Jensen

FUCK, THAT WAS AN EPIC WASTE OF TIME, I think as I take the stairs two at a time to my apartment. Not only did I not get anywhere when trying to talk to Caroline, we were interrupted by an emergency with my grandpa. I realized halfway there that I forgot my phone and couldn't text Teddy, so I was on edge while trying to deal with one of my grandpa's spirals. He rarely gets in moods like that, and usually they call my dad when he does. I feel completely helpless, as was the case today when I showed up to him throwing things and demanding to go home.

I release a long sigh upon entering my apartment, taking a moment to catch my breath. When I don't get the usual greeting from Scout, I look at his favorite napping spot in front of the window to find it empty.

"Scout!" I yell, combing my hands through my hair, trying to rid the remaining feelings of unease. "Ready to go see Mommy? She's probably texted a bunch of times by now. You know how impatient she is."

I cross to the kitchen to retrieve my phone, pausing when I see the flash of red on the counter. "The fuck?"

I lift the piece of paper next to the panties and scan the words quickly, blowing out a huff of breath. "Shit. Caroline. What the fuck?"

Glaring at the offensive underwear, I snatch my phone off the counter and ignore all the notifications and immediately call my girlfriend. Once I reach her voicemail, I hang up and try again. When I get the same results, I decide to send a quick text instead.

ME: Where are you? Call me.

When it goes unanswered, I decide to take matters into my own hands and search for her. I drive to her apartment first, seeing her car parked in the lot, but there's no answer at the door. I drive to our favorite hiking spots and then aimlessly around town for a while. When I still can't find her, I pull over to send a text to Rylie.

ME: Hey, have you seen or heard from Teddy?

RYLIE: What'd you do now?

ME: Cut the crap, Rylie. Just answer the question.

RYLIE: Chill, dude. I haven't seen your girl. But if you can't find her, maybe take the hint. Give her some space.

I groan reading her response. I'm about to put the truck in drive and take Rylie's advice when more texts come in.

SUTTON: Guess who put the Wicked Witch of Lake Hope in her place?

FINN: Oooohh, lemme guess! The witch being Caroline, naturally. So...our favorite soon-to-be sister-in-law if our biggest brother gets his shit together?

ME: Fuck off, Finn.

SUTTON: Ding, ding, ding.

VIVIAN: Shut. Up. What'd Teddy do? Did you record it?

FINN: Please tell me you recorded it!

SUTTON: Shit, I wish. It happened too fast to pull my phone out. It was definitely a mic drop moment, though. Teddy is my new hero.

ME: Jesus, Sutton. Just spill already. What happened?

SUTTON: The witch tried to pretend like you two were on a date. Teddy set her straight. Then she had one of those epic walk away moments with Scout where she called you Daddy. It was great.

CHARLIE: Like the great poet T. Swift says, wake up and smell the breakup; realize that we won't make up.

SULLY: The fuck, Charlie? I thought we talked about your Taylor Swift obsession.

CHARLIE: Nah, you talked. I ignored.

ME: Let's stay on track here. Where'd Teddy go?

JJ: Lost your girlfriend, J? Maybe take a hint.

ME: Fuck off. All of you.

SUTTON: Ignore them, J. Go get your girl.

I toss my phone into the cup holder and lean my head against the headrest, sucking in a lungful of air with my eyes pinched shut. How'd today go so epically wrong? Blowing out the breath, I sit up and put the truck in drive, heading toward my dad's house. I suppose no time like the present to cross that item off my To Do list.

When I pull up to my childhood home, though, I realize my parents aren't home. I grab a basketball and shoot some hoops in an attempt to settle my nerves. I probably shouldn't have an important conversation with either my girlfriend or my dad when I'm riled up like this anyway.

I dribble the ball a few times, focusing on the sound it makes against the pavement, and then shoot it, watching it swish through the net. I do this a handful more times, each basket quieting the warring emotions inside me.

How much time did I waste over the years, specifically in the last few weeks, dwelling on the past with Caroline? Meeting with her today was an eye-opening experience that I wish I would have had years ago. Turns out, I didn't need her for closure. I just needed to face my demons head on. It was never about her as much as it was about my fear of confronting my feelings.

I'm about to shoot the ball again when I hear a door close behind me and a familiar voice yell, "Scout! You damn dog! Come back here!"

