In the Crease
Page 72
Leaning his head to hers, he kissed her nose as Emma gushed over the food. “Damn right, you do.”
She sent him a grin as he looked around the party his mother had thrown. It was too damn lavish for the little town, but she didn’t hold back. The food was divine, and the decorations, which included lots of the number 1, along with purple and black for the Assassins colors, were everywhere. There was even an ice sculpture of his face.
Yes, his face.
Wells and Vaughn were geeking out.
Looking down at his phone, he scoffed as Vaughn and Wells went back and forth about the picture Wren had sent them.
Wells: What the shit? I should have come! My stupid wedding is holding me back!
Vaughn: Right? I’m pissed. I wanna lick your nose.
Wells: Or stick carrots in his eyes.
Wells: Too bad it isn’t your body, I’d stick a carrot up your ass.
Vaughn: Whoa, man, too gay. You jumped over the line with your straight best friends. Go back, abort!
Wells: My bad, stepping back over.
Wells: But really, I need more pictures. I’m texting Wren.
“Did my brother say he wants to stick a carrot up your ass?”
Laughing, he shut his phone off and tucked it into his suit pocket. “Yes.”
“Wow, he went really gay on you.”
“Doesn’t happen often,” he laughed, shaking his head. “He’s silly.”
“Yeah,” she said as she took a long pull of her not-wine, as she kept calling it. “This is a beautiful party, Emma.”
His mother waved her off. “Please, I bet your mom puts on better shows.”
Wren smiled. “Not as pretty as this. It’s gorgeous.”
“Well, thank you. I swear, I love you more and more as the days pass.”
“Me too,” Jensen found himself saying, which caused his father, mother, and Wren to look over at him with smiles pulling at their lips.
Wren’s face deepened with color as she pressed her shoulder to his. “He knows how to make a girl swoon.”
“Gets it from me,” his father said, and Emma rolled her eyes.
“Don’t listen to him. I did that,” Emma demanded, and Antoine laughed as Jensen smiled. Little did they know, they’d both shaped him into the man he was. Along with the Lemieres. To say he was honored by the party his mum had put on was an understatement. He almost felt like he didn’t deserve it, but then, he had worked really fucking hard. In the middle of the dance floor was the Cup, shining in all its beautiful glory, and he wanted to hug it. It had been a great day. The kids were awesome, the town was astounding, and now, he was at a party with his woman on his arm.
And boy, what a sight she was.
She was wearing the dress from their wedding, and it did hug her a little tighter than before, but he found it sexy as hell. Her hair was down, big curls with that flower crown she’d had on at their wedding. Unlike that day, her makeup was dramatic, and her lips were as pink as the gown. She looked fucking fantastic, and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in her neck and live out the rest of his days there.
She blew his mind.
Holding her hand, he drew circles on her palm as she talked to his parents like she had belonged there since day one. In a way, he knew she did. There wasn’t a moment in his life that he hadn’t looked around and wished she were there. But this moment, one of the biggest in his life, his homecoming with the Cup was one day he was more than glad she was a part of.
Wren walked around his town like she owned it. She was beautiful, regal, and fearless when she brought Maude up for her chance to shoot on him. Jensen had been so engrossed with the beauty that was his wife, he couldn’t even focus on the sweet girl who was coming at him. But he didn’t care. All he cared about was watching Wren’s face light up when Maude scored. And the way she kissed him. Yeah, he cared a lot about that.
He almost couldn’t believe that it was happening.
That she could be falling for him.
But in a way, he felt it. Deep in his soul.
And he prayed that he was right and not just grasping at straws. Because when he looked at her, he didn’t see anything but their future. Moving his hand up her arm, he placed it on her growing belly and found himself sighing happily. He couldn’t wait to meet his little guy, his son, his boy. He hoped to be a father like his dad because Antoine Monroe was one hell of a dad. So supportive, as was Winston Lemiere, his other dad for all intents and purposes. He had such great male role models, and he couldn’t wait to be that for his kid.
When Wren’s hand covered his, his lips curved as she moved it over to where the kiddo was kicking like mad. He beamed as his eyes closed, a euphoric and beautiful feeling engulfing him as his son moved. When the baby’s activity subsided, Jensen opened his eyes to find Wren watching him.
“It’s pretty damn cool.”
“It is,” he answered, and then he leaned over, kissing the side of her mouth. “So are you.”
“Me? No.”
“Yeah, you’re right, you’re not cool. It’s all me,” he teased, and she laughed as his mother tapped his hand.
“Mon chou, if you’re done eating, I need you to go socialize.”
Jensen groaned inwardly. “Of course, Mum. Excuse me.”
“No, take Wren. She’s so gorgeous, show her off.”
This time it was Wren groaning as she stuffed a few bites into her mouth. No one said no to Emma Monroe, and Wren had learned that quickly. Getting up, she chewed as he threaded his fingers with hers. “You could have said no.”
She scoffed. “Please.”
He laughed softly as they moved from table to table, greeting everyone. From all stages of his life were people who had been there with him. His teachers, coaches, his friends, their parents, and more. It was like a reunion of sorts, and everyone was so kind to him and Wren. They gushed over how gorgeous she was and how beautiful she was pregnant. All Jensen could do was completely agree.
She was the most gorgeous pregnant woman he had ever seen.
And it gutted him that he wasn’t the one to do that to her.
But he wouldn’t dwell.
He couldn’t, or he’d drive himself mad.
“Man, if I ever feel insecure, I’m moving here,” she teased as they walked away from the table that held all his high school teachers. “I’m apparently Miss USA around these parts.”
