In the Crease
Page 48
“Wren? Jensen?”
Before he could answer his boss, Vaughn was waving at him from beside the grill. “Jenny! Wrenny! Over here.”
“I see you,” he called over to him before he looked back to his boss. “Hey, Elli,” he said before leaning over and kissing her cheek.
But her mouth was a little open as she glanced between them. Meanwhile, Wren was shaking against his hand. Guess this was the judgy part she was worried about. As he looked around, all eyes were on them. He could feel it, Wren was about to hightail it out of there. Leaning toward her, he kissed the spot on her temple before whispering, “It’s okay.”
“Why’s everyone staring at you two?” Vaughn asked, coming over and wrapping his arm around Wren’s shoulders before looking up at Jensen. He then looked around. “People, really? We are on a team with extremely fertile men who impregnate their wives daily. So, really, this is nothing new. Just our very talented goalie and our therapist who eloped, and guess what, are having a baby! So yeah, let’s give them a round of applause.”
When he started clapping, some followed suit, but Elli was still staring at them.
“Thank you, Vaughn,” Jensen muttered through tight lips.
He nodded with a grin on his face. “Anytime, brother.”
“I’m legit going to kill you in your sleep,” Wren said for the whole backyard to hear, but Vaughn just laughed it off.
“She threatens me all the time. It’s endearing.”
Letting her go, Vaughn walked away before Elli stepped up, taking Wren in her arms. “Well, congratulations! I didn’t even know you two were dating!”
When they parted, Vaughn appeared again, pointing to their boss. “By the way, Elli, maybe you might have to shred some more paperwork. Hint, hint.” When he coughed exaggeratedly, Jensen rolled his eyes. “Dumb-ass non-fraternization rule.”
“I’m subcontracted, asshat,” Wren supplied, glaring.
Jensen chuckled as Benji shook his hand, along with some of the other guys. Wren explained, “Anyway, it was an on-and-off kind of thing. We’ve known each other our whole lives, though.”
“Oh, I knew that, but I didn’t know it was anything romantic,” Elli said before taking Jensen in her arms and kissing his cheek. “I’m so happy for y’all.”
“Thank you, we’re really excited.” Jensen beamed since he wasn’t lying. But Wren, Jesus, her lips turned up in what he assumed was a smile, and he was convinced people would think she was in pain.
“I usually know everything. You got one by me!”
Jensen laughed as he pulled Wren into the crook of his arm. “She’s private.”
“I’d say so! So, how far along?”
“Six months.”
“Goodness! We’ll have to have a baby shower for you!”
But Wren waved her off. “No need. It’s fine. Really.”
“I insist,” Elli said, her drawl coming out as she looked between them. His boss was a smart lady, but she was also very kind and loving. She would give the shoes off her feet to anyone, but she was also a no-holds-barred kind of chick, and she could see through any bullshit.
He was pretty sure she saw right through them.
“I’m just floored that I never noticed.”
Wren shrugged. “You always came in when I was sitting behind my desk, and I just didn’t tell anyone.”
Elli made a noise; he wasn’t sure what the noise meant, but she was smiling. “Well, either way, we’re excited for a new addition to the Assassins family. Babies everywhere! It makes my heart so happy.”
When Wren didn’t answer, an awkward silence fell between the three of them while Jensen rocked back on his heels, unsure what to say to make the situation any less awkward. Yeah, this was going awesome.
Not.
When he ran his hand along the small of Wren’s back, she looked up at him and he smiled, trying to make it better. When she didn’t smile back, his heart sort of stopped. Didn’t he say he was there for her? He had her back, so instead of worrying about what to say to his boss, he didn’t think, he just leaned in, pressing his lips to Wren’s. He watched through her glasses as her eyes drifted shut, and his heart sang while his arm came up and around her neck, holding her to him. Pulling away, his lips only a breath away, he whispered, “Smile. You’re beautiful.”
Her lips quirked as her hand came to the middle of his back just as Elli said, “Well, I don’t know how I didn’t suspect it because you two are adorable together.”
Jensen nodded. “Eh, she’s a little too hot for me, though.”
Wren scoffed at that. “Please.”
“It’s true,” he insisted, and for the first time that day, she beamed.
“Stop, I’m getting as big as a house.”
“Oh, girl, let me tell you about being as big as a house,” Elli said, taking Wren’s other hand and pulling her toward the drink table that was covered in pink. Wren glanced back at Jensen, but it wasn’t for help. At least, he didn’t think so. Instead, her lips were still curved.
Man, she was beautiful.
When an arm came across his shoulders, he looked over to see Dylan Alexander, his backup since Tate was still out. “Dude, I didn’t even know!”
Jensen just smiled. “No one did.”
“True story, it’s like it just happened,” Vaughn said from beside Karson King and Jordie Thomas. Markus Reeves and Phillip Anderson stood on the other side of Jordie, all of them with smiles on their faces but curiosity in their eyes. Sending a death stare at his best friend, Jensen shrugged. “Yeah, it was all kind of fast, but we’re happy.”
“And that’s all that matters,” Jordie said, gesturing to Jensen. “But congratulations. She’s a good girl.”
“She is.” Jensen looked back to where Wren was standing with Elli and a bunch of the other wives. They were gushing over Karson and Lacey King’s new baby girl. Wren wasn’t touching her, but the interest was on her face.
When a slap came to his back, he turned to see Shea Adler, a constant presence in the Assassins organization and Elli Adler’s husband. “Knocking up the therapist, I’m impressed. I thought she hated everyone.”
Vaughn laughed. “She does.”
“Obviously not our pretty boy goalie,” Shea teased, and Jensen laughed.
