Elaine waved him off. “Then we’ll have a nice, expensive dinner. Hope everyone is hungry?”
Vaughn laughed out loud. “I so won. I told everyone.”
No one was listening to him as Wells smiled. “Unless you and Brie wanna get married.”
Vaughn shrugged, but when he glanced at Brie, she glared. “Rodney isn’t here.”
He made a face. “Free wedding, babe.” She made a face right on back, so he said, “But that doesn’t matter because Rodney isn’t here, and we couldn’t fly him out in time, right?”
“Right,” she deadpanned.
“Well, crap, guess expensive dinner it is,” Wells said simply, but then Wren shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone looked over at her, even Jensen as she looked up at him, her heart in her eyes as she said, “No, Jensen and I are getting married.”
“What?” Jensen’s heart was pounding so hard, his vision was getting fuzzy as he held her gaze. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“I want to marry you. In front of everyone.”
“But we’re married.”
“I don’t care. I want it to be real this time because I want to.” His heart stopped as she held his gaze hostage. “I fucked up. This whole time, I fought it, I fought it tooth and nail. But my fight was nothing compared to your love, Jensen. It’s so pure, so beautiful, and I don’t want anything else but your love. You. I want you. All of you, and I know I’m hard to deal with sometimes, and I’m stubborn and annoying, I don’t listen well, and I’ve probably given you your fair share of frustrating moments, but, Jensen, if one thing is for sure, it’s that I love you. I love you so damn much.”
“Wren—”
“And yes, I know I lied. I know I should have been honest from the rip, but I hate him. I hate him so much because he made me doubt myself. He made me feel unworthy, and I hated me. I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t think I could be a mom or a wife or anything. I was worthless, but you came along, and that changed. Everything changed. That fake marriage we had is now real, and I want to make that really real because I can’t lose it. I can’t lose you because I love you, Jensen. Surely you understand that.”
He felt everyone’s gazes on him as he looked down at her, tears gathering in her eyes as she stared up at him. Feeling a lump in his throat, he whispered, “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.”
But he wasn’t sure. “I won’t?”
Her eyes widened as she asked, “Why would you even think you would? I love you.”
Swallowing hard, he shook his head, fighting back his own tears. “He can give you kids. You would be smart to go with him.”
Her face turned red, scrunching up as she threw her hands in the air. “I don’t want his kids, minus the one he already gave me,” she said, taking his hands in hers and kissing each of them. “I only want yours.”
“What if I can’t—”
But she shook her head quickly. “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But we’ll do it together.” He looked away, but she reached up, guiding him back by his jaw, meeting his gaze. “I love you, Jensen Cade Monroe, so does our baby. We need to be okay—no, great—for this to work. We have to believe in each other. We have to lift each other up, and above all, we gotta love each other. We’re good at that part, even the lifting part. We may need some work on the believing in ourselves part, but I know we can do it because we love each other. Do you love me?”
He scoffed. “Wren, I’ll always love you, but I’m worried that I’m not enough—”
“Never. You’re more than enough, all that I want and need. Don’t ever think I need more. You’re all I ever want to live for. No one else will ever do, just you. Believe in me. I know it’s hard, because I wouldn’t do the same for you at first, but I promise I have ever since I whispered I loved you on that dance floor. I fought it, I fought it so hard, but I think I always knew my heart was yours.”
He could see it in her eyes. She meant every word, but he still wasn’t sure. Could he do that to her? Take her, keep her to himself, when there could be more for her out there? A good man who could give her everything she wanted. Yet he couldn’t imagine her with anyone else but him. Looking into her eyes, he saw his future. Holding her hand as she birthed their son, kissing her, telling her she was beautiful when she probably wanted to kill someone.
Diapers and throw-up, laughing because he’d probably gag. His son’s first steps. Making love to her to celebrate their kiddo’s achievements. Making love to her because he wanted to, which would be a lot since he always wanted to. Celebrating their milestones in their careers. Taking Gunner to school, hockey, college, and everything else, right by her side.
Life—he wanted to do life with her. Only her.
He knew he wanted her the moment he saw her, and he had her now. So why was he trying to push her away? Why was he trying to pull the kind of shit she had been doing to him? They had come so far, and there was no other way he wanted to go unless she was by his side.
“I want to grow old and gray with you, Wren Josephine Monroe.”
Her eyes sparkled with tears as she reached up, taking his face in her hands. “So you’ll marry me?”
He grinned down at her, dropping his head to hers. “I’d marry you a million times over just to see that smile.”
As her face broke into an even bigger grin, the simple motion taking away his breath, his eyes fell shut as their lips met. Kissing her would never be normal; it would always blow his mind because, even though she was in his arms, kissing him, he still believed he was living in a fairy tale.
He finally had his queen.
“Heck yeah! Let’s do this! Brie, get up here. You’re the maid of honor, and Vaughn and I will go over here. Wait, can we turn that A into a J, you think?” Wells asked, and Matty nodded.
“Yeah, easy.”
Smiling down at her as everyone moved around him, Jensen shook his head. “So this is happening.”
“Yeah, I think it is. Oh, I wish your mom and dad were here,” she complained, but Elaine held up her phone.
“FaceTiming Emma now!”
Before they knew it, a makeshift J hung on the other side of the W, while Wells and Vaughn stood beside him, and Brie stood beside Wren. The room had cleared out, leaving only their family, minus Jensen’s parents. Wren still wore her suit, but he wasn’t looking at what she was wearing, only into her eyes. Those green depths that took his breath away, and boy, was she gorgeous.