I spin to see my girl powerwalking after my dog in front of her mom's house. I can't help the smile that slowly takes over my face at the sight.

Scout pounces at my feet, then circles around me, tail wagging like it's been weeks instead of hours since he last saw me. I ignore him, though, because I can't take my eyes off the woman strolling toward me.

"There you are," I say when she's a few feet away.

"Looking for me?"

"Yeah. But then a few people told me to fuck off and give you space so here I am instead." I bounce the ball to her, and she catches it reflexively. "Wanna play P-I-G? Winner gets to ask one question."

She looks at the ball in her hand and then tosses it back to me. "Nah. There's no need for that. We don't have to go through this whole charade of playing P-I-G, you know? You can just come out and talk to me."

"Fine, Teddy. You want to ask me about Caroline?"

"I do want to talk to you about her but not for the reasons you think."

"You're not wondering about the panties?"

"No. I know exactly what those are."

I raise my brows in question. "I don't think you do, Teddy. I don't even know!"

"Jensen," Teddy says in an even tone, placing her hands on her hips in a defensive position. "Think about it. Caroline is a conniving twat. Yeah, I'll admit when I first saw those panties at your place—in Scout's mouth, no less—I had like a nanosecond of panic. Not to mention, Caroline was blowing up your phone. But I ran into her in town, and I realized what I already knew. It's you, Jensen. You would never do something like that. Not to anyone. But especially not to me."

"Of course I wouldn't, Teddy!" I raise both arms out to my sides, the basketball that was tucked under my arm clunking to the ground and rolling away. "Fuck. Of course, I wouldn't."

Teddy takes the remaining few steps that separate us, invading my space to place a tender kiss on my lips. "I know, J."

Looking into her eyes, I brush the flyaway hairs behind her ears, resting my hand on the nape of her neck.

"I should have known she was up to something," I admit in a soft voice, my thumb caressing her skin, suddenly ravenous for the feel of her. "She requested we meet at my apartment. I tried to meet at some neutral place. But she insisted so we could talk in private. I thought she meant about the abortion. But she refused to even talk about that. She kept steering the conversation toward old memories and hinting about how I'm the one who got away and having lots of regrets. She kept touching me and making me uncomfortable. I was about to kick her out when I got a phone call."

"The emergency. Yeah, Caroline told us that much."

I nod. "Sutton said you ran into her. Might have hinted you had a mic drop moment and you are now her hero."

She throws her head back and laughs, and the sound does something to me. I can't help myself. I grab her face and bring her lips to mine for a greedy kiss. When we pull away, we're both breathing hard. "Teddy," I breathe against her mouth.

She clears her throat and takes a step back, putting some space between us. I don't allow her to go far, though, wrapping my arm around her waist. "I realized something," I admit, dipping down to steal a quick kiss.

"Yeah?"

"Caroline wasn't the secret to my closure or whatever. Maybe she was the catalyst. The thing that kicked my ass. But I just needed to pull my head out of my ass and get my shit together."

She laughs, rolling her eyes. "Duh."

"Don't duh me. You're the one to tell me to talk to her." I smack her butt and she squeals, trying to get away from me, but I squeeze my arm tighter around her body.

"Only because I know how thick-headed you are. You were never going to figure it out on your own." She jabs a finger into my forehead for emphasis.

"Ok, Wise One, what do I do about my dad then?"

"That one," she says with a sigh, "definitely requires talking to him. You can't know things until you know them. And you can't know them without first talking to your dad."

Titling my head back, I groan. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Don't be a baby. Just do it. Pull that Band-Aid off and get it done."

"That's why I'm here, smartass." I point a hand toward my dad's house behind me. "But he's not here. Figures. This day has not gone my way."

Just then a vehicle slowly approaches the cul-de-sac, and I pull Teddy to the side so it can pass. The car stalls beside us, the passenger side window rolling down to reveal my stepmom. I bend down to see my dad behind the wheel.

"Hey," I greet them awkwardly. "Got a minute to talk?"

My dad nods, rolls up the window and pulls into his garage. I turn to my girlfriend with wide eyes. "Well, I guess it's Band-Aid pulling time after all."

She pats my chest wearing a fake look of sympathy. "You got this. You're doing a lot of big boy things today."

