by Toni Aleo
“Wren, you don’t have to. Don’t you know that?”
“But it’s scary. Like the whole opening up thing. But I feel like if I don’t try, then I’m letting him down. I’m lying, and he doesn’t deserve that.”
“He doesn’t.”
Running her hands down her face, she leaned into it as she took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Wells.”
Breathing into the phone, Wells chuckled. “No, I’m sorry, Wrenny. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I was gonna call you tomorrow and apologize, but I figured one more day of being a prick would be good, even if Jensen threatened to kill me.”
Her brows pulled together. “What?”
“I just got off the phone with him. Like seconds before you called.”
“Jensen?”
“Yeah, he called to tell me to get my head out of my ass because I’m hurting you. That you love me and feel like I don’t love you, which is completely untrue. I love you, Wren, so damn much, you know that. Don’t ever question that.”
But she wasn’t worried about that, only Jensen. “He called you?” she asked, her heart skipping in her chest. “Even after we just fought?”
“I could tell he was upset, but he was direct and to the point before he let me go—without giving me a chance to speak.”
She couldn’t wrap her brain around it. Why would Jensen do that? “I don’t understand.”
“That’s Jenny. He loves you, Wren, and even when he’s mad at us, he will always do what’s best for everyone. He’s loyal to a fucking fault.”
Her lips trembled as she slowly shook her head. “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything,” he said simply. “You know that.”
She almost couldn’t breathe as she whispered, “I don’t want to lose him.” A sob broke free. “Like, now that I have him, I don’t want to think about not having him. I don’t know if it’s for selfish reasons or for, like, real, ya know?”
Wells chuckled. “Let me tell you something, okay?”
“Okay?”
“You remember that summer—I think we were seventeen, so you would have been fifteen—and we were at Richard Oberlin’s pool party?”
She paused for a second and shrugged. “What does this have to do—”
“Yes or no.”
“Yes, jeez.”
“Okay, I remember I saw Jensen staring at you—you were in some stupid purple bathing suit that had a rainbow across your ass—and I started teasing him for staring at you. He ignored me, like always, even when Jo gave him shit, but he didn’t care. He kept staring at you, this dumb grin on his face. But then Richard came over, and he was talking shit, that the rainbow on your ass was so big that the pot of gold on the other side was probably massive… Well, before I could kill him, Jensen plowed his fist into Richard’s mouth in a way that was straight out of some damn ninja movie. Jo started laughing so hard, while I stood there in shock before Jensen very calmly told Richard if he ever said anything about you again, he’d kill him.”
Wren’s face broke into a grin. “I remember his nose bleeding, but I didn’t realize that’s what had happened.”
“Yeah, and I knew from that moment that one day he would get you, that you would notice he felt way more than just a friendship for you, and I knew you wouldn’t have a chance. Did I think it would be like this? No, but I always knew. Wren, really, don’t destroy this. Don’t let the past ruin your future. Because Jensen is one of a kind, and you’ll never find anyone like him.”
“I know—”
“Listen, I get it. You’ve been through your fair share of assholes, everyone knows, and we all understand. You’ve been scorned. But maybe this one time you can let something good happen for you.”
Swallowing hard, Wren’s eyes fell shut as she leaned back into the island.
Don’t let the past ruin your future.
She repeated her brother’s words a million times in her head, over and over again.
The problem was, it was easier said than done.
But damn it, she didn’t want to fail.
This was supposed to be fake, a means to an end so she could get her money. Now, things were different. It wasn’t about the money anymore. It was about the woman and the mother she could be with Jensen by her side.
Holy fuck, that was one terrifying thought.
But it didn’t just come out of nowhere.
Which meant something.
Right?
“I thought you said you were poor when we were younger?”
Jensen looked over at Wren as they drove down the long driveway that led to his parents’ house. “I was.”
She looked back at the house that was in the distance before scoffing. “We have two very different views on being poor.”