Before he could answer his boss, Vaughn was waving at him from beside the grill. “Jenny! Wrenny! Over here.”
“I see you,” he called over to him before he looked back to his boss. “Hey, Elli,” he said before leaning over and kissing her cheek.
But her mouth was a little open as she glanced between them. Meanwhile, Wren was shaking against his hand. Guess this was the judgy part she was worried about. As he looked around, all eyes were on them. He could feel it, Wren was about to hightail it out of there. Leaning toward her, he kissed the spot on her temple before whispering, “It’s okay.”
“Why’s everyone staring at you two?” Vaughn asked, coming over and wrapping his arm around Wren’s shoulders before looking up at Jensen. He then looked around. “People, really? We are on a team with extremely fertile men who impregnate their wives daily. So, really, this is nothing new. Just our very talented goalie and our therapist who eloped, and guess what, are having a baby! So yeah, let’s give them a round of applause.”
When he started clapping, some followed suit, but Elli was still staring at them.
“Thank you, Vaughn,” Jensen muttered through tight lips.
He nodded with a grin on his face. “Anytime, brother.”
“I’m legit going to kill you in your sleep,” Wren said for the whole backyard to hear, but Vaughn just laughed it off.
“She threatens me all the time. It’s endearing.”
Letting her go, Vaughn walked away before Elli stepped up, taking Wren in her arms. “Well, congratulations! I didn’t even know you two were dating!”
When they parted, Vaughn appeared again, pointing to their boss. “By the way, Elli, maybe you might have to shred some more paperwork. Hint, hint.” When he coughed exaggeratedly, Jensen rolled his eyes. “Dumb-ass non-fraternization rule.”
“I’m subcontracted, asshat,” Wren supplied, glaring.
Jensen chuckled as Benji shook his hand, along with some of the other guys. Wren explained, “Anyway, it was an on-and-off kind of thing. We’ve known each other our whole lives, though.”
“Oh, I knew that, but I didn’t know it was anything romantic,” Elli said before taking Jensen in her arms and kissing his cheek. “I’m so happy for y’all.”
“Thank you, we’re really excited.” Jensen beamed since he wasn’t lying. But Wren, Jesus, her lips turned up in what he assumed was a smile, and he was convinced people would think she was in pain.
“I usually know everything. You got one by me!”
Jensen laughed as he pulled Wren into the crook of his arm. “She’s private.”
“I’d say so! So, how far along?”
“Six months.”
“Goodness! We’ll have to have a baby shower for you!”
But Wren waved her off. “No need. It’s fine. Really.”
“I insist,” Elli said, her drawl coming out as she looked between them. His boss was a smart lady, but she was also very kind and loving. She would give the shoes off her feet to anyone, but she was also a no-holds-barred kind of chick, and she could see through any bullshit.
He was pretty sure she saw right through them.
“I’m just floored that I never noticed.”
Wren shrugged. “You always came in when I was sitting behind my desk, and I just didn’t tell anyone.”
Elli made a noise; he wasn’t sure what the noise meant, but she was smiling. “Well, either way, we’re excited for a new addition to the Assassins family. Babies everywhere! It makes my heart so happy.”
When Wren didn’t answer, an awkward silence fell between the three of them while Jensen rocked back on his heels, unsure what to say to make the situation any less awkward. Yeah, this was going awesome.
Not.
When he ran his hand along the small of Wren’s back, she looked up at him and he smiled, trying to make it better. When she didn’t smile back, his heart sort of stopped. Didn’t he say he was there for her? He had her back, so instead of worrying about what to say to his boss, he didn’t think, he just leaned in, pressing his lips to Wren’s. He watched through her glasses as her eyes drifted shut, and his heart sang while his arm came up and around her neck, holding her to him. Pulling away, his lips only a breath away, he whispered, “Smile. You’re beautiful.”
Her lips quirked as her hand came to the middle of his back just as Elli said, “Well, I don’t know how I didn’t suspect it because you two are adorable together.”
Jensen nodded. “Eh, she’s a little too hot for me, though.”
Wren scoffed at that. “Please.”
“It’s true,” he insisted, and for the first time that day, she beamed.
“Stop, I’m getting as big as a house.”
“Oh, girl, let me tell you about being as big as a house,” Elli said, taking Wren’s other hand and pulling her toward the drink table that was covered in pink. Wren glanced back at Jensen, but it wasn’t for help. At least, he didn’t think so. Instead, her lips were still curved.
Man, she was beautiful.
When an arm came across his shoulders, he looked over to see Dylan Alexander, his backup since Tate was still out. “Dude, I didn’t even know!”
Jensen just smiled. “No one did.”
“True story, it’s like it just happened,” Vaughn said from beside Karson King and Jordie Thomas. Markus Reeves and Phillip Anderson stood on the other side of Jordie, all of them with smiles on their faces but curiosity in their eyes. Sending a death stare at his best friend, Jensen shrugged. “Yeah, it was all kind of fast, but we’re happy.”
“And that’s all that matters,” Jordie said, gesturing to Jensen. “But congratulations. She’s a good girl.”
“She is.” Jensen looked back to where Wren was standing with Elli and a bunch of the other wives. They were gushing over Karson and Lacey King’s new baby girl. Wren wasn’t touching her, but the interest was on her face.
When a slap came to his back, he turned to see Shea Adler, a constant presence in the Assassins organization and Elli Adler’s husband. “Knocking up the therapist, I’m impressed. I thought she hated everyone.”
Vaughn laughed. “She does.”
“Obviously not our pretty boy goalie,” Shea teased, and Jensen laughed.
