They were going to be great.
Jensen exhaled hard, letting the phone fall to the bar as he looked up at Wells and Vaughn, who were sitting across from him in the kitchen. “They aren’t going to have to amputate Dad’s leg.”
“Oh, thank God,” Wells said as Elaine came over, wrapping her arms around him.
“So he’s good?” she asked, and he shrugged, hugging her back.
“They are getting the infection under control, and it seems that way. Things are still up in the air, though. Dad claims he’s fine. But Mum said she’ll send me updates as she gets them. She wished you a beautiful wedding,” he said to Wells, and his best friend smiled.
Getting his phone out, Wells said, “I’ll text her.”
“I’m so glad. I was very worried,” Elaine said, and Winston nodded from the breakfast nook.
“So was I. I’m texting him now, and he says he’s fine,” Winston said with a laugh, and Jensen smiled.
Man, what a weight off his chest. He felt a lot better, yet he was still very tired since he didn’t catch a wink the rest of the morning. He felt like shit that Wren hadn’t slept at all either. She’d stayed wide awake beside him, holding him before they both decided there was no point and got up for the day. She even made it to her hair and makeup appointment, which was surprising to all, especially Elaine since Wren had thrown a fit that she didn’t want to leave Jensen.
Reaching back for his phone, he dialed her number. “Hey, you good?” she asked.
“Yeah, my dad just called.”
“Oh! Did he? What did he say?”
“Things are good. They don’t have to amputate, and they think they’ve got it under control.”
“Oh, thank God! I’m so happy. I’m gonna call them.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you,” she said before hanging up, and he set his phone down, shaking his head.
“What?” Wells asked, and Jensen grinned up at him.
“She was really worried, and I like hearing her peppy after being pretty down this morning.”
“Yeah, she loves your parents. We all do. I would have understood if you had to miss it, dude. Plus, I would have been pissed if you hadn’t gone and something went wrong.”
Jensen nodded. “I know, and I appreciate that.”
“We all would have understood. Antoine is family.”
Drawing in a breath, he exhaled it hard before saying, “I’m just glad he’s okay.”
“We all are,” Elaine added, rubbing his arm softly. “Very much so.”
While he was happy his father was okay, he still felt a bit of guilt as he stared down at his phone. Maybe he should have been there. Stayed in Canada a bit longer, but he knew that couldn’t happen with the plans in Colorado. “I feel like I need to visit more. I don’t because I’m always so busy, and man, it’s about to get harder with Gunner coming.”
Wells looked up, nodding his head. “Yup, life is about to get busy as hell for all of us, and that’s cool. That’s life, but you’ll make the time to go see your mom and dad. I know you will.”
Vaughn agreed, “Yeah, maybe we can all go up at the end of the summer. He’ll love having all of us, and Brie has been wanting to check out Canada.”
Jensen loved the sound of that. “We’ll have to see if Wren will be allowed. She’s getting big.”
“Yeah, she is. My nephew is gonna be huge,” Wells added, shaking his head.
“He’ll be perfect, just like our Jensen,” Elaine cooed from the sink, and Jensen chuckled as Wells and Vaughn made faces at her.
“Gag, Mom,” Wells teased, and Vaughn scoffed.
“Yeah, Mom, we all know who your favorite is. You don’t have to keep reminding us.”
She glared. “I love all three of you the same.”
“Lies, all lies, Jensen’s her favorite,” Winston called from the table, and she glared back at him while all three men laughed. There wasn’t a moment growing up that this hadn’t already happened. Everyone was always fighting for the love of Elaine Lemiere.
No wonder Wren felt so left out.
But she’d never feel left out again.
Not with him around.
“Oh, look, I gotta get to the salon.”
“Why didn’t you go with Wren and Brie?” Wells asked, and she waved him off.
“I don’t have as much hair as they do, so my appointment was later,” she answered, reaching for her purse. “Now listen, all of you need to be at the venue by three, get ready, and be ready to go by five. There are drinks and food there.”
“Like beer? Right?” Vaughn asked, and she shot him a look.
“No, I’m not giving you three beer so that you can’t act right at this wedding.” She paused and then shook her head. “Who am I kidding? You three can’t act right together sober. Alcohol wouldn’t have mattered.”
“This is true,” Wells said as she rolled her eyes, going out the back door as Vaughn laughed.
“Are we really that bad?” he asked and Jensen nodded.
“We weren’t good, that’s for sure.”
“For damn sure,” Winston added.
“My dad was telling Wren about that summer we went up there and all those girls were next door—”
“Maxie, Trinity, Layla, and Selena,” Vaughn said with the stupidest grin on his face. Jensen and Wells both looked at him with such perplexed gazes.
“How the hell do you remember their names?” Jensen asked, completely flabbergasted since he couldn’t remember them to save his ass.
“You always remember the girls who gave you blow jobs and who you had sex with.”
“You had sex with all of them?” Wells asked, his eyes wide.
Vaughn shrugged. “I mean, you weren’t hollering at them. Poor Layla was in love with you, and I told her I could give her more, so I did. And then Selena and Trinity were all about Jenny, but I told them my dick was bigger. And that’s how that happened. But Maxie, that was my sweetie, and man, she rocked my young little heart.”
“I’m disgusted,” Wells said, shaking his head while Jensen laughed.
“I can’t believe you.”
“Hey, some of us love sex.”
