In the Crease
Page 120
Gunner just stared up at him, his eyes wide and so full of wonder. His eyes were a spellbinding blue, with a beautiful light hazel circle around the pupil that took Jensen’s breath away. He was a damn cute kid, and Jensen still couldn’t believe this little nine-pound bundle had come out of his wife. She had been so strong—okay, not really. She bitched the whole time, but she did it. He probably had some battle wounds, but they were worth it as he stared into his son’s eyes. “So, like I told you when you were in your mama’s belly, I’m going to love you more than anyone else, well, except Mama, in this whole world. I’m going to be your best friend, and you’ll be mine. Unless you like your brother or sister more than me, and that will be okay. We’ll get to that when it happens. If it happens.”
A grin pulled at Jensen’s lips as his body vibrated with excitement. He had gone back to the doctor when they had come home from Colorado, and the tests had shown that there was a slight chance he could father a baby. His sperm count was low, but it was at least something they could work with. Since both of them were too stubborn to accept anything other than a win, he figured it would happen. He wasn’t sure when, or even if they would, but he might be able to give Wren more children. Not that she was asking after pushing a nine-pound child out her vagina. He was pretty sure she screamed she was never doing that again.
But in a way, it didn’t matter. He had the best wife and the greatest kid.
What else could he ask for?
“Hey.”
Turning around, he found his wife slowly getting up, moving her hair out of her face. “Is he okay?”
“He’s perfect. Just like you.”
She gave him a weak smile. “You’re too good to me, Jensen Monroe.”
“Never,” he said with a wink as she ran her hands down her face.
“Does he need to be fed?”
“Nope, already did a bottle thing.”
“Awesome, bring him here.”
He did as she asked, coming to the bed and sitting beside her. He placed Gunner in the crook of her arm, and she kissed his forehead. “And I thought I was scared to do this. Look at this face.”
“Right?”
Then she looked up at him. “Nope, still scared shitless.”
He laughed, kissing her cheek as she leaned into him. “You got me.”
“I do. You’re so lucky, and you just wait till you meet all your family. They’re gonna eat you up.”
“They are,” Jensen added as her phone went off. Reaching for it, he saw it was her mom. “It’s your mom.”
“Answer it.”
“No, she’ll ask me a billion questions I don’t know the answers to, and then it will be like you’re talking to her anyway.”
She blew out a breath. “Fine, trade me,” she said, and he hit answer before taking the baby as she answered, just as a knock came at the door. Her brows came together as the door opened and in came the last person he’d thought he’d see.
“Shanna,” Wren gasped, her eyes widening. Jensen knew for a fact they hadn’t spoken to each other since the wedding, but there she was with balloons and a basket of baby stuff. “Mom, let me call you back,” she said before hanging up the phone and straightening her hair. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Yeah, I sort of just drove here when your mom posted the picture of him on Facebook. I wanted to see him and you.” Setting the basket down, Shanna came toward them. “If that’s okay?”
“Yes, of course,” Wren said, waving her in. “I’m a mess. Jensen’s not, and neither is Gunner, but please.”
Jensen smiled as he went to Shanna, handing her his little man. She took him willingly, a grin covering her face as she moved the blanket down, running her finger along his chin. “He’s beautiful.”
“He is,” Jensen agreed. “Looks like his mama.”
Shanna looked up at him. “Thank God.”
Jensen smiled. “Yeah. He’s perfect. How are yours? Everyone healthy?”
She smiled back up at him before returning to look down at Gunner. “They’re great, thank you for asking, Jensen.”
Shanna rocked Gunner back and forth, and he just stared up at her. Jensen looked back at Wren to find her gazing upon them worriedly. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “You okay?”
She forced a smile as she nodded. “Yeah.”
“He’s lucky to have you two,” Shanna said then, looking over at them.
“Thank you,” Wren said softly.
Slowly nodding, Shanna took a deep breath before looking over at Wren once more. “I’m sorry for how I left it at the wedding. I shouldn’t have done that, but I was upset.”
Wren held up her hands, shaking her head. “No, I understand. I should have been honest, but I couldn’t—”
“No, I understand. Either way, it was shitty of me, and I hope that maybe we can work on us.”
Wren nodded eagerly. He knew she had felt awful and wanted to reach out to Shanna, but she didn’t know what to say. Plus, they had all been so busy with trips and baby stuff that she really hadn’t had time. “I’d love for that to happen.”
Shanna’s lips tipped at the side. “Maybe you’ll let me see him sometime.”
Wren smiled, and he knew she was going to say the same thing, but he spoke first. “Anytime you want, Shanna. You’re always welcome.”
Shanna sent him a small smile as she nodded. “He isn’t going to bother you guys. Word is his wife is pregnant.”
“You aren’t talking to him?”
Shanna shook her head. “Not lately, but we’re trying.”
He knew Wren didn’t know what to say, so he said, “Good for them. We wish them the best.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “But don’t worry. I made sure he wasn’t going to do anything stupid. He doesn’t need to. This baby isn’t his, it’s yours.”
