“Maybe we should wait for Jo and Brie?”
Jensen closed Wren’s car door as he looked over at her. Of course, he thought she was gorgeous. She blew his mind with her beauty in a pair of simple overalls that stretched across their child and a tank that rode low on her breasts and would be starring in his dreams that night. They were so damn full, so sexy, but he was staying strong. Ish. The last couple days had been hard, but he was doing his best. Though, seeing her change each day that passed, well, it was getting harder.
She brushed a piece of hair out of her face as she looked up at him. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she wore big glasses that covered her made-up eyes. She had done something to make them brighter, and it had also taken her an extra twenty minutes since she claimed the lines weren’t straight on both eyes. He thought they were, but she wouldn’t leave until they were perfect. He was pretty sure she thought he was an idiot, but he wasn’t. He was completely on to her.
She was stalling.
Ever since her breakdown in the middle of the baby store, he had been worried about her. She used to have small panic attacks when they were younger, especially through college, but the one in the middle of the store was scary. Even for him, who usually handled pressure like that okay. But this time, he had almost been on the brink of tears. Wren wasn’t one to cry. She was a strong chick, even through her panic attacks. She’d deal with them and move on, but that one stunned him. He knew it was because it was Wren. Anyone else, he wouldn’t have worried, but he worried for her. Completely. Those pregnancy hormones were no joke.
It made him nervous for obvious reasons, but he tried so hard not to think about what could be going through her head. Was she already plotting out her escape when she got her money? Not that he was holding her like a prisoner, but was she ready to go? Sometimes he felt she was, but other times, he felt like she was maybe, sorta falling for him. He wasn’t sure, and it was driving him insane. But he couldn’t think about it now. All he could do was love her more than he had before and hope for the best. But coming out to the whole team, their boss, and everyone at Lucy and Benji’s baby shower wasn’t going to be easy. It weighed on her, he could see it in her eyes, and it bothered him. More than he liked. He wanted to be confident in them, but standing beside her as she looked for a way out already, he felt like he was a lamb going to slaughter.
She could ruin him.
Fuck.
“Wren, they’re already here. We’re late.” Reaching into the back seat, he grabbed the little box she had spent another thirty minutes wrapping and tucked it under his arm. “So let’s go. We’re late.”
She bit her lip as she looked up at the Paxton’s home. It was something out of a rustic southern magazine, it was so rich with culture. He thought it was gorgeous, but the way Wren’s brows pulled in, you would have thought the damn place was on an episode of Hoarders. “How late are we? Can we just skip it, you think?”
He rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh. “No, babe. We gotta go.” Tucking her hands into her pockets, stretching the fabric so tight across the child he already loved, she nodded as his hand went to the small of her back. “It’s fine.”
She glanced up at him. “I’m nervous they’ll judge us.”
He made a face. “Who the fuck cares?” She seemed shocked by that, and maybe he was being a prick, but he was frustrated. He was proud to show her off, and he felt like she didn’t feel the same. “I mean, is it that bad to be seen with me?”
Her brows furrowed more as she reached out, holding his bicep. “That’s not it at all. I’m lucky as hell to be seen with you, Jenny. I’m worried they’ll be like your mom, judge that I waited so long to ‘fake’ tell you.”
His lips pressed together as he nodded. He shouldn’t have told her about that conversation with his mom. “My mom didn’t judge you. She was just upset it took so long for her to find out.”
“She was pissed.”
He hissed out a breath. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. We don’t answer to them. We answer to each other, right?”
She swallowed hard as she nodded. “Yeah. I guess.”
“So let’s go have a good time with our friends. Celebrate baby Paxton.” He urged her forward, but she didn’t move, her gaze still on him. “What’s wrong now?”
“Are you super sure about this?”
He let out an annoyed breath. “If you’re asking if I’m sure that I want to do this and that the child in your belly is mine, then the answer is yes.” Pulling down his sunglasses, he bored his eyes into hers as he said, “And please don’t ever ask me that again.”
Her lips pressed together as he put his glasses back. “I was just asking—”
“And I’m just telling you.”
“You’re mad.”
“I’m annoyed.”
“At me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re stalling, Wren.”
