“I didn’t know he existed until last week,” Seth continued, his tone matter-of-fact but warm. “His mom never told me she was pregnant. So finding out I had a sixteen-year-old son was...a hell of a shock.” He glanced down at Hudson, whose ears had gone red. “But a good one. Hudson’s living with us now, and he’s part of this family. Our family.”
Hudson ducked his head, clearly embarrassed by the attention but trying to hide a small smile.
“Welcome to the chaos, kid,” River called out, raising his beer.
The group echoed the sentiment with cheers and applause. Hudson’s smile grew a little wider.
Seth waited for the noise to die down, then caught Heavenly’s eye. She was beaming at him, her hand already reaching for his. Beck slid his arm around her waist.
“And since we’re making announcements,” Seth said, his voice softening as he looked at his angel, “there’s something else Beck, Heavenly, and I want to share.”
He pulled Heavenly close, and Beck mirrored him on her other side. The three of them stood together, a united front.
For months, he, Beck, and Heavenly had been building toward this moment—through heartbreak and healing, through fear and hope, through every obstacle that had nearly torn them apart. Now they were here, and nothing could be sweeter.
“Last weekend, Beck and I asked Heavenly to marry us,” Seth began, his voice carrying across the patio as he took her hand and flashed her ring. “She said yes!”
Their guests erupted with cheer. Even Hudson smiled and clapped with the others, looking genuinely pleased.
Beside Seth, Beck kissed their fiancée’s temple. “We haven’t picked a date yet. But soon. None of us want to wait.”
“So…yeah. We’re getting married!” Heavenly squealed with delight.
Raine shrieked with excitement and jumped up from her chair, enveloping Heavenly in a fierce hug. “I’m so happy for you! And I didn’t tell a soul, I promise.”
Heavenly held out her left hand, the diamond catching the last rays of sunlight and sparkling brilliantly. Raine moved in to hug her while the men offered hearty congratulations, back-slapping Seth and Beck.
“Champagne!” Beck laughed, producing bottles from the outdoor bar. “We need champagne!”
As corks popped and glasses were filled—water and soda for Hudson and Casen—Seth felt Heavenly’s hand slide into his. When he looked down, he saw her follow suit with Beck. Then she beamed up at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears of joy. Beck flanked her other side, his expression soft with contentment.
“No regrets?” the surgeon asked quietly.
“Not a single one,” she whispered, then turned to Seth. “You?”
“None.” Their road would never be easy, and there were more than a few bumps they still had to navigate, but the three of them had scaled mountains and crawled over glass to reach this moment. And he’d never been happier. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
And as their friends and family raised their glasses in celebration, Seth allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, everything was going to work out exactly as it should.
Just before midnight, Seth packed up for a last-minute stakeout.
Dressed in an oversized T-shirt and nothing else, Heavenly kissed him goodnight. “Be careful out there.”
“I will, angel. Get some sleep.”
After he’d gone, Beck hustled Heavenly upstairs and settled her into bed with a heating pad and pain relievers for her menstrual cramps, then eased in beside her. “Better?”
She curled up with a pillow and a soft moan. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out this month. I was hoping we’d been successful.”
At conceiving? He’d been hoping, too. He was disappointed that she’d started her period, but the doctor in him wasn’t surprised. Conception wasn’t a given. Most people didn’t succeed the first time.
“We have plenty of time, little girl.” He tilted her chin up to him and winked. “Besides, they say practice makes perfect.”
“That’s the fun part.” She smiled sleepily.
“With you? Always.” He kissed her again, then held her tight.
