“Best decision you’ve made today,” Winston called up to him before shaking his head. “By the way, you aren’t welcome around my family ever again.”
Wells nodded. “Exactly, and if you don’t want your mama finding out, I suggest you get out of here.”
Bradley went to pass by Jensen, but Wells blocked him. He looked up at her brother, and Wren held her breath, waiting for the hit. “Can I get by, or is this really going to result in blows?
“Wells. Be an adult, please,” Jensen said simply, and Wells rolled his eyes, stepping out of his way.
As Wells stepped next to Jensen, he watched Bradley, and she almost thought he would hit him, but then Vaughn said, “Oh, Brad, you forgot this.”
Bradley’s face scrunched up as he turned, but before he could even open his mouth to ask anything, Vaughn’s fist crashed into his face, hard, and Bradley hit the ground just as hard.
Gasping, Jensen hollered, “What the hell, Vaughn?”
Shaking out his hand, Vaughn shrugged. “You told Wells to be an adult, not me.”
“You knocked him out cold!” Wells yelled, and Vaughn shrugged. “On the runner! Shit, Alex is gonna be pissed!”
“How in the hell did you knock him out?”
“I tell you guys all the time, I’m strong as fuck.”
Ignoring him, Wren reached out, taking Jensen’s arm. He turned, looking down at her as her eyes begged for forgiveness. “Jensen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
He chuckled but without humor. “You mean, you didn’t want me to find out at all.”
“Yes, that,” she said simply. “He’s an asshole, he doesn’t matter. I told you that. Only you matter.”
Shaking his head, he looked down at the ground. “Wren, I’m so mad, I could fucking scream right now. Just let me go.”
“Never. I’ll never let you go. Please, don’t be mad at me. I get it. I was an idiot—”
“You lied to me.”
“But I didn’t. I just didn’t confirm or deny your theory because I couldn’t, and I know that makes me a coward, and I know you’re pissed. I’m so sorry. Please, Jensen, look at me,” she begged, reaching for his face to pull him toward her, but when she saw his expression, she let him go.
His eyes were full of tears.
“Did you know he was going to be here today?”
Her brows came in as she shook her head. “I wasn’t sure. I assumed so, but I didn’t care. I swear it, I only care about you. Us. Our family.”
Looking away, he closed his eyes as his shoulders fell. “The day of the Cup party, you didn’t go because you knew he’d be there, didn’t you?”
She pressed her lips together. She wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but she was unable to lie, so she nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t want to see him.”
He nodded as a tear slowly rolled down his face. “And you wanted to fly home to be with my dad because you thought he’d be here, not because my dad was sick, right?”
It was like he’d slammed his goalie stick into her chest as she stared up at him. Was he fucking serious right now? How could he think that?
“I would never—”
“I’m over the lies, Wren—”
Wells took his shoulder, shaking his head. “Jensen, come on, bro. That isn’t true.”
“It makes sense. All she does is run,” he said matter-of-factly. “Close people out or run, that’s Wren’s trademark, how she does things. Because people don’t fucking change, do they, Wren?”
A sob escaped from her lips as she shook her head, feeling like she couldn’t catch her breath. “No. I have. For you,” she somehow got out, but Jensen shook his head.
“I thought so too, but—” He paused, wiping away the tear on his cheek before he looked down, inhaling shakily. “But this…this proves something completely different. Yeah, I’m out.” Her heart shattered in her chest as she reached for him, but he was already turning before stepping over Bradley’s body and heading down the aisle. Her parents moved out of his way, not making eye contact as she went to go after him, but both Wells and Vaughn stopped her.
“No, leave me alone for a minute,” she protested.
“Yeah, he needs a minute. He’s pissed,” Wells warned, but Wren didn’t care, pushing his hands away.
“I don’t fucking care. He’s my husband.”
“If you want that, then you need to give him at least ten minutes to calm down,” Wells demanded. “Listen, I know you love him, and I know you know him. But you haven’t seen really angry Jensen. We have. He needs a fucking minute.”
But she had to go after him. Her heart was breaking, and she’d be damned if she was going to let him do the one thing she was scared of. But when she tried again, Wells wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her head. “Really, Wren, give him a minute. Honestly.”
“I can’t! I love him, Wells. I can’t,” she cried, coming undone in her brother’s arms as he buried his face in her neck.
“I know he loves you. He’s mad, and he isn’t going to listen. Just, please, listen to us,” he begged, rubbing her back. “It’s okay. I love you, it’s fine. It will work out.”
But would it?
As she cried into her brother’s chest, clinging to him when she really wanted to cling to Jensen who was her constant rock, Vaughn asked, “What are we doing with this douche? Mom, should I drag him out and put him outside?”
It was the perfect time to laugh.
But Wren was pretty sure she would never laugh again if her worst fear was coming true.
That she had just lost Jensen.
God. He was an idiot.
He was a fucking dumbass.
How could he let this happen?
Why was he so fucking naïve!
Running his hands down his face, Jensen paced along the back of the venue on the water. While it was warm, the coolness off the lake was nice, but Jensen was shaking with anger. How dare she? How could she? Sleep with that guy? Bradley, whack-off-in-the-bathroom, Washington! He was a child, a fucking asshole, and he wasn’t worthy of her. But she didn’t think more of herself than to give herself to him! And then to have a kid with him? Fucking, really? Yeah, he couldn’t give her a kid, but damn it, he would have been good to her. He was fucking good to her.
