In the Crease
Page 49
“Who isn’t attracted to him? He’s all hot and shit,” Markus joked, and everyone chuckled.
“I’m waiting for them to make us do those calendars again. Thousand bucks says Monroe is the cover model for the whole thing,” Anderson teased, while Jensen rolled his eyes.
“Shit, would your wife let you?” Shea asked, glancing back at Wren and the girls. “She looks like the jealous type, also one of those girls who might kill you in your sleep.”
Vaughn pointed to Shea. “You have no clue. She tried to smother me when we were teenagers.”
Jensen scoffed. “You cut her hair when she was sleeping!”
“What?” Shea laughed, and Vaughn shrugged.
“She kicked me in the balls.”
“You popped her bra, breaking the damn thing, and Elaine couldn’t get to the school for an hour, so Wren ran around with her boobs floating while everyone teased her.”
Vaughn shrugged. “You gave her your hoodie, she was fine.”
“But everyone knew,” Jensen scolded. “And all you did was laugh.”
Vaughn laughed like he had back then. “Her face. She was so pissed.”
“Asshole.”
“Jesus, how long have you guys known each other?” Phillip asked.
Vaughn and Jensen shared a look before they both said, “Forever.”
Everyone laughed at that while Jensen shook his head. They really had known each other forever, and as he gazed over at his now-wife, he smiled. He had really cared for her and wanted to protect her for as long as he could remember. And not a damn thing had changed since them. Even with the need for flight in her eyes, he still wanted to be there for her. Protect her.
He loved her.
“So, do you know what you’re having?” Phillip asked, and Jensen looked toward him with a nod, his heart fluttering in his chest.
“A boy.”
“Thank God. Everyone is having girls,” Jordie mentioned as Jensen looked around the totally pinked-out place.
“Not me. It’s a boy. I know it,” Vaughn called, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m a man’s man, and I’m having a man child.”
They all scoffed, shaking their heads. “I would love to see you with a little girl. She’ll shatter your world, just like Brie did,” Karson said with a laugh.
“She didn’t shatter my world. I shattered hers.”
“Yeah, pretty sure she wasn’t the one sending you millions of flowers. It was the other way around,” Jensen teased, and Vaughn shot him a look.
“Shut up.”
“Hey, girls are trouble. All of them. They get you all fucked up, in love with them, and then they give you a daughter who does the same thing all over again,” Jordie agreed with a nod as he stared across the yard at his beautiful wife. “In an instant. Just like that, and you’re never the same.”
“This is true, but so does a boy. I love my boys with everything inside of me,” Phillip added with a small grin on his face. “One look at my first main man when he was born, and I was a changed man.”
“Every single one of mine took a piece of me with them,” Shea said then, his lips curving. “I thought after Elli and Shelli I couldn’t love anyone else, but then each one, I loved more and more. It’s crazy. Life. Ya know?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Jensen’s gaze drifted over to where Wren was standing with Elli as she very animatedly told her something. His love for that girl was strong, and he couldn’t wait for the moment he’d meet his son.
“Yeah, I have nothing. No kids. And we’re not having any for a long time. We just want to enjoy us,” Markus said with a nod.
Jordie nodded. “Can’t blame you. I wish we would have done that, but when you have a sperm count like I do—and a beard, mind you—it tends to just happen. I spit on her, and she’s pregnant.”
Karson gagged. “That’s my sister, asshole.”
“And I love her,” Jordie teased back, his face bright as everyone laughed.
When the laughter subsided, Markus slapped Jensen on the back. “You nervous?”
Jensen scoffed, his heart jumping up into his throat. “Nervous? That’s only one emotion I have.”
They all smiled, most of them knowingly, while Markus nodded. “I couldn’t imagine, but I love Wren. She’s great. She’s a give-it-to-you-straight kind of girl.”
“She is.” Jensen nodded as he looked back at her. When he saw that Lacey was trying to pass her baby off to Wren, he wanted to laugh at the pure horror on her face. “Excuse me.”
Jogging over toward the group of ladies, he intercepted the sweet baby with a smile. “Let me see this bundle of pink. Holy crap, she’s beautiful,” he said, cuddling her to his chest. “And Jesus, are you sure you had anything to do with this kid?”
Lacey beamed as she nodded. “That’s what everyone is saying. She looks just like Karson.”
“Like a carbon copy,” he laughed, holding the sweet girl to his chest. She sure was pretty and small. Shit, would his be this small?
“Wait until y’all’s comes. Wren’s eyes with your facial structure? Talk about a pretty little boy,” Fallon Brooks said, and Jensen grinned over at her to keep from dying inside. She didn’t know the truth, but he did.
And God, he prayed that his son came out looking just like Wren, with no traces of that fucker that left her.
Pushing those feelings to the side, he looked over at Lucas’s wife and asked, “Saying I’m pretty, Fallon?”
She blushed as she laughed. “You sure ain’t ugly. Hope I’m not offending you, Wren.”
Wren smiled as he looked over at her. “Not at all. I know he’s hot.”
All the ladies agreed, and this time, he was the one blushing. “I feel like a steak between you ladies. Aren’t all of you married? Jeez,” he teased, and they all laughed some more as Wren peeked over toward the baby, moving the little blanket away from her face.
“She is pretty.”
“She sure is. What’s her name, Lacey?”
“Rose.”
“Aw, how sweet, Mena and Rose. How’s Mena taking to her?”
“Perfectly. She loves her.”
