In the Crease
Page 41
“Then this is yours.”
“And you’re mine,” he whispered, and her smile fell as she gazed up at him.
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, kissing her nose once more before taking her hand in his. Glancing back to Brie, he asked, “Get some good ones?”
“Yes!” she gushed, coming over to him and handing him his phone before handing Wren hers. As he swiped through the pictures, he saw they were absolutely perfect, and he knew his mom would love them. He loved them.
“Aw, I don’t look fat at all,” Wren admitted. “Probably because you’re so gorgeous.”
He scoffed at that. “Or because you’re not fat.”
She rolled her eyes as Vaughn came over with his phone held out for a selfie. “Smile for the group chat.” They all did as he asked, and then he was on his phone. When the photo came through in the group chat with Wells, Elaine, Wren, Brie, Vaughn, and him, Jensen opened it and smiled at Vaughn’s picture and caption.
Vaughn: Crazy kids did it!
It was followed by another picture, this time of them kissing with Jensen’s hands on her belly.
Elaine: Oh my goodness, aren’t they beautiful! I love it! Congratulations.
Jensen and then Wren both thanked her, and he glanced over at her. “Do you have to get back?”
She shook her head. “I took the afternoon off, thought we could get moved in. Go to dinner, celebrate.” She shot him a smile, not a full one, but a small one as she shrugged. “Or not.”
“No, I want to, just surprised,” he said before kissing her temple. “Let’s go. Are you two coming?”
Brie shook her head. “No, we thought she had to go back to work, so we are going shopping. Go enjoy time alone.”
“Yeah, we’re gonna go bang too,” Vaughn said, and Jensen rolled his eyes.
“Overshare, buddy. Okay, thanks for coming.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Brie said as Jensen hugged them both, but he paused when his phone started to ring.
“Okay, I’ll see y’all later. It’s my mom,” he said as he answered. “Mum, just a second. Wren, you wanna ride with me? I’ll bring you back to your car later.”
She nodded as she hugged Brie. “Yeah.”
“Cool. Hey, Mum, did you get the pictures?”
But instead of being answered in English, he was answered in French, which meant his mom had a lot to say and fast. And boy, was she not happy. As Wren walked beside him, their fingers laced together, he tried to get in a word while they walked toward his car. Opening the door for her, he helped her in as he nodded. He almost didn’t want to get in the car, but he didn’t want Wren to know that his mom was complaining about her.
Even though she was.
Getting in, he nodded once more and then exhaled. “I understand. I’m sorry you feel that way. I know, Mum. Okay, yes. I love you too. Bye.”
Hanging up, he laid his head back before looking over at his wife. Wow, he loved the sound of that. “Well, that was fun.”
She met him with a concerned look. “That didn’t sound good. I think the last time I heard her like that, she was screaming at you when you guys got caught stealing that car.”
Jensen laughed. “We didn’t steal the car, we were just sitting in it. Drinking.”
“It wasn’t yours.”
“This is true, but whatever, I was like seventeen. Stupid kid stuff.”
“But this sounded like that time.”
He nodded. “Yeah, she’s upset with me.”
“Why? I thought she was good with this.”
“She was, until she saw how far along you are. I guess I left that part out.”
Her mouth made the shape of an O.
“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s fine.”
“So, actually, she’s mad at me?”
He bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want to lie to her, but she had already had it out with her brother. Meeting her gaze, he shrugged. “She feels you should have told me sooner so I could have been there for you. But obviously, she doesn’t know the whole story. So, really, it’s a moot point.” She nodded as she looked down at her belly. “I told her that you were spooked and that it’s you. You do that, you keep to yourself, and it’s fine. I understand that about you, but now I’m here, and I’ll be here for you and the baby.” Swallowing hard, she nodded as she picked at her nails. Silence stretched between them as he started the car. “It’s really okay,” he added when she still hadn’t said anything.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry for all this.”
His brows pulled together, his hand stalling on the gear shift. “Sorry for what?”
“For asking you.”
“Why? I’m glad you did.”
Her face scrunched up as if she were thinking about something too hard. “No one wants this, Jensen.”
He shrugged. “I’m not no one. I’m me.”
She glanced up at him and let out a deep sigh. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” he said, leaning over and kissing her lips softly. But before he could pull away, she reached up, taking his face in her hands.
“I don’t think I really thanked you.”
He smiled, pressing his nose into hers. “You don’t have to.”
“No, I do. You really saved me with this.”
His grin grew. “And you saved me.”
He pressed his lips to her nose and then pulled away. Her hands fell into her lap. Her eyes were wanting, needing, and he almost said the words. But he knew in his heart she wasn’t ready for them.
And in a way, he wasn’t ready to say them.
When he did say them, he wanted them to rattle her the way she rattled him.
Not a moment sooner or a moment later.
So with a contented and utterly blissful smile on his face, he pushed aside his mother’s angry rant and asked, “Now, where do you and baby boy wanna eat?”
Looking around the apartment at where the movers had put all the boxes from Wren’s place, Jensen felt a little overwhelmed. Thankfully, they’d had all the furniture sent to storage since she claimed she didn’t need it, but he had no clue what was in these boxes. Her apartment always seemed so damn empty, so he wasn’t sure what the hell she could have in there. It didn’t matter, though. She was there. Reluctantly…but she was there.