“I’m stalling because I’m nervous.”
“Why are you nervous?”
“I told you why!” she yelled, and he glared. He swore he thought she couldn’t piss him off, but lately, he was finding that was a delusional thought. She could irk him like none other.
“And I told you, you don’t need to worry or be nervous. Am I here?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you’re good. I got you. Remember?”
Even though he couldn’t see her eyes clearly, he felt hers on his. “I don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“Why you’re good to me.”
“Because I care for you,” he said simply. “Can we go?”
But she still didn’t move. As she inhaled deeply, letting it out in a whoosh, she looked up at him and whispered, “You’re a really good man, Jensen Monroe.”
His shoulders fell on an exhale. Didn’t she realize he was this man for her and only her? “And I’m your man, so you have nothing to worry about. Okay?”
Looking at the house, she started toward it, not acknowledging his comment, which annoyed him a bit. But he couldn’t push her. He had to be patient. Walking together, they didn’t say anything as they followed the signs to the backyard where the party was in full swing. Everyone was there, the whole team, their wives, girlfriends, but to Jensen’s surprise, he didn’t spot any of the kids. But then, he remembered it was an adult party, which was a nice change.
When Benji stopped in his tracks, his eyes fell on Wren and then on Jensen before he pointed to the both of them. “Hey, guys.”
Wren looked like a deer in the headlights as Jensen smiled, handing him the gift. “Hey, man. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” he drew out, looking back at Wren as Jensen returned his hand to her back. Benji looked utterly confused, and Jensen wanted to laugh, but before could, Elli Adler appeared beside him, her eyes wider than Benji’s when she revealed them from behind her sunglasses.
“Wren? Jensen?”
Before he could answer his boss, Vaughn was waving at him from beside the grill. “Jenny! Wrenny! Over here.”
“I see you,” he called over to him before he looked back to his boss. “Hey, Elli,” he said before leaning over and kissing her cheek.
But her mouth was a little open as she glanced between them. Meanwhile, Wren was shaking against his hand. Guess this was the judgy part she was worried about. As he looked around, all eyes were on them. He could feel it, Wren was about to hightail it out of there. Leaning toward her, he kissed the spot on her temple before whispering, “It’s okay.”
“Why’s everyone staring at you two?” Vaughn asked, coming over and wrapping his arm around Wren’s shoulders before looking up at Jensen. He then looked around. “People, really? We are on a team with extremely fertile men who impregnate their wives daily. So, really, this is nothing new. Just our very talented goalie and our therapist who eloped, and guess what, are having a baby! So yeah, let’s give them a round of applause.”
When he started clapping, some followed suit, but Elli was still staring at them.
“Thank you, Vaughn,” Jensen muttered through tight lips.
He nodded with a grin on his face. “Anytime, brother.”
“I’m legit going to kill you in your sleep,” Wren said for the whole backyard to hear, but Vaughn just laughed it off.
“She threatens me all the time. It’s endearing.”
Letting her go, Vaughn walked away before Elli stepped up, taking Wren in her arms. “Well, congratulations! I didn’t even know you two were dating!”
When they parted, Vaughn appeared again, pointing to their boss. “By the way, Elli, maybe you might have to shred some more paperwork. Hint, hint.” When he coughed exaggeratedly, Jensen rolled his eyes. “Dumb-ass non-fraternization rule.”
“I’m subcontracted, asshat,” Wren supplied, glaring.
Jensen chuckled as Benji shook his hand, along with some of the other guys. Wren explained, “Anyway, it was an on-and-off kind of thing. We’ve known each other our whole lives, though.”
“Oh, I knew that, but I didn’t know it was anything romantic,” Elli said before taking Jensen in her arms and kissing his cheek. “I’m so happy for y’all.”
“Thank you, we’re really excited.” Jensen beamed since he wasn’t lying. But Wren, Jesus, her lips turned up in what he assumed was a smile, and he was convinced people would think she was in pain.
“I usually know everything. You got one by me!”
Jensen laughed as he pulled Wren into the crook of his arm. “She’s private.”
“I’d say so! So, how far along?”
“Six months.”
“Goodness! We’ll have to have a baby shower for you!”
