When they passed a belly-casting set, Wren scoffed. “My mom is making Jensen and me do this.”
Brie’s eyes lit up. “No way! When?”
“Who knows? Probably tomorrow or today. Knowing her, she’ll probably torture me today,” she laughed since she thought it was stupid, but Brie looked all too excited as she reached for it, throwing it in her cart. “But apparently, you think it’s cool.”
“It is. I can have Rodney draw on it!”
“Oh, that is cool.”
“Right?” she gushed as they started toward the shoe aisle.
Scrunching up her face, Wren declared, “They never have cute boy shoes.”
“I know, but they have so much girls stuff. Vaughn is gonna be broke.”
“He won’t care.”
“I know,” she giggled as she grabbed a few pairs of all kinds of pink shoes. Looking around the aisle as Brie for real drove Vaughn to bankruptcy, Wren noticed no one was around them, so she leaned toward Brie.
“I need to ask you something.”
Brie looked back at her, seven pairs of shoes in her arms, before blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes. “That sounds juicy,” she said, dropping the shoes into her cart. “What’s going on?”
“So, say you got pregnant by someone else, and he’s a douche, told you to get an abortion, said he didn’t want you, whole nine—”
“I think I’ve heard this scenario.”
Wren glared. “Shh, listen,” she demanded while Brie just stared at her, her eyes wide as she fought back a grin. “Well, new guy comes in, loves you, loves your kid, he’s ready for the future, and now you are—”
“Aww! You love him!”
Wren’s eyes narrowed. “Focus, Brie.”
“Tell me! You do!”
“Yes,” Wren snapped, throwing her hands up, and Brie just grinned. “I do. A lot. And now, the baby’s father could be a problem, and I don’t trust him—”
“I don’t think you trust anyone, though,” she supplied, and Wren thought that over.
“This is true, but he’s up to something. And now, I don’t know if I should tell Jensen about him, when I’ve been tight-lipped this whole time, or if I should just hope it doesn’t blow up in my face.”
Brie just blinked. “Okay, yes, this is a predicament because Jensen will be upset.”
“Yeah, and the problem is, I think I lied to him.”
“Wren.”
“I know, I know,” she protested, shaking her head. “But not really, because he implied he thought he knew who it was, and I didn’t deny it. But I didn’t confirm it, and I’m worried that if he finds out, he’ll get upset because I had the chance to tell him.”
Shaking her head, Brie held her gaze. “It’s that Bradley guy, isn’t it?” Wren’s face must have given her away before Brie smacked her hand to her thigh. “Vaughn said it was. He was convinced, and I told him no. I mean, fuck, Wren, that dude looks like a douche!”
Closing her eyes, Wren let her head fall back. “I know. I’ve known him forever, hot passion, he’s hung, and yeah, it was stupid. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“Oh, you suck.”
“Please, I’m pulling out the bestie card. You can’t tell anyone.”
“Fucking hell. I mean, I really can’t ’cause if I tell Vaughn, he’s going to jail.”
Wren itched her brow in distress. “I know. They’re all gonna be pissed and go after him, and I’m worried he’s gonna try to play it the other way. Try to make me out to be the bad guy. Some would even believe him because everyone knows I wasn’t one to keep my legs shut.”
“No, they won’t.”
“You don’t know that. You don’t know Bradley and his family.”
Brie thought that over, and then her mouth dropped open. “Holy shit, that’s your ex-best friend’s brother. Jesus, Wren, what did you do?”
“I know,” Wren groaned. “I was distracted by a big cock, and I wasn’t thinking. It went on for years, and then he happened,” she said, pointing to her belly. “But I don’t know if I want to tell Jensen because what if he looks at the baby and only sees Bradley? I don’t want to ruin this for him.”
Brie made a face. “Ew, yeah. But I don’t know, I think you need to tell him. Just to be safe. Fuck.”
“Exactly.”
“Wow,” she drew out, looking at the floor as she shook her head. “Is Bradley coming to the wedding?”
“I don’t know.”
“And we can’t find out without being suspicious,” Brie said, more to herself, and when she looked up, Wren could see she had no answer either. “He was really weird. Do you think he’s gonna try something?”
“I don’t know, that’s the problem. I thought about calling him again because he doesn’t have my new number, but I don’t even want to look at him.”
“Gosh, this sucks.”
“It does. I told you, hot fucking mess express, right here.”
“Like, legit,” Brie agreed, shaking her head. “Man, Wren, if it were me, I’d tell Jensen. But I get why you don’t want to. You’ve made it pretty clear the dude doesn’t matter, but I think Jenny would rather find out from you than in some shitty way since we don’t know this dude’s game. Maybe you should call him, see what he is thinking?”
Wren shook her head at that, though. “I don’t want anything to do with him, and yeah, you’re right.”
“So you’re going to tell Jensen?”
Wren looked away, shrugging. “I guess. I don’t know when.”
“Before the wedding.”
“Yeah,” she said, but she was pretty sure that was another lie.
She had no clue how to look into the eyes of the man she loved and tell him the darkest secret she had in her book.
She was pretty sure that would send him running for the hills.
Especially if Bradley was up to something.
“I don’t like you right now.”
Laughing, Jensen gazed over at his wife who was huffing and puffing up the hill they were climbing. They had been graced by a cool, beautiful, early morning on the day Jensen had planned for a hike. “I mean, really, you wake me up at butt-crack o’clock, you give me a granola bar when you know darn well I want pancakes and sausage—”
Brie’s eyes lit up. “No way! When?”