"You're a shit, Teddy." I laugh, bringing her back into my arms for a quick kiss. "Take the dog and meet me back at my place for supper?"

Her eyes light up and she purses her lips. "Your dog's a traitor. I'm in a fight with him."

Laughing, I ask, "Why? What'd the little fucker do?"

"Let Caroline pet his belly. He's supposed to be on my side. I rescued him from certain death. Found him a forever home. Introduced him to a cushy life. And he repays me by consorting with the enemy? Nope. He's on my shit list. We're definitely in a fight."

Scout trots over to her as if he could sense we were talking about him. He jumps up on her legs and let's out a little yip, his tail wagging enthusiastically. Patting his head, she rolls her eyes at him. "Fine, I forgive you. You're too cute to be mad at."

"You're too good for us, Teddy," I say as I retrieve the basketball, tucking it under my arm when an idea hits me. "You know, we should probably get our own basketball hoop at the farm for when you move in."

She blinks a few times. "What now?"

"How else would we settle important debates, like what's for supper and who does the dishes?"

"Nu uh," she says, rolling her hand in a circular motion. "Back it up to the part where I'm moving in with you."

"We already decided that," I say with a smug grin. "The closet at Roxy's. Ring a bell?"

A blush creeps onto her cheeks. "Oh, I very much remember that closet, but I seem to remember things differently than you. I'm pretty sure I only agreed to talk about maybe moving in, but then there was this kind of big thing that happened where you wanted space...and here we are." She gestures with her hands as if that explains our current relationship situation.

"The space is done." I grip her hips and shove her body into mine as if to drive the point home. "Now when should I tell everyone they're on for helping you move? Tomorrow work?"

"You're ridiculous," she says, rolling her eyes, making me smirk.

"Fine. But meet me at home. I'll grab something for supper after I talk to my dad. Oh, and Teddy," I say as I grab her ass with one hand and chin with the other to force her attention on my face. "Stop by your place first to grab that stupid bag I hate so much and stuff it with as much of your shit as you can because you are staying where you belong tonight, and the next night, and all the nights after that."

"I'm only agreeing to this because I need more of your shirts. The smell is gone."

"The smell?" I raise a brow.

"Yeah. The smell. Why do you think I want your shirts, J?"

"Because you're a thief?"

"Because they smell like you, you dumb idiot."

I grin, liking that answer very much.

-

BY THE TIME I PARK MY TRUCK outside my apartment, the day is surrendering to night with a golden display, casting long shadows everywhere. I grab the pizza box and head upstairs, taking a few moments outside my door to center my thoughts.

The conversation with my dad was intense, and the only thing I want to do now is wrap my arms around my girl and breathe in her familiar strawberry scent.

It's dark inside my apartment, the light above the kitchen sink the only one on. I set the pizza on the counter and stride across the large room to find my girlfriend and dog snuggled together on the couch, both fast asleep.

I sink onto the coffee table, watching Teddy as her chest rises and falls. As I reach over to brush hair off her face, Scout wakes up, his tail thudding against the back of the couch. Teddy's eyes blink open, a slow smile creeping across her face when she notices me.

"Hey." Her voice is raspy from sleep. "What time is it?"

I cradle her face with my hand, my thumb tracing her lips. "Sorry it took so long. I got pizza. Are you hungry?"

Her stomach rumbles and we laugh. Taking her hand, I help her to her feet and guide her to a stool in the kitchen. "Sit. I'll get you some pizza and tell you all about my conversation with my dad."

We're quiet as we take our first bites of pizza, and I watch her as I gather my thoughts. "Teddy?" I set my slice of pizza on my plate, giving her my full attention.

"Yeah, Jensen?" When she notices my mood shift, she follows suit and sets her pizza down.

I swivel on the stool and trap Teddy's legs between mine, my hands resting on her thighs. "Let's promise each other something."

She tilts her head, her eyes studying me, before taking one of my hands in both of hers. "What's going on, J? Did the conversation with your dad go that badly?"

With my free hand, I grip the back of her neck and pull her face to mine for a quick kiss, but the moment her lips touch mine, I want more, my tongue licking at her seam for permission. She opens her mouth, swiping her tongue against mine, a soft moan egging me on. Once we break apart, I rest my forehead against hers for a few moments before pulling away, my hand still gripping her neck. I look into her eyes, my thumb caressing her soft skin.