But Wren waved her off. “No need. It’s fine. Really.”
“I insist,” Elli said, her drawl coming out as she looked between them. His boss was a smart lady, but she was also very kind and loving. She would give the shoes off her feet to anyone, but she was also a no-holds-barred kind of chick, and she could see through any bullshit.
He was pretty sure she saw right through them.
“I’m just floored that I never noticed.”
Wren shrugged. “You always came in when I was sitting behind my desk, and I just didn’t tell anyone.”
Elli made a noise; he wasn’t sure what the noise meant, but she was smiling. “Well, either way, we’re excited for a new addition to the Assassins family. Babies everywhere! It makes my heart so happy.”
When Wren didn’t answer, an awkward silence fell between the three of them while Jensen rocked back on his heels, unsure what to say to make the situation any less awkward. Yeah, this was going awesome.
Not.
When he ran his hand along the small of Wren’s back, she looked up at him and he smiled, trying to make it better. When she didn’t smile back, his heart sort of stopped. Didn’t he say he was there for her? He had her back, so instead of worrying about what to say to his boss, he didn’t think, he just leaned in, pressing his lips to Wren’s. He watched through her glasses as her eyes drifted shut, and his heart sang while his arm came up and around her neck, holding her to him. Pulling away, his lips only a breath away, he whispered, “Smile. You’re beautiful.”
Her lips quirked as her hand came to the middle of his back just as Elli said, “Well, I don’t know how I didn’t suspect it because you two are adorable together.”
Jensen nodded. “Eh, she’s a little too hot for me, though.”
Wren scoffed at that. “Please.”
“It’s true,” he insisted, and for the first time that day, she beamed.
“Stop, I’m getting as big as a house.”
“Oh, girl, let me tell you about being as big as a house,” Elli said, taking Wren’s other hand and pulling her toward the drink table that was covered in pink. Wren glanced back at Jensen, but it wasn’t for help. At least, he didn’t think so. Instead, her lips were still curved.
Man, she was beautiful.
When an arm came across his shoulders, he looked over to see Dylan Alexander, his backup since Tate was still out. “Dude, I didn’t even know!”
Jensen just smiled. “No one did.”
“True story, it’s like it just happened,” Vaughn said from beside Karson King and Jordie Thomas. Markus Reeves and Phillip Anderson stood on the other side of Jordie, all of them with smiles on their faces but curiosity in their eyes. Sending a death stare at his best friend, Jensen shrugged. “Yeah, it was all kind of fast, but we’re happy.”
“And that’s all that matters,” Jordie said, gesturing to Jensen. “But congratulations. She’s a good girl.”
“She is.” Jensen looked back to where Wren was standing with Elli and a bunch of the other wives. They were gushing over Karson and Lacey King’s new baby girl. Wren wasn’t touching her, but the interest was on her face.
When a slap came to his back, he turned to see Shea Adler, a constant presence in the Assassins organization and Elli Adler’s husband. “Knocking up the therapist, I’m impressed. I thought she hated everyone.”
Vaughn laughed. “She does.”
“Obviously not our pretty boy goalie,” Shea teased, and Jensen laughed.
“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?”
She shook her head quickly. “I like watching you with her.”
“Right? He’s amazing with all the kids,” Elli said, patting Jensen’s back. “And doesn’t forget a name.”
“I forget your name all the time,” he teased, and Elli laughed as she nodded. “No wait, that’s a lie. You sign my checks,” he said with a wink, and everyone giggled as he looked down at Rose. She was basically covered in pink, but for a moment, he imagined her in blue.
And his.
It felt right.
He glanced back to Wren, and her gaze met his. He wondered what she was thinking. “What?”
“It’s nice.”
He smiled as Rose stretched her body out, a yawn coming from her small body. “What is? You haven’t even held her.”
But she shook her head. “I know. But I mean you and her. It’s nice.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
His heart did a little jig as he nodded slowly. “You sure you don’t want to hold her?”
Gone was her smile, and it was replaced by a look of horror. “I could drop her.”
“You won’t,” he insisted as he slowly moved Rose from his arms to a very unwilling Wren. But she took her, cuddling the baby to her with all the fear one could muster in her eyes.
