In the Crease
Page 79
Bringing his hand up to her lips, she placed a soft kiss to his palm. “Okay.”
His mouth quirked up at the side as he leaned over, and she met him halfway, their lips joining. He wanted to believe that she was okay. That she was letting it go, but he knew her better than that. Her mind was going a billion miles a second, and there was nothing he could do. But he’d made her aware of her actions, and he just prayed maybe she’d be more conscious of them.
But he wasn’t naïve. There was a reason she didn’t want to be home, and he didn’t believe for a second that it was only her family. They were good people. They loved her, and he understood she wasn’t the center of attention—that was all Wells, and sometimes, Jensen—but they loved her. So he knew it was something else.
He just wasn’t sure what.
Or if it was a who.
“They’re here!”
Jensen’s face broke into a grin when he pushed the door open to the home that was his home away from home, and Wren walked in before him. “Winston! They’re here!” Elaine Lemiere came running down the hall toward them in a trusty pantsuit and her hair in perfect curls along her shoulders. Always the picture of perfection, Elaine Lemiere. “Oh my God! Look at you, come here!”
Wren looked back at Jensen, but only for a moment before her mother wrapped her arms around her tightly. Wren hugged her mother back as she kissed her hard on the cheek, and Jensen sighed. She needed this. “Wren Josephine! I can’t! Look at you! I never thought I’d say this, but pregnancy agrees with you. Your eyes, your face… My God, you’re glowing, sweetheart!”
Wren’s face burned as she laughed. “Mom, come on, I’m fat.”
Before Jensen could get on to her, Elaine was shaking her head. “No, you’re pregnant, big difference.”
“I told her that,” Jensen added. “She doesn’t listen.”
“Does she ever? Stubborn as a mule, this one is, but let me just say, I have a feeling this glow isn’t just about being pregnant and has everything to do with this stud. Come here, you,” Elaine demanded before taking Jensen in her arms and squeezing him hard. He could feel Wren’s gaze on them but only for a second before another voice joined them in the hallway.
“Aw, my darling.” Jensen opened his eyes to see Winston take Wren in his arms and hold her tightly as he kissed her head. Unlike Jensen’s dad, Winston was younger, not at all gray, and a lot chunkier than his father. He didn’t skip a meal, that was for sure, but he also wasn’t sick. “Look at you.”
Wren looked unsure as she kissed his cheek. “Hey, Daddy.”
“Jesus, have you lost weight? Jensen, are you not feeding my baby?”
Jensen beamed as Wren rolled her eyes. “Funny, my mum claimed Wren wasn’t feeding me.”
Winston laughed. “You both are skinny! Goodness!”
“Daddy, I’m as big as a house.”
“You’re skin and bones with a bump. I’ll kick your ass, boy. Feed her,” he demanded, and Jensen laughed as Winston wrapped him up in a hug. “You hear me?”
“Loud and clear, sir,” Jensen answered, and Winston grinned over at him, squeezing him.
Pulling away, Winston smacked Jensen’s arms once more in a fatherly way before he reached for their bags and looked to Elaine. “Where am I going with these?”
“Wren’s room. Come on, kids. We’ve got all kinds of wedding stuff to talk about!”
Elaine walked ahead of them with Winston, and Jensen stopped Wren by wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her jaw. “See?”
“See, what? The only good thing that came out of that is that maybe you can’t stop them from feeding me.”
He scoffed. “That will happen. And they were good, all about you.”
“Because it was expected. Why haven’t they hit us with questions?”
“Maybe ’cause they’re excited to see us?”
“No, that’s not them,” she added suspiciously. “Whatever, let’s go talk about Wells.”
“Wren,” he said, and she pressed her lips together.
“I’m being a bitch?”
He shrugged. “I was gonna say difficult.”
She gave him a teasing grin. “And you claim to love me.”
He continued to hold her. “I do, all of you.”
She exhaled, leaning into him. “Well, at least someone does.”
Placing a kiss to his cheek, she moved out of his arms, leaving him in the hall shaking his head. He wasn’t sure why she felt that way, but he still believed it had nothing to do with her family.
And everything to do with something else.
Or maybe someone.
“Wells this, Wells that. Did you know that Wells needs to have his ass bleached before the wedding? No? Well, he does.” Jensen scoffed as he scrubbed his head, listening to Wren complain. “Honestly, Jenny, did you hear anything about us? Did they ask once how our marriage was going? Or even how your parents are? It was all about us at your house. But here, it’s about every fucking thing but us. Ugh!”
“Babe, it’s nothing to get worked up about.”
“But it is. Doesn’t it bother you?”
“I mean, it was annoying, but I’m not going to let it bother me.”
“Well, I am.”
“Obviously.”
“And I think it’s rude! Not once did my mom ask anything about my pregnancy. All my dad did was bitch about the money for the wedding. I swear, I don’t get it. Like, where are the questions? Why hasn’t anyone brought up the fucking inheritance? Nothing!”
“Maybe because they believe us?”
“No, they’re up to something.”
“Wren, that’s a little ridiculous. Just be happy.”
“No, I don’t trust them. I hate it here.”
“I sort of got that.”
“Well, just in case you’re wondering. Why aren’t you done?”
He smiled at the shower door, the same shower door he had used when he was growing up. His bedroom with Wells connected to one side of the bathroom, while Wren’s connected the other way. Even when they were younger, they would do this. He’d be in the shower while she did her makeup or hair or whatever. It had been normal for them. But now…it was different.
