“You’ve always been jealous of Jensen, dude. We all know you don’t want her, you’re just trying to hurt him,” Vaughn snapped, and Bradley scoffed.
“I don’t give a shit about any of you. I just want to be with my kid.”
“Whoa, what?”
Everyone turned at the same time to see Shanna standing by the side door, looking beautiful in a black dress that hugged her body. Wren’s eyes closed as tears gathered in them.
Could this get any worse?
Where were the cameras? There had to be cameras for this damn clusterfuck.
When Shanna’s eyes cut to Wren’s, her heart sank. Well, there went the friendship she was trying to fix.
Shanna’s eyes dragged from Wren’s to Bradley before she said, very firmly, “Bradley, what did you say?”
Bradley’s eyes widened as he looked at his sister before looking to Wren and then back to Shanna. Before he could speak, Wren said, “I couldn’t tell you—”
“I’m not talking to you, Wren. I’m talking to him,” Shanna demanded, and Wren snapped her mouth shut as she looked down to the ground, her heart hurting in her chest. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going to happen, but this wasn’t good. None of it was. Lifting her head since Bradley was still sputtering, she looked to Jensen, who was staring at her, his eyes dark and full of so much hurt.
“Jensen—”
“Bradley, I asked you a question!” Shanna yelled, and when Wren looked over at her, her eyes were full of tears. Soon Wren’s own tears were falling down her cheeks.
“I used to screw around with her, and she got pregnant.”
The words hurt. Like knives going into her chest one by one. Why. Why him? But then she found herself thinking, If it hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have Jensen.
But was she about to lose him?
“So explain to me why, just the other day, Wren was telling me that the guy who got her pregnant decided he didn’t want her or the baby and wanted her to get an abortion. Is that true?”
There it was.
He’d lie, and everyone would believe him.
She just knew it.
Tears gushed from her eyes, falling down her cheeks as she stared at the floor.
“It wasn’t completely like that. I got scared. I never told her to get an abortion,” he lied, and she could only shake her head. It was her word against his. This fucker.
But to her surprise, Vaughn yelled, “Yes, you did, you fucking asshole. She wouldn’t lie about that! Wren doesn’t cry much, and when she does, it’s for a good reason.” When she looked up again, everyone was glaring at Bradley.
“Our baby wouldn’t lie!” Elaine yelled, shaking her head.
“Be a man. Own up to what you did,” Wells added, his eyes falling on Wren’s. “You at least owe her that.”
Wren’s lips trembled as she sucked in a deep breath.
“He doesn’t know how to be a man,” Shanna said, and Wren’s head whipped around to her, her mouth hanging open. “Wren wouldn’t lie about that, so don’t you dare lie to me.”
Holy crap.
Bradley looked down, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Why does it matter? She didn’t do it, and now I want to be the dad.”
Shanna laughed, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in it. “You? Want to be a dad? Are you serious? And you’re ready to leave your meal ticket? Because you won’t have a firm if you leave Misty. Also, do you know how much child support Wren can get out of you? How about taking care of the kid? Would you be able to handle that by yourself? Because if our parents find out, you’re screwed.”
Bradley shook his head. “I never said I was leaving Misty—”
“You told me to get a divorce and be with you not five minutes ago,” Wren snapped, her tears rolling down her face. “Why do you lie? Why are you doing this? You don’t fucking care about me.”
Bradley went to speak, but Shanna stopped him, walking toward them as her eyes were trained on her brother. “You don’t,” she said sternly, her eyes so full of tears Wren couldn’t believe they hadn’t spilled over yet. “You aren’t ready to be a father because you’re not even a man. And the thing is, Bradley, you aren’t the father of this child. Jensen is, and you need to leave that alone.”
“Shanna—”
“Leave it alone,” she said once more. “And get the fuck out of here.”
Wren’s eyes widened at the curse word, surprised that Shanna had said it to her baby brother, who had always apparently hung the moon. Shaking her head, Shanna covered her mouth, turning to leave, but Wren went to stop her. “Shanna, I’m so—”
“Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever talk to me again. You were with my brother? And you never told me? Don’t. We are done,” she said sternly, moving away from her and going out the door as Wren’s shoulders drooped, her eyes falling shut as the silence fell over the lot of them.
“Your move, fucker,” Wells said, and Wren shook her head.
“Just let him go,” she added, wiping her face. “He doesn’t matter.”
“No—” Vaughn tried, but Jensen interrupted him.
“What do you want Wren?”
She opened her eyes, looking at her husband, but he wouldn’t look at her. “I want you. I want us. I don’t want this asshole. At all.”
He nodded slowly, swallowing as he looked to Bradley. “So, your move, Brad. Want to take her to court?” Wren didn’t miss that Jensen hadn’t said us, and when she opened her eyes, he was glaring at Bradley. “Because I don’t think she’s letting you near the kid.”
The kid. Not our kid.
Fuck.
Looking around, Bradley shook his head as he was breathing heavily, sweat gathering at his brow. And if three huge, angry hockey players were looking at her like they were about to kill her, she’d be sweating too. Turning to her, Bradley held her gaze. “You don’t want me in the kid’s life?”
“Not even kinda. But when he turns eighteen, I’ll tell him who you are. If he wants you, he can find you, but Jensen will be his father.”
Bradley chewed on his lip but not for long before shaking his head. “Fine, fuck it. I’m out,” he said, holding his hands up, and she let out the breath she was holding as her gaze fell back to Jensen. He still wasn’t looking at her.