“And you’re mine,” he whispered, and her smile fell as she gazed up at him.
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, kissing her nose once more before taking her hand in his. Glancing back to Brie, he asked, “Get some good ones?”
“Yes!” she gushed, coming over to him and handing him his phone before handing Wren hers. As he swiped through the pictures, he saw they were absolutely perfect, and he knew his mom would love them. He loved them.
“Aw, I don’t look fat at all,” Wren admitted. “Probably because you’re so gorgeous.”
He scoffed at that. “Or because you’re not fat.”
She rolled her eyes as Vaughn came over with his phone held out for a selfie. “Smile for the group chat.” They all did as he asked, and then he was on his phone. When the photo came through in the group chat with Wells, Elaine, Wren, Brie, Vaughn, and him, Jensen opened it and smiled at Vaughn’s picture and caption.
Vaughn: Crazy kids did it!
It was followed by another picture, this time of them kissing with Jensen’s hands on her belly.
Elaine: Oh my goodness, aren’t they beautiful! I love it! Congratulations.
Jensen and then Wren both thanked her, and he glanced over at her. “Do you have to get back?”
She shook her head. “I took the afternoon off, thought we could get moved in. Go to dinner, celebrate.” She shot him a smile, not a full one, but a small one as she shrugged. “Or not.”
“No, I want to, just surprised,” he said before kissing her temple. “Let’s go. Are you two coming?”
Brie shook her head. “No, we thought she had to go back to work, so we are going shopping. Go enjoy time alone.”
“Yeah, we’re gonna go bang too,” Vaughn said, and Jensen rolled his eyes.
“Overshare, buddy. Okay, thanks for coming.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Brie said as Jensen hugged them both, but he paused when his phone started to ring.
“Okay, I’ll see y’all later. It’s my mom,” he said as he answered. “Mum, just a second. Wren, you wanna ride with me? I’ll bring you back to your car later.”
She nodded as she hugged Brie. “Yeah.”
“Cool. Hey, Mum, did you get the pictures?”
But instead of being answered in English, he was answered in French, which meant his mom had a lot to say and fast. And boy, was she not happy. As Wren walked beside him, their fingers laced together, he tried to get in a word while they walked toward his car. Opening the door for her, he helped her in as he nodded. He almost didn’t want to get in the car, but he didn’t want Wren to know that his mom was complaining about her.
Even though she was.
Getting in, he nodded once more and then exhaled. “I understand. I’m sorry you feel that way. I know, Mum. Okay, yes. I love you too. Bye.”
Hanging up, he laid his head back before looking over at his wife. Wow, he loved the sound of that. “Well, that was fun.”
She met him with a concerned look. “That didn’t sound good. I think the last time I heard her like that, she was screaming at you when you guys got caught stealing that car.”
Jensen laughed. “We didn’t steal the car, we were just sitting in it. Drinking.”
“It wasn’t yours.”
“This is true, but whatever, I was like seventeen. Stupid kid stuff.”
“But this sounded like that time.”
He nodded. “Yeah, she’s upset with me.”
“Why? I thought she was good with this.”
“She was, until she saw how far along you are. I guess I left that part out.”
Her mouth made the shape of an O.
“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s fine.”
“So, actually, she’s mad at me?”
He bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want to lie to her, but she had already had it out with her brother. Meeting her gaze, he shrugged. “She feels you should have told me sooner so I could have been there for you. But obviously, she doesn’t know the whole story. So, really, it’s a moot point.” She nodded as she looked down at her belly. “I told her that you were spooked and that it’s you. You do that, you keep to yourself, and it’s fine. I understand that about you, but now I’m here, and I’ll be here for you and the baby.” Swallowing hard, she nodded as she picked at her nails. Silence stretched between them as he started the car. “It’s really okay,” he added when she still hadn’t said anything.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry for all this.”
His brows pulled together, his hand stalling on the gear shift. “Sorry for what?”
“For asking you.”
“Why? I’m glad you did.”
Her face scrunched up as if she were thinking about something too hard. “No one wants this, Jensen.”
He shrugged. “I’m not no one. I’m me.”
She glanced up at him and let out a deep sigh. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” he said, leaning over and kissing her lips softly. But before he could pull away, she reached up, taking his face in her hands.
“I don’t think I really thanked you.”
He smiled, pressing his nose into hers. “You don’t have to.”
“No, I do. You really saved me with this.”
His grin grew. “And you saved me.”
He pressed his lips to her nose and then pulled away. Her hands fell into her lap. Her eyes were wanting, needing, and he almost said the words. But he knew in his heart she wasn’t ready for them.
And in a way, he wasn’t ready to say them.
When he did say them, he wanted them to rattle her the way she rattled him.
Not a moment sooner or a moment later.
So with a contented and utterly blissful smile on his face, he pushed aside his mother’s angry rant and asked, “Now, where do you and baby boy wanna eat?”
Looking around the apartment at where the movers had put all the boxes from Wren’s place, Jensen felt a little overwhelmed. Thankfully, they’d had all the furniture sent to storage since she claimed she didn’t need it, but he had no clue what was in these boxes. Her apartment always seemed so damn empty, so he wasn’t sure what the hell she could have in there. It didn’t matter, though. She was there. Reluctantly…but she was there.