He laughed. “When I was drafted, I used my bonus to rebuild my parents’ house.”
“Oh,” she drawled, and he looked back out the window, taking in the beauty that was his parents’ home. It used to be a two-bedroom cabin, but now it was three bedrooms with bigger rooms and much more space for his parents. With his father’s diabetes and his immobility, it was good to have the room for his wheelchair and then the pool in the back for exercise. Jensen loved his parents’ home, and thankfully, they did too. “It’s big.”
“Yeah, my dad is in his wheelchair more than he isn’t.”
“That sucks.”
“It does,” he agreed as they pulled in beside his mom’s van. “But he doesn’t let it get him down. You ready?”
She looked over at him and let out a shaky breath. “Nervous.”
“So am I,” he admitted as he reached for the door. “But they’re excited to see us.”
She didn’t look sure of that as she got out and he did the same, going to the back for their luggage. Meeting him by the trunk, she ran her hands down her belly, fixing her shirt as she looked around. “What if she’s still mad? Your mom?”
He looked over at her as he lifted up one of her bags. “She wasn’t ever mad. She was just annoyed.”
She gave him a dry look. “Same damn thing.”
“I beg to differ, but either way, she won’t say anything. She isn’t one for confrontation.”
“When it comes to her son, she is just fine with confrontation. I’ve heard her go at it with your coach plenty of times. Remember how my mom would put her on speaker? Man, she would go off.”
Jensen’s mouth quirked. His mom was a firecracker when she needed to be. “That’s different. It wasn’t my wife.”
She pressed her lips together as she looked toward the house. “Still. Makes me nervous.”
Reaching out, he cupped her by the back of her neck before pulling her toward him. “We’re good, okay?”
Before she could answer, he pressed his lips into hers, and she stepped toward him willingly. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and his heart skipped a beat. At first, he wasn’t convinced by the list he had found. He knew how she was. She made lists, and most of the time, if she didn’t like the outcome, she would ignore it. But that was the second list that had to do with him, and he didn’t think she was ignoring it. It felt a little like a dream, but he really did think she was trying. That she was letting go and trusting him. It had only been a few days, but he swore he felt closer to her in that time than he had in the three weeks they had been together.
It was either that, or he was making it something it wasn’t.
He wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t deny that he enjoyed the way she clung to him or leaned into him as she kissed him.
Pulling away, he kissed the side of her mouth and then her nose. “Everything is going to be fine.”
She nodded as her eyes met his, and damn it, she was beautiful. Her eyes were so green, that pretty makeup on her eyes that made his insides feel all crazy. Her lips were glossed up, and her hair was down in big curls along her shoulders. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a long, very thin long-sleeved shirt that hugged her belly in
the most delectable way. As much as he wanted to wait out the sexual connection between them, he had to admit he was struggling more and more lately.
He wanted her.
Every single part of her.
Exhaling hard when she turned out of his arms and looked back at the house, he closed his eyes and prayed that his mom didn’t say anything. Surely, she wouldn’t, but his mom was a mama bear to the extreme. Shutting the trunk, he carried the bags while Wren walked beside him toward the house. Before they could even step onto the walkway, his mother was yelling out, “Mon chou!”
His mom was wearing one of her trusty house dresses, and her dark hair that had a wide silver streak through the middle was up in a big bun. She had aged since he had seen her last, but he still thought his mother was beautiful. Wren looked up and plastered a grin on her face as his mom made her way down the stairs to them, wrapping Wren up first. “Look at you! Ah! My grandbaby!” Taking Wren’s belly in her hands, she cried out as she started speaking very quickly in French. Wren’s eyes widened as she looked back at Jensen, and he smiled, “She said he’ll be as big as I was. I was eleven pounds.”
Wren’s mouth dropped. “No wonder you had only one.”
His mom laughed as she nodded. “You have no clue.”
“You’re a strong woman, Mrs. Monroe.”
