Well, shit. Okay. He wanted this.
Hitting Wells’s number, Jensen put him on speaker and held the phone out as he waited for his buddy to answer. He didn’t have to wait long. “Bro, hey! What’s up?”
“Hey, what are you up to?”
“Just lying around as Alex and his parents talk about wedding shit. Being lazy.”
“Oh, so you’re at his house?”
“No, they’re here. Why?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Oh. Well, let me go to my bedroom. Hold on.” Jensen chewed on his lip as Vaughn threw handfuls of popcorn into his mouth, a foolish grin on his face. He was such a dork. “Okay, what’s up? You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s, um, well, it’s about Wren.”
“What? Is she okay?” Wells panicked, as an older brother would.
“Yeah, no, don’t get upset,” Jensen said calmly, though he felt like he could puke at any moment. “Listen, um, something happened between her and me back in December. I never told anyone because we both agreed it was silly and just a drunken night of fun.”
Vaughn scoffed as he shook his head, which caused Jensen to throw a pillow at him. He glared back, but Jensen ignored him as Wells spoke. “Okay. So you’re saying you slept with my sister?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, and when you say you both agreed it was silly, it was really that she didn’t want anything more?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s such a dick. Okay. I mean, whatever, I’m sorry. But why are you telling me this now?”
“Um, she came over the other night and informed me that she’s pregnant.”
Vaughn leaned in, a grin on his face as Wells was silent while Jensen’s heart was going a million miles a second in his chest. “I’m sorry, what?”
“She’s six months pregnant…with my child.”
“You can’t have kids.”
Jensen closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Man, the lies were adding up. “I thought so too, but apparently, I can.”
Closing his eyes, Jensen listened as Wells whispered, “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure she’s not lying? I mean, I love my sister, but she gets around and fucks with assholes who wouldn’t want a kid. You’re the only good guy she knows, and you’d be a damn good dad. Are you sure, man?”
“Yeah, I asked, and she wouldn’t lie to me.”
“Yeah, wow. Okay.”
“Um, so I want to ask her to marry me, but I want to make sure you’re okay with it first.”
Once again, Wells was silent as Jensen sat there having a mini panic attack. He hadn’t thought this was going to be so hard, but he was finding that he was completely wrong in that sense. This was harder than ever, and he hated it. Every second. But he had to do it. For her.
“Well, she’ll say yes because of the stupid inheritance. But, dude, I don’t know. I mean, she’ll probably blow you off when she gets the money.”
Jensen closed his eyes. “That’s a good possibility, but I want to try—for the baby.”
“Fuck, man, I’m gonna kill her. Jesus.”
Jensen cleared his throat. “You know I love her. I won’t hurt her.”
“Dude, I’m not worried about you hurting her. I’m worried she’s gonna fuck with you. Damn it. Are you sure? Like, really sure, dude?”
Jensen’s heart ached. Everyone around him, including Wren, thought she’d hurt him. But he was all in. Did that make him a masochist? Maybe it did. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah. I love her. I want to be there for her and my child.”
“Man. Well, yeah, bro. It’s about time she’s loved by a good guy, and you’d do right by her. Let’s just hope it sticks, and when she gets her money, she doesn’t run. You are one of the best guys I know, and it would be an honor to call you my brother-in-law.”
“Thanks.”
“Of course. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call my sister.”
“She’s blocking your number.”
“Damn it, she’s too smart. I’ll email her.”
Jensen smiled. “Don’t be too hard on her. She’s been hiding this for a while.”
“Yeah, and I don’t like that.”
“I didn’t either.”
“Well, it’s in the past. Good luck with my dad.”
Jensen laughed. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”
“No, you won’t. Love ya, man.”
“You too.”
The line went dead, and Jensen looked up. “That went well…”
Vaughn shook his head. “He doesn’t believe anything. Wells knows Wren, knows you, and knows it’s a sham. He just won’t admit it.”
Jensen’s heart dropped. He’d thought so too, but he was hoping that Vaughn didn’t. “I was afraid of that.”
“Maybe you’ll have better luck with Winston?”
“Maybe.”
Realistically, he didn’t think he would. “I should have saved Wells for last.”
“Yeah, now that I’m thinking about it, probably.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“No problem, that’s what I’m here for. Call Winston.”
Jensen went to Winston’s number and hit call. His pseudofather answered on the fourth ring. “Jen, sorry, I was in the shop. How you doing, my boy?”
“Hey, Winston, good. What are you building?”
“Nothing, just hiding from the missus. She’s always telling me I need to go walking and shit. I’m retired. I wanna eat pie and act like I’m building something.”
Jensen laughed as he nodded. “Sounds like something you’d do.”
“Exactly. Why can’t she get that?” he laughed, a big gruff noise, and Jensen smiled. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Usually, you call Lanie, and I get the secondhand conversation.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. She can talk to a rock. I hate talking, and I know you do, too.”
“I do.”
“Ha, so what’s up?”
