7. Wren

7

WREN

T he drive to Seattle wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be. The weather was perfect, my audiobook was wonderfully distracting, and I only had to fill up my tank twice. In other words, everything was going smoothly.

With the sun now set, and my eyes growing heavy with exhaustion, I finally pulled into a fancy suburb of Seattle where Kate and James lived. Almost immediately I felt out of place. Range Rovers and big Escalades zoomed past me as I clutched onto my steering wheel tightly.

"Just stay in your lane, and everything will be okay," I quietly mumbled to myself.

A few muttered curse words later and now severely sweaty palms, there was finally a large open gap behind me with no one else in sight. A sigh blew past my lips as my shoulder slouched back against the seat and my hands loosened on the wheel.

Gradually, I found myself approaching a busy intersection. Coming to a stop, I couldn't help but admire my surroundings. Eyes searching and mouth slightly gaped open, I took in every bit of the scenery around me.

I definitely wasn't in Montana anymore. Trees the size of buildings towered all around me, their vast numbers looming off into the distance as they appeared almost endless. Even in the dark of the night, it was effortless to see the golden, rusty shades of leaves that swayed in the windy autumn night. My stare was captured by some leaves that had blown away and as my eyes followed their movement, I landed on something that made my stomach catapult.

A giant billboard.

But it wasn't just any billboard.

Hanging off the top it held four giant LED lights. It was a sign that was going to be noticed by everyone, especially when it was covered in the reason I was here.

City of the Seattle Orchids

But it wasn't the words, or even the Orchids' logo, that had my heart galloping. It was the tall, hockey player who was standing beside two other players with their arms crossed that had me contemplating everything.

I immediately knew it was him. Even dressed up in all his hockey gear, it was undoubtedly the man from my past. The two other Orchid players that filled the large space were almost nonexistent to me. They vanished into the background while Mal's bulky frame and piercing green eyes loomed over the city like he was some sort of deity.

For a moment, I had found myself in a trance. Much like the others who were stopped at this intersection, I assumed, but while they stared in adoration and praise, I was filled with a mixture of emotions. As much as I could have prepared myself for this, I didn't expect such an array of feelings to hit me when I finally saw him.

And I wasn't even seeing him in person.

It was a picture of him on a billboard, and yet everything came flooding in all at once, a bombarding sensation of nerves and "what the hell am I doing?" struck me in the dead center of the chest.

I was no longer safe from the past. I was in his territory, his world where he crafted a new life for himself. He could be minutes or even seconds away from where I was currently stopped, and the thought made my stomach churn. Silently brooding in his home, on a date, whatever he was doing, it was something I never thought about until now.

I didn't care.

And I still don't.

But that didn't stop me from imagining him.

Then finally, after what felt like ten minutes, the light had changed to green and my foot slammed on the gas.

With my phone resting in my lap, I glanced down briefly until Kate's name popped up and I pressed the call button. After a few seconds of ringing, she answered.

"Hey! You almost here yet?"

Smiling, I glanced over at the navigation I had up.

"I'm about twelve minutes away."

An over-the-top squeal rang out through the phone as some muffled words from James had both Kate and I laughing.

"That wasn't me squealing, that was James." She chuckled, then almost immediately after, a loud screech pierced through the speakers and the sound of James on the phone had me shaking my head.

"My wife here is a little liar."

Though I wasn't there, it was obvious they were in a tickling war. Her bubbly laughter filled my car as a warmth spread throughout my chest. I was happy for my best friend.

"All right, well, I'll see you guys when I get there." I ended the call at the perfect time when I heard the tail end of something Kate had not-so-subtly whispered to James.

It didn't take long before I was finally turning down a fancy road that led to a gated community where it was blocked off by a security booth and a tall, golden fence.

"Hi, I'm staying with the Hendricks's," I spoke to the security guard who gave me a quick glance before averting his stare back onto his desktop computer.

"Name?" he grunted.

"Wren. Wren Baker."

Eyebrows pulled together, he tapped onto his keyboard before nodding and handing me a slip of paper.

"Keep this in your car at all times."

Friendly.

"Okay, thank you."

Not long after he rattled off the directions to James and Kate's house, he was opening the gate, revealing a stretch of mansion-like homes that resembled something from a movie. All different, yet all huge, I couldn't stop my mouth from falling open in awe.

Driving past a whole row of brand-new homes, I had taken a left down another narrow road that had taken me to a cul-de-sac.

My heart began to race, but my excitement to see Kate had soon taken over any previous nerves I had. If anything, I knew she'd be the calming voice I needed during all of this.

Then finally, as I approached the dead-end street, I had pulled into the biggest home I had seen yet, with windows the size of my own bathroom and a front yard that mirrored something out of a magazine.

To say I was amazed would be an understatement.

Before I could even get out of my car, I noticed that Kate was already sprinting across her lawn toward me with an eager smile spread across her face. Her coffee-colored curls bounced with each impatient stride she took and when I finally got out of my car, she launched herself into my arms.

