Yeah, this was way too fucking much to take.
“But to answer your question, yes, maybe we’ll end it like a week or two after. I don’t know. We can discuss the timeline in more depth later. But don’t worry, we wouldn’t have to live together unless, for some reason, my family decides to pop in. We can pick a place, maybe put some things in one of our apartments to make it look like we live together there. And I’ll take all the blame, I’ll ruin us, but I just want to make sure that no matter what we stay friends because I’ll basically owe you everything. It’s mainly when we go home to Colorado that we have to look like we are truly in love, and then when the baby comes, ’cause I’m sure my mom will be here, and wow, I’m rambling again.” He swallowed hard once more as he nodded, taking in everything she was saying. “No one will hate you, though. I’ll take all the blame. I just need you to marry me and be my kid’s father for five months, tops.”
“Will we really get married?”
“Yeah, ’cause I have a feeling my dad will check.”
“And we’ll get divorced?”
When he looked up, her eyes were wide. “Maybe not divorced but annulled. I think we’ll be in the right time frame. You wouldn’t have to be divorced twice. I thought about that. I know you don’t want that.”
Looking away, he wrung his fingers together and thought about it for a moment. He had loved Wren almost his whole life. He had seen himself with her more times than he could count. This was his chance. He would be hers, and she would be his, but it would be a sham. All a fake love kind of thing. He would do anything for her. Anything. But could he do this to himself? It was essentially setting himself up for heartache and pain. Because watching her leave would be his downfall, and he wouldn’t be able to stay friends with her. Even if she claimed it would only be a week or two of them being “in love” as she kept saying.
It would break him.
More so than when Ophelia left him.
Looking up, he ran his hands along his face and took in a deep breath before meeting her gaze. “When do you need to know?”
Her mouth parted. “What?”
“When do you need an answer?”
Her eyes widened as she shrugged. “As soon as possible since the wedding is in a month.”
He nodded before getting up and pulling his wallet out. Throwing a hundred on the table, he went to her, kissing her cheek. Lingering longer than he should, he whispered, “I’ll be in touch.”
Pulling away, he turned and headed out because if he didn’t, he’d say yes to her terms.
He’d be damned if he was going to set himself up for failure.
He’d done it once.
And he wouldn’t do it a second time.
“I’m pregnant, Jensen.”
His brows came in. Confusion racked his body as he stared into his wife’s dark brown eyes. “But…really?”
Her eyes filled with tears, though not happy ones as she slowly shook her head. “But, it isn’t yours.”
Sitting in his car, Jensen looked around the parking lot of his apartment complex and wasn’t sure how he’d gotten there. He was thinking too hard. Why he was thinking of the end of his marriage would forever plague him. He didn’t do that anymore. He hadn’t in a really long time. Ophelia didn’t want him, couldn’t be with him, and that was fine. He forgave her, but sitting across from Wren, hearing everything she was saying, it all came back. With a vengeance.
Wren was pregnant.
And she wanted him to pose as the father and her husband.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he was completely surprised he hadn’t screamed yes at her. It was his chance. She would be his. But he knew it would end. Much faster than it began, and he might lose his family in the process. Winston and Elaine Lemiere were fiercely protective of their children, including him, but something like this, knocking up their daughter and then marrying her behind their backs, that would throw one hell of a wrench into their relationship.
And then there was Wells.
Fuck. Wells might kill him. He would usually be the one Jensen would call to talk something like this out. When Ophelia had told him she was pregnant by a guy at her work, Wells was the first one Jensen called. He loved Vaughn, he did, but until recently, Vaughn didn’t do love and relationships. Plus, Wells and Jensen just had a different kind of friendship. Jensen was the one Wells came out to when they were sixteen. Wells told Vaughn the following day, but Jensen knew first. They trusted each other, they loved each other like brothers, but this… This could ruin all of that.
But he couldn’t leave Wren hanging. Wouldn’t Wells want Jensen to help her? He understood the whole inheritance thing. It was dumb, and her grandfather was an idiot in his opinion, but it was what it was. With Wells giving up his portion since he decided to “stay gay,” as his father put it, Wren felt she had to get all of the money for both of them. Jensen would do the same thing in her position, but could he do this? Could he lie to the faces of the people he loved as much as he loved his own parents?
It was for the girl he had always loved.
Though, he couldn’t forget—she didn’t love him.
She just wanted a quick fix. Marry him, make him the “father,” and then ship him off at the end. Not only did he hate the way she was thinking, but he also didn’t like that she wanted to take all the blame. He would be the victim again, and man, what an ordeal it had been back then. Everyone all up in his business, trying to make sure that he was okay. It was suffocating. Plus, what if Winston and Elaine felt bad and stopped talking to him?
And what about the baby?
Would he be considered a deadbeat dad?
Fuck.
Throwing his door open, he got out, keeping himself from reaching for his phone and calling Wells. He wanted to, so badly, but he wouldn’t do that to Wren. Heading into his condo building, he chose the stairs to burn off some of the crazy that was making his brain hurt. It didn’t work, though. All it did was burn his legs, and when he reached Brie and Vaughn’s condo, he prayed she hadn’t cleaned out the fridge yet.
Knocking on the door, he could only hear Tricksie, their dog, going crazy, but no sign of them.
“Hey, buttface, we’re over here.”
Turning, he found Vaughn in the doorway of his condo. “What are you doing?”
