“Wren, you know I’ve loved you as my sister since I was four. So we hit a snag. Oh, well. I love you and I’m sorry you felt that way, but I know you, and I know you do things your way with no second thoughts. So I forgive you, I do. I just wish you’d have done this a long time ago.”
“Me too.”
“But all in all, this is all I ever wanted for you, Wren. Jensen is amazing, and I know he’ll love you and your son for the rest of his life. He’s a damn good dude, and fuck the dude that did you dirty.”
Wren’s heart tightened. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Shanna said, squeezing Wren’s hands. “Now tell me everything. Pregnancy, everything. I want it all.”
A grin pulling at her lips, Shanna picked up a napkin and wiped Wren’s cheeks, which made them both laugh before Wren found herself having one of the best afternoons with a friend who was supposed to be her lifelong friend. Wren had shut everyone out in the past, and that was her fault. But she knew she had found someone who would never allow her to do that to him.
And when Jensen came to pick her up, she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him with nothing but the love and praise she had just spent the afternoon gushing about. But he was looking back into the diner, his brows up. “I don’t see blood, and it took three hours for you to call me, so I’m assuming there was no one injured?”
Wren scoffed. “It was nice. We talked everything out.”
He seemed surprised. “So, you two are good?”
She shrugged. “Do I think we’ll be as close as we were? Never, I ruined that, and I own it. But I’ll check in, and we’ll text. But this needed to happen.”
“It did,” he agreed, kissing her forehead. “I’m very proud of you.”
She laughed. “For being an adult?”
He grinned. “Hey, adulting is hard for you.”
Nodding very fervently, she agreed. He loved her, even her faults. All of her. How in the world did she get that fucking lucky? To keep from crying, she beamed as she joked, “Right? Pants, wearing pants is the hardest part. I hate them.”
“This is very true. We should all be able to walk around pants-less,” he teased, holding her close as they headed toward his car.
“Yes! And everyone would be okay with it. But no, people are worried about indecency. Pathetic, I tell you.”
“We should start a no-pants uprising.”
“Yes,” she laughed. “We can be the ambassadors!”
“We’d be the best.”
“We would!” she agreed as they reached the car, and he opened the door for her. But when she didn’t get in, he looked down, confused.
“You ready to go?”
Exhaling hard, she reached up, taking his face in her hands as her eyes started to well up. She wanted to tell him. Right there. Tell him the truth and hope he would be okay with it. But she found she didn’t have it in her. She loved the way he looked at her. Loved the way he loved her, and she couldn’t fuck with that.
She couldn’t.
“Can I tell you something?”
His eyes softened as he nodded, his hands coming to her hips. “Of course, what’s up?”
Biting her lip, she struggled with her words. But then, a grin pulled at her lips as she whispered, “Thank you.”
His face twisted in confusion. “For what? I thought you were gonna kill me for leaving.” She laughed, and he smiled, the kind of smile that made her belly flutter funny. “I actually have your Snickers in the car.”
Shaking her head as her laughter subsided, she leaned into him. “No, Jenny, not that.”
“Then what?”
Holding his gaze, she curved her lips into what she felt was the biggest smile she could possibly muster. “For loving me enough to force me to love myself.”
His lips quirked as he dropped his head to hers. “Well, that just made my day.”
“Good, because you’ve made all my days since the moment back home at the restaurant when I asked you to be my husband.”
“That was a damn good day,” he said, squeezing her ass in his hands as she giggled against his lips. “Because, of course, I’m the most awesome ever.”
“I’m awesomer.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t tell me to shut up. I am your man,” he teased.
“That’s right, so shut up,” she challenged as she beamed up at him, her heart in her throat. “And kiss me.”
When he dropped his lips to her neck, she giggled as he kissed her over and over again, up her jaw, to her chin before finally smashing his mouth to hers. Coming to her toes, she fell into the kiss, knowing that everything she had said that day was completely the truth. She never thought this would be her life, but now, she wouldn’t want it any other way.
With anyone else.
Only Jensen.
He lay on his stomach, Wren’s naked body pressed to his side, her belly in his hip as her hand moved lazily along his back. His son was moving like mad, and her nose glided along his shoulder. She looked like a goddess. Her hair was falling over her shoulder, a mess, but a beautiful mess. Her face was flushed, as was her body, showing marks from his mouth and hands.
God, he loved her.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She scoffed, biting his shoulder and causing him to hiss out a breath. “Did I hurt you?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No.”
“Same here, then. I swear you think I’m made of glass.”
Closing his eyes, he nodded. “To me, you are, and especially with my boy in you.”
Silence fell between them as his body still vibrated from their lovemaking. It was early in the morning; the sun was starting to come up, but when she got up to use the bathroom, coming back in just her panties since she was burning up, he had to have her. He knew they’d fall back asleep and probably not wake up until twelve, which would, of course, piss Elaine off.
Wells’s wedding was at six, so there was no way they could sleep in. No way Wren could get her hair and makeup done in time. Even he knew that.
But sleep, at that moment, sounded like heaven to him.