Wells nodded. “Exactly, and if you don’t want your mama finding out, I suggest you get out of here.”
Bradley went to pass by Jensen, but Wells blocked him. He looked up at her brother, and Wren held her breath, waiting for the hit. “Can I get by, or is this really going to result in blows?
“Wells. Be an adult, please,” Jensen said simply, and Wells rolled his eyes, stepping out of his way.
As Wells stepped next to Jensen, he watched Bradley, and she almost thought he would hit him, but then Vaughn said, “Oh, Brad, you forgot this.”
Bradley’s face scrunched up as he turned, but before he could even open his mouth to ask anything, Vaughn’s fist crashed into his face, hard, and Bradley hit the ground just as hard.
Gasping, Jensen hollered, “What the hell, Vaughn?”
Shaking out his hand, Vaughn shrugged. “You told Wells to be an adult, not me.”
“You knocked him out cold!” Wells yelled, and Vaughn shrugged. “On the runner! Shit, Alex is gonna be pissed!”
“How in the hell did you knock him out?”
“I tell you guys all the time, I’m strong as fuck.”
Ignoring him, Wren reached out, taking Jensen’s arm. He turned, looking down at her as her eyes begged for forgiveness. “Jensen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
He chuckled but without humor. “You mean, you didn’t want me to find out at all.”
“Yes, that,” she said simply. “He’s an asshole, he doesn’t matter. I told you that. Only you matter.”
Shaking his head, he looked down at the ground. “Wren, I’m so mad, I could fucking scream right now. Just let me go.”
“Never. I’ll never let you go. Please, don’t be mad at me. I get it. I was an idiot—”
“You lied to me.”
“But I didn’t. I just didn’t confirm or deny your theory because I couldn’t, and I know that makes me a coward, and I know you’re pissed. I’m so sorry. Please, Jensen, look at me,” she begged, reaching for his face to pull him toward her, but when she saw his expression, she let him go.
His eyes were full of tears.
“Did you know he was going to be here today?”
Her brows came in as she shook her head. “I wasn’t sure. I assumed so, but I didn’t care. I swear it, I only care about you. Us. Our family.”
Looking away, he closed his eyes as his shoulders fell. “The day of the Cup party, you didn’t go because you knew he’d be there, didn’t you?”
She pressed her lips together. She wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but she was unable to lie, so she nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t want to see him.”
He nodded as a tear slowly rolled down his face. “And you wanted to fly home to be with my dad because you thought he’d be here, not because my dad was sick, right?”
It was like he’d slammed his goalie stick into her chest as she stared up at him. Was he fucking serious right now? How could he think that?
“I would never—”
“I’m over the lies, Wren—”
Wells took his shoulder, shaking his head. “Jensen, come on, bro. That isn’t true.”
“It makes sense. All she does is run,” he said matter-of-factly. “Close people out or run, that’s Wren’s trademark, how she does things. Because people don’t fucking change, do they, Wren?”
A sob escaped from her lips as she shook her head, feeling like she couldn’t catch her breath. “No. I have. For you,” she somehow got out, but Jensen shook his head.
“I thought so too, but—” He paused, wiping away the tear on his cheek before he looked down, inhaling shakily. “But this…this proves something completely different. Yeah, I’m out.” Her heart shattered in her chest as she reached for him, but he was already turning before stepping over Bradley’s body and heading down the aisle. Her parents moved out of his way, not making eye contact as she went to go after him, but both Wells and Vaughn stopped her.
“No, leave me alone for a minute,” she protested.
“Yeah, he needs a minute. He’s pissed,” Wells warned, but Wren didn’t care, pushing his hands away.
“I don’t fucking care. He’s my husband.”
“If you want that, then you need to give him at least ten minutes to calm down,” Wells demanded. “Listen, I know you love him, and I know you know him. But you haven’t seen really angry Jensen. We have. He needs a fucking minute.”
But she had to go after him. Her heart was breaking, and she’d be damned if she was going to let him do the one thing she was scared of. But when she tried again, Wells wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her head. “Really, Wren, give him a minute. Honestly.”
“I can’t! I love him, Wells. I can’t,” she cried, coming undone in her brother’s arms as he buried his face in her neck.
“I know he loves you. He’s mad, and he isn’t going to listen. Just, please, listen to us,” he begged, rubbing her back. “It’s okay. I love you, it’s fine. It will work out.”
But would it?
As she cried into her brother’s chest, clinging to him when she really wanted to cling to Jensen who was her constant rock, Vaughn asked, “What are we doing with this douche? Mom, should I drag him out and put him outside?”
It was the perfect time to laugh.
But Wren was pretty sure she would never laugh again if her worst fear was coming true.
That she had just lost Jensen.
God. He was an idiot.
He was a fucking dumbass.
How could he let this happen?
Why was he so fucking naïve!
Running his hands down his face, Jensen paced along the back of the venue on the water. While it was warm, the coolness off the lake was nice, but Jensen was shaking with anger. How dare she? How could she? Sleep with that guy? Bradley, whack-off-in-the-bathroom, Washington! He was a child, a fucking asshole, and he wasn’t worthy of her. But she didn’t think more of herself than to give herself to him! And then to have a kid with him? Fucking, really? Yeah, he couldn’t give her a kid, but damn it, he would have been good to her. He was fucking good to her.