“Is she okay?”
“She fine,” he reassured as he moved Wren’s hand down a bit to support Rose’s bottom. “Have you never held a baby?”
“I was the baby.”
“What about Shanna’s kids?”
Her lips pressed together as she shook her head. “Nope. I never wanted to.”
He knew they weren’t talking and he wanted to ask about that, but it wasn’t the place. “How does it feel?”
Her lips curved a little on the left as she gazed down at Rose. “Good. She smells like heaven.”
“She does,” he agreed, wrapping his arm around Wren’s middle, holding her against him.
She beamed up at him. “I haven’t dropped her.”
“Nope, I’d say you’re doing well.”
“I am,” she agreed, looking back down to Rose. “I think I can do this.”
“You can, I know it.”
Her grin didn’t leave her lips as she leaned her head into his shoulder. Her demeanor had changed so much from when they had arrived, and he was thankful for that. He hoped she realized that she was good. Even without him, but she was better with him. He just needed her to realize that because he loved her. He loved the way her lips curved, how the little hairs on her neck flared out, and most of all, how green her eyes were. How they held every secret she was hiding. He wanted to know them all. He wanted her. All of her.
He needed her to give that to him.
As he looked up from Rose, his gaze met Vaughn’s. His best friend shook his head as he took a picture of them with his phone. Vaughn didn’t have to say anything, though; it was all in his eyes. He was worried for Jensen, and he got that, he did. But as he held his wife, looking down at the first baby she had ever held, he felt good.
Because if he felt anything else, like the fear that could eat him alive, he would drive himself mad. So he would ignore those feelings.
Instead, he would love her.
And hope that she loved him back.
* * *
Wren was pretty sure she could still smell baby Rose on her.
As she lay back on Brie’s couch that was up against the fireplace, not in its usual place since the interior designer was coming over, she cuddled into it as a smile played on her lips. That baby was so sweet, and Wren was glad that Rose was the first that she had held. She was perfect, didn’t cry, and let Wren just love on her. It was perfect, but being held by Jensen while she did it was about a billion times better. Exhaling hard, she felt her grin grow as she looked down at the picture that Vaughn had sent in the family thread the previous day.
They looked right. It was sort of nuts. She hadn’t noticed how good they looked together. Maybe it was how damn good-looking he was, but they just fit. She looked adorable in her overalls, but then, so did he in his simple shorts and tee. Really, though, when did Jensen not look good? Standing beside him, she came to his shoulder, and his arms fit around her, bringing her against him like she belonged there. His head rested on hers as he looked down at baby Rose, this content, gorgeous smile on his beautiful face. He looked like he was meant to be a husband and father, but when she looked at herself, she was surprised to find she felt she looked the part too.
She didn’t look like a fake.
Like an impostor.
She looked like she belonged.
In Jensen Monroe’s arms, holding their child.
Holy shit.
Before she could really decipher those feelings, which she felt were a little insane, she was distracted by the thread below the picture.
Vaughn: Look at them, practicing for when their baby comes! Isn’t it sweet? Gagggggggggg.
Mom: Oh my goodness, they are so cute together!
Mom: I can’t wait to get my hands on her belly!
Dad: Why would you want to touch her belly? That’s weird.
Mom: It’s my grandchild, you freak! Come out of the woodshed and spend time with me.
Dad: No, I’m hiding from you.
Mom: I’m going to kill you.
Dad: Bring it.
Vaughn: Was that their version of foreplay?
Wells: I feel it might have been, and I just threw up.
Jensen: I did too.
Wells: But hey, you two look cute. Like real and shit.
Jensen: Because it is.
Vaughn: Ooooooh, he told you.
Wren: You guys are losers.
But even with her addition to the ongoing and annoying thread, she still couldn’t stop staring at the picture or Jensen’s text to her brother.
Because it is.
It was that simple for him.
Too bad she wasn’t completely convinced, but then, how could she be? She was realistic, and she knew her track record. Everyone she fell for dumped her like a bad habit. She didn’t want to be Jensen’s bad habit, the thing he dropped the first chance he got. While the day before had been awesome and they had a great time with their friends, they had gone home and went to bed. Right to bed. No cuddling, no kissing to the point of a boner, nothing. Just sleep. It was boring, and she was losing her ever-loving mind. She wanted him. God, she wanted him. Each little caress, each little look, and those kisses? They were torture! She just didn’t get it. Why didn’t he want her? Why hadn’t he taken her to bed? It was beyond her comprehension.