His mom waved her off quickly. “Mum.” She took Wren’s face in her hands. “I’m so happy to see you. So beautiful,” she gushed, kissing Wren’s cheeks before hugging her tightly.
“You too,” Wren somehow muttered between kisses before his mother was on him, knocking the bags out of his hands. But his grin was unstoppable. As he held his mother, his eyes fell shut as she cried into his shoulder. It has been so long since he had seen her, at least eight months. She felt the same, crying in French as she held him, kissing him over and over again.
“You’re too skinny.” He scoffed as she lifted his shirt. “You don’t feed him, Wrenya?”
“Wren,” he corrected and she nodded.
“That’s what I said,” she said with a look before shaking her head, and he knew not to correct her. “You’re hungry, let’s go eat.”
He laughed as she turned, wrapping her arm around Wren before leading her toward the house. They didn’t get far before his father was hollering at them. “Who is that? Is that my son? His wife?” Jensen’s stomach dropped as he picked up the bags again. Surely, his father hadn’t forgotten what he looked like. “Come closer, my sight is going.”
Wren looked back, surprised since they both thought it was only his legs that were failing, and Jensen found himself unable to breathe before his mother shook her head. “Stop it, Ant.”
His father laughed loudly as he waved them off. “I kid. Come here, son. I really can’t walk, and I’ve missed you.”
Rolling his eyes, Jensen made it up the stairs swiftly before dropping his bags and wrapping his arms around his father. He was in his wheelchair, his legs bandaged up as he clung to Jensen. “My boy,” he muttered into his shoulder, hugging him tightly. Jensen’s eyes burned as he held his father. It had been so long, longer than seeing his mother, and he regretted that. He should have come sooner. After smacking Jensen’s back, his father pulled away and grinned up at him. His face was sunken in from the massive amount of weight he had been losing, but his dark brown eyes shone like he wasn’t a day over sixteen. “Too long, you know.”
“I know,” Jensen agreed before he gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek.
“Now move. Let me see this wife of yours, Lord!” After he pushed Jensen out of the way playfully, his father widened his eyes as he shook his head. “Man, you married up, didn’t ya?”
Jensen chuckled as he looked back at Wren, who flushed deeply. With a wink, he said, “I sure the hell think so.”
“Yeah, the last one, Wren, was skinny as all hell and not that pretty. But you, you’re gorgeous.”
Wren smiled. “And not a skinny bone on me,” she teased before coming up the stairs and holding out her hand. “It’s wonderful—” But before she could finish, his father pulled her into a big hug.
“Family doesn’t shake hands, girl.”
Wren’s lips were still curved as she hugged his father. Pulling back, he held her hands, looking her up and down. “I don’t remember you being this pretty. Em, was she always this pretty?”
“I was thinking the same. She’s gorgeous now. Looks just like Elaine.”
“She sure is. Goodness. Here, have a seat right here beside me. Son, go put everything up. Let your mum fuss over you a bit.”
Looking to Wren, Jensen smiled. “You good?”
“Why you asking that? Of course she is. Go,” his father scolded, his hands still holding Wren’s. She sent him a nervous smile, but she didn’t look panicked, which he took as a win. He knew she was nervous about his parents liking her, and he was glad they were making a fuss over her. Not that they wouldn’t have, but he had been nervous too.
Leaning over, he pressed his lips to her temple. “I’ll be back.”
“Okay,” she said as his dad took her attention.
“Now, hit me with some names. He needs a strong name. Antoine is a good one.”
Jensen’s mom laughed. “Please don’t do that to my grandbaby.”
As his mom led him inside, Wren’s laughter ran down his spine. His mom directed him to their room, which used to be his old bedroom until it was completely redone with an added bathroom. She had decorated it with all the memorabilia from Jensen’s youth in hockey. All kinds of pictures of him growing up with his stick in his hands adorned the walls, along with photos of all the major moments. When he had won the cup when he was a junior, which was awesome since he had beaten out Wells and Vaughn on the US team. They had talked so much shit, but Canada wasn’t one to mess with. A big picture of the day he was drafted made him smile because it wasn’t just him, it was his parents along with Vaughn and Wells. Then one of them and Wren too. She looked so small next to all of them as they all cheesed for Elaine. That was a good day, and he couldn’t help but grin ruefully as he took in Wren and him.
