Tapping a pen to her lips, Wren stared at her computer screen where she’d typed the pros and cons of Jensen’s proposal. She always did this. With everything. It was how she chose her college, how she chose her first car, and also how she decided to move to Nashville for the Assassins job. Even when she found out that Bradley wasn’t going to be there for her, she wrote out a list of pros and cons for keeping the baby. The list was way con heavy, but the pro outweighed it all.
She loved it.
The baby.
Unlike her last list, though, she was finding out that this one was pro heavy. Which she didn’t like very much because she was doing everything to talk herself out of saying yes to Jensen. Which was why she had rewritten it over nine times. But no matter how many times she did that, it always came out in Jensen’s favor. Yet something was holding her back.
Vaughn’s words were playing with her head too. She stayed up all night thinking about how he’d insinuated Jensen had feelings for her. She played with the idea, even giggled like an idiot, but it all just seemed so unreal. Jensen obviously wanted to do this because he cared about her and wanted to help. He didn’t have an ulterior motive. It was Jensen. What you saw was what you got.
Right?
When a thought came into her head, she took the pen between her lips and typed it quickly beneath the con list.
Con
I don’t want to be married.
Someone, probably Jensen, would get hurt.
Or me. I could get hurt.
I could fall in love with him, and he would leave me.
That last one stung a bit, probably because it was what most likely would happen. Why was this so hard? Just say yes! No! Say no! Just kiss him and see what happens. That was an idea. Couldn’t be married to someone she couldn’t kiss.
Right?
Glancing back to the con list, she started to type.
Not sure how he kisses now. It has been a good many years.
Nodding her head, she looked to the pro list, and her heart sped up.
Pro
He would love the kiddo.
He would be a great dad.
He’s probably good in bed.
He’s loyal.
He’s nice.
He’s not a douche fucker like that asshole.
Bradley. As much as she didn’t want to think of him, she found herself doing just that. Ever since Jensen had come into her office only two days ago, her mind kept sneaking back to Bradley. Why? She wasn’t really sure, except for the fact that when she went home with Jensen for the wedding, she’d probably see Bradley. She wasn’t sure how he’d take seeing her with Jensen. Would he out them? Would he care? She wasn’t sure, and if she was going to do this, nothing could expose them. She’d want it to go smoothly for Jensen. For her too. Obviously.
It worried her. To the point that she had dialed Bradley’s number numerous times just to see what he would do. What he’d think. Why she cared was a legit concern, but at the moment, she wasn’t thinking about that. He shouldn’t matter, but she couldn’t shake that he would somehow get in the way. She couldn’t have that. Going into this with Jensen, she would have her own insecurities and self-destructive ways to do them in. She didn’t need the worrisome specter of Bradley to add in there. He had made it clear, through many texts, he wanted nothing to do with her—or her child.
Swallowing hard, she glanced at the clock on her laptop to see that she still had plenty of time before Tate Odder came in. Before she could chicken out, she reached for her office phone and dialed Bradley. She hadn’t spoken to him on the phone in six months. She wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but she had to make sure he was completely out of the picture. His secretary answered on the third ring.
“Bradley Washington’s office, this is Brenda. How may I help you?”
“Yes, Brenda. It’s Wren. Can you put me through, please?”
“Oh, Wren! How are you? I haven’t heard from you in ages.”
Letting out a small laugh that had no laughter in it whatsoever, Wren nodded. “Yeah, been superbusy, and I wish I had time to catch up, but I’m on a time crunch and have a quick question for Bradley.”
“Sure, hun. One second.”
Wren bit her lip as she waited, and then his voice filled the line. “Wren, why are you calling me?”
She was a little taken aback. “Well, hello to you too.”
“I told you not to call me, not to reach out. I’m a married man now. I love my wife.”
“Good for you, but I feel like we need to talk—”
“Unless you’re calling to tell me you had an abortion, there is nothing to talk about. I told you, I can’t do this. I’m not sure what you want, but you look pathetic. Take the hint, I don’t want you. You were just an easy lay.”
This motherfucker right here… Her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes filling with fire. Taking in a calm breath, she said, “Bradley, I was calling to ask you—”
“There. Is. Nothing. To. Talk. About. Don’t call me ever again.”
Then the line went dead.
Holding the phone from her ear, her eyes started to well with tears before she slammed the receiver down and covered her face. She must have startled the kiddo because he went crazy, kicking her hard in the liver, but she couldn’t pay him any mind. She just didn’t get it. Was she pathetic? Was she so much of an easy fucking lay that he thought he could treat her like that? Why was she lying for him? She should put his ass through the wringer. He was fucking lucky that she needed her inheritance and that Jensen was offering to be a father to her kid because Bradley didn’t deserve shit.
But his words stung.
An easy lay?
Really? Was she that pitiful?
Gasping for breath, she reached for the phone before she knew what she was doing and dialed her mom’s number. When her mother’s cheerful voice filled the line, she almost hung up, but she knew her mom would call her back. Closing her eyes, Wren sucked in a deep breath, but before she could say anything, her mother’s voice was full of panic.
“Oh, Wren, why are you crying?”
Gasping for breath, she shook her head, squeezing out the tears. “How’d you know?”