“But to answer your question, yes, maybe we’ll end it like a week or two after. I don’t know. We can discuss the timeline in more depth later. But don’t worry, we wouldn’t have to live together unless, for some reason, my family decides to pop in. We can pick a place, maybe put some things in one of our apartments to make it look like we live together there. And I’ll take all the blame, I’ll ruin us, but I just want to make sure that no matter what we stay friends because I’ll basically owe you everything. It’s mainly when we go home to Colorado that we have to look like we are truly in love, and then when the baby comes, ’cause I’m sure my mom will be here, and wow, I’m rambling again.” He swallowed hard once more as he nodded, taking in everything she was saying. “No one will hate you, though. I’ll take all the blame. I just need you to marry me and be my kid’s father for five months, tops.”
“Will we really get married?”
“Yeah, ’cause I have a feeling my dad will check.”
“And we’ll get divorced?”
When he looked up, her eyes were wide. “Maybe not divorced but annulled. I think we’ll be in the right time frame. You wouldn’t have to be divorced twice. I thought about that. I know you don’t want that.”
Looking away, he wrung his fingers together and thought about it for a moment. He had loved Wren almost his whole life. He had seen himself with her more times than he could count. This was his chance. He would be hers, and she would be his, but it would be a sham. All a fake love kind of thing. He would do anything for her. Anything. But could he do this to himself? It was essentially setting himself up for heartache and pain. Because watching her leave would be his downfall, and he wouldn’t be able to stay friends with her. Even if she claimed it would only be a week or two of them being “in love” as she kept saying.
It would break him.
More so than when Ophelia left him.
Looking up, he ran his hands along his face and took in a deep breath before meeting her gaze. “When do you need to know?”
Her mouth parted. “What?”
“When do you need an answer?”
Her eyes widened as she shrugged. “As soon as possible since the wedding is in a month.”
He nodded before getting up and pulling his wallet out. Throwing a hundred on the table, he went to her, kissing her cheek. Lingering longer than he should, he whispered, “I’ll be in touch.”
Pulling away, he turned and headed out because if he didn’t, he’d say yes to her terms.
He’d be damned if he was going to set himself up for failure.
He’d done it once.
And he wouldn’t do it a second time.
“I’m pregnant, Jensen.”
His brows came in. Confusion racked his body as he stared into his wife’s dark brown eyes. “But…really?”
Her eyes filled with tears, though not happy ones as she slowly shook her head. “But, it isn’t yours.”
Sitting in his car, Jensen looked around the parking lot of his apartment complex and wasn’t sure how he’d gotten there. He was thinking too hard. Why he was thinking of the end of his marriage would forever plague him. He didn’t do that anymore. He hadn’t in a really long time. Ophelia didn’t want him, couldn’t be with him, and that was fine. He forgave her, but sitting across from Wren, hearing everything she was saying, it all came back. With a vengeance.
Wren was pregnant.
And she wanted him to pose as the father and her husband.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he was completely surprised he hadn’t screamed yes at her. It was his chance. She would be his. But he knew it would end. Much faster than it began, and he might lose his family in the process. Winston and Elaine Lemiere were fiercely protective of their children, including him, but something like this, knocking up their daughter and then marrying her behind their backs, that would throw one hell of a wrench into their relationship.
And then there was Wells.
Fuck. Wells might kill him. He would usually be the one Jensen would call to talk something like this out. When Ophelia had told him she was pregnant by a guy at her work, Wells was the first one Jensen called. He loved Vaughn, he did, but until recently, Vaughn didn’t do love and relationships. Plus, Wells and Jensen just had a different kind of friendship. Jensen was the one Wells came out to when they were sixteen. Wells told Vaughn the following day, but Jensen knew first. They trusted each other, they loved each other like brothers, but this… This could ruin all of that.
But he couldn’t leave Wren hanging. Wouldn’t Wells want Jensen to help her? He understood the whole inheritance thing. It was dumb, and her grandfather was an idiot in his opinion, but it was what it was. With Wells giving up his portion since he decided to “stay gay,” as his father put it, Wren felt she had to get all of the money for both of them. Jensen would do the same thing in her position, but could he do this? Could he lie to the faces of the people he loved as much as he loved his own parents?
It was for the girl he had always loved.
Though, he couldn’t forget—she didn’t love him.
She just wanted a quick fix. Marry him, make him the “father,” and then ship him off at the end. Not only did he hate the way she was thinking, but he also didn’t like that she wanted to take all the blame. He would be the victim again, and man, what an ordeal it had been back then. Everyone all up in his business, trying to make sure that he was okay. It was suffocating. Plus, what if Winston and Elaine felt bad and stopped talking to him?
And what about the baby?
Would he be considered a deadbeat dad?
Fuck.
Throwing his door open, he got out, keeping himself from reaching for his phone and calling Wells. He wanted to, so badly, but he wouldn’t do that to Wren. Heading into his condo building, he chose the stairs to burn off some of the crazy that was making his brain hurt. It didn’t work, though. All it did was burn his legs, and when he reached Brie and Vaughn’s condo, he prayed she hadn’t cleaned out the fridge yet.
Knocking on the door, he could only hear Tricksie, their dog, going crazy, but no sign of them.
“Hey, buttface, we’re over here.”
Turning, he found Vaughn in the doorway of his condo. “What are you doing?”