Jensen exhaled hard, letting the phone fall to the bar as he looked up at Wells and Vaughn, who were sitting across from him in the kitchen. “They aren’t going to have to amputate Dad’s leg.”
“Oh, thank God,” Wells said as Elaine came over, wrapping her arms around him.
“So he’s good?” she asked, and he shrugged, hugging her back.
“They are getting the infection under control, and it seems that way. Things are still up in the air, though. Dad claims he’s fine. But Mum said she’ll send me updates as she gets them. She wished you a beautiful wedding,” he said to Wells, and his best friend smiled.
Getting his phone out, Wells said, “I’ll text her.”
“I’m so glad. I was very worried,” Elaine said, and Winston nodded from the breakfast nook.
“So was I. I’m texting him now, and he says he’s fine,” Winston said with a laugh, and Jensen smiled.
Man, what a weight off his chest. He felt a lot better, yet he was still very tired since he didn’t catch a wink the rest of the morning. He felt like shit that Wren hadn’t slept at all either. She’d stayed wide awake beside him, holding him before they both decided there was no point and got up for the day. She even made it to her hair and makeup appointment, which was surprising to all, especially Elaine since Wren had thrown a fit that she didn’t want to leave Jensen.
Reaching back for his phone, he dialed her number. “Hey, you good?” she asked.
“Yeah, my dad just called.”
“Oh! Did he? What did he say?”
“Things are good. They don’t have to amputate, and they think they’ve got it under control.”
“Oh, thank God! I’m so happy. I’m gonna call them.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you,” she said before hanging up, and he set his phone down, shaking his head.
“What?” Wells asked, and Jensen grinned up at him.
“She was really worried, and I like hearing her peppy after being pretty down this morning.”
“Yeah, she loves your parents. We all do. I would have understood if you had to miss it, dude. Plus, I would have been pissed if you hadn’t gone and something went wrong.”
Jensen nodded. “I know, and I appreciate that.”
“We all would have understood. Antoine is family.”
Drawing in a breath, he exhaled it hard before saying, “I’m just glad he’s okay.”
“We all are,” Elaine added, rubbing his arm softly. “Very much so.”
While he was happy his father was okay, he still felt a bit of guilt as he stared down at his phone. Maybe he should have been there. Stayed in Canada a bit longer, but he knew that couldn’t happen with the plans in Colorado. “I feel like I need to visit more. I don’t because I’m always so busy, and man, it’s about to get harder with Gunner coming.”
Wells looked up, nodding his head. “Yup, life is about to get busy as hell for all of us, and that’s cool. That’s life, but you’ll make the time to go see your mom and dad. I know you will.”
Vaughn agreed, “Yeah, maybe we can all go up at the end of the summer. He’ll love having all of us, and Brie has been wanting to check out Canada.”
Jensen loved the sound of that. “We’ll have to see if Wren will be allowed. She’s getting big.”
“Yeah, she is. My nephew is gonna be huge,” Wells added, shaking his head.
“He’ll be perfect, just like our Jensen,” Elaine cooed from the sink, and Jensen chuckled as Wells and Vaughn made faces at her.
“Gag, Mom,” Wells teased, and Vaughn scoffed.
“Yeah, Mom, we all know who your favorite is. You don’t have to keep reminding us.”
She glared. “I love all three of you the same.”
“Lies, all lies, Jensen’s her favorite,” Winston called from the table, and she glared back at him while all three men laughed. There wasn’t a moment growing up that this hadn’t already happened. Everyone was always fighting for the love of Elaine Lemiere.
No wonder Wren felt so left out.
But she’d never feel left out again.
Not with him around.
“Oh, look, I gotta get to the salon.”
“Why didn’t you go with Wren and Brie?” Wells asked, and she waved him off.
“I don’t have as much hair as they do, so my appointment was later,” she answered, reaching for her purse. “Now listen, all of you need to be at the venue by three, get ready, and be ready to go by five. There are drinks and food there.”
“Like beer? Right?” Vaughn asked, and she shot him a look.
“No, I’m not giving you three beer so that you can’t act right at this wedding.” She paused and then shook her head. “Who am I kidding? You three can’t act right together sober. Alcohol wouldn’t have mattered.”
“This is true,” Wells said as she rolled her eyes, going out the back door as Vaughn laughed.
“Are we really that bad?” he asked and Jensen nodded.
“We weren’t good, that’s for sure.”
“For damn sure,” Winston added.
“My dad was telling Wren about that summer we went up there and all those girls were next door—”
“Maxie, Trinity, Layla, and Selena,” Vaughn said with the stupidest grin on his face. Jensen and Wells both looked at him with such perplexed gazes.
“How the hell do you remember their names?” Jensen asked, completely flabbergasted since he couldn’t remember them to save his ass.
“You always remember the girls who gave you blow jobs and who you had sex with.”
“You had sex with all of them?” Wells asked, his eyes wide.
Vaughn shrugged. “I mean, you weren’t hollering at them. Poor Layla was in love with you, and I told her I could give her more, so I did. And then Selena and Trinity were all about Jenny, but I told them my dick was bigger. And that’s how that happened. But Maxie, that was my sweetie, and man, she rocked my young little heart.”
“I’m disgusted,” Wells said, shaking his head while Jensen laughed.
“I can’t believe you.”
“Hey, some of us love sex.”
