How are things going out there?”
I recognized Peyton’s voice and could see her on the screen. The crying I heard must’ve been her babies.
“Eh,” Wren said, shrugging a shoulder. “It’s fine—just a waiting game. I’ve been training with Ripp to get ready for my fight. I wish October were here now. I’m ready to be noticed by the UFC officially.”
Peyton laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll be bombarded with so much fame you won’t know what to do with it.” The babies started crying, and I could hear Ethan trying to soothe them in the background. “Wren, I’m going to let you go. I think the babies are hungry.”
Since the call was almost over, I leaned against the doorframe and cleared my throat so Wren would know I was there. She glanced over her shoulder at me and stood, her smile still on Peyton.
“Get some rest. Tell my nephews I can’t wait to hold them.” There was a glow around her as she talked to Peyton; I liked it.
“I love you, Wren. Be safe out there, okay?”
Wren nodded. “I will. And I love you, too.”
The call ended and she tossed her phone on the bed, her grin still bright. “Peyton had her boys. They’re the most precious things I’ve ever seen.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stared at her. After what happened between us last night and how she ran away from me, I thought I’d see hesitance on her face, but there was none.
“I don’t think I’ve heard you genuinely laugh since you’ve been here. It’s nice,” I told her.
Wren smiled. “My family just got bigger. How could I not be happy about that?”
“True,” I agreed. A few seconds of silence passed between us. I waited to see if she’d come up with something snarky to say like she always did, but she didn’t. “Are you still upset about what happened between us last night?” I asked, waiting to see if that riled her up.
She tensed for a split second, and I caught it, but she tried to play it off.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing happened.”
I could see the heat in her eyes when she looked at me. If that was how she wanted to deal with the situation, that was fine. But soon, she’d have to face the fact that there was something between us.
I hooked a thumb toward the hallway. “I was going to throw some steaks on the grill. Are you hungry?”
Her brows lifted. “You cook? I thought people like you had others do it for them.”
I smiled. “I do in New York, but here I fend for myself,” I said, moving out of the doorway. “Want to see how I do?”
Wren lifted her chin and walked past me into the hall. “Don’t mind if I do. If there’s one night I can let my worries go, it’s tonight. I have to celebrate, even if I’m not with Peyton.”
I watched her stroll toward the stairs and smiled. The woman had a way of keeping me on my toes and I loved it.
“I’ll open a glass of champagne.”
CHAPTER18
SETH
After dinner, Wren agreed to walk around the grounds with me. She still had not acknowledged that we’d had sex last night or that she enjoyed it. Hell, I wanted to rip off her shorts and take her right here and now in the grass. The harder she fought against me, the more I wanted to claim her. I’d never been with a woman as damn stubborn as her.
The sun had already disappeared below the horizon, bringing a coolness to the night air. My guys stayed out of sight as we strolled through the cactus garden and around the pool.
“I’m assuming with how happy you were to see the twins, that you’ll want to have kids of your own one day?” I asked.
Wren swirled the wine around her glass, intentionally not looking at me. “Maybe. If I don’t have any, I’ll be fine as well. I want to get in some good fighting time before settling down.”
I could understand that. “What did Peyton name the boys?”
Wren beamed and her glow was back. She was a badass female, but there was a soft side to her that I had a feeling she didn’t want people to see. If she wasn’t so happy about the boys, I highly doubted I’d be witnessing this side of her.
