In the Crease
Page 121
“Yeah, I’ll call you.”
“I’d like that.”
“Me too,” she said as an exhale before the door opened, and then the whole family was in the room.
“Her boobs aren’t out, are they?” Vaughn yelled.
“God, let’s hope not!” Wells agreed.
“Shut up, boys. Oh, hey, Shanna. Where’s my baby? There he is!” Elaine yelled, coming straight for them, and then it was like Wren and Jensen didn’t matter as everyone gushed over their sweet boy. But Jensen didn’t miss the way Shanna watched before she quietly slipped out of the room without a goodbye.
“That’s gonna take time,” Wren said then, and he hadn’t realized she’d seen the same thing.
“Yeah, I think so too,” he agreed, looking over at her, but it was only for a moment before their family was fawning over them.
“He looks like me,” Winston said, tapping his chest. “Thank God.”
“He does not. He looks like me,” Elaine said.
“I see nothing but Wren,” Brie gushed, moving her finger along Gunner’s lips, her arms resting on her extended belly. She was getting so big, and it was really exciting because Jensen was pretty sure Vaughn was having panic attacks at the thought of being a dad. “He is gorgeous.”
“Yeah, he is,” Vaughn agreed. “Makes me want mine.”
Jensen scoffed. “Have you decided on a name?”
Brie smiled happily. “We have. Julie!”
“Ah! I love it,” Wren cheered, and Vaughn cleared his throat.
“I came up with it.”
Brie rolled her eyes as Wells said, “I’m pretty sure that name was thought of before you came into existence.”
That had everyone laughing as Wells took Gunner from Brie and kissed his cheek. “Listen here, buddy. You have two cool parents, but your uncles are where it’s at. We are so much cooler.”
Vaughn nodded as Gunner just looked up at them like they were crazy, which they were. “We can help you play hockey, chase girls, all the bad stuff your dad never did.”
“Give me my baby,” Wren said then, holding her hands out. “You two are going to corrupt him.”
Laughing, Wells brought Gunner to her. She took him, kissing his head before laying him on her lap. Reaching out, Jensen took Gunner’s little hand, and man, his heart was full. He’d known he was going to love the kid, that was a given, but nothing compared to what he was feeling at that moment. That overwhelming love he usually only felt for Wren. But damn, Gunner was giving her a run for her money.
Looking over at her, he flashed her a grin. “Would you be mad if I love him more?”
She laughed as she shook her head. “Nope, ’cause I love him more than you.”
“Good talk,” he said, and they shared a long look full of nothing but love and heat.
But that was interrupted when Wells clapped his hands together. “So, I’m flying out to New York to meet Matty’s parents tomorrow.”
“Awesome, do they know?” Vaughn asked.
“That I’m coming? They have no clue.”
Jensen laughed as Wren shook her head. “So it’ll be a surprise?”
“One of many thus far,” he joked, shaking his head. During a trip they all took that summer, some shit had gone down. But none of them really talked about it since they all knew how upset Matty had gotten, which, in turn, upset Wells. “They probably hate me.”
“Probably,” Winston joked before wrapping his arm around Wells as they laughed together. “But once they meet you, they’ll love you.” Watching as they shared a moment, Jensen found himself grinning. Things were still a little weird between them, but he felt good about it. They might get back what they had so long ago.
The kind of friendship he prayed he had with Gunner.
Later that night, after everyone was gone, it was just Jensen and Wren. He lay in bed with her, Gunner on her lap as he held her close, dusting kisses along her temple.
“I can’t believe your mom called him a little cabbage. So what, we’re the big cabbages?”
Jensen laughed against her temple, his eyes drifting shut. “I guess.”
“She said he looks nothing like you and says we need another.”
He smiled. “Guess we need to start working on that, eh?”
She scoffed. “Um, no. I just pushed something the size of a Zamboni out of my coot. You’re going to have to give me time to forget that.”
“You can forget something like that?”
“From what Elli said, yes.”
“So, there is hope?”
She giggled, leaning into him as she slid her hand into his. “Maybe.”
“I won’t hold my breath or forget the image of your vagina roughly the size of my head.”
She grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”
“At least you didn’t see it.”
“Thank God. Can you believe they asked if I wanted the mirror? Like, hell no, I don’t want to see that! Just give me my kid.”
“Some of us weren’t that lucky.”
Wren laughed out loud as she kissed his shoulder. “You were amazing. I’m sorry I ruined your award.”
He grinned as he ran his finger along the back of Gunner’s arm. “This is the prize I ultimately wanted.”
She leaned her chin into his shoulder as he kissed her nose, feeling the love between them all over his body. Smiling, she said, “Your dad looked so proud.”
“He did, and thank God he’s walking some.”
“Right? I was so happy to see him coming toward the phone.”
“It was awesome.”
She nodded, exhaling as she traced Gunner’s lips. “I’m exhausted.”
“Me too,” he muttered into her ear. “Are we giving him to the nurses?”
“No.”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “We’re supposed to.”
“I don’t care,” she announced, looking up at him. “He’s ours.”
“He is,” he agreed, meeting her in the middle for a kiss.
She looked down at Gunner, running her thumb along the back of his sweet, soft hand. “Did this really happen?”
He smiled as he nodded. “It did.”
