“Why are they doing this again?” he heard his mother ask as they laced their fingers together, pressing their foreheads together, getting lost in each other’s eyes.
“Yeah, aren’t they married?” his dad asked, and Elaine laughed.
“Oh, if only you knew. Today has been a mess, and my oldest decided not to marry the man he thought he was marrying. And then Wren and Jenny were fighting about some crazy crap and then they made up and now they’re getting married.”
“Oy. I’ll need a glass of wine for the long version of that, eh?” Emma asked, her eyes filling with tears.
Elaine scoffed. “You mean three bottles?”
“Mom, can we get started?” he heard Wells ask, and then there was silence as Jensen stayed trapped in Wren’s gaze while the minister repeated what she had just said earlier. Though, he was pretty sure neither of them was listening. He was too busy being lost in the only eyes he wanted to look into for the rest of his days.
“Jensen, would you like to say something?”
His lips quirked as Wren’s did the same before he lifted his head up, wrapping his arm around her neck, and pulling her to him. “I have never in my life truly loved anyone but you. You were it for me. I’ve said that time after time, but having you, being with you, loving you…I swear it feels like a dream. A dream I never want to wake up from because I love you, and I’ll never stop because my favorite thing about you isn’t just your smile, Wren, but that I make you smile.”
“Jesus, where is the tissue?” he heard his mom cry, and Wren’s eyes started to cloud with her own tears.
“I promise I’ll never love anyone the way I love you because I don’t know how to love anyone else but you. I’m yours. Only yours and I’m ready for life with you.”
“Shit, I’m gonna have to step my vows game up,” Vaughn muttered, and Wells scoffed.
“Right?”
Jensen was still looking down at her as she whispered, “I love you.”
And his grin grew as the minister asked, “Wren, would you like to say something?”
She was lost in Jensen’s gaze, a tear leaking out the side of her eye before she declared, “One thing is for sure, I can’t promise you an easy life. You know me and I’m tough, but I’ll do my best not to disappoint you. I won’t be the perfect wife because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I can promise you that I’ll choose to love you, and only you, for the rest of my days. No one will ever love me the way you do, Jensen, and because of that, I’m going to love you the only way I know how.” Her voice broke, tears falling as her lips trembled with a sob. “And that’s with my soul. My whole soul is yours, because a heart can stop and a mind can forget, but a soul neither stops nor forgets. It only loves, and my soul belongs to you.”
“Ah! She got that from me. Way to go, Wrenya!”
As her tears dripped down her face, his doing the same, Jensen’s lips curved. “Your soul, Wrenya? The whole thing?”
“The whole thing. It’s yours.”
“Good, ’cause mine was yours from the beginning.”
Her face lit up as she leaned into his chin. “Sorry it took me so long to join the game.”
“Doesn’t matter how we win as long as we do,” he murmured as she backed up, looking up at him.
“And we will. Together. A team.”
“Always, baby, always.”
With that, he took his wife’s mouth with his, and as he kissed her, Jensen knew that no Cup, no award, no nothing could ever add to his life the way Wren did. It hadn’t been easy, and he knew it never would be. But the best things in life, he had always fought and worked for.
And Wren was the ultimate prize.
“I am entirely too pregnant to be here.”
Her husband looked down at her as he held his hand out to her before she took it, pulling herself out of the limo. “I don’t understand why they pushed this back so damn far.”
Jensen placed a kiss to the side of her mouth. “Venue conflicts, from what I was told.”
She shot him a dry look, completely annoyed with the whole thing. She was supposed to be home, getting ready for Gunner’s debut the following month. The last few weeks had been so busy for them that she didn’t have everything done. Between going back to Canada, this time with Wells, Matty—whom she was still on the fence about but tolerated because her brother loved him so much—Brie, and Vaughn, and then the little vacation to Cancun Jensen had surprised her with, it was easy to say that nothing was done. Then there was the baby shower Elli had thrown for her, the birth of Benji and Lucy’s baby girl, Charlotte, and the retirement party for Tate that Jensen had put on for him. Things were nuts.
Honestly, nuts.
“Don’t they plan this shit out? Like, when you know you want to have the NHL Awards on said date, plan it, jeez. Now we’re in Vegas in August when it’s hotter than Satan’s asshole,” she complained as he waved to some of the fans who were calling out for him. He smiled shyly as he looked back down at her. She hoped she didn’t look like a whale in her sparkly silver body-hugging dress that Jensen had picked out, but his eyes seemed to darken as he looked her over. Her hair was down, big curls to the side, trailing over her shoulder with a silver barrette holding it back. Her makeup was, of course, dramatic, as was the cut of the front of her dress. She was a little worried when the stylist busted out the tape, but her boobs were in their assigned seats and she was ready to go.
She just hoped Jensen liked it.
Which he had told her he did.
A million times since leaving the hotel.
“Vivid image, thanks,” he muttered as he took her in his arms, holding her close as they started up the stairs of the venue. “By the way, I can’t wait to slide this dress down those sexy, dangerous curves of yours.”
Giggling, she leaned into him as they climbed the stairs. “Well, thank you.”
“Hmmm,” he muttered against her lips. “Think I can slide this over and get a peek at your boob?”
She laughed. “It’s taped down.” A challenge flashed in his eyes, and she smacked his moving hand. “Don’t you dare.”