"Let's promise each other that if we ever get to a point where we aren't happy, let's respect each other enough to either work it out or walk away instead of cheating. I don't think that's something we could come back from, and I'd rather not disrespect us, this relationship, our friendship by something so awful."

She huffs out a breath, the warm air tickling my face. "J," she says softly, tightening her grip on my hand. "I can tell you really need me to agree to this, so I will, but I don't think it's necessary. Pretty sure I knew you were my one when we were kids, and I've just been waiting for you to figure it out. So, fine, I promise if there is ever a teeny tiny—even though completely unbelievable—ounce of an inkling that I might maybe—but, again, very doubtful—want to be with someone else, I will respect us enough to be honest. Happy? Can we eat now?"

"Baby," I grumble, bowing my head. "I'm being serious."

"I know, Jensen." She grips my face with both her hands, forcing me to look at her. "That's why I promised. But it's stupid. Ridiculous. Completely unnecessary. Just like I knew those panties were a sick joke—which I threw in the garbage, by the way, you're welcome—I am completely confident we will never need to ever revisit this promise to each other."

"Teddy." I raise my brows and grip her thighs. "Do I need to remind you how miserable the last few weeks were? It wasn't just a fight. You moved out and we went a long period where we barely talked. I'm glad you have confidence in us, but..."

She places a finger to my lips and shushes me. "Stop, Jensen. I'm not stupid. I know we're not magically fixed after this one roadblock. I know we are going to fight and have plenty of issues to sort out. I'm not pretending this is some fairy tale ending where we live happily ever after. But I know us. I believe in us. I'm betting on us. If you need to arrange for fail safes, then fine, do it. If that quiets your brain, I'll agree to whatever. But I am not going to go down some spiral with you where you think we're going to end up at some desperate place where we want to cheat just because of something you found out about your parents' relationship."

She places a few quick kisses on my lips before extricating herself from my grasp and picks up her abandoned slice of pizza. She nods at my plate. "Now eat."

Shaking my head, I chuckle at her. "How can you be both pragmatic and hopelessly romantic?"

"I'm just a special breed of awesome. Aren't you lucky?" She bites off a large chunk of pizza before smiling at me with a mouthful of food.

I agree I'm lucky and finally pick up my slice of pizza to eat. We each finish off a few slices before she finally asks to hear about the conversation with my dad.

"So, spill. Was it really so bad?"

I grab us each a beer from the fridge before sinking back onto the stool and groan. "No, it wasn't so bad. Not really. He was really honest, answered all my questions, but refused to apologize for any of it...except for the way I found out. He agreed that was a shitty way to find out."

I take a long pull of the beer and then roll the cool bottle between my hands. "I guess the affair happened early in the marriage, before they ever had kids. And it wasn't just him. I guess she cheated, too. He said they were struggling to get pregnant, my mom had a few miscarriages, and they weren't in a good place. They even separated for about a year and my mom moved away, a few towns over. They eventually worked it out, obviously, and he said they were happier and stronger than ever once they finally got back together. But it was a rough patch with lots of regrets. It got me thinking, you know?"

I set the beer on the counter, taking Teddy's hand in mine. "They always seemed so happy. I think that's why I took it so hard. I felt completely blindsided. All my memories are of them laughing. I always thought of their marriage as the thing to strive for. Learning the truth completely threw me."

She squeezes my hand. "How'd you leave things with your dad then?"

I stand, busying myself with clearing the supper mess. "Good, I think. Better anyway. I don't hate him as much now, so that's something at least. It'll take a bit, but we'll get there."

She takes the plates from my hands, rinsing them and then stacking them in the dishwasher. She's crossing the kitchen back to the counter when I crowd her from behind, wrapping my arms around her. Placing kisses against her warm neck, I slide my hands under her shirt, palming her bare boobs. She must have removed her bra at some point before I got here.

"Is this all right, baby?" I whisper into her ear as I hook a hand in the waistband of her leggings. "Tell me now because it's been too fucking long, and I really miss you."

She tilts her head, baring her neck to me, and I latch on with a grin. "Is that a yes? I need your words, baby?"

My hand ghosts over her wet panties, and we both moan. "Yes, Jensen," she answers breathily.

