She’d get more than she wanted, and that was good.
But then why did she feel so fucking shitty?
Staring back at his perfectly sculpted back as his shoulders rose and fell, she narrowed her eyes.
Stupid Jensen.
Stupid feelings.
Stupid her for doing what she didn’t want to do.
Right?
She didn’t want this.
Why didn’t that feel right?
Crap.
Why was she such a fucking mess?
“I would have picked you up.”
Wren waved Jensen off as she got out of the car and reached for her purse. She knew he would have. But she didn’t want him to. She needed the distance. Her feelings were all out of whack, and it was pissing her off. He would say something like he had last night…and then he didn’t have sex with her. He was confusing, and she was getting pissed. Or maybe she was sexually frustrated. Or both. Either way, distance was the key. “No reason to drive two cars.” He leaned toward her, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth before he smiled against her lips as her face stayed frozen in stone. “I really like this dress.”
She looked down at her little T-shirt dress that used to be big on her, but not any longer, as she held in her not-nice retort. “But you didn’t want me naked,” she muttered. Well, she’d tried to hold it in. Looking up at him to see if he’d heard her, she saw his brows pulled together.
“What?”
“Nothing, I said thanks,” she grumbled, and she hated how annoyed she still was. So he didn’t want to have sex with her on their wedding night. It was supposed to be a fake marriage anyway.
Asshole.
When he didn’t fall into step with her, she looked back at him. “You coming?”
His eyes narrowed a bit as he shook his head. “Pretty sure that’s not what you said.”
“Oh, well. Let’s go and get this over with.”
“Why are you pissy?”
“I’m not. Let’s go.”
“You are.”
“Aren’t.”
“Are,” he said simply, his eyes holding hers. “Quicker you tell me, the quicker I can either fix it or tell you to get over it.”
Rolling her eyes, she started for Babies“R”Us as he fell into step with her, his hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his dark sunglasses, but he looked annoyed. Which was damn fine with her.
Jerk.
“Or you can just ignore the issue.”
“That seems best,” she muttered as together they walked through the sliding doors before he reached for a cart. He leaned on it, pushing his glasses up as he rolled beside her. Looking at the cart and then him, she raised a brow as she pushed her own sunglasses up into her hair. “We need a cart?”
He shrugged. “I think so. My mom sent us five hundred bucks to buy stuff for the baby, and then your mom told me to pick out a crib, on her.”
Wren glared, more irritation filling her. “She didn’t tell me that.”
“She said she tried calling you earlier, but you were in sessions all morning. I texted you that too.”
Pulling out her phone, she saw his text and then her mom’s and dad’s texts. Well, then. Tucking her phone back into her purse, her lips pressed together, she rolled her eyes. “Oh. I was in a rush to get here. I didn’t want to be late.”
“It’s okay, no big,” he said simply as he headed toward the clothing section, but she was reluctant, as if it were scary or something. But since he was still moving, she trudged ahead. How bad could it be? It was clothing, not a monster house. But as soon as they entered the boys section, Wren’s heart jumped into her throat, and panic took over. She liked Walmart, stuff was on an end cap, and not overwhelming at all. But here…yeah, it was different here.
Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt in her chest, and she could hear it in her ears. There was so much blue. So much cuteness and…were those little baby Chucks? Babies had Chucks!
“Wren? You okay?”
She couldn’t answer him though. Her throat had closed up, her heart was beating out of control, making her eyes vibrate as she gazed around them. Dinosaurs, little ducks, bears, and more stared back at her as she drew in a ragged breath. She wasn’t sure what he would like. What if he wanted bears, and she bought dinosaurs! It was all just so adorable, but crap, she was going to be a mom!
And she was a wife!
Jensen’s wife.
And he wouldn’t even have sex with her.
Holy. Shit.
“I should go call your mom and mine, thank them,” she blurted out, but before she could even move, Jensen had his arms around her, holding her close to him, his lips by her ear. She tried to get away; she had to get away. She had to breathe.
This was not distance.
“Whoa there, Wren, breathe.”
Closing her eyes as his arms came around her a little tighter, she figured she wasn’t going anywhere. His hold was like a vise grip, but she didn’t want his comfort. She was mad, and she was freaking the fuck out. Her body, though, didn’t get that memo because the next thing she knew, she melted against him on an exhale. Kissing her earlobe, he whispered, “Tell me what’s wrong. Do you not want to shop? Did I do something wrong?”
Her lips started to itch, as did her eyes as she squeezed them shut to keep her tears in. He didn’t realize how loaded his question was, and there was no way she was going to unload on him in the middle of this baby store. Dragging in a breath, she shook her head. “It’s just so real. Being here. Looking at this stuff.”
He nodded against her cheek, his lips moving along her ear. “I know.”
“I’m fucking scared.”
“I know,” he said once more, kissing the spot below her ear. “But you’re not alone. I’m right here. See? I’m not going anywhere. Here, breathe with me.”
Soon he was taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly. She followed suit, though the need to run was great. But she didn’t move. She buried her nose into his shoulder, inhaling his woodsy scent before she let it out slowly, breathing with him while getting completely intoxicated by him. She felt safe in his arms. Like nothing could touch her, and while that freaked her out even more than the fact that she was standing in the middle of a baby store buying baby shit for her baby, she didn’t move. She stayed in his arms, which was probably a fool move. But then, she was a fool. A fool who didn’t know what the hell she wanted. One who got knocked up by a dickhead and had her best guy friend take on all the responsibility. What was she doing? How could she be so selfish? He didn’t even want her. It was out of pity.
