He slowly stood up, reaching for his crutches. She stood, taking his hand before shaking it hard. “So let’s make your goal for our next session to think more about the retirement.”
Tate nodded. “Okay.”
“Talk to Audrey and the kids about it.”
He smiled. “The kids will want me to.”
She smiled back. “I’m sure. Okay, I’ll see you Friday?”
“Yup, have a good day, Wren.”
“You too, Tate.”
As she watched him leave, her heart broke for him. He used to stand so tall, so sure of himself, but now, he walked with a limp on crutches, and his shoulders always seemed to be down. A sullen look covered his face, and it sucked.
Man, she hated injury.
When the door closed, her desk phone started to ring, and she groaned. She needed to put a phone on the little table by her chair since she was getting to be very lazy. Walking over with a louder groan, she stepped behind her desk, grabbing her phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, honey. How are you?”
Wren smiled. “I’m good, Momma. How are you?”
“Stressed. Your brother’s wedding will be the death of me.”
“Is he still stuck on the glitter-dropping doves?”
Elaine Lemiere laughed. “Yes, though your father is completely against it.”
“I’m sure. So he’s coming?”
“Yes, thank goodness.”
It was no secret that Wren’s father didn’t agree with Wells’s lifestyle. He had tried to disown Wells, but that didn’t work out well. Wells was the kind of guy that was hard to get rid of. His personality was infectious, and he had a great soul. Plus, Wells was her father’s best friend, so things were a little tense. Despite everything, though, Wells still loved their father with no reservations. It was kind of beautiful in a way, and she was glad her father would be there.
“Will he walk him down the aisle?”
“Wren, stop.” Wren snickered as she fell back into her chair. “When will you arrive?”
Her laughter stopped as soon as the words left her mother’s lips. “I don’t know yet.”
“Can you come early? I may need help.”
“Momma, I’m sorry, but I have to work.”
“Oh, true. That’s fine.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll hire someone.”
“Good idea.”
Hanging up with her mother, Wren set the phone on its base before leaning back in her chair and embracing her stomach in her hands, rubbing her thumbs along her stretched dress that she wasn’t sure was hiding anything. But no one had asked, so that was good. As she went through idea after idea in her head, tears began to flood her eyes. She knew that losing her trust fund shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it was.
When a knock came to her door, she looked up as Brie Soledad poked her head in. “Hey, you.”
Wren smiled. She had become close friends with Brie over the last couple months. Brie was engaged to Vaughn and pregnant and just a great girl. Wren loved her, which didn’t happen a lot when it came to whom Wells, Vaughn, and Jensen dated. She usually hated anyone they hooked up with or tried to marry, but she had liked Brie before her relationship with Vaughn had started. Wren had worked with her for the last two years—Brie in the media department, while Wren did her thing in the health department, and they’d always found themselves getting along. Now, it was like they were going to be sisters, and that was awesome. Brie was a wonderful person, and Wren loved her brother, Rodney. He was hilarious. “Hey.”
“Wanna go to lunch with me, Vaughn, and Jensen?”
Wren shook her head. Not only was her dress a little too tight for her liking, but she had more clients. “I have a full afternoon.”
“Boo, you suck.”
“I know. Eat some food for me.”
“Want me to bring you something back?”
“No, I’m good.”
Brie grinned. “Cool, text you later?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
When her phone started ringing, Brie looked down and then waved. “It’s Jensen. See ya.”
The door shut before Wren could say bye, not that she was going to.
Because at that moment, her mind was flooded with thoughts of Jensen.
Jensen Monroe.
Crap.
It wasn’t that Wren didn’t like thinking of Jensen. No, she thought he was a pretty stand-up guy. Compared to Vaughn and Wells, he was the only one who actually stopped the other two from terrorizing her through her teenage years. She could still remember the day he showed up to their home. He was only thirteen at the time, but even then, he was gorgeous. Like, movie-star gorgeous. She almost didn’t believe he was real when he walked in. Unlike Wells and Vaughn, he was stockier, thicker, and he had this hard look to his face.
It was so sexy.
And on top of that, he was just a good person.
She heard him on the phone with his parents constantly, speaking French. At the time, she’d found it so intriguing that she’d sit outside his door and listen. No clue what was going on, of course, but she loved listening to him speak. He loved her parents, too, and did everything he could to do whatever they needed. Unlike the other billet boys who came through, Jensen worked his ass off—on and off the ice. So, of course, her parents loved him and only wanted him. Wells and Vaughn were already best friends, but Jensen fit right in with them. He was a silent presence, but they respected him, and soon all three of them were inseparable.
When Jensen would go home for a month in the summer, everyone missed him, and the mood was down. He’d call and talk with Wells and her parents, but the only time he spoke to Wren was when he was keeping Vaughn and Wells from tormenting her. When he was in a room with her, he didn’t speak, but she always felt his gaze. Especially after she turned fifteen. He was eighteen then, and she swore he had a thing for her, but he never acted on it. He was so hot and cold that she didn’t know what was up. Then he started dating some girl back home, and she figured he wouldn’t ever be interested in her, and she made herself let it go.
Her stupid little girly dream of him had been good, but it was completely a dream. They were two different people. He was quiet, she was loud. He was kindhearted, she was hard-hearted from the years of fuck-ups she had been involved with. Plus, he was a sexy god of a man, and she was thick and frumpy. He was way out of her league. Yet, in their adult years, he had always looked at her and treated her like she was gorgeous. But he still never acted on anything. It was frustrating and insane, but that was Jensen.