Emotion choked him as he nodded. “Thank you, Shanna.”
“Of course,” she said, coming over to him and handing him Gunner. “I’m gonna get out of here. I told Jay I’d be back tonight, so I need to go.”
“Are you sure?” Wren asked and Shanna nodded.
A grin pulled at Jensen’s lips as his body vibrated with excitement. He had gone back to the doctor when they had come home from Colorado, and the tests had shown that there was a slight chance he could father a baby. His sperm count was low, but it was at least something they could work with. Since both of them were too stubborn to accept anything other than a win, he figured it would happen. He wasn’t sure when, or even if they would, but he might be able to give Wren more children. Not that she was asking after pushing a nine-pound child out her vagina. He was pretty sure she screamed she was never doing that again.
But in a way, it didn’t matter. He had the best wife and the greatest kid.
What else could he ask for?
“Hey.”
Turning around, he found his wife slowly getting up, moving her hair out of her face. “Is he okay?”
“He’s perfect. Just like you.”
She gave him a weak smile. “You’re too good to me, Jensen Monroe.”
“Never,” he said with a wink as she ran her hands down her face.
“Does he need to be fed?”
“Nope, already did a bottle thing.”
“Awesome, bring him here.”
He did as she asked, coming to the bed and sitting beside her. He placed Gunner in the crook of her arm, and she kissed his forehead. “And I thought I was scared to do this. Look at this face.”
“Right?”
Then she looked up at him. “Nope, still scared shitless.”
He laughed, kissing her cheek as she leaned into him. “You got me.”
“I do. You’re so lucky, and you just wait till you meet all your family. They’re gonna eat you up.”
“They are,” Jensen added as her phone went off. Reaching for it, he saw it was her mom. “It’s your mom.”
“Answer it.”
“No, she’ll ask me a billion questions I don’t know the answers to, and then it will be like you’re talking to her anyway.”
She blew out a breath. “Fine, trade me,” she said, and he hit answer before taking the baby as she answered, just as a knock came at the door. Her brows came together as the door opened and in came the last person he’d thought he’d see.
“Shanna,” Wren gasped, her eyes widening. Jensen knew for a fact they hadn’t spoken to each other since the wedding, but there she was with balloons and a basket of baby stuff. “Mom, let me call you back,” she said before hanging up the phone and straightening her hair. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Yeah, I sort of just drove here when your mom posted the picture of him on Facebook. I wanted to see him and you.” Setting the basket down, Shanna came toward them. “If that’s okay?”
“Yes, of course,” Wren said, waving her in. “I’m a mess. Jensen’s not, and neither is Gunner, but please.”
Jensen smiled as he went to Shanna, handing her his little man. She took him willingly, a grin covering her face as she moved the blanket down, running her finger along his chin. “He’s beautiful.”
“He is,” Jensen agreed. “Looks like his mama.”
Shanna looked up at him. “Thank God.”
Jensen smiled. “Yeah. He’s perfect. How are yours? Everyone healthy?”
She smiled back up at him before returning to look down at Gunner. “They’re great, thank you for asking, Jensen.”
Shanna rocked Gunner back and forth, and he just stared up at her. Jensen looked back at Wren to find her gazing upon them worriedly. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “You okay?”
She forced a smile as she nodded. “Yeah.”
“He’s lucky to have you two,” Shanna said then, looking over at them.
“Thank you,” Wren said softly.
Slowly nodding, Shanna took a deep breath before looking over at Wren once more. “I’m sorry for how I left it at the wedding. I shouldn’t have done that, but I was upset.”
Wren held up her hands, shaking her head. “No, I understand. I should have been honest, but I couldn’t—”
“No, I understand. Either way, it was shitty of me, and I hope that maybe we can work on us.”
Wren nodded eagerly. He knew she had felt awful and wanted to reach out to Shanna, but she didn’t know what to say. Plus, they had all been so busy with trips and baby stuff that she really hadn’t had time. “I’d love for that to happen.”
Shanna’s lips tipped at the side. “Maybe you’ll let me see him sometime.”
Wren smiled, and he knew she was going to say the same thing, but he spoke first. “Anytime you want, Shanna. You’re always welcome.”
Shanna sent him a small smile as she nodded. “He isn’t going to bother you guys. Word is his wife is pregnant.”
“You aren’t talking to him?”
Shanna shook her head. “Not lately, but we’re trying.”
He knew Wren didn’t know what to say, so he said, “Good for them. We wish them the best.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “But don’t worry. I made sure he wasn’t going to do anything stupid. He doesn’t need to. This baby isn’t his, it’s yours.”
Emotion choked him as he nodded. “Thank you, Shanna.”
“Of course,” she said, coming over to him and handing him Gunner. “I’m gonna get out of here. I told Jay I’d be back tonight, so I need to go.”
“Are you sure?” Wren asked and Shanna nodded.
