In the Crease
Page 73
He pressed his lips to her jaw. “You are, everywhere. At least to me.”
She rolled her eyes, leaning into him as her face lit up. “Stop.”
“Nope. Never.”
Setting him with an annoyed but playful look, she shook her head. “Why can you make me blush, but no one else?”
He wrapped his arm around her neck, probably messing up her hair, not that she cared. “Because when I say it, you know I mean it, and it’s true.”
Kissing his nose, she nodded. “Maybe.”
“Actually.”
“Possibly.”
“Truthfully.”
She glared and he smiled. “A chance.”
“Honestly,” he asserted back, and she found herself grinning.
“You’re lucky I’m drunk on my not-wine and can’t think of another word.”
He laughed. “So what you’re saying is that I’m in luck because I’m a bit tipsy and yet I can find a word?”
She nodded, pleased with that assessment. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That’s—”
“Jensen.”
Stopping in his tracks, he looked up to find the last person he thought he’d see.
His ex-wife.
Ophelia stood in all her glory, tall and wearing even taller heels, her bone-straight brown hair down along her shoulders as her dress hugged every single inch of her. She didn’t look pregnant, but he had heard she was. By the dick who stood beside her.
“Ophelia.”
He could feel Wren tense up beside him as he let her go to lean over and press his lips to Ophelia’s cheek in a chaste way he didn’t want to, except out of politeness. Holding his hand out to the guy she married after she had left him, he said, “I’m Jensen. Nice to meet you.”
“Colton, nice to meet you.”
Well, that name was off the list now.
“This is my wife, Wren. Ma chou, Ophelia and her husband, Colton.”
Wren gave him a sideways look as she smiled curtly. “Hey.”
Colton moved to her, but he paused when Wren shot him a look that clearly stated not to touch her. When Wren glanced back at Ophelia, her eyes were wide as she looked at Jensen. Smacking her hands together, Ophelia said, “Who would have guessed! Wren, Wren Lemiere. The girl from your billet house?”
Jensen looked to her and smiled. “Yeah. Wells’s little sister.”
She scoffed, shaking her head, anger floating in the depths of her blue eyes. “Wow, I could have sworn I was told that you didn’t have any feelings for her. You made that clear to me. Funny how things change, huh?”
Jensen cleared his throat as he nodded, feeling Wren’s gaze on him. “Yeah—”
“Or maybe it wasn’t the right time, right place? Now it is.” Wren smiled smugly.
“Obviously,” Ophelia said curtly, her eyes falling to Wren. “Guess, congratulations are in order.”
Jensen could feel her animosity and see the irritation in her eyes, but he wouldn’t let it bother him. She meant nothing to him. With a smile, he nodded as he reached out, holding Wren’s belly. “Thank you, we’re very excited.”
Ophelia gave him a stern look that he knew meant she was pissed before she added, “Well, I’m sure—since we were told you couldn’t have children.”
Jensen swallowed hard as he looked around, hoping no one heard her, but thankfully, the music was loud. Before he could say anything, though, Wren covered his hand with hers as she said, “Well, maybe it’s because he wasn’t with the right person.”
“Excuse me?” Ophelia asked, her eyes narrowing to slits.
“I didn’t stutter, for one. And for two, all this doesn’t matter because you left him for this guy you cheated with. So surely you don’t care about what or whom Jensen is doing.”
“I didn’t—”
“Oh, please, don’t worry. You don’t have to convince us of anything because we aren’t worried about you. We’re good. Great, even. We’re having a baby, we are married, and one thing is for certain, I’m sure as hell not going to leave him high and dry the way you did,” Wren stated simply, her face darkening with color. “So yeah, go fuck off. And watch your back, Colton.”
As Wren pulled Jensen away, he was a bit stunned while she led him out onto the dance floor. She was trying to cut through, but he had another idea. He tugged back, and she turned into his arms as he wrapped his arms around her. “Can I have this dance?”
With a grin cresting her sweet lips, she moved her hands up his chest and around his neck before she nodded. “Always.”
Moving his hands along her hips, he wanted to be closer, but their son was in his way. “You didn’t have to do that.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t like her.”
“Totally aware of that.”
“She’s lucky we’re both pregnant. I would have decked her.”
“I would have paid to see that.”
She scoffed, looking up at him. “She’s awful. Why’d you even go for her? She’s the complete opposite of me. I’m pretty sure my big toe weighs more than she does, and she’s pregnant! With her fifth kid! Ugh, it makes no sense to me.”
“Exactly,” he said simply, his hands sliding to the small of her back. “She was nothing like you, no reminder of what I couldn’t have. With her, I didn’t have the constant reminder that I didn’t have you. But I tried. I tried so hard to love her and be the man she needed, but in the back of my mind, my heart was always with you.”
He got lost in her eyes, and she was breathless as her fingers moved along the back of his neck. “You know what kills me?”
“What?”
“That you felt all that for me, and I never knew it.”
But Jensen shook his head. “You knew, Wren, you just ignored it.”
Her eyes dilated as she leaned her head into his chin. “You think so?”
“I know so,” he said, moving his lips along her forehead, the flower crown on her head tickling his nose. “And the sooner you realize that you’ve felt something for me all along and you feel more, the better off we’ll both be.”
As the song changed to Hannah Miller’s “We Can Always Come Back to This,” Wren’s head fell back when his mouth dropped to hers. Waiting for her eyes to fall shut, he felt his heart pound before he allowed himself to do the same. There was nothing like kissing her. Winning all those games for the Cup couldn’t even compare. Nothing. He would never get used to it, and he never wanted to. He wanted each moment his lips touched hers to blow his world to smithereens. He needed it to, just so that he would never feel anything but alive.