"Oh my god, you're actually here." She cried into my neck as I wrapped my tired arms around her lithe body. Instinctively, my eyes closed as I soaked in this moment.

It had been too long since I've seen her.

And right now, I hated myself for not making an effort to come visit. Every text and call we had exchanged over the years was nothing compared to this. Though we were miles apart, living two completely separate lives, she would always be my best friend.

Our bodies shifted for a moment and that's when I felt something soft and round pushing against my own belly. I went rigid.

Was she…

Then ever so slowly, I detached myself from her arms and dropped my stare down to her stomach.

"Wren…" she whispered as she gently laid a palm onto her growing tummy.

Dressed in a tight tank top and cardigan, I couldn't look away. My throat clogged with emotion as a stray tear fell down my cheek.

She was pregnant.

"I wanted to tell you over the phone, but since you were coming here, I wanted to surprise you."

A slew of responses passed through me but mostly, I was blinded by the excitement and pure joy I had for the two of them. Though the idea of Kate having a baby one day never crossed my mind, seeing her now, with her hand protectively holding the swell of her stomach, I knew it was a path that was meant for her.

To be a mother.

"You're…" I swallowed the giant lump in my throat and peered up into her glowing face. "You're having a baby?"

Nodding, her smile didn't reach her eyes, almost like she was nervous of the reactions I would have.

Jealousy? Envy, maybe, but I felt nothing but love.

"God, Kate." I wiped away the tears that had fallen down my face. "You're pregnant," I said in disbelief. Her tiny little bump only poked out a few inches, but the sight of it made my heart flip. "You're actually pregnant."

Laughing, she smiled brightly.

"I'm actually pregnant."

I couldn't help but chuckle along with her. The last time I had seen her was five years ago when we met up after one of James's hockey games. She was only an hour away from where I was, and back then, she was juggling her career in finance and dating a famous NHL player. That didn't deter her, though. She was happier than ever. Bubblier than ever and now, here she was. Married to the love of her life and having a baby.

The person I had once known to drink a whole bottle of wine in one sitting, who waited until she had one pair of clean underwear left to do her laundry, was now a grown woman with a family of her own. Though to me, she'd always be the fun, outspoken Kate that I've grown to know and love, she had finally evolved into the person she was always supposed to become.

And God… I was so proud of her.

Ever so slowly, my hand reached out to her belly. I always wondered what it would be like to be pregnant. To feel the type of love and happiness only a soon-to-be mother could feel. It was something that always lingered in the back of my mind. A what-if.

"Are you happy?" I asked, knowing the answer was pretty damn clear by the twinkle in her eye.

"So happy, Wren."

Good.

That's all I ever wanted for her.

Nodding, I pulled my hand away from her stomach and caught James by the front door watching us. We weren't close by any means, but we had a few conversations over the years he and Kate were together. In the beginning of their relationship, I was skeptical. His reputation didn't exactly make it easy for me to like him, but watching them together, I realized they were perfect for each other.

Two people obsessed was more like it. And as unhealthy as it sounded, it wasn't.

It was just… them.

"Get in here, you two, before you catch colds out there. You can talk more about my little future hockey player when you get inside," James demanded.

While Kate rolled her eyes, I smiled and quickly grabbed one of my bags from the back seat before following her toward the house.

"And what if we're having a girl? Are you still going to want them to play hockey?" Kate made her way to James who was watching her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Even as she ascended up the three stairs going to her front door, he reached for her hand as he wasn't going to chance her slipping or falling.

"Depends. If she's anything like you, then I think she'll be okay." He grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dropping a kiss to the top of her head, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"It means, if she has the same fire and determination like you, then yes. I know she'll be able to handle it."

Awkwardly, I stood at the base of the stairs watching them. Kate's eyes softened as a small grin lifted on her face.

"That's if she wants to play. Who knows, she might want to be a dancer."

"I can teach her how to dance."

Both Kate and I started to laugh.

"Sure you can, honey." Kate patted her hand against his cheek.

A frown replaced the smile that was currently directed at his wife, until his stare found mine at the bottom of the steps.

"Hi." I waved. "I guess congratulations are in order."

Slowly, he removed his arm from Kate's waist and grinned happily at me.

"Thanks, Wren." He bowed his head slightly before motioning with his hand for me to come to him. "Now, come up here so I can give you a hug."

Climbing up the steps, I walked into his opened arms.

"It's good to see you again," he rumbled above my head as I loosely wrapped my arms around his thick waist.

He smelled like a mixture of pine and Kate. I wasn't much of a hugger, but it was nice embracing two friends who I hadn't seen in a while.

"It's good to see you too. Both of you." I glanced over at Kate who was crying again.

"All right, ladies, that's enough of them tears. Why don't we get inside so we can show you around?" James dropped his arms from around me and placed each one of his hands gently onto mine and Kate's back.

With a laugh and a nod, we were finally ushered inside the home.