But then, she felt like a whore. Was she that obsessed with sex? Did she need it that badly to actually feel like he wanted her? Was she pathetic? Because the guy was good to her. Always reassuring her, always there for her, and just all-around great. But the thing holding her back was sex? That was pitiful. She was pathetic. Still, she felt like he didn’t want her because he wasn’t attracted to her. Yeah, he kissed her, but he kissed her mom. Maybe not like he kissed Wren, but still. It was fucking with her. Yeah, it was her fault she was insecure, she understood that. She was the one with the issues, but she just wanted to know that he thought she was attractive, that he wasn’t doing this out of pity. His words weren’t enough; she was used to words that usually became lies. She wanted action. More action. She wanted him.
All of him.
“So we go next week to find out what we’re having,” Brie said then, and Wren set her phone down, looking over at her friend. They were just lying on the couch, playing on their phones. It was completely silly, but they were good. It was nice to have a friend she could just lie around with and not need to talk to fill the silence.
“That’s great! It’s weird. The baby looks all strange and stuff.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it will be,” Brie laughed, but her eyes were so full of excitement. “I think we’re going to bring Rodney. He wants to come.”
Wren lit up. “Aw, he’d love that.”
Brie nodded in agreement. “He is excited, told me I had to name the baby Rodney Jr. even if it’s a girl.”
“That seems legit,” Wren teased, and Brie giggled.
“That’s what I said.” They both laughed as Brie looked over at her. Waggling her brows, she said, “So you two looked supercozy yesterday.”
Wren smiled, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess.”
“Still holding back?”
Wren scoffed. “Of course I am. I don’t believe in this shit. It doesn’t happen for girls like me.”
“You know, I used to think that.”
Wren pulled her brows together. “What? You?”
Brie was gorgeous. Like drop-dead beautiful with the cutest little body and the greatest smile. She was a knockout. “Yes, me! Love didn’t come easy, and I tried so hard. So many horrid speed-dating things and shit like that. It took some asshole hockey player, one I never thought I would be interested in, to be there for me. He didn’t have to be, but he loved Rodney like I do, and next thing you know, I fell. Even when he didn’t fall.”
“My situation is so different from yours, Brie. Jensen didn’t want this.”
Brie made a face, turning so her body was facing Wren’s. “Who says he didn’t?”
“I do.”
“Wren, come on. You’re not that oblivious, are you?”
Wren’s heart jumped up into her throat, making it hard to breathe. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He’s had a thing for you for as long as I’ve known him, and according to everyone else, even before.”
Wren rolled her eyes. “That’s not true. Wells said the same thing, but if that was the case, why hasn’t anything happened?” She cleared her throat. “I’ve known him forever, okay? I flirted with him when we were younger, and he ignored me. Then when we were older, after that whore left him, I put the moves on him again, and nothing. If he had a ‘thing’ for me, why didn’t he try anything?”
Brie shrugged. “I don’t know that answer. Maybe that’s something you should ask him.”
Wren laughed. “Yeah, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, Jenny, heard you had a thing for me. Is it true? And why didn’t you try anything before?’”
“Yes!” Brie laughed, holding her hands out to Wren. “Ask him. He’ll be honest.”
But she shook her head, not believing any of it. It just didn’t make sense. “If that were the case, then he had plenty of chances to get in my pants, and he never did it.”
“Maybe because he didn’t want to just get in your pants,” Brie suggested, holding Wren’s gaze. “Maybe he wanted more, and now he’s got it.”
Wren shook her head once more. “That’s stupid. It isn’t like that. He’s doing this to help me, and he’s too honorable and proud to let it fail.”
Brie made a face. “I don’t think that at all.”
When the front door opened, they both looked up to see Vaughn enter with arms full of bags of food. “Why did I go to the store if Lucy isn’t even here yet?” he asked as he shut the door. When he turned, seeing Wren, he made a face. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Vaughn!”
