Delayed Call
Page 102

 Toni Aleo

  • Background:
  • Text Font:
  • Text Size:
  • Line Height:
  • Line Break Height:
  • Frame:
Vaughn, though, he couldn’t move.
He was stunned in place as he fought for his next breath.
He wanted that.
But could he have it?
After a very long afternoon celebrating Lucy and Benji’s news with the team and their families, Vaughn finally made it home to take a shower. He had wanted to go by the hospital, but Brie said she would come home that night so they could see each other since the doctors were in seeing Rodney. He was thankful because he missed his dog and he wanted his shower. He would have showered at the arena, but he was out of soap there and he was weird about the way he smelled. He liked his soap, and he didn’t care that Jensen called him a weirdo.
When he opened the door to his apartment, Tricksie jumped up into his arms, and he laughed as he held her close. “My sweet girl! How in the world did you jump like that? You amaze me! Did you miss Daddy? Daddy missed you.”
Tricksie barked happily as she kissed him all over his face, her little body wriggling as he carried her into the apartment while Jensen shut the door. As he fell back on the couch, cuddling his dog, a smile sat on his lips. Now, all he had to do was see Brie and things would be good. Real good. The afternoon was still weighing heavy on his soul. He couldn’t shake the euphoric looks on Benji’s and Lucy’s faces. He hadn’t thought he wanted kids yet or to hear that the person he loved was pregnant, but he found he did. With Brie. Not now, but one day soon, which made him smile. He used to think he didn’t want anything like that, but Brie changed all that.
She’d changed him.
“Did Wells just text you?” Jensen asked, just as Vaughn’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
“I think so,” he said before pulling his phone out, though it was hard with Tricksie jumping and licking him. Looking at his phone, his brows pulled together. “He wants to talk to us?”
“Yeah,” Jensen groaned, shaking his head. “I bet that dude asked him to marry him.”
“Shit, I bet so,” he said as he hit Wells’s number and put it on speaker phone.
When Wells’s voice rang over the phone, Vaughn couldn’t help it, he smiled. “Guys! Big news!”
“What’s up?” Vaughn asked as Jensen sat on the table.
“Need some best men?” Jensen asked
Wells laughed loudly. “How’d you know?”
Vaughn laughed. “You texted us, ‘Big news, get your suits ready.’ We aren’t dumb.”
“Yeah, guess I gave it away. But he asked! Last night. We’re getting married as soon as possible, and you’ll need to be there.”
“Give us a date, and we’ll be there,” Jensen said, a smile pulling at his lips. “We’re happy for you, dude.”
“Yeah, man, this is awesome.”
“Thanks, I’m so damn happy.”
“That’s all that matters.”
“Okay, gotta call Wren, but I wanted to call you guys first.”
Vaughn scoffed. “You called us before your sister?”
Wells laughed. “I did, she’s gonna kill me.”
“She is,” Jensen chuckled. “I love you, dude.”
“I do too, more than him, so I should be the first best man,” Vaughn teased, and Jensen rolled his eyes as Wells laughed out.
“I love you both equally, and you’ll both stand beside me.”
“I’m closer, though, right? I’m hotter.”
That had all of them laughing, but then Wells had to go, so Vaughn hung up as he cuddled his dog, kissing her head. “He sounds happy.”
Jensen agreed. “He does. Worries me, though, that he’s rushing into this. He isn’t over Matty.”
“Nope, but it’s his life.”
“Yup.”
“Plus, I’ve never been to a gay wedding. I bet it’s gonna be fun.”
Jensen snorted. “I’m sure.”
Vaughn handed Tricksie to Jensen. “Love on her, I gotta shower.”
“Yeah, ’cause you stink, weirdo. Go use your special soap.”
“Hey, when you have skin like this, you gotta take care of it.”
Jensen rolled his eyes as he lay on the couch, cuddling with Tricksie while Vaughn went to his room, jumping in the shower. As he washed up, he had a smile playing on his lips. First a baby, and now a wedding? It was like the powers beyond were telling him something because, with each event, all he thought about was Brie. Shaking his head, his lips were curved because they had always thought that Jensen would marry first, settle down with some girl. And he’d done a version of that, however short-lived it was. But they’d also always thought that Vaughn would knock someone up first. If things keep going well with Brie, he could be next. That freaked him out. Yet, it was still funny how things changed. How life had fascinating little twists and turns.
Chucking a little bit, he washed his hair as he heard Tricksie barking like mad. Jensen was probably playing with her, which was good; she missed them while they were gone. Wren had dropped her off this morning before her hair appointment. Thinking of her, he decided he needed to go see her. Maybe throw a pregnancy test at her or something. He wasn’t sure, but he needed to figure out what was up with that girl. Washing the soap out of his hair and then off his body, he shut the water off and grabbed a towel before stepping out.
“Woo-hoo, show me your dick. I got dollar, dollar bills!”
Startled, he looked to the bedroom where Brie lay with Tricksie on the bed, petting her as she checked Vaughn out. “You.”
“Me.” She smiled a bit shyly, going up to her knees as he came over to gather her in his arms, kissing her hard on the lips. Holding her, he felt his heart going crazy in his chest as his eyes drifted shut and everything tingled. Parting, he kissed her nose then her chin before her lips once more, melting against her. When she smiled, he smiled as he opened his eyes and pulled back.
“I missed that.”
She was still smiling. “I missed you.”
Pressing his nose to hers, he fell onto the bed, pulling her down with him, thankfully, not on his dog who was now jumping on him and trying to wiggle between them as they kissed and clung to each other. When Tricksie got to them, licking them like crazy, they parted, laughing as Brie wrapped her arms around Tricksie, kissing her hard on the nose. “How is the baby? I missed you too! I did. Aren’t you the sweetest?”