Wren: Hehe. What do you think of Gunner? Or Alec?
He thought that over, tapping his finger against the phone.
“Gunner Monroe? Alec Monroe? Both are good, solid hockey names.”
Glancing over to his best friend, who was also horribly nosy when it came to looking at Jensen’s phone, Jensen nodded. “Yeah. I like Gunner.”
Vaughn nodded. “I like Alec better.”
Wells looked over. “But it’s too close to Alex, my fiancé.”
They all agreed. “Yeah, so Alec is out.”
Jensen: Alec is too close to Alex. The dude your brother is marrying.
Wren: Ew, right, okay. So, Gunner is a front-runner, then? Dad picked it out. Told Mom last night. I asked Emma and Ant, they like it.
Jensen: Yeah. Put it on the list.
Wren: Cool. Have no fun.
Jensen laughed. Thank God she was in a better mood.
Jensen: Done. No fun is being had. I’m miserable.
Wren: Good.
A playful grin pulled at his lips as he tucked his phone into his pocket before he leaned on the boards. But then something occurred to him. “Wouldn’t you like to have your nephew named after your soon-to-be husband?”
Wells looked over at him, shaking his head. “No. Not at all. That’s weird.”
Vaughn scoffed at that, while Jensen held Wells’s gaze. “Really?”
“Really. It’s weird.”
“Oh, okay,” Jensen answered as Vaughn laughed.
“Trouble in paradise, bro?”
Thankfully, Vaughn said it because Jensen was thinking it. “No,” Wells spat back, rolling his eyes. “We’re fine.”
“Yeah, we totally believe that,” Vaughn teased, and Jensen chuckled.
“Yeah, no.” When Wells glared over at Jensen, he shrugged. “We know you, dude. Spill.”
“I’m not spilling to you two dweebs.”
Vaughn held his hand up. “My woman says I’m a dork, not a dweeb, so you can tell me.”
“My wife would agree,” Jensen added with a grin, and Wells let out a sigh, annoyance all over his face.
“It’s nothing. Just a tiff.”
“Dude, the wedding is in like a week. Tiffs aren’t allowed at this point,” Vaughn said, leaning his elbows on the wall to look over at Wells. “Tiffs turn into full-on blowouts.”
Wells shook his head, but Jensen added, “Unless you’re both stressed. The wedding seems like a production.”
“It is,” Wells agreed, swallowing hard. “But he’s being impossible, and it’s pissing me off. We’ll be fine, though. This isn’t the first time.”
Jensen’s brows touched as the horn went off for a goal. Turning his attention to the ice in the middle of the rink, they all cheered as if they’d seen the goal, when really, none of them had. As the boy who scored high-fived his team members, he skated to them, tapping their hands too before going to the middle of the rink for the drop of the puck.
“Attaboy!” Vaughn called out as Jensen smiled, Wells doing the same.
When the puck dropped, Jensen looked back to Wells. “What? What’s going on?”
Rolling his eyes, Wells exhaled hard as he tucked his hands into his pockets. “He thinks I’m still in love with Matty.”
“You are,” Vaughn said simply, and Jensen threw him a dirty look. “What? He is.”
“You’re not helping,” Jensen scolded before looking back to Wells. “I mean, are you?”
Wells shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess I’ll always love him, and I hate how we ended things, but I do love Alex. I do.” When he looked to Vaughn, he glared. “I do, asshat.”
Vaughn held his hands up. “I didn’t say anything!”
“You don’t have to. Your fucking face says it all. Asshole,” Wells grumbled, leaning into the boards as he watched the game. “He’s being difficult and demanding shit. Like deleting Matty from my Instagram and my phone and shit. I told Alex he had nothing to worry about, and he doesn’t. But he wants to know why I won’t do what he asks.”
Jensen whistled nervously. “Yeah, man, that’s something you need to figure out. ’Cause if Wren wanted me to delete someone from my phone or social media, I’d do it.”
Wells glared. “Because you’d walk through fire for that girl.”
“Damn right, I would,” Jensen laughed, a grin pulling at his lips. “’Cause that’s how it is when you love someone. Right, Vaughn?”
“I mean, maybe not fire, but I’d walk through some glass for Brie.”
When a jab came to his back, they all laughed, turning to find Brie standing behind him with a huge plate of nachos in her hand. “I’ll kill you dead.”
Taking a nacho, Vaughn nodded to her. “I mean, I’d walk through a volcano for my love.”
“That’s better,” she said, cuddling into his side as she munched on her nachos. “Where is my bestie?”
Vaughn moaned as Jensen laughed. “She wasn’t feeling well.”
“I should have said that.”
“Hey!”
She beamed up at Vaughn. “Even.”
“Even.”
Jensen laughed as he leaned into Wells. “Don’t worry about it, man, it will work out. But if, for some reason, you wanna call off the wedding, please let me know first so Wren and I can leave before your mom finds out.”
Wells laughed at that as he nodded, holding his fist out. “Deal.”
Jensen tapped his fist to Wells’s and they shared a smile, but Jensen knew Wells would be okay. Wells loved Alex, Jensen knew that. Though he didn’t care for the guy much, Alex was Wells’s dude, so Jensen would treat him like he did Wells, with nothing but love. But Jensen wouldn’t be naïve to the situation. Wells had loved Matty like Jensen loved Wren, and that kind of thing didn’t quit. He knew that firsthand, and Jensen wasn’t sure what that meant for Wells and Alex.
Either way, he prayed he and Wren weren’t there for the aftermath of whatever the hell happened.
“Where is Alex?” Vaughn asked them, and Jensen glared.
Shrugging, Wells was looking at the ice. “He didn’t want to come.”
Vaughn made a disgruntled face. “Well, that’s not good. We are family, and you gotta celebrate with us. What, he doesn’t like us?”
