He opened one eye to set his alarm for three hours later. “Five.”
“Ew.”
“Yeah, shh.”
She snickered beside him as she cuddled closer. He threw his phone back onto the nightstand before turning his head so that his nose was smothered in her hair. Taking in a deep breath, he smiled as he let it out, kissing her head before closing his eyes once more. Her fingers were so relaxing against his back, and soon he was drifting off to sleep. Well, until she whispered his name.
“Jensen.”
He groaned. “What? Are you hot? Scoot over, you’re the one holding me.”
“No, it isn’t that.”
Still with his eyes shut, he asked, “Then what?”
“I told Shanna the truth.”
He opened one eye. “What truth?”
“That the baby wasn’t yours by blood.”
He opened his other eye, surprised by that. “Why?”
“I didn’t want to lie to her anymore. I wanted to be honest about why I didn’t tell her, that I had shut everyone out and even tried with you, but there was no shutting you out.”
He shrugged. “This is true.”
“And so, I’ve been thinking about it all day.”
He groaned. “The shutting me out part? Ugh, Wren, you gonna try that again?”
She glared, her little nose wrinkling as she shook her head. “No, dork, not that.”
“Then what?”
“About the douche that knocked me up.”
He didn’t know what to say, so he got on his elbows, looking at her, fully awake at that point. “Okay?”
“I don’t want to tell you. I was going to. I had every intention to, but the more I thought about it, the more I worried that when you looked at our son, you’d think of him. I’m worried I’ll do the same, but that’s my cross to bear, and I don’t want that to be on you. I want you to look at our son and see only me, to see only your love in his eyes. That may be selfish, or even stupid of me, but I don’t want to do that to you.”
His heart stilled in his chest. “So I know him?”
She looked down at his shoulder and shook her head. “I don’t want to answer that, Jensen, I really don’t. Please don’t ask me that again.”
His eyes searched hers, and when they started to well, he tried so damn hard to get past his jealousy of that fucker, to understand what she was saying, what she wanted for him because it was kind. It was sweet, and he appreciated that, but could he let it go? “I love you, Jensen, and you’re it for me. So, really, he doesn’t matter. Only us and Gunner.”
Holding her gaze, he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to be a good man, a great man for her, but could he get past this and be that man? Or would he be a jealous bastard? Even though she didn’t admit that he did know the guy, he couldn’t help but feel he did. Just like that, again, Bradley’s face came to mind, and he swore the anger that coursed through his body was worse than anything he had ever experienced.
And he had lived and grown up with Vaughn Johansson.
Gazing into Wren’s eyes, he knew that he loved her, and that he had to trust her wishes for them if he expected her to do the same. Things were moving, things were good. Could he really let this hold them back? Clearing his throat, he said, “Wren—”
But before he could go on, his phone was ringing. “What in the world? Who would call you this early? Or late?”
His heart sped up as he said, “Only Vaughn, Wells, or my mom.”
She sat up as he did the same, reaching for his phone as her heart dropped. “Mum?”
His mother spoke fast in French as his heart slowly but surely fell out of his chest. Looking up to Wren, he saw her eyes were full of worry as he spoke back just as quickly, trying to find out information about his father. Wren’s face mirrored exactly what he felt, completely terrified. The conversation was brief and to the point, but usually it was when his father found himself in the hospital. As he told his mom he loved her, he hung up and ran his hands down his face, fighting back the tears.
“Babe, what’s wrong? Is it your dad?”
He nodded, blinking back his tears as his heart jumped into his throat. “He spiked a fever this morning, Mum rushed him to the hospital, and they found a spot on the back of his leg that she must have been missing, and it’s terribly infected. She’s freaking out because she doesn’t know how she could have missed it, but Dad is saying it wasn’t her fault. That it’s where his leg was up against the chair or something.”
“But I saw her. She’d hold his whole leg and clean it. I helped, I never saw anything but what we cleaned. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either. She said it’s right above the back of his knee,” he said, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes. He was just sick of his dad being sick. He wanted him to be healthy; he wanted the man he had grown up with. He felt like he didn’t get enough time with him since he was always in America with the Lemieres. A tear fell, and Wren made a sound of distress before wrapping her arms around his neck. Smothering his face in her neck, he inhaled deeply, getting lost in her intoxicating scent.
“What are they saying?”
Moving his face as she held him, he sniffed as he squeezed his eyes shut. “They’re pretty sure they’re gonna have to amputate his leg.”
“What?” she gasped, pulling back to look at him. “Is he healthy enough for that?’
“They say so. Mum won’t know more for a few hours. They’re waiting for some tests to come back.”
Wren let him go and scooted out of the bed, struggling to get up. But when she did, she went to turn on the light. “What are you doing?”
“Packing. Find us a flight.”
“Wren.”
“No, he needs us.”
“Wren, Wells’s wedding is in a matter of hours.”
She made a face. “I don’t care. This is your dad. He needs us, and damn it, Wells will understand that. Find us a flight.”
His heart, man, he couldn’t take the love that was suffocating him at the moment. “Baby.”
“Jensen, you heard me. Don’t fight me on this,” she said as she reached for her suitcase from under the bed, her ass perking up and doing crazy things to his heart.
“I asked Mum if I should come home since I wouldn’t ask you to miss your brother’s—”
“Ew.”