When he felt Wren’s gaze on his, he looked down at her and smiled. “Wanna hold her?”
“I’m waiting for them to make us do those calendars again. Thousand bucks says Monroe is the cover model for the whole thing,” Anderson teased, while Jensen rolled his eyes.
“Shit, would your wife let you?” Shea asked, glancing back at Wren and the girls. “She looks like the jealous type, also one of those girls who might kill you in your sleep.”
Vaughn pointed to Shea. “You have no clue. She tried to smother me when we were teenagers.”
Jensen scoffed. “You cut her hair when she was sleeping!”
“What?” Shea laughed, and Vaughn shrugged.
“She kicked me in the balls.”
“You popped her bra, breaking the damn thing, and Elaine couldn’t get to the school for an hour, so Wren ran around with her boobs floating while everyone teased her.”
Vaughn shrugged. “You gave her your hoodie, she was fine.”
“But everyone knew,” Jensen scolded. “And all you did was laugh.”
Vaughn laughed like he had back then. “Her face. She was so pissed.”
“Asshole.”
“Jesus, how long have you guys known each other?” Phillip asked.
Vaughn and Jensen shared a look before they both said, “Forever.”
Everyone laughed at that while Jensen shook his head. They really had known each other forever, and as he gazed over at his now-wife, he smiled. He had really cared for her and wanted to protect her for as long as he could remember. And not a damn thing had changed since them. Even with the need for flight in her eyes, he still wanted to be there for her. Protect her.
He loved her.
“So, do you know what you’re having?” Phillip asked, and Jensen looked toward him with a nod, his heart fluttering in his chest.
“A boy.”
“Thank God. Everyone is having girls,” Jordie mentioned as Jensen looked around the totally pinked-out place.
“Not me. It’s a boy. I know it,” Vaughn called, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m a man’s man, and I’m having a man child.”
They all scoffed, shaking their heads. “I would love to see you with a little girl. She’ll shatter your world, just like Brie did,” Karson said with a laugh.
“She didn’t shatter my world. I shattered hers.”
“Yeah, pretty sure she wasn’t the one sending you millions of flowers. It was the other way around,” Jensen teased, and Vaughn shot him a look.
“Shut up.”
“Hey, girls are trouble. All of them. They get you all fucked up, in love with them, and then they give you a daughter who does the same thing all over again,” Jordie agreed with a nod as he stared across the yard at his beautiful wife. “In an instant. Just like that, and you’re never the same.”
“This is true, but so does a boy. I love my boys with everything inside of me,” Phillip added with a small grin on his face. “One look at my first main man when he was born, and I was a changed man.”
“Every single one of mine took a piece of me with them,” Shea said then, his lips curving. “I thought after Elli and Shelli I couldn’t love anyone else, but then each one, I loved more and more. It’s crazy. Life. Ya know?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Jensen’s gaze drifted over to where Wren was standing with Elli as she very animatedly told her something. His love for that girl was strong, and he couldn’t wait for the moment he’d meet his son.
“Yeah, I have nothing. No kids. And we’re not having any for a long time. We just want to enjoy us,” Markus said with a nod.
Jordie nodded. “Can’t blame you. I wish we would have done that, but when you have a sperm count like I do—and a beard, mind you—it tends to just happen. I spit on her, and she’s pregnant.”
Karson gagged. “That’s my sister, asshole.”
“And I love her,” Jordie teased back, his face bright as everyone laughed.
When the laughter subsided, Markus slapped Jensen on the back. “You nervous?”
Jensen scoffed, his heart jumping up into his throat. “Nervous? That’s only one emotion I have.”
They all smiled, most of them knowingly, while Markus nodded. “I couldn’t imagine, but I love Wren. She’s great. She’s a give-it-to-you-straight kind of girl.”
“She is.” Jensen nodded as he looked back at her. When he saw that Lacey was trying to pass her baby off to Wren, he wanted to laugh at the pure horror on her face. “Excuse me.”
Jogging over toward the group of ladies, he intercepted the sweet baby with a smile. “Let me see this bundle of pink. Holy crap, she’s beautiful,” he said, cuddling her to his chest. “And Jesus, are you sure you had anything to do with this kid?”
Lacey beamed as she nodded. “That’s what everyone is saying. She looks just like Karson.”
“Like a carbon copy,” he laughed, holding the sweet girl to his chest. She sure was pretty and small. Shit, would his be this small?
“Wait until y’all’s comes. Wren’s eyes with your facial structure? Talk about a pretty little boy,” Fallon Brooks said, and Jensen grinned over at her to keep from dying inside. She didn’t know the truth, but he did.
And God, he prayed that his son came out looking just like Wren, with no traces of that fucker that left her.
Pushing those feelings to the side, he looked over at Lucas’s wife and asked, “Saying I’m pretty, Fallon?”
She blushed as she laughed. “You sure ain’t ugly. Hope I’m not offending you, Wren.”
Wren smiled as he looked over at her. “Not at all. I know he’s hot.”
All the ladies agreed, and this time, he was the one blushing. “I feel like a steak between you ladies. Aren’t all of you married? Jeez,” he teased, and they all laughed some more as Wren peeked over toward the baby, moving the little blanket away from her face.
“She is pretty.”
“She sure is. What’s her name, Lacey?”
“Rose.”
“Aw, how sweet, Mena and Rose. How’s Mena taking to her?”
“Perfectly. She loves her.”
When he felt Wren’s gaze on his, he looked down at her and smiled. “Wanna hold her?”