“What? It’s weird.”
“You’re so dumb. We are friends. Like besties,” Wren said, leaning into Brie.
“It’s true. Look, Jo! I finally have a friend,” Brie exclaimed, and her man rolled his eyes.
“Exactly. I don’t have to depend on you guys, I have a girlfriend now,” Wren said then, and Vaughn was not happy.
“I don’t trust you two. At all.”
“Don’t be jealous, lovebug,” Wren called to him, and he rolled his eyes as they both laughed. “He’s such a brat.”
“He sure is,” Brie agreed, leaning back into the couch. “He just doesn’t like that we can team up against him.”
“Exactly.”
“You two have never had a midget and a crazy person come at you,” Vaughn called from the kitchen, and they both snickered.
“You’re the midget, I assume?” Wren asked.
“Which means you’re the crazy person,” Brie added. “Should we kill him now or later?”
Wren shrugged. “I’m comfortable.”
“Me too,” Brie decided, and they both smiled as Vaughn grumbled in the kitchen. “Love slave, bring us snacks.”
He laughed. “Kiss my ass. Both of you.”
They both smiled. As Brie laid her head against the couch, she looked over at Wren, and she did the same. “Why the hell is my dog put up?” Vaughn hollered.
Looking toward the kitchen as Tricksie barreled out toward them, Brie shook her head. “She doesn’t know personal space, and Lucy is gonna be here soon.”
He filled the doorway as Tricksie jumped up on the couch, cuddling against both women. “Excuse me. This is Tricksie’s house, not Lucy’s. She doesn’t like my dog, she can leave.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
Vaughn wasn’t listening though as he went back to the kitchen, and Tricksie licked Brie’s chin when she turned to look at Wren. “I think you’re thinking too hard.”
“What? No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, like your therapist brain is always in therapy mode, and you’re always trying to figure everything out. Nothing is ever as it appears. There is always something deeper. Maybe just let it happen.”
“Says the person who hasn’t been hurt as much as I have.”
Brie laughed hard at that. “Wren. Please. The guy I thought I would marry before Vaughn left me because, when my mom died, it was too much to handle. He broke me.”
Wren’s heart clenched in her chest. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, it sucked. I get that dudes have been shitty to you. That you’ve had some doozies who have tossed you to the side and threw your confidence in the shitter, but, Wren, you are amazing. You’re funny when you let yourself be. You’re witty and so smart. Plus, you’re gorgeous. I would kill to have your curves and have those lips. And height. I’d love your height.”
Wren laughed, her face hurting from smiling so hard. “You’re insane.”
“You can’t even take a compliment! Say, thank you, Brie, for thinking I’m a sexy, curvy goddess.”
Wren blushed. “Thanks, bestie.”
Brie beamed at that as she leaned into her. “But really, Wren, you’ve got the real deal. I saw it with my own eyes. He looks at you like you’re the queen of his universe.”
Swallowing hard, Wren tangled her fingers together as she shook her head. She didn’t want to admit it since she was embarrassed, but it was Brie, her newfound best friend. In reality, she should feel bad since her other best friend had no clue why they weren’t friends anymore. Jesus, was she a shitty person? Damn it. “Brie.”
Her brows came together as she sat up. “What?”
Looking toward the kitchen, Wren inhaled deeply as she looked back to Brie, leaning in. “We haven’t had sex.”
Brie’s face scrunched up. “What? Ever?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know!”
Brie’s eyes widened. “Not even on your wedding night?”
“No. He won’t touch me. We get to kissing, things are going good, but then he slams on the brakes. It’s driving me fucking crazy. Like, I feel like he isn’t attracted to me.”
Brie shook her head. “He is.”
“Then why hasn’t he hit it?”
“I have—”
“Because he knows that’s all you want.”
Wren’s lips pressed together as Brie’s eyes squeezed shut. At the same time, they both turned back to look at Vaughn, who was standing in the doorway of their kitchen with his shoulder leaning on the wall, a smug smile on his face. “I hear all since this house is empty, and let me just say, Jensen isn’t going to just fuck you to get by. He’s not that guy. He didn’t fuck anyone until he loved them in high school. He’s a do-gooder. You know that.”