“Yeah, shh.”
She snickered beside him as she cuddled closer. He threw his phone back onto the nightstand before turning his head so that his nose was smothered in her hair. Taking in a deep breath, he smiled as he let it out, kissing her head before closing his eyes once more. Her fingers were so relaxing against his back, and soon he was drifting off to sleep. Well, until she whispered his name.
“Jensen.”
He groaned. “What? Are you hot? Scoot over, you’re the one holding me.”
“No, it isn’t that.”
Still with his eyes shut, he asked, “Then what?”
“I told Shanna the truth.”
He opened one eye. “What truth?”
“That the baby wasn’t yours by blood.”
He opened his other eye, surprised by that. “Why?”
“I didn’t want to lie to her anymore. I wanted to be honest about why I didn’t tell her, that I had shut everyone out and even tried with you, but there was no shutting you out.”
He shrugged. “This is true.”
“And so, I’ve been thinking about it all day.”
He groaned. “The shutting me out part? Ugh, Wren, you gonna try that again?”
She glared, her little nose wrinkling as she shook her head. “No, dork, not that.”
“Then what?”
“About the douche that knocked me up.”
He didn’t know what to say, so he got on his elbows, looking at her, fully awake at that point. “Okay?”
“I don’t want to tell you. I was going to. I had every intention to, but the more I thought about it, the more I worried that when you looked at our son, you’d think of him. I’m worried I’ll do the same, but that’s my cross to bear, and I don’t want that to be on you. I want you to look at our son and see only me, to see only your love in his eyes. That may be selfish, or even stupid of me, but I don’t want to do that to you.”
His heart stilled in his chest. “So I know him?”
She looked down at his shoulder and shook her head. “I don’t want to answer that, Jensen, I really don’t. Please don’t ask me that again.”
His eyes searched hers, and when they started to well, he tried so damn hard to get past his jealousy of that fucker, to understand what she was saying, what she wanted for him because it was kind. It was sweet, and he appreciated that, but could he let it go? “I love you, Jensen, and you’re it for me. So, really, he doesn’t matter. Only us and Gunner.”
Holding her gaze, he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to be a good man, a great man for her, but could he get past this and be that man? Or would he be a jealous bastard? Even though she didn’t admit that he did know the guy, he couldn’t help but feel he did. Just like that, again, Bradley’s face came to mind, and he swore the anger that coursed through his body was worse than anything he had ever experienced.
And he had lived and grown up with Vaughn Johansson.
Gazing into Wren’s eyes, he knew that he loved her, and that he had to trust her wishes for them if he expected her to do the same. Things were moving, things were good. Could he really let this hold them back? Clearing his throat, he said, “Wren—”
But before he could go on, his phone was ringing. “What in the world? Who would call you this early? Or late?”
His heart sped up as he said, “Only Vaughn, Wells, or my mom.”
She sat up as he did the same, reaching for his phone as her heart dropped. “Mum?”
His mother spoke fast in French as his heart slowly but surely fell out of his chest. Looking up to Wren, he saw her eyes were full of worry as he spoke back just as quickly, trying to find out information about his father. Wren’s face mirrored exactly what he felt, completely terrified. The conversation was brief and to the point, but usually it was when his father found himself in the hospital. As he told his mom he loved her, he hung up and ran his hands down his face, fighting back the tears.
“Babe, what’s wrong? Is it your dad?”
He nodded, blinking back his tears as his heart jumped into his throat. “He spiked a fever this morning, Mum rushed him to the hospital, and they found a spot on the back of his leg that she must have been missing, and it’s terribly infected. She’s freaking out because she doesn’t know how she could have missed it, but Dad is saying it wasn’t her fault. That it’s where his leg was up against the chair or something.”
“But I saw her. She’d hold his whole leg and clean it. I helped, I never saw anything but what we cleaned. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either. She said it’s right above the back of his knee,” he said, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes. He was just sick of his dad being sick. He wanted him to be healthy; he wanted the man he had grown up with. He felt like he didn’t get enough time with him since he was always in America with the Lemieres. A tear fell, and Wren made a sound of distress before wrapping her arms around his neck. Smothering his face in her neck, he inhaled deeply, getting lost in her intoxicating scent.
“What are they saying?”
Moving his face as she held him, he sniffed as he squeezed his eyes shut. “They’re pretty sure they’re gonna have to amputate his leg.”
“What?” she gasped, pulling back to look at him. “Is he healthy enough for that?’
“They say so. Mum won’t know more for a few hours. They’re waiting for some tests to come back.”
Wren let him go and scooted out of the bed, struggling to get up. But when she did, she went to turn on the light. “What are you doing?”
“Packing. Find us a flight.”
“Wren.”
“No, he needs us.”
“Wren, Wells’s wedding is in a matter of hours.”
She made a face. “I don’t care. This is your dad. He needs us, and damn it, Wells will understand that. Find us a flight.”
His heart, man, he couldn’t take the love that was suffocating him at the moment. “Baby.”
“Jensen, you heard me. Don’t fight me on this,” she said as she reached for her suitcase from under the bed, her ass perking up and doing crazy things to his heart.
“I asked Mum if I should come home since I wouldn’t ask you to miss your brother’s—”
