his arms as he kissed her. “Ready?”
“Ready,” she said, leaning into him, and he grinned over at her.
“I love you.”
“I know,” she teased, and he kissed her once more as they headed into the theater that was full of all of hockey’s best. Seated in the front by the greats of Jensen’s generation, Wren leaned back in the seat, happy to be able to stretch her legs out in front of her. Her knees had been hurting, along with her hips. She wished the seats were bigger, but Jensen had already said they could leave after the Vezina Trophy.
She was praying it was the first award.
But Wren wasn’t that lucky.
Nope, it was toward the end, and as they went through the nominees, she squeezed Jensen’s hand when the nerves took over. But as always, Jensen was cool as a cucumber, laughing at her. But she couldn’t help it. She knew that Emma and Antoine were watching, as were her parents, Vaughn, Brie, Wells, and probably Matty. She wanted so badly for Jensen to win. He deserved it. He was the best!
“You’re insane,” he muttered, and she stuck her tongue out at him as the guy on the stage opened the envelope.
“From the Nashville Assassins, Jensen Monroe.”
Letting out a squeal, she somehow hopped up, clapping loudly, unlike the ladylike way hockey wives were supposed to do it, but she didn’t care. She was proud of her man. Laughing, he stood, taking her face in his hands before kissing her hard on the lips. Parting, he kissed her nose as the room erupted, his stats and his highlights showing on the screen on stage. Pride shook her from her core as she watched everything while he climbed the stairs, accepting his award. She hadn’t realized how big the Vezina Trophy was.
She had no clue where that was going in their apartment.
They really needed to buy a house.
She knew she was supposed to sit, but she didn’t. She kept standing, that is until she felt a pain in her side that had her dropping into her seat.
Shit, that hurt.
“Wow, um, I’m very honored and very humbled. I love this sport, I love my job, and everything tied to it. I work for the best owner in the NHL, one who makes me feel like I’m part of a family instead of just someone on the payroll. I play every night with my brothers, a game we all love and have worked our butts off to get into.” Everyone hooted and hollered, cheering him on, but Wren was hurting. Something wasn’t right, and when warmth ran down her legs, her eyes widened.
Did her water just break?
Oh. Fuck.
“First, I’d like to thank my wife,” he said then, and she directed her eyes up to the stage, meeting his. She knew damn well a camera was on her, so she didn’t move. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without her. Which is complete. I’ve known her for over fifteen years, and she made me chase her for fourteen years and nine months of that, but now, she’s having my son, and she loves me. So it’s okay that she made me wait because it was worth it. I love you, Wren Monroe.”
“I love you,” she somehow got out as everyone aww’d around them.
“Next, I want to dedicate this to my dad,” he said, and she exhaled hard before she stood slowly, which of course, made Jensen pause, but she waved him off, trying to get the hell out of there so she could text him to meet her out front. But she only got two steps before a shooting pain hit her in the gut.
“Shit.”
She didn’t even know how it happened. She thought some other hockey player was holding her up, but it was actually her hockey player as people started to gather around them.
“Whoa, baby, what’s wrong?”
She laughed through the pain to keep from crying. “My water broke.”
People who heard her gasped as he shook his head, laughing as everyone started to fuss over her to get her out of there. But she was in pain and freaking the fuck out. How did this happen? She had a month! Was Gunner okay? Holy crap! She was having her kid in Vegas! Dammit! But then her husband’s arms wrapped around her, not letting her go far. A much-needed wave of calm rushed over her before he muttered, “And you say you never get attention.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” she said as they made it out the side door where they could get to a car faster.
With a grin on his face, he nodded. “I am. Now, let’s go have us a baby.”
“So Daddy won the Vezina yesterday, and let me tell you what that is. That’s the award for the best goalie in the league, and Daddy is that. Did you know that, buddy?”
Jensen looked down into the face of his sweet boy, and he knew his heart was full. By the grace of God, Gunner looked like his beautiful wife, but he didn’t miss that Gunner had Bradley’s chin. Not that it mattered because unlike the fears he had been experiencing since he found out who Gunner’s biological father was, he loved the kid with everything inside of him. It wasn’t easy getting here, his insecurities were real, but all of that didn’t matter now. All that mattered was this little human who was his and Wren’s.
Holding his son close to him, he kissed Gunner’s forehead as he rocked him, pacing the room while Wren slept. “You just wait. I’m going to teach you everything I know: how to play, how to be the best, and if you want to be a forward, that’s cool. Uncle Vaughn will get you all set up. And if you want to play defense, that’s great because Uncle Wells does that. I got you covered, man. You’re going to be the best damn player ever. Better than the lot of us, you know that?”
He owned it.
Her hand slid down the front of her belly where her son struggled inside of her for room, and her eyes drifted shut. She hadn’t heard from Bradley since Wells’s non-wedding. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking, so Jensen made sure to hire a wonderful lawyer just in case. Since she had the texts from Bradley telling her to abort their child, her lawyer was confident they would be able to terminate his rights to Gunner if need be or if he ever tried to take her to court. Meanwhile, though, the plan was to have Jensen sign the birth certificate because Gunner was his, and that was that.
