Page 12 of Wright Together
Jensen shrugged. “I’ve been making speeches most of my life. Just a bigger crowd. Can imagine that you understand that.”
“No way. I hate speeches. I leave those to Campbell. Put me on keys in front of thousands, and I’ll be fine, but I’m not a front man.”
“I’ve never met a Wright who was comfortable in the background,” Jensen said with a smile. “And I don’t think Campbell Abbey would have brought you on if he didn’t think you could fit the profile.”
West beamed at the compliment. Oh, Jensen was going to bejust fineas a politician.
“You already have our votes,” I joked. “You don’t have to butter us up.”
Jensen laughed. “That’s fair. Though I was being honest.” He clapped me on the back. “Come on. Go over my speech with me. Jordan told me that you used to do public speaking in college. You were on student government?”
I groaned. “I should have never told him that.”
But I tipped my head at West and headed across the backstage area with Jensen and toward his wife. The rest of my Wright cousins stopped us along the way to jab at Jensen about his announcement. They were a tight-knit family. I felt more like an intruder on their time than part of it even though I was included as if Iwasa part of it.
Jensen finally laughed off his brother Austin and pulled out the notecards he’d stuffed in his pocket. He passed them off to me and pointed to a line on the second card. “What do you think of this? Does it seem a little…conceited? Iwasasked to run by what felt like half the town, but I could cut it.”
I read through the intro. It was good. He was a talented guy.
I lifted my head from the notecards to tell him what I thought when Emery rushed over. “Jensen!”
“Em? What’s going on?” He immediately went into protective mode. “Is it the kids?”
“It’s Vanessa.” She handed over her cell phone.
Jensen reeled back, his face turning sour at the name of his ex-wife. “What does she want?”
“Something happened with Colton.”
Jensen took the phone out of her hand and put it to his ear. “Vanessa?”
I met Emery’s eyes. She was biting her lip and looked frightened. I sure hoped his kid was all right.
“Should I?” I gestured away from them. I was intruding on an important moment after all. I didn’t need to be involved.
“No, no. It’s okay.”
“Hewhat?” Jensen roared.
I’d never heard him raise his voice before. Emery winced. The entire backstage looked over at him in alarm. I sort of wished that I’d already backed away. But I was still holding his speech in my hand, the tips I was going to give him dying on my lips.
Jensen appeared oblivious to the spectacle he was making. “The fuck, Vanessa? Are you even fucking watching him?” He waited a few seconds, apparently listening to whatever she was saying. I could hear her frantic screeching on the other side. “I don’t fucking care. I don’t fucking care. Stop talking. I will be on the first plane to New York, and I will deal with this.”
He listened for another minute because Vanessa had never stopped yelling on the other line. I couldn’t hear anything she was saying, but it didn’t sound pleasant.
“I said I would deal with it,” he growled. Then, he hung up the phone. He ran a hand back through his hair. His eyes closed as a tortured expression crossed his face.
I was paralyzed through all of it. I couldn’t back away. I couldn’t reach forward. I didn’t know him well enough to offer comfort. Even Emery looked torn between interfering in his past relationship and her stepson and staying out of it. If even she couldn’t decide, how could I do anything?
Finally, Jensen released a puff of air and glanced between us. “Colton was arrested.”
“Oh my God,” Emery whispered. “What happened?”
“I don’t have all the details. Vanessa was just screaming and crying. She’s going to bail him out. I have to get to New York to be there when he comes home. He clearly doesn’t respect her, and he’s not getting away with no consequences this time.”
“Of course. Do you want me to come with you?”
He shook his head. “Stay here with the kids. I’ll handle it and be back before you miss me.”