Tate nodded. “Okay.”
“Talk to Audrey and the kids about it.”
He smiled. “The kids will want me to.”
She smiled back. “I’m sure. Okay, I’ll see you Friday?”
“Yup, have a good day, Wren.”
“You too, Tate.”
As she watched him leave, her heart broke for him. He used to stand so tall, so sure of himself, but now, he walked with a limp on crutches, and his shoulders always seemed to be down. A sullen look covered his face, and it sucked.
Man, she hated injury.
When the door closed, her desk phone started to ring, and she groaned. She needed to put a phone on the little table by her chair since she was getting to be very lazy. Walking over with a louder groan, she stepped behind her desk, grabbing her phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, honey. How are you?”
Wren smiled. “I’m good, Momma. How are you?”
“Stressed. Your brother’s wedding will be the death of me.”
“Is he still stuck on the glitter-dropping doves?”
Elaine Lemiere laughed. “Yes, though your father is completely against it.”
“I’m sure. So he’s coming?”
“Yes, thank goodness.”
It was no secret that Wren’s father didn’t agree with Wells’s lifestyle. He had tried to disown Wells, but that didn’t work out well. Wells was the kind of guy that was hard to get rid of. His personality was infectious, and he had a great soul. Plus, Wells was her father’s best friend, so things were a little tense. Despite everything, though, Wells still loved their father with no reservations. It was kind of beautiful in a way, and she was glad her father would be there.
“Will he walk him down the aisle?”
“Wren, stop.” Wren snickered as she fell back into her chair. “When will you arrive?”
Her laughter stopped as soon as the words left her mother’s lips. “I don’t know yet.”
“Can you come early? I may need help.”
“Momma, I’m sorry, but I have to work.”
“Oh, true. That’s fine.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll hire someone.”
“Good idea.”
Hanging up with her mother, Wren set the phone on its base before leaning back in her chair and embracing her stomach in her hands, rubbing her thumbs along her stretched dress that she wasn’t sure was hiding anything. But no one had asked, so that was good. As she went through idea after idea in her head, tears began to flood her eyes. She knew that losing her trust fund shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it was.
When a knock came to her door, she looked up as Brie Soledad poked her head in. “Hey, you.”
Wren smiled. She had become close friends with Brie over the last couple months. Brie was engaged to Vaughn and pregnant and just a great girl. Wren loved her, which didn’t happen a lot when it came to whom Wells, Vaughn, and Jensen dated. She usually hated anyone they hooked up with or tried to marry, but she had liked Brie before her relationship with Vaughn had started. Wren had worked with her for the last two years—Brie in the media department, while Wren did her thing in the health department, and they’d always found themselves getting along. Now, it was like they were going to be sisters, and that was awesome. Brie was a wonderful person, and Wren loved her brother, Rodney. He was hilarious. “Hey.”
“Wanna go to lunch with me, Vaughn, and Jensen?”
Wren shook her head. Not only was her dress a little too tight for her liking, but she had more clients. “I have a full afternoon.”
“Boo, you suck.”
“I know. Eat some food for me.”
“Want me to bring you something back?”
“No, I’m good.”
Brie grinned. “Cool, text you later?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
When her phone started ringing, Brie looked down and then waved. “It’s Jensen. See ya.”
The door shut before Wren could say bye, not that she was going to.
Because at that moment, her mind was flooded with thoughts of Jensen.
Jensen Monroe.
Crap.
It wasn’t that Wren didn’t like thinking of Jensen. No, she thought he was a pretty stand-up guy. Compared to Vaughn and Wells, he was the only one who actually stopped the other two from terrorizing her through her teenage years. She could still remember the day he showed up to their home. He was only thirteen at the time, but even then, he was gorgeous. Like, movie-star gorgeous. She almost didn’t believe he was real when he walked in. Unlike Wells and Vaughn, he was stockier, thicker, and he had this hard look to his face.
It was so sexy.
And on top of that, he was just a good person.
She heard him on the phone with his parents constantly, speaking French. At the time, she’d found it so intriguing that she’d sit outside his door and listen. No clue what was going on, of course, but she loved listening to him speak. He loved her parents, too, and did everything he could to do whatever they needed. Unlike the other billet boys who came through, Jensen worked his ass off—on and off the ice. So, of course, her parents loved him and only wanted him. Wells and Vaughn were already best friends, but Jensen fit right in with them. He was a silent presence, but they respected him, and soon all three of them were inseparable.
When Jensen would go home for a month in the summer, everyone missed him, and the mood was down. He’d call and talk with Wells and her parents, but the only time he spoke to Wren was when he was keeping Vaughn and Wells from tormenting her. When he was in a room with her, he didn’t speak, but she always felt his gaze. Especially after she turned fifteen. He was eighteen then, and she swore he had a thing for her, but he never acted on it. He was so hot and cold that she didn’t know what was up. Then he started dating some girl back home, and she figured he wouldn’t ever be interested in her, and she made herself let it go.
Her stupid little girly dream of him had been good, but it was completely a dream. They were two different people. He was quiet, she was loud. He was kindhearted, she was hard-hearted from the years of fuck-ups she had been involved with. Plus, he was a sexy god of a man, and she was thick and frumpy. He was way out of her league. Yet, in their adult years, he had always looked at her and treated her like she was gorgeous. But he still never acted on anything. It was frustrating and insane, but that was Jensen.
