“Packing,” he said simply, pointing to the box. “How’d your date go?”
“Don’t,” was all Jensen said as he went by Vaughn and to his fridge, reaching for a beer. Pinning Vaughn with a look, he said, “So you knew?”
Vaughn’s brow lifted. “Knew what?”
“That Wren is pregnant.”
Vaughn’s mouth snapped closed as Brie said, “Yeah, she told me last night.”
Jensen pointed to Vaughn, his eyes on Brie. “She told him like six months ago.”
“What?” Brie asked, looking at Vaughn. He just shrugged, looking every bit like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I thought you didn’t know.”
He cleared his throat. “No, I did.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Or me,” Jensen added.
Vaughn threw his hands up. “I couldn’t. She made me swear.”
“Why’d she tell you?” Brie asked, leaning on the bar as Jensen did the same, wondering what his best friend would tell his fiancée.
“Um, well, she wanted me to marry her and act like the father.”
Oh, Vaughn went with the truth. His buddy was growing up. “Really? But we were together.”
“I know,” he said quickly, holding his hands up. “Thanks, jackass,” he spat at Jensen before going over to his soon-to-be bride. “She was going to pay off me and you. But I said no, because I only love you and wouldn’t hurt you like that.”
Her eyebrow quirked. “Pay you? How much?”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because if it’s a lot, then take it.”
“Brie!”
She snickered, her eyes bright. “I’m kidding.”
Vaughn rolled his eyes while Jensen let out a long breath. “So, now, she’s asked me.”
They both looked over at him. Vaughn shook his head. “I told her not to.”
“Why!” Jensen and Brie said at the same time.
Holding his hands out like it was obvious, he said, “Because, duh, I knew what she wanted. She doesn’t want forever, dude. She wants a quick four months, tops. Then you divorce, and we all know how you are about that. Next thing you know, we find Jenny on the ground, drowning in a pool of his own tears, and I’m standing above him, unsure what to do because I don’t do man tears, and yeah, no. I told her no. For you.”
Rolling his eyes, Jensen glanced at Brie. “You’re marrying and having a kid with this fool?”
“He’s really great in bed.”
Vaughn glared. “You know it’s true!”
“I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself,” Jensen added dryly, but Vaughn shook his head.
“With anyone else, yeah, I totally agree with you, but this is Wren. Wren Josephine Lemiere. You know I know how you feel about her. How you’ve loved her since the moment she told you something about hammering something or some stupid shit like that—”
“Hammering something?” Brie asked, and Jensen nodded.
“It’s a really great story—”
“It’s wack and dumb.”
“It is not,” Jensen snapped, shaking his head. “It’s a great story!”
“Well, out with it, then,” Brie said before Vaughn could complain more.
Jensen smiled. “We were working on some houses for NateWay1, and she comes over in these short as sin shorts and an even tighter shirt.” His lips pursed as he could see her vividly at that moment. “She was stunning, beautiful, and, of course, I was already crushing hard on her.”
“He’s crushed on her since we were kids.”
“I have,” Jensen agreed. Though, Brie was just grinning, enraptured by the story. “She was standing there, just looking pretty on her phone, and I asked her to hand me a hammer. She looked at me with this grin and said, ‘So you can bang the hell out of that nail?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s what you do.’” When Vaughn rolled his eyes, Jensen glared, but he couldn’t help the chuckle that left his lips. “She laughed and laughed, and then goes, ‘I was trying to be suggestive, Jenny, come on.’ She walked away like it was nothing, but I swear I fell in love with her at that moment.”
Brie blinked. “Because she made a joke about a nail?”
Two peas in a pod, Vaughn and Brie were, but before Jensen could reiterate how much Wren meant to him, Vaughn said, “Don’t listen to him, he’s a weirdo. But know he loves the chick, and she is going to break him if he does this. Like, in two. For real, bro. Don’t do it.”
Jensen set him with a look. “Like you said, it’s Wren. I can’t not do it. She needs my help.”
“Let her tell the damn truth!”
“You know how much that inherence means to them. They were spending that money even when they didn’t have it. They need it. Both of them.”
“That’s her own damn fault.”
“Vaughn.” Vaughn looked up as Jensen glared. “They both gave you a lot of money when that whore took all of yours. That was on credit cards, I know that for a fact.”
“That’s not fair.”
“And you never paid them back.”
“They told me I didn’t have to!”
“Because they knew this money was coming,” Jensen said simply. “I can’t not help, but I sure as hell don’t like how she wants to end it.”
“That’s what I’m saying, dude. She’s gonna break you.”
Biting his lip, Jensen stared down at the counter, trying to think it through. “What if I came up with my own terms?”
“What terms?”
“I don’t know,” he said simply, shaking his head. “But something…something so I don’t get hurt.”
“You gonna tell her you love her? Because unless she says it back, you’re gonna get hurt.”
“Shut up,” Jensen said, waving him off before he started to look for a pen and paper. “What if I did it for the chance that she would, though?” he said once he found a pen. Looking up, he met Vaughn’s worried gaze. Brie stood beside him, her face twisted with her own concern.
“What if that backfires? What if she says she’s trying, but she doesn’t?” she asked slowly. “We all know how Wren feels about relationships.”