I slide her panties aside as my fingers glide through her slick pussy, causing her to buck against my erection. I rub her clit until her breathing picks up, kissing along the column of her neck up to her ear to whisper, "I need these off."

After peeling off her pants and panties, I spin her and lift her onto the counter, opening her legs to me. We lock eyes for a moment before I take her lips, our tongues greedily caressing each other. Then I sink to my knees and, without warning, lick her warm pussy, focusing on the sensitive nub. Her hands dig into my hair, her nails scraping my scalp, urging me on.

"Jensen," she moans, arching into me, her hips pumping against my face. Finally, she swears, screaming my name before her body goes still and her grip on my hair eases.

"Jesus, Jensen."

I look up at her from between her legs and smirk. "Yeah, baby?"

She pushes my head away and grabs the collar of my shirt to bring me to my feet. Her wild eyes meet mine as she unzips my jeans, dipping her hand inside to grip my balls. "Your turn," she says as she starts to stroke my hard cock.

"Teddy," I hiss, bending to take her mouth in a searing kiss. Our tongues match the stroking of her hand, and just as I'm about to stop her and tell her to pull me out of my pants, she pushes me back and hops onto the floor, kneeling in front of me.

Before I have time to process what is happening, she has my pants and boxers tugged down and her tongue swipes over the tip of my dick once, twice before sucking it into her mouth.

"Jesus, baby. Fuck yes, that feels good."

I pull her hair away from her face and watch as she sucks me off, fighting the urge to pump into her hot mouth. It's been so long, I'm afraid it'll all end with me coming in her mouth, but that's now how I want it this time. I want to come inside her.

I grip her by the chin forcing her mouth off me. "You feel so good, baby," I say as I help her to her feet and peel her shirt over her head. "I need to see your tits. I've missed them."

I latch onto her nipple, biting it softly at first and then as hard as I know she likes it. Her hands grip my hair again as she arches into me. I missed her noises and the way she tastes and the way she reacts to me. I missed everything about being intimate with her, being close to her, just her. I've missed her.

Twisting her around, I pin her against the counter, lowering her until she's pressed flat against the surface. I admire the view as I step out of my pants and boxer and fist my cock a few times. I press my body against hers, my dick wedged between her ass.

I brush her hair aside, kissing along her back, nipping at her neck until my mouth is pressed to her ear. "Ready, baby?" I ask as I thrust into her in one hard stroke.

We scream out together, and I still, savoring the way her warmth envelops me. "Fuck, Teddy. Tell me you missed this as much as me."

Slowly, I start moving, watching as she turns her head to look back at me. I press my lips to hers and whisper, "Love you." Then I set a relentless pace until she's bucking up against me, gripping the counter, cursing and saying my name over and over. Once I feel her go over, I grip her hips and fuck her until I grunt my own release.

I collapse on top of her, both our chests heaving with labored breaths, and I press our intertwined hands above us on the counter, burying my face in her neck.

"Jesus, Teddy. I've missed you so much. Are you mine now? Tell me your mine again." I ignore the hitch in my voice, giving in to my heightened emotions.

I can feel her body struggle under me as she tries to push off the counter to look at me. "Jensen," she says, but when I don't remove the pressure of my body on hers, she relents, giving into the awkward full body hug, resting her cheek against the cool surface of the counter. Her voice is soft but firm when she continues, "I've never stopped being yours."

I kiss the back of her neck softly before standing up to grab paper towels. After cleaning us up, I lift her up so she's sitting on the counter, and I step between her legs and cup her cheeks to press a lingering kiss on her lips.

"No more space. No more of any of that. It's you and me again, ok? I promise not to hide in my head when shit gets complicated from now on. I'll try anyway. Call me on my shit if I do. You might need to kick my ass sometimes. Don't let me push you away again. Because that was the worst. Nothing feels right when we aren't us. Ok, baby?"

My thumbs caress her cheeks as I look into her eyes. She grips my wrists to pull me toward her for a kiss, and I groan into her mouth as her tongue slowly strokes mine. Her eyes flutter open, a flush on her cheeks as a smile breaks across her face.

"Ok," she agrees, wrapping her legs around me to bring my body flush against hers. "I promise to kick your ass next time you're an idiot."

Chuckling, I brush my lips against hers. "Always a brat."