“Who knows? Probably tomorrow or today. Knowing her, she’ll probably torture me today,” she laughed since she thought it was stupid, but Brie looked all too excited as she reached for it, throwing it in her cart. “But apparently, you think it’s cool.”
“It is. I can have Rodney draw on it!”
“Oh, that is cool.”
“Right?” she gushed as they started toward the shoe aisle.
Scrunching up her face, Wren declared, “They never have cute boy shoes.”
“I know, but they have so much girls stuff. Vaughn is gonna be broke.”
“He won’t care.”
“I know,” she giggled as she grabbed a few pairs of all kinds of pink shoes. Looking around the aisle as Brie for real drove Vaughn to bankruptcy, Wren noticed no one was around them, so she leaned toward Brie.
“I need to ask you something.”
Brie looked back at her, seven pairs of shoes in her arms, before blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes. “That sounds juicy,” she said, dropping the shoes into her cart. “What’s going on?”
“So, say you got pregnant by someone else, and he’s a douche, told you to get an abortion, said he didn’t want you, whole nine—”
“I think I’ve heard this scenario.”
Wren glared. “Shh, listen,” she demanded while Brie just stared at her, her eyes wide as she fought back a grin. “Well, new guy comes in, loves you, loves your kid, he’s ready for the future, and now you are—”
“Aww! You love him!”
Wren’s eyes narrowed. “Focus, Brie.”
“Tell me! You do!”
“Yes,” Wren snapped, throwing her hands up, and Brie just grinned. “I do. A lot. And now, the baby’s father could be a problem, and I don’t trust him—”
“I don’t think you trust anyone, though,” she supplied, and Wren thought that over.
“This is true, but he’s up to something. And now, I don’t know if I should tell Jensen about him, when I’ve been tight-lipped this whole time, or if I should just hope it doesn’t blow up in my face.”
Brie just blinked. “Okay, yes, this is a predicament because Jensen will be upset.”
“Yeah, and the problem is, I think I lied to him.”
“Wren.”
“I know, I know,” she protested, shaking her head. “But not really, because he implied he thought he knew who it was, and I didn’t deny it. But I didn’t confirm it, and I’m worried that if he finds out, he’ll get upset because I had the chance to tell him.”
Shaking her head, Brie held her gaze. “It’s that Bradley guy, isn’t it?” Wren’s face must have given her away before Brie smacked her hand to her thigh. “Vaughn said it was. He was convinced, and I told him no. I mean, fuck, Wren, that dude looks like a douche!”
Closing her eyes, Wren let her head fall back. “I know. I’ve known him forever, hot passion, he’s hung, and yeah, it was stupid. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“Oh, you suck.”
“Please, I’m pulling out the bestie card. You can’t tell anyone.”
“Fucking hell. I mean, I really can’t ’cause if I tell Vaughn, he’s going to jail.”
Wren itched her brow in distress. “I know. They’re all gonna be pissed and go after him, and I’m worried he’s gonna try to play it the other way. Try to make me out to be the bad guy. Some would even believe him because everyone knows I wasn’t one to keep my legs shut.”
“No, they won’t.”
“You don’t know that. You don’t know Bradley and his family.”
Brie thought that over, and then her mouth dropped open. “Holy shit, that’s your ex-best friend’s brother. Jesus, Wren, what did you do?”
“I know,” Wren groaned. “I was distracted by a big cock, and I wasn’t thinking. It went on for years, and then he happened,” she said, pointing to her belly. “But I don’t know if I want to tell Jensen because what if he looks at the baby and only sees Bradley? I don’t want to ruin this for him.”
Brie made a face. “Ew, yeah. But I don’t know, I think you need to tell him. Just to be safe. Fuck.”
“Exactly.”
“Wow,” she drew out, looking at the floor as she shook her head. “Is Bradley coming to the wedding?”
“I don’t know.”
“And we can’t find out without being suspicious,” Brie said, more to herself, and when she looked up, Wren could see she had no answer either. “He was really weird. Do you think he’s gonna try something?”
“I don’t know, that’s the problem. I thought about calling him again because he doesn’t have my new number, but I don’t even want to look at him.”
“Gosh, this sucks.”
“It does. I told you, hot fucking mess express, right here.”
“Like, legit,” Brie agreed, shaking her head. “Man, Wren, if it were me, I’d tell Jensen. But I get why you don’t want to. You’ve made it pretty clear the dude doesn’t matter, but I think Jenny would rather find out from you than in some shitty way since we don’t know this dude’s game. Maybe you should call him, see what he is thinking?”
Wren shook her head at that, though. “I don’t want anything to do with him, and yeah, you’re right.”
“So you’re going to tell Jensen?”
Wren looked away, shrugging. “I guess. I don’t know when.”
“Before the wedding.”
“Yeah,” she said, but she was pretty sure that was another lie.
She had no clue how to look into the eyes of the man she loved and tell him the darkest secret she had in her book.
She was pretty sure that would send him running for the hills.
Especially if Bradley was up to something.
“I don’t like you right now.”
Laughing, Jensen gazed over at his wife who was huffing and puffing up the hill they were climbing. They had been graced by a cool, beautiful, early morning on the day Jensen had planned for a hike. “I mean, really, you wake me up at butt-crack o’clock, you give me a granola bar when you know darn well I want pancakes and sausage—”