“You do that hiccup thing when you’re crying. What’s wrong?”
And with that, Wren let go. Her tears were coming fast and out of control as she held one hand over her face, inhaling quickly before shaking her head. “I can’t tell you.”
She loved it.
The baby.
Unlike her last list, though, she was finding out that this one was pro heavy. Which she didn’t like very much because she was doing everything to talk herself out of saying yes to Jensen. Which was why she had rewritten it over nine times. But no matter how many times she did that, it always came out in Jensen’s favor. Yet something was holding her back.
Vaughn’s words were playing with her head too. She stayed up all night thinking about how he’d insinuated Jensen had feelings for her. She played with the idea, even giggled like an idiot, but it all just seemed so unreal. Jensen obviously wanted to do this because he cared about her and wanted to help. He didn’t have an ulterior motive. It was Jensen. What you saw was what you got.
Right?
When a thought came into her head, she took the pen between her lips and typed it quickly beneath the con list.
Con
I don’t want to be married.
Someone, probably Jensen, would get hurt.
Or me. I could get hurt.
I could fall in love with him, and he would leave me.
That last one stung a bit, probably because it was what most likely would happen. Why was this so hard? Just say yes! No! Say no! Just kiss him and see what happens. That was an idea. Couldn’t be married to someone she couldn’t kiss.
Right?
Glancing back to the con list, she started to type.
Not sure how he kisses now. It has been a good many years.
Nodding her head, she looked to the pro list, and her heart sped up.
Pro
He would love the kiddo.
He would be a great dad.
He’s probably good in bed.
He’s loyal.
He’s nice.
He’s not a douche fucker like that asshole.
Bradley. As much as she didn’t want to think of him, she found herself doing just that. Ever since Jensen had come into her office only two days ago, her mind kept sneaking back to Bradley. Why? She wasn’t really sure, except for the fact that when she went home with Jensen for the wedding, she’d probably see Bradley. She wasn’t sure how he’d take seeing her with Jensen. Would he out them? Would he care? She wasn’t sure, and if she was going to do this, nothing could expose them. She’d want it to go smoothly for Jensen. For her too. Obviously.
It worried her. To the point that she had dialed Bradley’s number numerous times just to see what he would do. What he’d think. Why she cared was a legit concern, but at the moment, she wasn’t thinking about that. He shouldn’t matter, but she couldn’t shake that he would somehow get in the way. She couldn’t have that. Going into this with Jensen, she would have her own insecurities and self-destructive ways to do them in. She didn’t need the worrisome specter of Bradley to add in there. He had made it clear, through many texts, he wanted nothing to do with her—or her child.
Swallowing hard, she glanced at the clock on her laptop to see that she still had plenty of time before Tate Odder came in. Before she could chicken out, she reached for her office phone and dialed Bradley. She hadn’t spoken to him on the phone in six months. She wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but she had to make sure he was completely out of the picture. His secretary answered on the third ring.
“Bradley Washington’s office, this is Brenda. How may I help you?”
“Yes, Brenda. It’s Wren. Can you put me through, please?”
“Oh, Wren! How are you? I haven’t heard from you in ages.”
Letting out a small laugh that had no laughter in it whatsoever, Wren nodded. “Yeah, been superbusy, and I wish I had time to catch up, but I’m on a time crunch and have a quick question for Bradley.”
“Sure, hun. One second.”
Wren bit her lip as she waited, and then his voice filled the line. “Wren, why are you calling me?”
She was a little taken aback. “Well, hello to you too.”
“I told you not to call me, not to reach out. I’m a married man now. I love my wife.”
“Good for you, but I feel like we need to talk—”
“Unless you’re calling to tell me you had an abortion, there is nothing to talk about. I told you, I can’t do this. I’m not sure what you want, but you look pathetic. Take the hint, I don’t want you. You were just an easy lay.”
This motherfucker right here… Her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes filling with fire. Taking in a calm breath, she said, “Bradley, I was calling to ask you—”
“There. Is. Nothing. To. Talk. About. Don’t call me ever again.”
Then the line went dead.
Holding the phone from her ear, her eyes started to well with tears before she slammed the receiver down and covered her face. She must have startled the kiddo because he went crazy, kicking her hard in the liver, but she couldn’t pay him any mind. She just didn’t get it. Was she pathetic? Was she so much of an easy fucking lay that he thought he could treat her like that? Why was she lying for him? She should put his ass through the wringer. He was fucking lucky that she needed her inheritance and that Jensen was offering to be a father to her kid because Bradley didn’t deserve shit.
But his words stung.
An easy lay?
Really? Was she that pitiful?
Gasping for breath, she reached for the phone before she knew what she was doing and dialed her mom’s number. When her mother’s cheerful voice filled the line, she almost hung up, but she knew her mom would call her back. Closing her eyes, Wren sucked in a deep breath, but before she could say anything, her mother’s voice was full of panic.
“Oh, Wren, why are you crying?”
Gasping for breath, she shook her head, squeezing out the tears. “How’d you know?”
“You do that hiccup thing when you’re crying. What’s wrong?”
And with that, Wren let go. Her tears were coming fast and out of control as she held one hand over her face, inhaling quickly before shaking her head. “I can’t tell you.”