Coming toward her, Jensen wrapped her up in his arms as he kissed her. “Ready?”
“Ready,” she said, leaning into him, and he grinned over at her.
“I love you.”
“I know,” she teased, and he kissed her once more as they headed into the theater that was full of all of hockey’s best. Seated in the front by the greats of Jensen’s generation, Wren leaned back in the seat, happy to be able to stretch her legs out in front of her. Her knees had been hurting, along with her hips. She wished the seats were bigger, but Jensen had already said they could leave after the Vezina Trophy.
She was praying it was the first award.
But Wren wasn’t that lucky.
Nope, it was toward the end, and as they went through the nominees, she squeezed Jensen’s hand when the nerves took over. But as always, Jensen was cool as a cucumber, laughing at her. But she couldn’t help it. She knew that Emma and Antoine were watching, as were her parents, Vaughn, Brie, Wells, and probably Matty. She wanted so badly for Jensen to win. He deserved it. He was the best!
“You’re insane,” he muttered, and she stuck her tongue out at him as the guy on the stage opened the envelope.
“From the Nashville Assassins, Jensen Monroe.”
Letting out a squeal, she somehow hopped up, clapping loudly, unlike the ladylike way hockey wives were supposed to do it, but she didn’t care. She was proud of her man. Laughing, he stood, taking her face in his hands before kissing her hard on the lips. Parting, he kissed her nose as the room erupted, his stats and his highlights showing on the screen on stage. Pride shook her from her core as she watched everything while he climbed the stairs, accepting his award. She hadn’t realized how big the Vezina Trophy was.
She had no clue where that was going in their apartment.
They really needed to buy a house.
She knew she was supposed to sit, but she didn’t. She kept standing, that is until she felt a pain in her side that had her dropping into her seat.
Shit, that hurt.
“Wow, um, I’m very honored and very humbled. I love this sport, I love my job, and everything tied to it. I work for the best owner in the NHL, one who makes me feel like I’m part of a family instead of just someone on the payroll. I play every night with my brothers, a game we all love and have worked our butts off to get into.” Everyone hooted and hollered, cheering him on, but Wren was hurting. Something wasn’t right, and when warmth ran down her legs, her eyes widened.
Did her water just break?
Oh. Fuck.
“First, I’d like to thank my wife,” he said then, and she directed her eyes up to the stage, meeting his. She knew damn well a camera was on her, so she didn’t move. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without her. Which is complete. I’ve known her for over fifteen years, and she made me chase her for fourteen years and nine months of that, but now, she’s having my son, and she loves me. So it’s okay that she made me wait because it was worth it. I love you, Wren Monroe.”
“I love you,” she somehow got out as everyone aww’d around them.
“Next, I want to dedicate this to my dad,” he said, and she exhaled hard before she stood slowly, which of course, made Jensen pause, but she waved him off, trying to get the hell out of there so she could text him to meet her out front. But she only got two steps before a shooting pain hit her in the gut.
“Shit.”
She didn’t even know how it happened. She thought some other hockey player was holding her up, but it was actually her hockey player as people started to gather around them.
“Whoa, baby, what’s wrong?”
She laughed through the pain to keep from crying. “My water broke.”
People who heard her gasped as he shook his head, laughing as everyone started to fuss over her to get her out of there. But she was in pain and freaking the fuck out. How did this happen? She had a month! Was Gunner okay? Holy crap! She was having her kid in Vegas! Dammit! But then her husband’s arms wrapped around her, not letting her go far. A much-needed wave of calm rushed over her before he muttered, “And you say you never get attention.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” she said as they made it out the side door where they could get to a car faster.
With a grin on his face, he nodded. “I am. Now, let’s go have us a baby.”
“So Daddy won the Vezina yesterday, and let me tell you what that is. That’s the award for the best goalie in the league, and Daddy is that. Did you know that, buddy?”
Jensen looked down into the face of his sweet boy, and he knew his heart was full. By the grace of God, Gunner looked like his beautiful wife, but he didn’t miss that Gunner had Bradley’s chin. Not that it mattered because unlike the fears he had been experiencing since he found out who Gunner’s biological father was, he loved the kid with everything inside of him. It wasn’t easy getting here, his insecurities were real, but all of that didn’t matter now. All that mattered was this little human who was his and Wren’s.
Holding his son close to him, he kissed Gunner’s forehead as he rocked him, pacing the room while Wren slept. “You just wait. I’m going to teach you everything I know: how to play, how to be the best, and if you want to be a forward, that’s cool. Uncle Vaughn will get you all set up. And if you want to play defense, that’s great because Uncle Wells does that. I got you covered, man. You’re going to be the best damn player ever. Better than the lot of us, you know that?”