Vaughn laughed out loud. “I so won. I told everyone.”
No one was listening to him as Wells smiled. “Unless you and Brie wanna get married.”
Vaughn shrugged, but when he glanced at Brie, she glared. “Rodney isn’t here.”
He made a face. “Free wedding, babe.” She made a face right on back, so he said, “But that doesn’t matter because Rodney isn’t here, and we couldn’t fly him out in time, right?”
“Right,” she deadpanned.
“Well, crap, guess expensive dinner it is,” Wells said simply, but then Wren shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone looked over at her, even Jensen as she looked up at him, her heart in her eyes as she said, “No, Jensen and I are getting married.”
“What?” Jensen’s heart was pounding so hard, his vision was getting fuzzy as he held her gaze. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“I want to marry you. In front of everyone.”
“But we’re married.”
“I don’t care. I want it to be real this time because I want to.” His heart stopped as she held his gaze hostage. “I fucked up. This whole time, I fought it, I fought it tooth and nail. But my fight was nothing compared to your love, Jensen. It’s so pure, so beautiful, and I don’t want anything else but your love. You. I want you. All of you, and I know I’m hard to deal with sometimes, and I’m stubborn and annoying, I don’t listen well, and I’ve probably given you your fair share of frustrating moments, but, Jensen, if one thing is for sure, it’s that I love you. I love you so damn much.”
“Wren—”
“And yes, I know I lied. I know I should have been honest from the rip, but I hate him. I hate him so much because he made me doubt myself. He made me feel unworthy, and I hated me. I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t think I could be a mom or a wife or anything. I was worthless, but you came along, and that changed. Everything changed. That fake marriage we had is now real, and I want to make that really real because I can’t lose it. I can’t lose you because I love you, Jensen. Surely you understand that.”
He felt everyone’s gazes on him as he looked down at her, tears gathering in her eyes as she stared up at him. Feeling a lump in his throat, he whispered, “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.”
But he wasn’t sure. “I won’t?”
Her eyes widened as she asked, “Why would you even think you would? I love you.”
Swallowing hard, he shook his head, fighting back his own tears. “He can give you kids. You would be smart to go with him.”
Her face turned red, scrunching up as she threw her hands in the air. “I don’t want his kids, minus the one he already gave me,” she said, taking his hands in hers and kissing each of them. “I only want yours.”
“What if I can’t—”
But she shook her head quickly. “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But we’ll do it together.” He looked away, but she reached up, guiding him back by his jaw, meeting his gaze. “I love you, Jensen Cade Monroe, so does our baby. We need to be okay—no, great—for this to work. We have to believe in each other. We have to lift each other up, and above all, we gotta love each other. We’re good at that part, even the lifting part. We may need some work on the believing in ourselves part, but I know we can do it because we love each other. Do you love me?”
He scoffed. “Wren, I’ll always love you, but I’m worried that I’m not enough—”
“Never. You’re more than enough, all that I want and need. Don’t ever think I need more. You’re all I ever want to live for. No one else will ever do, just you. Believe in me. I know it’s hard, because I wouldn’t do the same for you at first, but I promise I have ever since I whispered I loved you on that dance floor. I fought it, I fought it so hard, but I think I always knew my heart was yours.”
He could see it in her eyes. She meant every word, but he still wasn’t sure. Could he do that to her? Take her, keep her to himself, when there could be more for her out there? A good man who could give her everything she wanted. Yet he couldn’t imagine her with anyone else but him. Looking into her eyes, he saw his future. Holding her hand as she birthed their son, kissing her, telling her she was beautiful when she probably wanted to kill someone.
Diapers and throw-up, laughing because he’d probably gag. His son’s first steps. Making love to her to celebrate their kiddo’s achievements. Making love to her because he wanted to, which would be a lot since he always wanted to. Celebrating their milestones in their careers. Taking Gunner to school, hockey, college, and everything else, right by her side.
Life—he wanted to do life with her. Only her.
He knew he wanted her the moment he saw her, and he had her now. So why was he trying to push her away? Why was he trying to pull the kind of shit she had been doing to him? They had come so far, and there was no other way he wanted to go unless she was by his side.
“I want to grow old and gray with you, Wren Josephine Monroe.”
Her eyes sparkled with tears as she reached up, taking his face in her hands. “So you’ll marry me?”
He grinned down at her, dropping his head to hers. “I’d marry you a million times over just to see that smile.”
As her face broke into an even bigger grin, the simple motion taking away his breath, his eyes fell shut as their lips met. Kissing her would never be normal; it would always blow his mind because, even though she was in his arms, kissing him, he still believed he was living in a fairy tale.
He finally had his queen.
“Heck yeah! Let’s do this! Brie, get up here. You’re the maid of honor, and Vaughn and I will go over here. Wait, can we turn that A into a J, you think?” Wells asked, and Matty nodded.
“Yeah, easy.”
Smiling down at her as everyone moved around him, Jensen shook his head. “So this is happening.”
“Yeah, I think it is. Oh, I wish your mom and dad were here,” she complained, but Elaine held up her phone.
“FaceTiming Emma now!”
Before they knew it, a makeshift J hung on the other side of the W, while Wells and Vaughn stood beside him, and Brie stood beside Wren. The room had cleared out, leaving only their family, minus Jensen’s parents. Wren still wore her suit, but he wasn’t looking at what she was wearing, only into her eyes. Those green depths that took his breath away, and boy, was she gorgeous.