How the hell hadn’t she known?
His hand lay on her hip, and she was basically clinging to him, her face so bright, her grin so big.
They were so young.
With a smile as he set the bags on the end of the bed, his mother asked, “Good trip in?”
He nodded. “Great. I’m glad to be home.”
“We’re glad to have you two here,” she said, coming to him and taking his biceps in her hands. “You look happy.”
His lips quirked as he nodded. “I am.”
“And seeing you with her. The way she looks at you. My goodness, it’s breathtaking.”
He rolled his eyes gently at that. “Mum, we’ve been here ten minutes.”
“And you two haven’t taken your eyes off each other at all.”
Patting his face, she turned, demanding in French that he follow, but he didn’t move. A stupid grin came over his face as he shook his head. He wanted to believe his mom, he wanted to believe what was in his heart, but he could still hear Wren’s words of uncertainty in his head. Man, he hated them, but he knew they were just words. Things were changing.
He could feel it.
“I feel, in my heart, that this can count as my exercise.”
Looking down at his wife as she swam in a circle in his parents’ pool, Jensen laughed, shaking his head. “We’ll walk when the sun goes down.”
She let her head fall back. “You’re ruining my life.”
His father laughed beside him. “Why do you have to exercise?”
She held her hand out to him. “Exactly.”
Laughing, Jensen shook his head as he took a long pull of his beer. “Her doctor is advising her to since he thinks she’s putting on too much weight with the pregnancy.”
Antoine scoffed. “Please, she’s perfect.”
“That’s what I said,” Jensen said when he looked back to her, and her lip
s pulled up a bit. “But I want to make sure she’s healthy.”
“Ah, well, ya gotta stay healthy, Wrenya, or you’ll end up like me,” Antoine pointed out, shaking his head. “And this hurts. I refuse to have you ever be like me, you hear me?”
Her lips pressed together. “Yeah, I’ll go walking later.”
“Good girl.”
Jensen shared a grin with her before leaning back, his feet in the water as she swam around, letting the sun kiss her face. She looked carefree, happy, her hair spread out in the water as her belly peeked out. She was wearing a black bikini that hardly covered her ass, but he wasn’t complaining. Her breasts were swollen and delectable and were the main reason he had a towel over his lap. “How’re your parents, Wrenya? I haven’t talked to your dad in months.”
Wren laughed. “Because he’s hiding. He hardly talks to me.”
“Me either,” Jensen added. “But he’s doing well. Try texting him.”
“Ah, I hate texting,” his dad said, waving him off. “But I’ll try. And your mum is good?”
Wren smiled. “She is.”
With a nod, he asked, “Wells won’t be upset that we can’t make it to the wedding, will he?”
“No, not all at. He understands, honest.”
“Okay, good. We were worried, but he said the same. Such a good boy.” Letting out a pained sigh, he shook his head. “Damn legs.”
“Just get healthy, Dad, that’s all we want. Vaughn said the same.”
“Ah, my Jo. I love that kid. He’s so damn cocky.”
“Beyond. You know his girlfriend is pregnant too.”
“Yeah, he called and told us. I hear she’s a good girl.”
“She is, really good,” Jensen agreed. “They’re completely into each other.”
Antoine chuckled loudly, filling the backyard with his laughter as he leaned back in his chair. “Funny, I remember when all you boys were here that summer, and no one could even talk to a girl. Wells was the worst—we all know why now—but still, I remember just laughing at you guys. I tried so hard to help, pushing girls at you, but all of you would just shut down. Even Vaughn.” Antoine shook his head as Jensen laughed while Wren smiled.