He laughed, kissing her lips hard. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Yeah, aren’t they married?” his dad asked, and Elaine laughed.
“Oh, if only you knew. Today has been a mess, and my oldest decided not to marry the man he thought he was marrying. And then Wren and Jenny were fighting about some crazy crap and then they made up and now they’re getting married.”
“Oy. I’ll need a glass of wine for the long version of that, eh?” Emma asked, her eyes filling with tears.
Elaine scoffed. “You mean three bottles?”
“Mom, can we get started?” he heard Wells ask, and then there was silence as Jensen stayed trapped in Wren’s gaze while the minister repeated what she had just said earlier. Though, he was pretty sure neither of them was listening. He was too busy being lost in the only eyes he wanted to look into for the rest of his days.
“Jensen, would you like to say something?”
His lips quirked as Wren’s did the same before he lifted his head up, wrapping his arm around her neck, and pulling her to him. “I have never in my life truly loved anyone but you. You were it for me. I’ve said that time after time, but having you, being with you, loving you…I swear it feels like a dream. A dream I never want to wake up from because I love you, and I’ll never stop because my favorite thing about you isn’t just your smile, Wren, but that I make you smile.”
“Jesus, where is the tissue?” he heard his mom cry, and Wren’s eyes started to cloud with her own tears.
“I promise I’ll never love anyone the way I love you because I don’t know how to love anyone else but you. I’m yours. Only yours and I’m ready for life with you.”
“Shit, I’m gonna have to step my vows game up,” Vaughn muttered, and Wells scoffed.
“Right?”
Jensen was still looking down at her as she whispered, “I love you.”
And his grin grew as the minister asked, “Wren, would you like to say something?”
She was lost in Jensen’s gaze, a tear leaking out the side of her eye before she declared, “One thing is for sure, I can’t promise you an easy life. You know me and I’m tough, but I’ll do my best not to disappoint you. I won’t be the perfect wife because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I can promise you that I’ll choose to love you, and only you, for the rest of my days. No one will ever love me the way you do, Jensen, and because of that, I’m going to love you the only way I know how.” Her voice broke, tears falling as her lips trembled with a sob. “And that’s with my soul. My whole soul is yours, because a heart can stop and a mind can forget, but a soul neither stops nor forgets. It only loves, and my soul belongs to you.”
“Ah! She got that from me. Way to go, Wrenya!”
As her tears dripped down her face, his doing the same, Jensen’s lips curved. “Your soul, Wrenya? The whole thing?”
“The whole thing. It’s yours.”
“Good, ’cause mine was yours from the beginning.”
Her face lit up as she leaned into his chin. “Sorry it took me so long to join the game.”
“Doesn’t matter how we win as long as we do,” he murmured as she backed up, looking up at him.
“And we will. Together. A team.”
“Always, baby, always.”
With that, he took his wife’s mouth with his, and as he kissed her, Jensen knew that no Cup, no award, no nothing could ever add to his life the way Wren did. It hadn’t been easy, and he knew it never would be. But the best things in life, he had always fought and worked for.
And Wren was the ultimate prize.
“I am entirely too pregnant to be here.”
Her husband looked down at her as he held his hand out to her before she took it, pulling herself out of the limo. “I don’t understand why they pushed this back so damn far.”
Jensen placed a kiss to the side of her mouth. “Venue conflicts, from what I was told.”
She shot him a dry look, completely annoyed with the whole thing. She was supposed to be home, getting ready for Gunner’s debut the following month. The last few weeks had been so busy for them that she didn’t have everything done. Between going back to Canada, this time with Wells, Matty—whom she was still on the fence about but tolerated because her brother loved him so much—Brie, and Vaughn, and then the little vacation to Cancun Jensen had surprised her with, it was easy to say that nothing was done. Then there was the baby shower Elli had thrown for her, the birth of Benji and Lucy’s baby girl, Charlotte, and the retirement party for Tate that Jensen had put on for him. Things were nuts.
Honestly, nuts.
“Don’t they plan this shit out? Like, when you know you want to have the NHL Awards on said date, plan it, jeez. Now we’re in Vegas in August when it’s hotter than Satan’s asshole,” she complained as he waved to some of the fans who were calling out for him. He smiled shyly as he looked back down at her. She hoped she didn’t look like a whale in her sparkly silver body-hugging dress that Jensen had picked out, but his eyes seemed to darken as he looked her over. Her hair was down, big curls to the side, trailing over her shoulder with a silver barrette holding it back. Her makeup was, of course, dramatic, as was the cut of the front of her dress. She was a little worried when the stylist busted out the tape, but her boobs were in their assigned seats and she was ready to go.
She just hoped Jensen liked it.
Which he had told her he did.
A million times since leaving the hotel.
“Vivid image, thanks,” he muttered as he took her in his arms, holding her close as they started up the stairs of the venue. “By the way, I can’t wait to slide this dress down those sexy, dangerous curves of yours.”
Giggling, she leaned into him as they climbed the stairs. “Well, thank you.”
“Hmmm,” he muttered against her lips. “Think I can slide this over and get a peek at your boob?”
She laughed. “It’s taped down.” A challenge flashed in his eyes, and she smacked his moving hand. “Don’t you dare.”
He laughed, kissing her lips hard. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
