She heard Jensen moving before his voice came out cold and hard, “That’s the furthest from the truth because in that month, I think I now know her better than both of you, and that’s sad. I hate that for you because that woman is the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. Yeah, she’s independent and she pushes people away, but if you don’t let her, you get the real Wren. And that girl…” He paused, shaking his head as a grin pulled at his lips. “She’s vulnerable and needs love.”

Her father huffed out a sound as he yelled, “Now, son, don’t come into my house, saying we don’t love our daughter!”

“I never implied that at all. I know for a fact that you love her, but does she know that?”

“Yes,” her mother yelled, her chair moving out and her hands coming down on the table. “Yes, she knows that, and I don’t know why you are questioning us.”

“I’m not,” he said simply. “I’m just saying, I get Wells’s wedding is important and it needs to be planned. But maybe take ten minutes to find out how Wren is doing. She didn’t even want to come here because she knew you guys would be like this, and I didn’t believe her. But she was right and, guys, she is fucking amazing. Beautiful and we’re so excited for our future. Be excited for us, her too. Not just Wells. Lots of things are happening, and I want to be able to come here with my son for you two to see, and not to have my wife crying because she doesn’t want to be here.”

Wren’s eyes filled with tears as she covered her mouth, holding in her sob. “I love you two. I love you like I love my own folks, and you both know that. I don’t know how I never noticed that you guys did this, but looking back, it was always Wells and me. Always. But now that she is my wife, my heart and soul, I won’t let you guys hurt her. I don’t care about anything but her happiness and my son’s health. Please, God, please, don’t ruin an already fragile relationship with that woman. Please.”

Silence stretched through the kitchen, and all Wren could hear was her own heartbeat as she waited for someone to say something. Never in her whole life would she have expected this from Jensen. He didn’t talk to anyone like that. Maybe on the ice, but not to the people who helped raise him! He wasn’t ever that bold, but apparently, she was very wrong.

Then her father said, “I don’t have any clue what you’re talking about. We love that girl. Our relationship is fine.”

“And that’s part of the problem. You don’t even know you’re hurting her, you just call her dramatic. Given the fact that I’m basically a part of this family, more so than as just her husband, I hope you understand that I’m saying this because I love her and I love you two. So please do the right thing and fix this with her.”

When she heard Jensen start to move, she took off through the living room, then the den, and entered the bedroom after he did. When he turned from looking in the bathroom, he jumped in surprise as she shut the door and said, “Holy fuck.”

“Where the hell were you?”

But she shook her head. “You just went off on my parents!”

He shrugged. “I don’t think I went off on them, but something had to be said. You were listening?” he asked, his brows pulling together. “You are a stalker.”

But she didn’t care. Reaching out, she took him by the biceps, her eyes searching his. “Jensen, no one has ever done anything like that for me.”

His eyes were full of worry, but then she saw love too. Love for her, and just like that, he said, “I love you, Wren. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

The wall around her heart, deep down in her cold, dead soul, crumbled to pieces. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face into the middle of his chest. “I can’t believe you did that.”

Gathering her in his arms, he kissed the top of her head. “I’m surprised you can’t believe that. When have I not been there for you?”

The answer was never, but her heart was in her throat as she clung to him, scared to death of the overwhelming feelings that were shaking her core. As her lip wobbled, her eyes clouded with tears before she looked up at him. He ran his thumb along his bottom lip. “I-I just—”

Before she could say whatever the hell she was going to say, the door opened and Wells was looking at them with a big grin on his face as he laughed. Her brother was tall, like Jensen, with dark green eyes and darker hair. Unlike her, he was thick but nowhere near overweight. He was strong. Massive. His face was full of sharp angles, and hair dusted his jaw where his grin grew. “So I heard some dude with a huge sac just went off on our parents? Surely it wasn’t your husband?”

She looked up at Jensen, while he scoffed as he rolled his eyes, but her heart soared. “Yeah, it sure was.”

“I hardly told them off.”

Jensen’s heart was in his throat. He hadn’t meant to get carried away, but he’d felt he was still respectful. Maybe he hadn’t been. But sitting there, watching his wife’s shoulders fall and her face look so defeated, he couldn’t handle it. Something inside him caught on fire, and he had to fix the situation. Not only for Wren, but for her parents too since he knew they loved her. They did, they were just too consumed with everything else to realize their mistake.

“Not what I heard. But Jesus, what did you do to my sister?” Wells asked, coming toward them and pulling her into his arms, hugging her tightly. “She’s huge. Did you put a monster baby in her?”

Wells shared a look with Jensen, and Jensen’s face warmed as he shrugged. “When we were home, Mum told her I was eleven pounds.”

“Monster, I tell you. But look at you. All pretty and shit. I can’t with how beautiful you are, and I have to stand beside you when I’m getting married? You’re going to upstage me!” he teased, and Wren beamed up at him as she hugged him tightly.

“Everyone keeps saying that. I don’t see it.”

“Don’t know how,” her brother said before kissing her hard on the head and then reaching for Jensen. “I feel like it’s been years, you big asshole. How are you?”

Hugging his best friend who was more like a brother, Jensen smiled. “I’m great.”

“I can tell. Look at you two, all cute and cozy. Who would have thought it?”