In the Crease (Assassins Book 11) Read online

  Everyone nodded in agreement, and Jensen’s gaze drifted over to where Wren was standing with Elli as she very animatedly told her something. His love for that girl was strong, and he couldn’t wait for the moment he’d meet his son.

  “Yeah, I have nothing. No kids. And we’re not having any for a long time. We just want to enjoy us,” Markus said with a nod.

  Jordie nodded. “Can’t blame you. I wish we would have done that, but when you have a sperm count like I do—and a beard, mind you—it tends to just happen. I spit on her, and she’s pregnant.”

  Karson gagged. “That’s my sister, asshole.”

  “And I love her,” Jordie teased back, his face bright as everyone laughed.

  When the laughter subsided, Markus slapped Jensen on the back. “You nervous?”

  Jensen scoffed, his heart jumping up into his throat. “Nervous? That’s only one emotion I have.”

  They all smiled, most of them knowingly, while Markus nodded. “I couldn’t imagine, but I love Wren. She’s great. She’s a give-it-to-you-straight kind of girl.”

  “She is.” Jensen nodded as he looked back at her. When he saw that Lacey was trying to pass her baby off to Wren, he wanted to laugh at the pure horror on her face. “Excuse me.”

  Jogging over toward the group of ladies, he intercepted the sweet baby with a smile. “Let me see this bundle of pink. Holy crap, she’s beautiful,” he said, cuddling her to his chest. “And Jesus, are you sure you had anything to do with this kid?”

  Lacey beamed as she nodded. “That’s what everyone is saying. She looks just like Karson.”

  “Like a carbon copy,” he laughed, holding the sweet girl to his chest. She sure was pretty and small. Shit, would his be this small?

  “Wait until y’all’s comes. Wren’s eyes with your facial structure? Talk about a pretty little boy,” Fallon Brooks said, and Jensen grinned over at her to keep from dying inside. She didn’t know the truth, but he did.

  And God, he prayed that his son came out looking just like Wren, with no traces of that fucker that left her.

  Pushing those feelings to the side, he looked over at Lucas’s wife and asked, “Saying I’m pretty, Fallon?”

  She blushed as she laughed. “You sure ain’t ugly. Hope I’m not offending you, Wren.”

  Wren smiled as he looked over at her. “Not at all. I know he’s hot.”

  All the ladies agreed, and this time, he was the one blushing. “I feel like a steak between you ladies. Aren’t all of you married? Jeez,” he teased, and they all laughed some more as Wren peeked over toward the baby, moving the little blanket away from her face.

  “She is pretty.”

  “She sure is. What’s her name, Lacey?”

  “Rose.”

  “Aw, how sweet, Mena and Rose. How’s Mena taking to her?”

  “Perfectly. She loves her.”

  When he felt Wren’s gaze on his, he looked down at her and smiled. “Wanna hold her?”

  She shook her head quickly. “I like watching you with her.”

  “Right? He’s amazing with all the kids,” Elli said, patting Jensen’s back. “And doesn’t forget a name.”

  “I forget your name all the time,” he teased, and Elli laughed as she nodded. “No wait, that’s a lie. You sign my checks,” he said with a wink, and everyone giggled as he looked down at Rose. She was basically covered in pink, but for a moment, he imagined her in blue.

  And his.

  It felt right.

  He glanced back to Wren, and her gaze met his. He wondered what she was thinking. “What?”

  “It’s nice.”

  He smiled as Rose stretched her body out, a yawn coming from her small body. “What is? You haven’t even held her.”

  But she shook her head. “I know. But I mean you and her. It’s nice.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  His heart did a little jig as he nodded slowly. “You sure you don’t want to hold her?”

  Gone was her smile, and it was replaced by a look of horror. “I could drop her.”

  “You won’t,” he insisted as he slowly moved Rose from his arms to a very unwilling Wren. But she took her, cuddling the baby to her with all the fear one could muster in her eyes.

  “Is she okay?”

  “She fine,” he reassured as he moved Wren’s hand down a bit to support Rose’s bottom. “Have you never held a baby?”

  “I was the baby.”

  “What about Shanna’s kids?”

  Her lips pressed together as she shook her head. “Nope. I never wanted to.”

  He knew they weren’t talking and he wanted to ask about that, but it wasn’t the place. “How does it feel?”

  Her lips curved a little on the left as she gazed down at Rose. “Good. She smells like heaven.”

  “She does,” he agreed, wrapping his arm around Wren’s middle, holding her against him.

  She beamed up at him. “I haven’t dropped her.”

  “Nope, I’d say you’re doing well.”

  “I am,” she agreed, looking back down to Rose. “I think I can do this.”

  “You can, I know it.”

  Her grin didn’t leave her lips as she leaned her head into his shoulder. Her demeanor had changed so much from when they had arrived, and he was thankful for that. He hoped she realized that she was good. Even without him, but she was better with him. He just needed her to realize that because he loved her. He loved the way her lips curved, how the little hairs on her neck flared out, and most of all, how green her eyes were. How they held every secret she was hiding. He wanted to know them all. He wanted her. All of her.

  He needed her to give that to him.

  As he looked up from Rose, his gaze met Vaughn’s. His best friend shook his head as he took a picture of them with his phone. Vaughn didn’t have to say anything, though; it was all in his eyes. He was worried for Jensen, and he got that, he did. But as he held his wife, looking down at the first baby she had ever held, he felt good.

  Because if he felt anything else, like the fear that could eat him alive, he would drive himself mad. So he would ignore those feelings.

  Instead, he would love her.

  And hope that she loved him back.

  Wren was pretty sure she could still smell baby Rose on her.

  As she lay back on Brie’s couch that was up against the fireplace, not in its usual place since the interior designer was coming over, she cuddled into it as a smile played on her lips. That baby was so sweet, and Wren was glad that Rose was the first that she had held. She was perfect, didn’t cry, and let Wren just love on her. It was perfect, but being held by Jensen while she did it was about a billion times better. Exhaling hard, she felt her grin grow as she looked down at the picture that Vaughn had sent in the family thread the previous day.

  They looked right. It was sort of nuts. She hadn’t noticed how good they looked together. Maybe it was how damn good-looking he was, but they just fit. She looked adorable in her overalls, but then, so did he in his simple shorts and tee. Really, though, when did Jensen not look good? Standing beside him, she came to his shoulder, and his arms fit around her, bringing her against him like she belonged there. His head rested on hers as he looked down at baby Rose, this content, gorgeous smile on his beautiful face. He looked like he was meant to be a husband and father, but when she looked at herself, she was surprised to find she felt she looked the part too.

  She didn’t look like a fake.

  Like an impostor.

  She looked like she belonged.

  In Jensen Monroe’s arms, holding their child.

  Holy shit.

  Before she could really decipher those feelings, which she felt were a little insane, she was distracted by the thread below the picture.

  Vaughn: Look at them, practicing for when their baby comes! Isn’t it sweet? Gagggggggggg.

  Mom: Oh my goodness, they are so cute together!

  Mom: I can’t wait to get my hands