He thought that over, tapping his finger against the phone.
“Gunner Monroe? Alec Monroe? Both are good, solid hockey names.”
Glancing over to his best friend, who was also horribly nosy when it came to looking at Jensen’s phone, Jensen nodded. “Yeah. I like Gunner.”
Vaughn nodded. “I like Alec better.”
Wells looked over. “But it’s too close to Alex, my fiancé.”
They all agreed. “Yeah, so Alec is out.”
Jensen: Alec is too close to Alex. The dude your brother is marrying.
Wren: Ew, right, okay. So, Gunner is a front-runner, then? Dad picked it out. Told Mom last night. I asked Emma and Ant, they like it.
Jensen: Yeah. Put it on the list.
Wren: Cool. Have no fun.
Jensen laughed. Thank God she was in a better mood.
Jensen: Done. No fun is being had. I’m miserable.
Wren: Good.
A playful grin pulled at his lips as he tucked his phone into his pocket before he leaned on the boards. But then something occurred to him. “Wouldn’t you like to have your nephew named after your soon-to-be husband?”
Wells looked over at him, shaking his head. “No. Not at all. That’s weird.”
Vaughn scoffed at that, while Jensen held Wells’s gaze. “Really?”
“Really. It’s weird.”
“Oh, okay,” Jensen answered as Vaughn laughed.
“Trouble in paradise, bro?”
Thankfully, Vaughn said it because Jensen was thinking it. “No,” Wells spat back, rolling his eyes. “We’re fine.”
“Yeah, we totally believe that,” Vaughn teased, and Jensen chuckled.
“Yeah, no.” When Wells glared over at Jensen, he shrugged. “We know you, dude. Spill.”
“I’m not spilling to you two dweebs.”
Vaughn held his hand up. “My woman says I’m a dork, not a dweeb, so you can tell me.”
“My wife would agree,” Jensen added with a grin, and Wells let out a sigh, annoyance all over his face.
“It’s nothing. Just a tiff.”
“Dude, the wedding is in like a week. Tiffs aren’t allowed at this point,” Vaughn said, leaning his elbows on the wall to look over at Wells. “Tiffs turn into full-on blowouts.”
Wells shook his head, but Jensen added, “Unless you’re both stressed. The wedding seems like a production.”
“It is,” Wells agreed, swallowing hard. “But he’s being impossible, and it’s pissing me off. We’ll be fine, though. This isn’t the first time.”
Jensen’s brows touched as the horn went off for a goal. Turning his attention to the ice in the middle of the rink, they all cheered as if they’d seen the goal, when really, none of them had. As the boy who scored high-fived his team members, he skated to them, tapping their hands too before going to the middle of the rink for the drop of the puck.
“Attaboy!” Vaughn called out as Jensen smiled, Wells doing the same.
When the puck dropped, Jensen looked back to Wells. “What? What’s going on?”
Rolling his eyes, Wells exhaled hard as he tucked his hands into his pockets. “He thinks I’m still in love with Matty.”
“You are,” Vaughn said simply, and Jensen threw him a dirty look. “What? He is.”
“You’re not helping,” Jensen scolded before looking back to Wells. “I mean, are you?”
Wells shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess I’ll always love him, and I hate how we ended things, but I do love Alex. I do.” When he looked to Vaughn, he glared. “I do, asshat.”
Vaughn held his hands up. “I didn’t say anything!”
“You don’t have to. Your fucking face says it all. Asshole,” Wells grumbled, leaning into the boards as he watched the game. “He’s being difficult and demanding shit. Like deleting Matty from my Instagram and my phone and shit. I told Alex he had nothing to worry about, and he doesn’t. But he wants to know why I won’t do what he asks.”
Jensen whistled nervously. “Yeah, man, that’s something you need to figure out. ’Cause if Wren wanted me to delete someone from my phone or social media, I’d do it.”
Wells glared. “Because you’d walk through fire for that girl.”
“Damn right, I would,” Jensen laughed, a grin pulling at his lips. “’Cause that’s how it is when you love someone. Right, Vaughn?”
“I mean, maybe not fire, but I’d walk through some glass for Brie.”
When a jab came to his back, they all laughed, turning to find Brie standing behind him with a huge plate of nachos in her hand. “I’ll kill you dead.”
Taking a nacho, Vaughn nodded to her. “I mean, I’d walk through a volcano for my love.”
“That’s better,” she said, cuddling into his side as she munched on her nachos. “Where is my bestie?”
Vaughn moaned as Jensen laughed. “She wasn’t feeling well.”
“I should have said that.”
“Hey!”
She beamed up at Vaughn. “Even.”
“Even.”
Jensen laughed as he leaned into Wells. “Don’t worry about it, man, it will work out. But if, for some reason, you wanna call off the wedding, please let me know first so Wren and I can leave before your mom finds out.”
Wells laughed at that as he nodded, holding his fist out. “Deal.”
Jensen tapped his fist to Wells’s and they shared a smile, but Jensen knew Wells would be okay. Wells loved Alex, Jensen knew that. Though he didn’t care for the guy much, Alex was Wells’s dude, so Jensen would treat him like he did Wells, with nothing but love. But Jensen wouldn’t be naïve to the situation. Wells had loved Matty like Jensen loved Wren, and that kind of thing didn’t quit. He knew that firsthand, and Jensen wasn’t sure what that meant for Wells and Alex.
Either way, he prayed he and Wren weren’t there for the aftermath of whatever the hell happened.
“Where is Alex?” Vaughn asked them, and Jensen glared.
Shrugging, Wells was looking at the ice. “He didn’t want to come.”
Vaughn made a disgruntled face. “Well, that’s not good. We are family, and you gotta celebrate with us. What, he doesn’t like us?”