“Don’t,” was all Jensen said as he went by Vaughn and to his fridge, reaching for a beer. Pinning Vaughn with a look, he said, “So you knew?”
Vaughn’s brow lifted. “Knew what?”
“That Wren is pregnant.”
Vaughn’s mouth snapped closed as Brie said, “Yeah, she told me last night.”
Jensen pointed to Vaughn, his eyes on Brie. “She told him like six months ago.”
“What?” Brie asked, looking at Vaughn. He just shrugged, looking every bit like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I thought you didn’t know.”
He cleared his throat. “No, I did.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Or me,” Jensen added.
Vaughn threw his hands up. “I couldn’t. She made me swear.”
“Why’d she tell you?” Brie asked, leaning on the bar as Jensen did the same, wondering what his best friend would tell his fiancée.
“Um, well, she wanted me to marry her and act like the father.”
Oh, Vaughn went with the truth. His buddy was growing up. “Really? But we were together.”
“I know,” he said quickly, holding his hands up. “Thanks, jackass,” he spat at Jensen before going over to his soon-to-be bride. “She was going to pay off me and you. But I said no, because I only love you and wouldn’t hurt you like that.”
Her eyebrow quirked. “Pay you? How much?”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because if it’s a lot, then take it.”
“Brie!”
She snickered, her eyes bright. “I’m kidding.”
Vaughn rolled his eyes while Jensen let out a long breath. “So, now, she’s asked me.”
They both looked over at him. Vaughn shook his head. “I told her not to.”
“Why!” Jensen and Brie said at the same time.
Holding his hands out like it was obvious, he said, “Because, duh, I knew what she wanted. She doesn’t want forever, dude. She wants a quick four months, tops. Then you divorce, and we all know how you are about that. Next thing you know, we find Jenny on the ground, drowning in a pool of his own tears, and I’m standing above him, unsure what to do because I don’t do man tears, and yeah, no. I told her no. For you.”
Rolling his eyes, Jensen glanced at Brie. “You’re marrying and having a kid with this fool?”
“He’s really great in bed.”
Vaughn glared. “You know it’s true!”
“I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself,” Jensen added dryly, but Vaughn shook his head.
“With anyone else, yeah, I totally agree with you, but this is Wren. Wren Josephine Lemiere. You know I know how you feel about her. How you’ve loved her since the moment she told you something about hammering something or some stupid shit like that—”
“Hammering something?” Brie asked, and Jensen nodded.
“It’s a really great story—”
“It’s wack and dumb.”
“It is not,” Jensen snapped, shaking his head. “It’s a great story!”
“Well, out with it, then,” Brie said before Vaughn could complain more.
Jensen smiled. “We were working on some houses for NateWay1, and she comes over in these short as sin shorts and an even tighter shirt.” His lips pursed as he could see her vividly at that moment. “She was stunning, beautiful, and, of course, I was already crushing hard on her.”
“He’s crushed on her since we were kids.”
“I have,” Jensen agreed. Though, Brie was just grinning, enraptured by the story. “She was standing there, just looking pretty on her phone, and I asked her to hand me a hammer. She looked at me with this grin and said, ‘So you can bang the hell out of that nail?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s what you do.’” When Vaughn rolled his eyes, Jensen glared, but he couldn’t help the chuckle that left his lips. “She laughed and laughed, and then goes, ‘I was trying to be suggestive, Jenny, come on.’ She walked away like it was nothing, but I swear I fell in love with her at that moment.”
Brie blinked. “Because she made a joke about a nail?”
Two peas in a pod, Vaughn and Brie were, but before Jensen could reiterate how much Wren meant to him, Vaughn said, “Don’t listen to him, he’s a weirdo. But know he loves the chick, and she is going to break him if he does this. Like, in two. For real, bro. Don’t do it.”
Jensen set him with a look. “Like you said, it’s Wren. I can’t not do it. She needs my help.”
“Let her tell the damn truth!”
“You know how much that inherence means to them. They were spending that money even when they didn’t have it. They need it. Both of them.”
“That’s her own damn fault.”
“Vaughn.” Vaughn looked up as Jensen glared. “They both gave you a lot of money when that whore took all of yours. That was on credit cards, I know that for a fact.”
“That’s not fair.”
“And you never paid them back.”
“They told me I didn’t have to!”
“Because they knew this money was coming,” Jensen said simply. “I can’t not help, but I sure as hell don’t like how she wants to end it.”
“That’s what I’m saying, dude. She’s gonna break you.”
Biting his lip, Jensen stared down at the counter, trying to think it through. “What if I came up with my own terms?”
“What terms?”
“I don’t know,” he said simply, shaking his head. “But something…something so I don’t get hurt.”
“You gonna tell her you love her? Because unless she says it back, you’re gonna get hurt.”
“Shut up,” Jensen said, waving him off before he started to look for a pen and paper. “What if I did it for the chance that she would, though?” he said once he found a pen. Looking up, he met Vaughn’s worried gaze. Brie stood beside him, her face twisted with her own concern.
“What if that backfires? What if she says she’s trying, but she doesn’t?” she asked slowly. “We all know how Wren feels about relationships.”