“Go to sleep,” he muttered, reaching for his phone. “We gotta get up soon.”
“What time is it?”
“Me too.”
“But all in all, this is all I ever wanted for you, Wren. Jensen is amazing, and I know he’ll love you and your son for the rest of his life. He’s a damn good dude, and fuck the dude that did you dirty.”
Wren’s heart tightened. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Shanna said, squeezing Wren’s hands. “Now tell me everything. Pregnancy, everything. I want it all.”
A grin pulling at her lips, Shanna picked up a napkin and wiped Wren’s cheeks, which made them both laugh before Wren found herself having one of the best afternoons with a friend who was supposed to be her lifelong friend. Wren had shut everyone out in the past, and that was her fault. But she knew she had found someone who would never allow her to do that to him.
And when Jensen came to pick her up, she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him with nothing but the love and praise she had just spent the afternoon gushing about. But he was looking back into the diner, his brows up. “I don’t see blood, and it took three hours for you to call me, so I’m assuming there was no one injured?”
Wren scoffed. “It was nice. We talked everything out.”
He seemed surprised. “So, you two are good?”
She shrugged. “Do I think we’ll be as close as we were? Never, I ruined that, and I own it. But I’ll check in, and we’ll text. But this needed to happen.”
“It did,” he agreed, kissing her forehead. “I’m very proud of you.”
She laughed. “For being an adult?”
He grinned. “Hey, adulting is hard for you.”
Nodding very fervently, she agreed. He loved her, even her faults. All of her. How in the world did she get that fucking lucky? To keep from crying, she beamed as she joked, “Right? Pants, wearing pants is the hardest part. I hate them.”
“This is very true. We should all be able to walk around pants-less,” he teased, holding her close as they headed toward his car.
“Yes! And everyone would be okay with it. But no, people are worried about indecency. Pathetic, I tell you.”
“We should start a no-pants uprising.”
“Yes,” she laughed. “We can be the ambassadors!”
“We’d be the best.”
“We would!” she agreed as they reached the car, and he opened the door for her. But when she didn’t get in, he looked down, confused.
“You ready to go?”
Exhaling hard, she reached up, taking his face in her hands as her eyes started to well up. She wanted to tell him. Right there. Tell him the truth and hope he would be okay with it. But she found she didn’t have it in her. She loved the way he looked at her. Loved the way he loved her, and she couldn’t fuck with that.
She couldn’t.
“Can I tell you something?”
His eyes softened as he nodded, his hands coming to her hips. “Of course, what’s up?”
Biting her lip, she struggled with her words. But then, a grin pulled at her lips as she whispered, “Thank you.”
His face twisted in confusion. “For what? I thought you were gonna kill me for leaving.” She laughed, and he smiled, the kind of smile that made her belly flutter funny. “I actually have your Snickers in the car.”
Shaking her head as her laughter subsided, she leaned into him. “No, Jenny, not that.”
“Then what?”
Holding his gaze, she curved her lips into what she felt was the biggest smile she could possibly muster. “For loving me enough to force me to love myself.”
His lips quirked as he dropped his head to hers. “Well, that just made my day.”
“Good, because you’ve made all my days since the moment back home at the restaurant when I asked you to be my husband.”
“That was a damn good day,” he said, squeezing her ass in his hands as she giggled against his lips. “Because, of course, I’m the most awesome ever.”
“I’m awesomer.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t tell me to shut up. I am your man,” he teased.
“That’s right, so shut up,” she challenged as she beamed up at him, her heart in her throat. “And kiss me.”
When he dropped his lips to her neck, she giggled as he kissed her over and over again, up her jaw, to her chin before finally smashing his mouth to hers. Coming to her toes, she fell into the kiss, knowing that everything she had said that day was completely the truth. She never thought this would be her life, but now, she wouldn’t want it any other way.
With anyone else.
Only Jensen.
He lay on his stomach, Wren’s naked body pressed to his side, her belly in his hip as her hand moved lazily along his back. His son was moving like mad, and her nose glided along his shoulder. She looked like a goddess. Her hair was falling over her shoulder, a mess, but a beautiful mess. Her face was flushed, as was her body, showing marks from his mouth and hands.
God, he loved her.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She scoffed, biting his shoulder and causing him to hiss out a breath. “Did I hurt you?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No.”
“Same here, then. I swear you think I’m made of glass.”
Closing his eyes, he nodded. “To me, you are, and especially with my boy in you.”
Silence fell between them as his body still vibrated from their lovemaking. It was early in the morning; the sun was starting to come up, but when she got up to use the bathroom, coming back in just her panties since she was burning up, he had to have her. He knew they’d fall back asleep and probably not wake up until twelve, which would, of course, piss Elaine off.
Wells’s wedding was at six, so there was no way they could sleep in. No way Wren could get her hair and makeup done in time. Even he knew that.
But sleep, at that moment, sounded like heaven to him.
“Go to sleep,” he muttered, reaching for his phone. “We gotta get up soon.”
“What time is it?”