Wren’s mouth went dry. “But we’re married.”
“Doesn’t matter. If he doesn’t think you have feelings for him, more than lust, then he isn’t going to touch you. He’s not a douche. Again, you know this.”
“Or he isn’t attracted to me.”
He scoffed. “Wren, really? You’re hot. You have a great ass, and he wants it. I know that.” He then looked seriously at Brie. “You’re way hotter, and I want your ass, twenty-four seven.”
Brie smiled, and Wren was jealous of her complete confidence. “I’m fully aware, babe.”
He winked at her and then looked back to Wren. “He wants you. He’s told me, but he knows how you are. You revert right back to fucking when you start to feel something, to try to protect yourself. It’s sad. Stop it.”
“Wow, please don’t sugarcoat that, Jo.”
“Oh, I won’t.” His eyes held hers. “This is why I didn’t want you to ask him to do this. Because he’s all in, and you’re not. He knows that.”
With that, Vaughn turned and left the room, leaving Wren with her heart in her throat and her lips pressed together. She didn’t want to accept what Vaughn was saying, but she knew deep down it was the truth. Jensen wasn’t that guy. The fuck ’em and leave ’em type. Was that all she wanted? Was that the vibe she was putting off?
“Well.”
Brie exhaled hard. “You know how they all are. They’re so close.”
“I know,” Wren said, shaking her head. “I just feel like it’s me. That he isn’t attracted to me. Though, according to everyone, I’m insane.”
“You are.”
“And I get that he has his morals, and I appreciate them, but sex is my thing. It works for me. It’s how I feel.”
“But it’s not how he works,” Vaughn called from the kitchen. “He doesn’t need sex to love you. He just does.”
Wren’s eyes widened as she met Brie’s gaze, but her new bestie just shrugged. “Told you.”
But it couldn’t be.
Then Vaughn was in the living room again. “And, you don’t need sex to love him. You just need to let yourself do it. Didn’t you tell me that? Didn’t you tell me to stop being caught up in all the shit I had and let myself feel for Brie? I did, and look at us. We’re happy, while you’re sitting on my couch crying that you aren’t getting any from your husband.”
She glared at Vaughn, not liking him one bit before she turned to Brie. “I hate your husband.”
“He’s a special one,” she said, looking up at him. “This is an A and B conversation, C your way out.”
He scoffed. “You just don’t like that I’m speaking the truth.”
“We don’t,” Wren announced, and he grinned.
“Sorry for ya. You hit me with the truth way back when, and now I’m doing the same. Do what I did—don’t do what you’re used to.”
As she held his gaze, they both knew what she was used to.
Running.
Hiding.
Shutting everything out.
“Because unlike everyone and anything else, when it comes to Jensen, he doesn’t back down. He won’t let you go without a fight, even if it kills him.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach as she tore her gaze away and looked at the floor. She didn’t want to give Vaughn another thought, but she knew that he was right. She knew her faults, she knew who Jensen was, and even so, she knew that, more than likely, she was going to do what everyone had said.
Hurt him.
If she didn’t get it together.
“I have a crazy idea,” Brie said, and Wren looked up, seeing that Vaughn was still standing there.
“What?”
“Come out in your sexiest outfit, drive him wild. I bet he won’t be able to resist.”
Vaughn laughed. Hard. “You don’t know Jenny. He’ll resist.”
“Bet you he won’t. She’s so hot!”
“No doubt. But when he knows what he wants, he knows what he wants, and he won’t do it.”
“Yes, he will! Bet you head.”
“Shit, bet you butt!”
Wren snorted as Brie’s eyes darkened. “Fine.”
Vaughn’s eyes lit up as he came over, holding his hand out. “Shake on it.”
She glared and then did it as Wren laughed. “No pressure, I guess!”
Brie looked over at her, her face red as she sputtered with laughter. “My ass is depending on you.”
That had all three of them laughing, but inside Wren’s head, Vaughn’s words were playing loud and clear.
He doesn’t need sex to love you. He just does.
And while she sat there as her two friends sparred back and forth, all she could do was wonder if it was true.
And if so, how the hell had she never noticed?