But then why did she feel so fucking shitty?
Staring back at his perfectly sculpted back as his shoulders rose and fell, she narrowed her eyes.
Stupid Jensen.
Stupid feelings.
Stupid her for doing what she didn’t want to do.
Right?
She didn’t want this.
Why didn’t that feel right?
Crap.
Why was she such a fucking mess?
“I would have picked you up.”
Wren waved Jensen off as she got out of the car and reached for her purse. She knew he would have. But she didn’t want him to. She needed the distance. Her feelings were all out of whack, and it was pissing her off. He would say something like he had last night…and then he didn’t have sex with her. He was confusing, and she was getting pissed. Or maybe she was sexually frustrated. Or both. Either way, distance was the key. “No reason to drive two cars.” He leaned toward her, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth before he smiled against her lips as her face stayed frozen in stone. “I really like this dress.”
She looked down at her little T-shirt dress that used to be big on her, but not any longer, as she held in her not-nice retort. “But you didn’t want me naked,” she muttered. Well, she’d tried to hold it in. Looking up at him to see if he’d heard her, she saw his brows pulled together.
“What?”
“Nothing, I said thanks,” she grumbled, and she hated how annoyed she still was. So he didn’t want to have sex with her on their wedding night. It was supposed to be a fake marriage anyway.
Asshole.
When he didn’t fall into step with her, she looked back at him. “You coming?”
His eyes narrowed a bit as he shook his head. “Pretty sure that’s not what you said.”
“Oh, well. Let’s go and get this over with.”
“Why are you pissy?”
“I’m not. Let’s go.”
“You are.”
“Aren’t.”
“Are,” he said simply, his eyes holding hers. “Quicker you tell me, the quicker I can either fix it or tell you to get over it.”
Rolling her eyes, she started for Babies“R”Us as he fell into step with her, his hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his dark sunglasses, but he looked annoyed. Which was damn fine with her.
Jerk.
“Or you can just ignore the issue.”
“That seems best,” she muttered as together they walked through the sliding doors before he reached for a cart. He leaned on it, pushing his glasses up as he rolled beside her. Looking at the cart and then him, she raised a brow as she pushed her own sunglasses up into her hair. “We need a cart?”
He shrugged. “I think so. My mom sent us five hundred bucks to buy stuff for the baby, and then your mom told me to pick out a crib, on her.”
Wren glared, more irritation filling her. “She didn’t tell me that.”
“She said she tried calling you earlier, but you were in sessions all morning. I texted you that too.”
Pulling out her phone, she saw his text and then her mom’s and dad’s texts. Well, then. Tucking her phone back into her purse, her lips pressed together, she rolled her eyes. “Oh. I was in a rush to get here. I didn’t want to be late.”
“It’s okay, no big,” he said simply as he headed toward the clothing section, but she was reluctant, as if it were scary or something. But since he was still moving, she trudged ahead. How bad could it be? It was clothing, not a monster house. But as soon as they entered the boys section, Wren’s heart jumped into her throat, and panic took over. She liked Walmart, stuff was on an end cap, and not overwhelming at all. But here…yeah, it was different here.
Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt in her chest, and she could hear it in her ears. There was so much blue. So much cuteness and…were those little baby Chucks? Babies had Chucks!
“Wren? You okay?”
She couldn’t answer him though. Her throat had closed up, her heart was beating out of control, making her eyes vibrate as she gazed around them. Dinosaurs, little ducks, bears, and more stared back at her as she drew in a ragged breath. She wasn’t sure what he would like. What if he wanted bears, and she bought dinosaurs! It was all just so adorable, but crap, she was going to be a mom!
And she was a wife!
Jensen’s wife.
And he wouldn’t even have sex with her.
Holy. Shit.
“I should go call your mom and mine, thank them,” she blurted out, but before she could even move, Jensen had his arms around her, holding her close to him, his lips by her ear. She tried to get away; she had to get away. She had to breathe.
This was not distance.
“Whoa there, Wren, breathe.”
Closing her eyes as his arms came around her a little tighter, she figured she wasn’t going anywhere. His hold was like a vise grip, but she didn’t want his comfort. She was mad, and she was freaking the fuck out. Her body, though, didn’t get that memo because the next thing she knew, she melted against him on an exhale. Kissing her earlobe, he whispered, “Tell me what’s wrong. Do you not want to shop? Did I do something wrong?”
Her lips started to itch, as did her eyes as she squeezed them shut to keep her tears in. He didn’t realize how loaded his question was, and there was no way she was going to unload on him in the middle of this baby store. Dragging in a breath, she shook her head. “It’s just so real. Being here. Looking at this stuff.”
He nodded against her cheek, his lips moving along her ear. “I know.”
“I’m fucking scared.”
“I know,” he said once more, kissing the spot below her ear. “But you’re not alone. I’m right here. See? I’m not going anywhere. Here, breathe with me.”
Soon he was taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly. She followed suit, though the need to run was great. But she didn’t move. She buried her nose into his shoulder, inhaling his woodsy scent before she let it out slowly, breathing with him while getting completely intoxicated by him. She felt safe in his arms. Like nothing could touch her, and while that freaked her out even more than the fact that she was standing in the middle of a baby store buying baby shit for her baby, she didn’t move. She stayed in his arms, which was probably a fool move. But then, she was a fool. A fool who didn’t know what the hell she wanted. One who got knocked up by a dickhead and had her best guy friend take on all the responsibility. What was she doing? How could she be so selfish? He didn’t even want her. It was out of pity.