“I don’t give a shit about any of you. I just want to be with my kid.”
“Whoa, what?”
Everyone turned at the same time to see Shanna standing by the side door, looking beautiful in a black dress that hugged her body. Wren’s eyes closed as tears gathered in them.
Could this get any worse?
Where were the cameras? There had to be cameras for this damn clusterfuck.
When Shanna’s eyes cut to Wren’s, her heart sank. Well, there went the friendship she was trying to fix.
Shanna’s eyes dragged from Wren’s to Bradley before she said, very firmly, “Bradley, what did you say?”
Bradley’s eyes widened as he looked at his sister before looking to Wren and then back to Shanna. Before he could speak, Wren said, “I couldn’t tell you—”
“I’m not talking to you, Wren. I’m talking to him,” Shanna demanded, and Wren snapped her mouth shut as she looked down to the ground, her heart hurting in her chest. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going to happen, but this wasn’t good. None of it was. Lifting her head since Bradley was still sputtering, she looked to Jensen, who was staring at her, his eyes dark and full of so much hurt.
“Jensen—”
“Bradley, I asked you a question!” Shanna yelled, and when Wren looked over at her, her eyes were full of tears. Soon Wren’s own tears were falling down her cheeks.
“I used to screw around with her, and she got pregnant.”
The words hurt. Like knives going into her chest one by one. Why. Why him? But then she found herself thinking, If it hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have Jensen.
But was she about to lose him?
“So explain to me why, just the other day, Wren was telling me that the guy who got her pregnant decided he didn’t want her or the baby and wanted her to get an abortion. Is that true?”
There it was.
He’d lie, and everyone would believe him.
She just knew it.
Tears gushed from her eyes, falling down her cheeks as she stared at the floor.
“It wasn’t completely like that. I got scared. I never told her to get an abortion,” he lied, and she could only shake her head. It was her word against his. This fucker.
But to her surprise, Vaughn yelled, “Yes, you did, you fucking asshole. She wouldn’t lie about that! Wren doesn’t cry much, and when she does, it’s for a good reason.” When she looked up again, everyone was glaring at Bradley.
“Our baby wouldn’t lie!” Elaine yelled, shaking her head.
“Be a man. Own up to what you did,” Wells added, his eyes falling on Wren’s. “You at least owe her that.”
Wren’s lips trembled as she sucked in a deep breath.
“He doesn’t know how to be a man,” Shanna said, and Wren’s head whipped around to her, her mouth hanging open. “Wren wouldn’t lie about that, so don’t you dare lie to me.”
Holy crap.
Bradley looked down, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Why does it matter? She didn’t do it, and now I want to be the dad.”
Shanna laughed, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in it. “You? Want to be a dad? Are you serious? And you’re ready to leave your meal ticket? Because you won’t have a firm if you leave Misty. Also, do you know how much child support Wren can get out of you? How about taking care of the kid? Would you be able to handle that by yourself? Because if our parents find out, you’re screwed.”
Bradley shook his head. “I never said I was leaving Misty—”
“You told me to get a divorce and be with you not five minutes ago,” Wren snapped, her tears rolling down her face. “Why do you lie? Why are you doing this? You don’t fucking care about me.”
Bradley went to speak, but Shanna stopped him, walking toward them as her eyes were trained on her brother. “You don’t,” she said sternly, her eyes so full of tears Wren couldn’t believe they hadn’t spilled over yet. “You aren’t ready to be a father because you’re not even a man. And the thing is, Bradley, you aren’t the father of this child. Jensen is, and you need to leave that alone.”
“Shanna—”
“Leave it alone,” she said once more. “And get the fuck out of here.”
Wren’s eyes widened at the curse word, surprised that Shanna had said it to her baby brother, who had always apparently hung the moon. Shaking her head, Shanna covered her mouth, turning to leave, but Wren went to stop her. “Shanna, I’m so—”
“Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever talk to me again. You were with my brother? And you never told me? Don’t. We are done,” she said sternly, moving away from her and going out the door as Wren’s shoulders drooped, her eyes falling shut as the silence fell over the lot of them.
“Your move, fucker,” Wells said, and Wren shook her head.
“Just let him go,” she added, wiping her face. “He doesn’t matter.”
“No—” Vaughn tried, but Jensen interrupted him.
“What do you want Wren?”
She opened her eyes, looking at her husband, but he wouldn’t look at her. “I want you. I want us. I don’t want this asshole. At all.”
He nodded slowly, swallowing as he looked to Bradley. “So, your move, Brad. Want to take her to court?” Wren didn’t miss that Jensen hadn’t said us, and when she opened her eyes, he was glaring at Bradley. “Because I don’t think she’s letting you near the kid.”
The kid. Not our kid.
Fuck.
Looking around, Bradley shook his head as he was breathing heavily, sweat gathering at his brow. And if three huge, angry hockey players were looking at her like they were about to kill her, she’d be sweating too. Turning to her, Bradley held her gaze. “You don’t want me in the kid’s life?”
“Not even kinda. But when he turns eighteen, I’ll tell him who you are. If he wants you, he can find you, but Jensen will be his father.”
Bradley chewed on his lip but not for long before shaking his head. “Fine, fuck it. I’m out,” he said, holding his hands up, and she let out the breath she was holding as her gaze fell back to Jensen. He still wasn’t looking at her.
