In the Crease
Page 99
“So? I’m proud to love my wife and make her happy. I see nothing wrong with that.”
“You gave up hot chicken for her. That’s whipped!”
“He did not,” Wren asserted.
“Yes, he did!”
“I didn’t. I just didn’t eat it around her because it made her sick,” Jensen answered matter-of-factly, and Wren looked back at him the best she could.
“Really?”
“Yeah, you always got queasy when I brought it home, so I stopped.”
As a grin spread over her lips, Vaughn and Wells yelled, “Whipped!”
Winston scoffed from the doorway. “Like the whip isn’t in full force with you two. That boy right there tells you to jump, you do, Wells. And Vaughn, all this gorgeous girl has to do is give you a look, and you come running,” he threw back at them.
“She’s really great in bed,” Vaughn laughed, and Brie’s eyes widened.
“Vaughn!”
“What? It’s true!”
“Well, don’t tell your other parents that!”
As Vaughn and Wells shared a look before giggling like children, Elaine took Jensen’s face in her hands, rubbing the plaster all over him, but he didn’t care. He was getting in the shower after this anyway. Hopefully with Wren, if he didn’t have to kill Wells and Vaughn first. “You are the best thing ever, Jensen Monroe, and I love you. So damn much.”
Jensen grinned as Wren turned, kissing his cheek. “He is pretty great and not whipped at all because he doesn’t need to be whipped to love me.”
“Ha! Please,” Wells called back, shaking his head. But Jensen wasn’t listening because beside Wells, Alex was turning red. When Alex leaned toward Wells, whispering something in his ear, Jensen watched as Wells rolled his eyes.
“Babe, she doesn’t know you like she knows Jenny.”
“It doesn’t matter, my parents love you.”
Jensen looked to Elaine, but she was talking to Wren and Brie about placement while Winston was watching, giving his own directions. No one was paying attention to the hissy fit Alex was throwing.
“They probably don’t want us to get married.”
“That’s not true. They’re happy for us.”
“Whatever, your dad hates this.”
“I know, but he’s still coming.”
“This is bullshit,” Alex decided, getting up and leaving the room, walking out the back door.
When the door slammed, Elaine turned, her brows up in her hairline. “There is no slamming doors in my house—”
“This isn’t a damn barn,” Wren, Jensen, Vaughn, and Wells all finished for her since they had been hearing that since the dawn of time.
She just nodded. “Exactly.”
“That was creepy,” Brie laughed, shaking her head while everyone else just shrugged. But Jensen was watching Wells, who slowly came off his chair.
“Sorry, Mom.”
“Was that Alex? What is his problem?”
Wells just shook his head, and Vaughn, being the pain in the ass that he was, said, “He’s pissed because he thinks you don’t love him like you love Jenny.”
Her face scrunched up as Wren asked, “Why does it matter? Plus, Mom helped raise Jensen.”
“Which is what I tried telling him, that you guys don’t know him as well as Jensen. Yeah, he’s being a brat. He’s nervous about the wedding. It’s fine,” Wells said, holding up his hands in a calming motion. “Let me make sure he didn’t leave me.”
As he walked through the kitchen, going out the back door, Vaughn laughed from his seat. “Hundred bucks says they don’t get married.”
“Vaughn Johansson, you shut that mouth of yours right now!” Elaine yelled, and he did as she asked, looking down at the food in front of him.
“I mean, I don’t like that he’s gay, my boy, but even I think that guy’s a little bit of a sissy for him.”
“He is,” Wren and Vaughn said together.
Elaine just made a face, looking out the back window. “Well, I don’t care. Wells told me he loved that boy and he wants to marry him, so I’m throwing a damn wedding, and they better get married.”
“Or else we’ll all need to get alternate housing since you’ll probably blow this one up with him inside,” Winston supplied, and Elaine glared.
“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
Winston scoffed as Jensen said, “Not for you.”
She pinned him with a look, and Jensen hid behind Wren as she laughed. “I used to love you, boy.”
“Sorry,” he muttered against Wren’s neck, and she leaned into him.
“I’m the favorite now,” Vaughn laughed.
“No, you’re not. Brie is.”
“Yes!” Brie said, fist-pumping as Wren just laughed.
“You’re the one who put the damn thought in my head,” Elaine said worriedly as she looked out the window and then back to everyone in the room. “Do all of you think it’s not gonna happen?”
“I do,” Brie said slowly, holding her hand up.
“I totally do,” Vaughn added with both hands up.
“We can’t hold our hands up, but we do,” Wren announced, and Jensen glared at the back of her head.
“I don’t!”
“Yes, you do,” she said, and he scoffed but didn’t protest.
Maybe he was whipped.
When a car door slammed outside, with someone calling someone a drama queen, they all looked to Winston as he nodded. “Pretty sure we just wasted half a million, love.”
Sputtering with anger, she threw a plaster strip down and muttered, “I swear to God, I’ll kill him.”
When Wren looked over at Jensen, he smiled before she leaned into him, pressing her nose into his. “I told you I didn’t want to do this.”
He just kept grinning. “I did. I get your ass on me for a solid hour.”
“I mean, if you wanted me to sit on you, I would have done it without this!”
“Yeah, but this way, we make your mom happy.”
She glared as Elaine said, “And this is why he’s my favorite again.”
“Hey!” Brie complained, and Elaine flashed her a grin.
