In the Crease

Page 27

Jensen laughed. “Wow.”
“I know, I’m amazing.”
“And cocky as fuck.”
“Oh, yeah, totally that.”
“So I should call her.”
“You should go to her office or her place.” Vaughn sat up, looking down at him. “And you say, ‘Woman, you’re marrying me, and I’m gonna be that baby’s daddy! And you’re gonna love me!’”
Jensen sputtered with laughter as he sat up. “Yeah, we both know I’m not gonna say that.”
Vaughn shrugged. “Hey, worth the try.”
Nodding, Jensen sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah, but you’re right. And please God, don’t let that go to your head.”
Looking over at him, Jensen found Vaughn grinning. “Too late.”
“So she’s pretty booked?”
Wren’s assistant, Leah, glanced up from her computer. “I mean, she has like a fifteen-minute window between the appointment she has now and her next, but everyone is coming in today since they are either leaving or going on vacation.”
Jensen nodded. The food he was holding from The Southern was burning his hand, and the flowers he held in his other hand were making him want to sneeze, but he didn’t care. He was going to see Wren. “Can you put me in for those fifteen minutes?”
She looked skeptical. “She usually eats—”
He held up the food. “I know, I’m trying to surprise her.”
Her brow perked and then she smiled. “Yes, Mr. Monroe, I’ll put you in.”
“You rock, Leah. If she doesn’t tell you that enough, it’s true.”
Her face reddened before Jensen flashed her a winning smile. “You’re sweet. Have a seat, it shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Thanks,” he called back to her before taking the seat that was right in front of Wren’s office door. His chest hurt, his heart was pounding so hard, but he had to know. Right now. Yes or no, if they were doing this. God, he hoped she said yes. But a part of him was pretty sure she was going to say no. He didn’t know why, but he just felt it. She was a hard sell, and he understood she didn’t want to hurt him. They had too much history, but man, he really wanted this. He did. More than he thought he would.
Not to mention he was pretty sure it went past more than him just wanting to help her.
He wanted her to love him.
Biting the inside of his lip, he tried to inhale and exhale slowly as he waited for the door to open. He felt jumpy. Almost like he had a couple of weeks ago during the play-offs. He felt like he was watching game five all over again. He really didn’t want that feeling. She was Wren. His buddy’s baby sister and he knew her. He shouldn’t be nervous, but then it was Wren. Someone he had been very awkward around for most of his life.
He was pretty sure the only time he wasn’t nervous around her was when he was married to Ophelia. But that was only because he was trying to let Wren go. To love only Ophelia. He should have known that would have happen, though. He’d always had a place in his heart for Wren. Ophelia was constantly a little jealous of Wren, and it was probably because he would drop everything to help her. Wren knew that, so why was she holding back?
When the door opened, he stood just as Tate Odder came out. “Monroe.”
Jensen smiled. He hadn’t seen Odder in a while. “Odder, how you doing? Any news on when we can start training together?”
Tate looked away and then shook his head. “No, sorry. No news.”
Jensen’s shoulders dropped. “Well, that sucks. I’m excited to get out there with you.”
Tate looked apprehensive as he nodded. “Me too. I’ll see you?”
“Yeah, see ya,” Jensen said since Tate was already walking away. Huh, that was weird.
Taking a deep breath, Jensen pushed the office door open just as Wren looked up, her eyes widening. “Jensen.”
She looked beautiful. Her hair was up in a bun, her makeup soft but bringing out her eyes gorgeously. She was wearing a low-cut dress or shirt, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was her boobs looked great and, crap, he was staring. Was his mouth open? Shit, it was. She stood and the dress was loose, but he could see her bump. Her child. The child that could be his.
Moving her hands across the baby hairs along her forehead, she then ran them down the front of her dress, nervousness coming off her in waves. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
Snapping his jaw up, he held her gaze before he, like an idiot, squawked, “Yeah, hey, I came to see what the hell we’re doing.”
He was pretty sure there was a better way he could have said that.
Maybe he should have gone with what Vaughn had said to do.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I brought food. And flowers.”
Wren smiled. She couldn’t help it. He was just adorable. Standing there, arms full of food and flowers with a look of pure uncertainty on his face. He was nervous, which was understandable. So was she, but she knew he was doing this for her. Swallowing hard, she nodded as her heart pounded against her ribs, which woke up kiddo, and now he was kicking. But her son’s kicks were a little hard to pay attention to when Jensen’s eyes were locked with hers. They were such a demanding dark brown that struck her right in the middle of her soul.
Lord, he was pretty.
She had done so well her whole life, ignoring her feelings for him. Yeah, she was attracted to him, but she wasn’t going to fling herself on a guy who’d showed no interest in her until now. If that’s what he was even doing. She’d thought she was sure, but his terms to their agreement suggested that he was into her, which still blew her ever-loving mind.
“I can see that,” she somehow choked out. “Thank you, but—”
“I know you’ve only got like fifteen minutes, which is why I bought you like, seven dishes because I figured you could snack on them all day when you got time.”
“Oh, wow. That’s sweet.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled, his laughter a little laced with nerves as he laid everything down on her desk. “And I know you’re not really a flower chick, but I figured these would make you smile.” Looking up at her, he gestured toward the vase of marigolds.
Her heart almost came out of her chest at the sight of the beautiful gold flowers. “These are the ones I have outside my bedroom window at home.”