She rolled her eyes, leaning into him as her face lit up. “Stop.”
“Nope. Never.”
Setting him with an annoyed but playful look, she shook her head. “Why can you make me blush, but no one else?”
He wrapped his arm around her neck, probably messing up her hair, not that she cared. “Because when I say it, you know I mean it, and it’s true.”
Kissing his nose, she nodded. “Maybe.”
“Actually.”
“Possibly.”
“Truthfully.”
She glared and he smiled. “A chance.”
“Honestly,” he asserted back, and she found herself grinning.
“You’re lucky I’m drunk on my not-wine and can’t think of another word.”
He laughed. “So what you’re saying is that I’m in luck because I’m a bit tipsy and yet I can find a word?”
She nodded, pleased with that assessment. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That’s—”
“Jensen.”
Stopping in his tracks, he looked up to find the last person he thought he’d see.
His ex-wife.
Ophelia stood in all her glory, tall and wearing even taller heels, her bone-straight brown hair down along her shoulders as her dress hugged every single inch of her. She didn’t look pregnant, but he had heard she was. By the dick who stood beside her.
“Ophelia.”
He could feel Wren tense up beside him as he let her go to lean over and press his lips to Ophelia’s cheek in a chaste way he didn’t want to, except out of politeness. Holding his hand out to the guy she married after she had left him, he said, “I’m Jensen. Nice to meet you.”
“Colton, nice to meet you.”
Well, that name was off the list now.
“This is my wife, Wren. Ma chou, Ophelia and her husband, Colton.”
Wren gave him a sideways look as she smiled curtly. “Hey.”
Colton moved to her, but he paused when Wren shot him a look that clearly stated not to touch her. When Wren glanced back at Ophelia, her eyes were wide as she looked at Jensen. Smacking her hands together, Ophelia said, “Who would have guessed! Wren, Wren Lemiere. The girl from your billet house?”
Jensen looked to her and smiled. “Yeah. Wells’s little sister.”
She scoffed, shaking her head, anger floating in the depths of her blue eyes. “Wow, I could have sworn I was told that you didn’t have any feelings for her. You made that clear to me. Funny how things change, huh?”
Jensen cleared his throat as he nodded, feeling Wren’s gaze on him. “Yeah—”
“Or maybe it wasn’t the right time, right place? Now it is.” Wren smiled smugly.
“Obviously,” Ophelia said curtly, her eyes falling to Wren. “Guess, congratulations are in order.”
Jensen could feel her animosity and see the irritation in her eyes, but he wouldn’t let it bother him. She meant nothing to him. With a smile, he nodded as he reached out, holding Wren’s belly. “Thank you, we’re very excited.”
Ophelia gave him a stern look that he knew meant she was pissed before she added, “Well, I’m sure—since we were told you couldn’t have children.”
Jensen swallowed hard as he looked around, hoping no one heard her, but thankfully, the music was loud. Before he could say anything, though, Wren covered his hand with hers as she said, “Well, maybe it’s because he wasn’t with the right person.”
“Excuse me?” Ophelia asked, her eyes narrowing to slits.
“I didn’t stutter, for one. And for two, all this doesn’t matter because you left him for this guy you cheated with. So surely you don’t care about what or whom Jensen is doing.”
“I didn’t—”
“Oh, please, don’t worry. You don’t have to convince us of anything because we aren’t worried about you. We’re good. Great, even. We’re having a baby, we are married, and one thing is for certain, I’m sure as hell not going to leave him high and dry the way you did,” Wren stated simply, her face darkening with color. “So yeah, go fuck off. And watch your back, Colton.”
As Wren pulled Jensen away, he was a bit stunned while she led him out onto the dance floor. She was trying to cut through, but he had another idea. He tugged back, and she turned into his arms as he wrapped his arms around her. “Can I have this dance?”
With a grin cresting her sweet lips, she moved her hands up his chest and around his neck before she nodded. “Always.”
Moving his hands along her hips, he wanted to be closer, but their son was in his way. “You didn’t have to do that.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t like her.”
“Totally aware of that.”
“She’s lucky we’re both pregnant. I would have decked her.”
“I would have paid to see that.”
She scoffed, looking up at him. “She’s awful. Why’d you even go for her? She’s the complete opposite of me. I’m pretty sure my big toe weighs more than she does, and she’s pregnant! With her fifth kid! Ugh, it makes no sense to me.”
“Exactly,” he said simply, his hands sliding to the small of her back. “She was nothing like you, no reminder of what I couldn’t have. With her, I didn’t have the constant reminder that I didn’t have you. But I tried. I tried so hard to love her and be the man she needed, but in the back of my mind, my heart was always with you.”
He got lost in her eyes, and she was breathless as her fingers moved along the back of his neck. “You know what kills me?”
“What?”
“That you felt all that for me, and I never knew it.”
But Jensen shook his head. “You knew, Wren, you just ignored it.”
Her eyes dilated as she leaned her head into his chin. “You think so?”
“I know so,” he said, moving his lips along her forehead, the flower crown on her head tickling his nose. “And the sooner you realize that you’ve felt something for me all along and you feel more, the better off we’ll both be.”
As the song changed to Hannah Miller’s “We Can Always Come Back to This,” Wren’s head fell back when his mouth dropped to hers. Waiting for her eyes to fall shut, he felt his heart pound before he allowed himself to do the same. There was nothing like kissing her. Winning all those games for the Cup couldn’t even compare. Nothing. He would never get used to it, and he never wanted to. He wanted each moment his lips touched hers to blow his world to smithereens. He needed it to, just so that he would never feel anything but alive.