“Um, well, Winston. I was, um—”
Hitting Wells’s number, Jensen put him on speaker and held the phone out as he waited for his buddy to answer. He didn’t have to wait long. “Bro, hey! What’s up?”
“Hey, what are you up to?”
“Just lying around as Alex and his parents talk about wedding shit. Being lazy.”
“Oh, so you’re at his house?”
“No, they’re here. Why?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Oh. Well, let me go to my bedroom. Hold on.” Jensen chewed on his lip as Vaughn threw handfuls of popcorn into his mouth, a foolish grin on his face. He was such a dork. “Okay, what’s up? You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s, um, well, it’s about Wren.”
“What? Is she okay?” Wells panicked, as an older brother would.
“Yeah, no, don’t get upset,” Jensen said calmly, though he felt like he could puke at any moment. “Listen, um, something happened between her and me back in December. I never told anyone because we both agreed it was silly and just a drunken night of fun.”
Vaughn scoffed as he shook his head, which caused Jensen to throw a pillow at him. He glared back, but Jensen ignored him as Wells spoke. “Okay. So you’re saying you slept with my sister?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, and when you say you both agreed it was silly, it was really that she didn’t want anything more?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s such a dick. Okay. I mean, whatever, I’m sorry. But why are you telling me this now?”
“Um, she came over the other night and informed me that she’s pregnant.”
Vaughn leaned in, a grin on his face as Wells was silent while Jensen’s heart was going a million miles a second in his chest. “I’m sorry, what?”
“She’s six months pregnant…with my child.”
“You can’t have kids.”
Jensen closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Man, the lies were adding up. “I thought so too, but apparently, I can.”
Closing his eyes, Jensen listened as Wells whispered, “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure she’s not lying? I mean, I love my sister, but she gets around and fucks with assholes who wouldn’t want a kid. You’re the only good guy she knows, and you’d be a damn good dad. Are you sure, man?”
“Yeah, I asked, and she wouldn’t lie to me.”
“Yeah, wow. Okay.”
“Um, so I want to ask her to marry me, but I want to make sure you’re okay with it first.”
Once again, Wells was silent as Jensen sat there having a mini panic attack. He hadn’t thought this was going to be so hard, but he was finding that he was completely wrong in that sense. This was harder than ever, and he hated it. Every second. But he had to do it. For her.
“Well, she’ll say yes because of the stupid inheritance. But, dude, I don’t know. I mean, she’ll probably blow you off when she gets the money.”
Jensen closed his eyes. “That’s a good possibility, but I want to try—for the baby.”
“Fuck, man, I’m gonna kill her. Jesus.”
Jensen cleared his throat. “You know I love her. I won’t hurt her.”
“Dude, I’m not worried about you hurting her. I’m worried she’s gonna fuck with you. Damn it. Are you sure? Like, really sure, dude?”
Jensen’s heart ached. Everyone around him, including Wren, thought she’d hurt him. But he was all in. Did that make him a masochist? Maybe it did. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah. I love her. I want to be there for her and my child.”
“Man. Well, yeah, bro. It’s about time she’s loved by a good guy, and you’d do right by her. Let’s just hope it sticks, and when she gets her money, she doesn’t run. You are one of the best guys I know, and it would be an honor to call you my brother-in-law.”
“Thanks.”
“Of course. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call my sister.”
“She’s blocking your number.”
“Damn it, she’s too smart. I’ll email her.”
Jensen smiled. “Don’t be too hard on her. She’s been hiding this for a while.”
“Yeah, and I don’t like that.”
“I didn’t either.”
“Well, it’s in the past. Good luck with my dad.”
Jensen laughed. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”
“No, you won’t. Love ya, man.”
“You too.”
The line went dead, and Jensen looked up. “That went well…”
Vaughn shook his head. “He doesn’t believe anything. Wells knows Wren, knows you, and knows it’s a sham. He just won’t admit it.”
Jensen’s heart dropped. He’d thought so too, but he was hoping that Vaughn didn’t. “I was afraid of that.”
“Maybe you’ll have better luck with Winston?”
“Maybe.”
Realistically, he didn’t think he would. “I should have saved Wells for last.”
“Yeah, now that I’m thinking about it, probably.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“No problem, that’s what I’m here for. Call Winston.”
Jensen went to Winston’s number and hit call. His pseudofather answered on the fourth ring. “Jen, sorry, I was in the shop. How you doing, my boy?”
“Hey, Winston, good. What are you building?”
“Nothing, just hiding from the missus. She’s always telling me I need to go walking and shit. I’m retired. I wanna eat pie and act like I’m building something.”
Jensen laughed as he nodded. “Sounds like something you’d do.”
“Exactly. Why can’t she get that?” he laughed, a big gruff noise, and Jensen smiled. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Usually, you call Lanie, and I get the secondhand conversation.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. She can talk to a rock. I hate talking, and I know you do, too.”
“I do.”
“Ha, so what’s up?”
“Um, well, Winston. I was, um—”