“You’re my second favorite.”
“You gave up hot chicken for her. That’s whipped!”
“He did not,” Wren asserted.
“Yes, he did!”
“I didn’t. I just didn’t eat it around her because it made her sick,” Jensen answered matter-of-factly, and Wren looked back at him the best she could.
“Really?”
“Yeah, you always got queasy when I brought it home, so I stopped.”
As a grin spread over her lips, Vaughn and Wells yelled, “Whipped!”
Winston scoffed from the doorway. “Like the whip isn’t in full force with you two. That boy right there tells you to jump, you do, Wells. And Vaughn, all this gorgeous girl has to do is give you a look, and you come running,” he threw back at them.
“She’s really great in bed,” Vaughn laughed, and Brie’s eyes widened.
“Vaughn!”
“What? It’s true!”
“Well, don’t tell your other parents that!”
As Vaughn and Wells shared a look before giggling like children, Elaine took Jensen’s face in her hands, rubbing the plaster all over him, but he didn’t care. He was getting in the shower after this anyway. Hopefully with Wren, if he didn’t have to kill Wells and Vaughn first. “You are the best thing ever, Jensen Monroe, and I love you. So damn much.”
Jensen grinned as Wren turned, kissing his cheek. “He is pretty great and not whipped at all because he doesn’t need to be whipped to love me.”
“Ha! Please,” Wells called back, shaking his head. But Jensen wasn’t listening because beside Wells, Alex was turning red. When Alex leaned toward Wells, whispering something in his ear, Jensen watched as Wells rolled his eyes.
“Babe, she doesn’t know you like she knows Jenny.”
“It doesn’t matter, my parents love you.”
Jensen looked to Elaine, but she was talking to Wren and Brie about placement while Winston was watching, giving his own directions. No one was paying attention to the hissy fit Alex was throwing.
“They probably don’t want us to get married.”
“That’s not true. They’re happy for us.”
“Whatever, your dad hates this.”
“I know, but he’s still coming.”
“This is bullshit,” Alex decided, getting up and leaving the room, walking out the back door.
When the door slammed, Elaine turned, her brows up in her hairline. “There is no slamming doors in my house—”
“This isn’t a damn barn,” Wren, Jensen, Vaughn, and Wells all finished for her since they had been hearing that since the dawn of time.
She just nodded. “Exactly.”
“That was creepy,” Brie laughed, shaking her head while everyone else just shrugged. But Jensen was watching Wells, who slowly came off his chair.
“Sorry, Mom.”
“Was that Alex? What is his problem?”
Wells just shook his head, and Vaughn, being the pain in the ass that he was, said, “He’s pissed because he thinks you don’t love him like you love Jenny.”
Her face scrunched up as Wren asked, “Why does it matter? Plus, Mom helped raise Jensen.”
“Which is what I tried telling him, that you guys don’t know him as well as Jensen. Yeah, he’s being a brat. He’s nervous about the wedding. It’s fine,” Wells said, holding up his hands in a calming motion. “Let me make sure he didn’t leave me.”
As he walked through the kitchen, going out the back door, Vaughn laughed from his seat. “Hundred bucks says they don’t get married.”
“Vaughn Johansson, you shut that mouth of yours right now!” Elaine yelled, and he did as she asked, looking down at the food in front of him.
“I mean, I don’t like that he’s gay, my boy, but even I think that guy’s a little bit of a sissy for him.”
“He is,” Wren and Vaughn said together.
Elaine just made a face, looking out the back window. “Well, I don’t care. Wells told me he loved that boy and he wants to marry him, so I’m throwing a damn wedding, and they better get married.”
“Or else we’ll all need to get alternate housing since you’ll probably blow this one up with him inside,” Winston supplied, and Elaine glared.
“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
Winston scoffed as Jensen said, “Not for you.”
She pinned him with a look, and Jensen hid behind Wren as she laughed. “I used to love you, boy.”
“Sorry,” he muttered against Wren’s neck, and she leaned into him.
“I’m the favorite now,” Vaughn laughed.
“No, you’re not. Brie is.”
“Yes!” Brie said, fist-pumping as Wren just laughed.
“You’re the one who put the damn thought in my head,” Elaine said worriedly as she looked out the window and then back to everyone in the room. “Do all of you think it’s not gonna happen?”
“I do,” Brie said slowly, holding her hand up.
“I totally do,” Vaughn added with both hands up.
“We can’t hold our hands up, but we do,” Wren announced, and Jensen glared at the back of her head.
“I don’t!”
“Yes, you do,” she said, and he scoffed but didn’t protest.
Maybe he was whipped.
When a car door slammed outside, with someone calling someone a drama queen, they all looked to Winston as he nodded. “Pretty sure we just wasted half a million, love.”
Sputtering with anger, she threw a plaster strip down and muttered, “I swear to God, I’ll kill him.”
When Wren looked over at Jensen, he smiled before she leaned into him, pressing her nose into his. “I told you I didn’t want to do this.”
He just kept grinning. “I did. I get your ass on me for a solid hour.”
“I mean, if you wanted me to sit on you, I would have done it without this!”
“Yeah, but this way, we make your mom happy.”
She glared as Elaine said, “And this is why he’s my favorite again.”
“Hey!” Brie complained, and Elaine flashed her a grin.
“You’re my second favorite.”
