In the Crease
Page 42
That was the first step to his forever. With her.
“Hey, Wren.”
“Hold on, I’m trying to get out of this dress.”
He looked over his shoulder toward his room, or better yet, their room. He’d be sharing a bed with her tonight, and that alone had his whole body catching on fire. Though, he knew nothing would happen. “Do you need help?”
“Yes, please,” she called, but then she was walking over to him. “I can’t get the damn zipper down.”
She turned her back to him, and he inhaled as he stepped toward her, reaching out to run his fingers along her shoulder. Taking ahold of the zipper, he leaned down, kissing her shoulder as the parting fabric exposed her back and her hands came up to hold the front of the dress. Turning, she smiled up at him, a little wariness in her eyes. “Thanks.”
“Of course.”
“What did you need?”
Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts of stripping her down and taking her against the wall, he pointed to all the boxes. “Why is there only one box for the baby? I told them to bring everything here that was for the baby.”
She shrugged. “That’s all there is.”
He blinked in shock before looking back at her. “One box? Where is his crib? And all that stuff?”
She bit her lip, nervousness filling her features. “I haven’t gotten it yet. He doesn’t need it yet.”
He held his hands out. “Don’t you want to get his room ready?”
She seemed a little freaked out by his question. “I mean, yeah, I guess. I’ve been busy.”
“Or you’ve been in denial that it’s happening?”
She gave him a quirky smile. “That too.”
Rolling his eyes, he bent down to pick up the only box. “What’s in here?”
“A blanket that I saw at Walmart, and a few little onesies.”
“That’s it?”
Embarrassed, she smiled. “Hey, upside to this, we get to go shopping.”
He gave her a dry look. “That isn’t an upside. I hate shopping.”
“Oh my God, so do I! What are we going to do?”
“Go shopping,” he said simply before passing by her to head to the bedroom that used to be his old room. Setting the lone box in the middle of the floor, he rolled his eyes. How the hell had she been pregnant for six months and not bought a single thing? Crazy.
“What’s that?”
Looking to the doorway where she was standing, he found she was pointing to the bag beside the box he had just put down. A smile tugged at his mouth as he bent down, picking it up and then opening it. Holding up the little Monroe jersey, he smiled at her. “I got this for him yesterday.”
She cooed as she walked over, still holding her dress up but then grasping the jersey. “That is the sweetest thing. It’s so small!”
“It is. I’m sort of worried I’ll break him.”
She gushed, “Me too! Like, it freaks me out, but hopefully he’s squishy. I was squishy.”
“Yeah, have some girth to him. He’ll need it to play hockey.”
“Totally.” She beamed up at him. “I love it.”
“Me too,” he breathed as he laid it back down. “Guess we can go shopping tomorrow. When do you get off?”
“I have a full morning, but I can get off after lunch.”
“Cool. I have to get a baby gift for Lucy and Benji’s baby shower this weekend.”
She threw her hands up. “Fuck, I forgot all about that.” She bit her lip and then looked up at him. “Will we go together?”
He gave her a level look. “Well, considering we’re married, I’d say so.”
Panic filled her gaze as she looked away. “So, we’d come out to everyone there.”
“Yes.”
“To our boss, ’cause you know Elli will be there.”
“I guess so.”
“Okay, wow, okay,” she said before turning and heading back into their room. Shaking his head, he turned the light off. She was skittish as shit, and it only came out when things like that were brought up. When it was just them, it was good. No nerves. Just her and him. It was nice.
After a great dinner, they went to make sure her apartment was completely cleared out. Then they dropped off a payment at the storage facility before getting her car. She had to run back to her office for some things, so he went to the apartment where he waited for her. It was late, though. He was worn out, ready for bed, and he knew she had to get up early to head to the office.
Taking off his coat, he walked toward the closet and undressed since Wren had the bathroom. Once he was in his boxers, he climbed into bed, plugging in his phone as he used his legs to cover himself. Lying back, he cuddled into the pillows as he held his phone up, swiping through Facebook. His mom had posted the pictures of Wren and him on her page, so he started reading all the comments from her friends. Everyone was sweet and it was nice, but when he saw a comment from Ophelia’s mom, he glared a bit.
How nice for him.
Rolling his eyes, he continued scrolling just as a text came through.
Wells: SMH
His brows drew in as he clicked it and saw that it was in the group chat with everyone, right below Winston and Elaine’s congratulations.
Before he could write anything, Elaine was on there.
Elaine: Stop it, Wells.
Wells: No, you know what? This is your and Dad’s fault.
Elaine: How in the world is this our fault? How is anyone at fault here?
Wells: If you didn’t push that stupid inheritance stipulation on her, she wouldn’t have done this.
Rolling his eyes, Jensen bit his lip just as he heard Wren’s phone going off. Great, now she knew about it. All he could hear was her voice when he had called her earlier. He didn’t like that voice, the one that had a sob in it. He wanted her happy. That was his job. Annoyed, Jensen hit Wells’s name and then his number to call him.
“Hey. What’s up?”
Getting out of bed, he walked out of the bedroom. “Cut it out.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Stop this. I won’t have you treating her like this.”
“She’s going to fucking hurt you, dude—”
“That’s my problem, not yours.”