She sent him a grin as he looked around the party his mother had thrown. It was too damn lavish for the little town, but she didn’t hold back. The food was divine, and the decorations, which included lots of the number 1, along with purple and black for the Assassins colors, were everywhere. There was even an ice sculpture of his face.
Yes, his face.
Wells and Vaughn were geeking out.
Looking down at his phone, he scoffed as Vaughn and Wells went back and forth about the picture Wren had sent them.
Wells: What the shit? I should have come! My stupid wedding is holding me back!
Vaughn: Right? I’m pissed. I wanna lick your nose.
Wells: Or stick carrots in his eyes.
Wells: Too bad it isn’t your body, I’d stick a carrot up your ass.
Vaughn: Whoa, man, too gay. You jumped over the line with your straight best friends. Go back, abort!
Wells: My bad, stepping back over.
Wells: But really, I need more pictures. I’m texting Wren.
“Did my brother say he wants to stick a carrot up your ass?”
Laughing, he shut his phone off and tucked it into his suit pocket. “Yes.”
“Wow, he went really gay on you.”
“Doesn’t happen often,” he laughed, shaking his head. “He’s silly.”
“Yeah,” she said as she took a long pull of her not-wine, as she kept calling it. “This is a beautiful party, Emma.”
His mother waved her off. “Please, I bet your mom puts on better shows.”
Wren smiled. “Not as pretty as this. It’s gorgeous.”
“Well, thank you. I swear, I love you more and more as the days pass.”
“Me too,” Jensen found himself saying, which caused his father, mother, and Wren to look over at him with smiles pulling at their lips.
Wren’s face deepened with color as she pressed her shoulder to his. “He knows how to make a girl swoon.”
“Gets it from me,” his father said, and Emma rolled her eyes.
“Don’t listen to him. I did that,” Emma demanded, and Antoine laughed as Jensen smiled. Little did they know, they’d both shaped him into the man he was. Along with the Lemieres. To say he was honored by the party his mum had put on was an understatement. He almost felt like he didn’t deserve it, but then, he had worked really fucking hard. In the middle of the dance floor was the Cup, shining in all its beautiful glory, and he wanted to hug it. It had been a great day. The kids were awesome, the town was astounding, and now, he was at a party with his woman on his arm.
And boy, what a sight she was.
She was wearing the dress from their wedding, and it did hug her a little tighter than before, but he found it sexy as hell. Her hair was down, big curls with that flower crown she’d had on at their wedding. Unlike that day, her makeup was dramatic, and her lips were as pink as the gown. She looked fucking fantastic, and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in her neck and live out the rest of his days there.
She blew his mind.
Holding her hand, he drew circles on her palm as she talked to his parents like she had belonged there since day one. In a way, he knew she did. There wasn’t a moment in his life that he hadn’t looked around and wished she were there. But this moment, one of the biggest in his life, his homecoming with the Cup was one day he was more than glad she was a part of.
Wren walked around his town like she owned it. She was beautiful, regal, and fearless when she brought Maude up for her chance to shoot on him. Jensen had been so engrossed with the beauty that was his wife, he couldn’t even focus on the sweet girl who was coming at him. But he didn’t care. All he cared about was watching Wren’s face light up when Maude scored. And the way she kissed him. Yeah, he cared a lot about that.
He almost couldn’t believe that it was happening.
That she could be falling for him.
But in a way, he felt it. Deep in his soul.
And he prayed that he was right and not just grasping at straws. Because when he looked at her, he didn’t see anything but their future. Moving his hand up her arm, he placed it on her growing belly and found himself sighing happily. He couldn’t wait to meet his little guy, his son, his boy. He hoped to be a father like his dad because Antoine Monroe was one hell of a dad. So supportive, as was Winston Lemiere, his other dad for all intents and purposes. He had such great male role models, and he couldn’t wait to be that for his kid.
When Wren’s hand covered his, his lips curved as she moved it over to where the kiddo was kicking like mad. He beamed as his eyes closed, a euphoric and beautiful feeling engulfing him as his son moved. When the baby’s activity subsided, Jensen opened his eyes to find Wren watching him.
“It’s pretty damn cool.”
“It is,” he answered, and then he leaned over, kissing the side of her mouth. “So are you.”
“Me? No.”
“Yeah, you’re right, you’re not cool. It’s all me,” he teased, and she laughed as his mother tapped his hand.
“Mon chou, if you’re done eating, I need you to go socialize.”
Jensen groaned inwardly. “Of course, Mum. Excuse me.”
“No, take Wren. She’s so gorgeous, show her off.”
This time it was Wren groaning as she stuffed a few bites into her mouth. No one said no to Emma Monroe, and Wren had learned that quickly. Getting up, she chewed as he threaded his fingers with hers. “You could have said no.”
She scoffed. “Please.”
He laughed softly as they moved from table to table, greeting everyone. From all stages of his life were people who had been there with him. His teachers, coaches, his friends, their parents, and more. It was like a reunion of sorts, and everyone was so kind to him and Wren. They gushed over how gorgeous she was and how beautiful she was pregnant. All Jensen could do was completely agree.
She was the most gorgeous pregnant woman he had ever seen.
And it gutted him that he wasn’t the one to do that to her.
But he wouldn’t dwell.
He couldn’t, or he’d drive himself mad.
“Man, if I ever feel insecure, I’m moving here,” she teased as they walked away from the table that held all his high school teachers. “I’m apparently Miss USA around these parts.”