“Who would have thunk it?”
“I’d like that.”
“Me too,” she said as an exhale before the door opened, and then the whole family was in the room.
“Her boobs aren’t out, are they?” Vaughn yelled.
“God, let’s hope not!” Wells agreed.
“Shut up, boys. Oh, hey, Shanna. Where’s my baby? There he is!” Elaine yelled, coming straight for them, and then it was like Wren and Jensen didn’t matter as everyone gushed over their sweet boy. But Jensen didn’t miss the way Shanna watched before she quietly slipped out of the room without a goodbye.
“That’s gonna take time,” Wren said then, and he hadn’t realized she’d seen the same thing.
“Yeah, I think so too,” he agreed, looking over at her, but it was only for a moment before their family was fawning over them.
“He looks like me,” Winston said, tapping his chest. “Thank God.”
“He does not. He looks like me,” Elaine said.
“I see nothing but Wren,” Brie gushed, moving her finger along Gunner’s lips, her arms resting on her extended belly. She was getting so big, and it was really exciting because Jensen was pretty sure Vaughn was having panic attacks at the thought of being a dad. “He is gorgeous.”
“Yeah, he is,” Vaughn agreed. “Makes me want mine.”
Jensen scoffed. “Have you decided on a name?”
Brie smiled happily. “We have. Julie!”
“Ah! I love it,” Wren cheered, and Vaughn cleared his throat.
“I came up with it.”
Brie rolled her eyes as Wells said, “I’m pretty sure that name was thought of before you came into existence.”
That had everyone laughing as Wells took Gunner from Brie and kissed his cheek. “Listen here, buddy. You have two cool parents, but your uncles are where it’s at. We are so much cooler.”
Vaughn nodded as Gunner just looked up at them like they were crazy, which they were. “We can help you play hockey, chase girls, all the bad stuff your dad never did.”
“Give me my baby,” Wren said then, holding her hands out. “You two are going to corrupt him.”
Laughing, Wells brought Gunner to her. She took him, kissing his head before laying him on her lap. Reaching out, Jensen took Gunner’s little hand, and man, his heart was full. He’d known he was going to love the kid, that was a given, but nothing compared to what he was feeling at that moment. That overwhelming love he usually only felt for Wren. But damn, Gunner was giving her a run for her money.
Looking over at her, he flashed her a grin. “Would you be mad if I love him more?”
She laughed as she shook her head. “Nope, ’cause I love him more than you.”
“Good talk,” he said, and they shared a long look full of nothing but love and heat.
But that was interrupted when Wells clapped his hands together. “So, I’m flying out to New York to meet Matty’s parents tomorrow.”
“Awesome, do they know?” Vaughn asked.
“That I’m coming? They have no clue.”
Jensen laughed as Wren shook her head. “So it’ll be a surprise?”
“One of many thus far,” he joked, shaking his head. During a trip they all took that summer, some shit had gone down. But none of them really talked about it since they all knew how upset Matty had gotten, which, in turn, upset Wells. “They probably hate me.”
“Probably,” Winston joked before wrapping his arm around Wells as they laughed together. “But once they meet you, they’ll love you.” Watching as they shared a moment, Jensen found himself grinning. Things were still a little weird between them, but he felt good about it. They might get back what they had so long ago.
The kind of friendship he prayed he had with Gunner.
Later that night, after everyone was gone, it was just Jensen and Wren. He lay in bed with her, Gunner on her lap as he held her close, dusting kisses along her temple.
“I can’t believe your mom called him a little cabbage. So what, we’re the big cabbages?”
Jensen laughed against her temple, his eyes drifting shut. “I guess.”
“She said he looks nothing like you and says we need another.”
He smiled. “Guess we need to start working on that, eh?”
She scoffed. “Um, no. I just pushed something the size of a Zamboni out of my coot. You’re going to have to give me time to forget that.”
“You can forget something like that?”
“From what Elli said, yes.”
“So, there is hope?”
She giggled, leaning into him as she slid her hand into his. “Maybe.”
“I won’t hold my breath or forget the image of your vagina roughly the size of my head.”
She grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”
“At least you didn’t see it.”
“Thank God. Can you believe they asked if I wanted the mirror? Like, hell no, I don’t want to see that! Just give me my kid.”
“Some of us weren’t that lucky.”
Wren laughed out loud as she kissed his shoulder. “You were amazing. I’m sorry I ruined your award.”
He grinned as he ran his finger along the back of Gunner’s arm. “This is the prize I ultimately wanted.”
She leaned her chin into his shoulder as he kissed her nose, feeling the love between them all over his body. Smiling, she said, “Your dad looked so proud.”
“He did, and thank God he’s walking some.”
“Right? I was so happy to see him coming toward the phone.”
“It was awesome.”
She nodded, exhaling as she traced Gunner’s lips. “I’m exhausted.”
“Me too,” he muttered into her ear. “Are we giving him to the nurses?”
“No.”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “We’re supposed to.”
“I don’t care,” she announced, looking up at him. “He’s ours.”
“He is,” he agreed, meeting her in the middle for a kiss.
She looked down at Gunner, running her thumb along the back of his sweet, soft hand. “Did this really happen?”
He smiled as he nodded. “It did.”
“Who would have thunk it?”