His mouth quirked up at the side as he leaned over, and she met him halfway, their lips joining. He wanted to believe that she was okay. That she was letting it go, but he knew her better than that. Her mind was going a billion miles a second, and there was nothing he could do. But he’d made her aware of her actions, and he just prayed maybe she’d be more conscious of them.
But he wasn’t naïve. There was a reason she didn’t want to be home, and he didn’t believe for a second that it was only her family. They were good people. They loved her, and he understood she wasn’t the center of attention—that was all Wells, and sometimes, Jensen—but they loved her. So he knew it was something else.
He just wasn’t sure what.
Or if it was a who.
“They’re here!”
Jensen’s face broke into a grin when he pushed the door open to the home that was his home away from home, and Wren walked in before him. “Winston! They’re here!” Elaine Lemiere came running down the hall toward them in a trusty pantsuit and her hair in perfect curls along her shoulders. Always the picture of perfection, Elaine Lemiere. “Oh my God! Look at you, come here!”
Wren looked back at Jensen, but only for a moment before her mother wrapped her arms around her tightly. Wren hugged her mother back as she kissed her hard on the cheek, and Jensen sighed. She needed this. “Wren Josephine! I can’t! Look at you! I never thought I’d say this, but pregnancy agrees with you. Your eyes, your face… My God, you’re glowing, sweetheart!”
Wren’s face burned as she laughed. “Mom, come on, I’m fat.”
Before Jensen could get on to her, Elaine was shaking her head. “No, you’re pregnant, big difference.”
“I told her that,” Jensen added. “She doesn’t listen.”
“Does she ever? Stubborn as a mule, this one is, but let me just say, I have a feeling this glow isn’t just about being pregnant and has everything to do with this stud. Come here, you,” Elaine demanded before taking Jensen in her arms and squeezing him hard. He could feel Wren’s gaze on them but only for a second before another voice joined them in the hallway.
“Aw, my darling.” Jensen opened his eyes to see Winston take Wren in his arms and hold her tightly as he kissed her head. Unlike Jensen’s dad, Winston was younger, not at all gray, and a lot chunkier than his father. He didn’t skip a meal, that was for sure, but he also wasn’t sick. “Look at you.”
Wren looked unsure as she kissed his cheek. “Hey, Daddy.”
“Jesus, have you lost weight? Jensen, are you not feeding my baby?”
Jensen beamed as Wren rolled her eyes. “Funny, my mum claimed Wren wasn’t feeding me.”
Winston laughed. “You both are skinny! Goodness!”
“Daddy, I’m as big as a house.”
“You’re skin and bones with a bump. I’ll kick your ass, boy. Feed her,” he demanded, and Jensen laughed as Winston wrapped him up in a hug. “You hear me?”
“Loud and clear, sir,” Jensen answered, and Winston grinned over at him, squeezing him.
Pulling away, Winston smacked Jensen’s arms once more in a fatherly way before he reached for their bags and looked to Elaine. “Where am I going with these?”
“Wren’s room. Come on, kids. We’ve got all kinds of wedding stuff to talk about!”
Elaine walked ahead of them with Winston, and Jensen stopped Wren by wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her jaw. “See?”
“See, what? The only good thing that came out of that is that maybe you can’t stop them from feeding me.”
He scoffed. “That will happen. And they were good, all about you.”
“Because it was expected. Why haven’t they hit us with questions?”
“Maybe ’cause they’re excited to see us?”
“No, that’s not them,” she added suspiciously. “Whatever, let’s go talk about Wells.”
“Wren,” he said, and she pressed her lips together.
“I’m being a bitch?”
He shrugged. “I was gonna say difficult.”
She gave him a teasing grin. “And you claim to love me.”
He continued to hold her. “I do, all of you.”
She exhaled, leaning into him. “Well, at least someone does.”
Placing a kiss to his cheek, she moved out of his arms, leaving him in the hall shaking his head. He wasn’t sure why she felt that way, but he still believed it had nothing to do with her family.
And everything to do with something else.
Or maybe someone.
“Wells this, Wells that. Did you know that Wells needs to have his ass bleached before the wedding? No? Well, he does.” Jensen scoffed as he scrubbed his head, listening to Wren complain. “Honestly, Jenny, did you hear anything about us? Did they ask once how our marriage was going? Or even how your parents are? It was all about us at your house. But here, it’s about every fucking thing but us. Ugh!”
“Babe, it’s nothing to get worked up about.”
“But it is. Doesn’t it bother you?”
“I mean, it was annoying, but I’m not going to let it bother me.”
“Well, I am.”
“Obviously.”
“And I think it’s rude! Not once did my mom ask anything about my pregnancy. All my dad did was bitch about the money for the wedding. I swear, I don’t get it. Like, where are the questions? Why hasn’t anyone brought up the fucking inheritance? Nothing!”
“Maybe because they believe us?”
“No, they’re up to something.”
“Wren, that’s a little ridiculous. Just be happy.”
“No, I don’t trust them. I hate it here.”
“I sort of got that.”
“Well, just in case you’re wondering. Why aren’t you done?”
He smiled at the shower door, the same shower door he had used when he was growing up. His bedroom with Wells connected to one side of the bathroom, while Wren’s connected the other way. Even when they were younger, they would do this. He’d be in the shower while she did her makeup or hair or whatever. It had been normal for them. But now…it was different.