“But it will be mine because she’s my sister.”
“Hey, Wren.”
“Hold on, I’m trying to get out of this dress.”
He looked over his shoulder toward his room, or better yet, their room. He’d be sharing a bed with her tonight, and that alone had his whole body catching on fire. Though, he knew nothing would happen. “Do you need help?”
“Yes, please,” she called, but then she was walking over to him. “I can’t get the damn zipper down.”
She turned her back to him, and he inhaled as he stepped toward her, reaching out to run his fingers along her shoulder. Taking ahold of the zipper, he leaned down, kissing her shoulder as the parting fabric exposed her back and her hands came up to hold the front of the dress. Turning, she smiled up at him, a little wariness in her eyes. “Thanks.”
“Of course.”
“What did you need?”
Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts of stripping her down and taking her against the wall, he pointed to all the boxes. “Why is there only one box for the baby? I told them to bring everything here that was for the baby.”
She shrugged. “That’s all there is.”
He blinked in shock before looking back at her. “One box? Where is his crib? And all that stuff?”
She bit her lip, nervousness filling her features. “I haven’t gotten it yet. He doesn’t need it yet.”
He held his hands out. “Don’t you want to get his room ready?”
She seemed a little freaked out by his question. “I mean, yeah, I guess. I’ve been busy.”
“Or you’ve been in denial that it’s happening?”
She gave him a quirky smile. “That too.”
Rolling his eyes, he bent down to pick up the only box. “What’s in here?”
“A blanket that I saw at Walmart, and a few little onesies.”
“That’s it?”
Embarrassed, she smiled. “Hey, upside to this, we get to go shopping.”
He gave her a dry look. “That isn’t an upside. I hate shopping.”
“Oh my God, so do I! What are we going to do?”
“Go shopping,” he said simply before passing by her to head to the bedroom that used to be his old room. Setting the lone box in the middle of the floor, he rolled his eyes. How the hell had she been pregnant for six months and not bought a single thing? Crazy.
“What’s that?”
Looking to the doorway where she was standing, he found she was pointing to the bag beside the box he had just put down. A smile tugged at his mouth as he bent down, picking it up and then opening it. Holding up the little Monroe jersey, he smiled at her. “I got this for him yesterday.”
She cooed as she walked over, still holding her dress up but then grasping the jersey. “That is the sweetest thing. It’s so small!”
“It is. I’m sort of worried I’ll break him.”
She gushed, “Me too! Like, it freaks me out, but hopefully he’s squishy. I was squishy.”
“Yeah, have some girth to him. He’ll need it to play hockey.”
“Totally.” She beamed up at him. “I love it.”
“Me too,” he breathed as he laid it back down. “Guess we can go shopping tomorrow. When do you get off?”
“I have a full morning, but I can get off after lunch.”
“Cool. I have to get a baby gift for Lucy and Benji’s baby shower this weekend.”
She threw her hands up. “Fuck, I forgot all about that.” She bit her lip and then looked up at him. “Will we go together?”
He gave her a level look. “Well, considering we’re married, I’d say so.”
Panic filled her gaze as she looked away. “So, we’d come out to everyone there.”
“Yes.”
“To our boss, ’cause you know Elli will be there.”
“I guess so.”
“Okay, wow, okay,” she said before turning and heading back into their room. Shaking his head, he turned the light off. She was skittish as shit, and it only came out when things like that were brought up. When it was just them, it was good. No nerves. Just her and him. It was nice.
After a great dinner, they went to make sure her apartment was completely cleared out. Then they dropped off a payment at the storage facility before getting her car. She had to run back to her office for some things, so he went to the apartment where he waited for her. It was late, though. He was worn out, ready for bed, and he knew she had to get up early to head to the office.
Taking off his coat, he walked toward the closet and undressed since Wren had the bathroom. Once he was in his boxers, he climbed into bed, plugging in his phone as he used his legs to cover himself. Lying back, he cuddled into the pillows as he held his phone up, swiping through Facebook. His mom had posted the pictures of Wren and him on her page, so he started reading all the comments from her friends. Everyone was sweet and it was nice, but when he saw a comment from Ophelia’s mom, he glared a bit.
How nice for him.
Rolling his eyes, he continued scrolling just as a text came through.
Wells: SMH
His brows drew in as he clicked it and saw that it was in the group chat with everyone, right below Winston and Elaine’s congratulations.
Before he could write anything, Elaine was on there.
Elaine: Stop it, Wells.
Wells: No, you know what? This is your and Dad’s fault.
Elaine: How in the world is this our fault? How is anyone at fault here?
Wells: If you didn’t push that stupid inheritance stipulation on her, she wouldn’t have done this.
Rolling his eyes, Jensen bit his lip just as he heard Wren’s phone going off. Great, now she knew about it. All he could hear was her voice when he had called her earlier. He didn’t like that voice, the one that had a sob in it. He wanted her happy. That was his job. Annoyed, Jensen hit Wells’s name and then his number to call him.
“Hey. What’s up?”
Getting out of bed, he walked out of the bedroom. “Cut it out.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Stop this. I won’t have you treating her like this.”
“She’s going to fucking hurt you, dude—”
“That’s my problem, not yours.”
“But it will be mine because she’s my sister.”
