Seth was grateful the evening was winding down.
He wrapped his mom in a hug, hoping she’d forgive him…eventually. “You look tired, Mom. Go to bed.”
“I was so excited about your arrival today that I barely slept last night.”
He smiled. “We didn’t sleep much, either. Early flight and all.”
“Of course. I just need to finish readying your rooms upstairs.”
Seth tried not to grimace. “Since it’s Heavenly’s first time in the city, we’re going to spend a few nights in a hotel, make it a little romantic getaway while I show her some sights before we get too busy with wedding festivities. I booked us a room where Beck’s staying. That way, he won’t be alone between his speech and other medical conference duties.”
Grace’s expression deflated slightly. “Oh. I was hoping you’d stay here so we could spend more time together.”
“You’re going to be busy with wedding stuff. But come Friday, we will.”
“Friday? Isn’t Heavenly flying home with Hudson and Beck on Sunday?”
“Yeah. But you’ll have me until Tuesday. Like I said when I made the reservations, I need to finish getting the house ready to put on the market. And it gives me more time to spend with you. That still okay?”
“Of course!” his mom assured. Then she hesitated. “Could Hudson stay here? I’d love some one-on-one time with my grandson.” She turned to him. “You could sleep in your dad’s old room.”
“Can I? I’ll totally dig up his embarrassing high school secrets.” He grinned.
Seth cringed theatrically. “Don’t try to blackmail me later, kid.”
“Can’t promise that,” Hudson shot back.
When his mom laughed, Seth rounded up Beck and Heavenly. After saying their goodnights to Carl and making sure Hudson had everything he needed, they wandered toward the door.
“Thank you for a lovely dinner,” Heavenly murmured, hugging his mom.
“Everything was delicious,” Beck added politely. “I appreciate the hospitality.”
“You’re both welcome. I’m so happy you could come. How about we all meet for brunch tomorrow morning?” His mother suggested a family favorite place not far from the house.
Seth didn’t see a way around it. Besides, he wanted to share some of his favorite childhood haunts with Beck and Heavenly. “Sounds good. Ten?”
“Perfect.” His mother clapped.
Beck started to protest. “You all go ahead. I should register for my conference. I speak at two.”
Maybe their charade would be safer if he spent less time with Heavenly around his family, but Seth was determined that Beck be accepted as part of their unit, not some peripheral friend. “Come with us, man. We’ll make sure you get there in plenty of time.”
A look passed between them. Seth knew he was asking a lot.
Finally, Beck sighed. “All right.”
When their Uber arrived, Seth gathered their bags and led Beck and Heavenly out the door. As they climbed into the car and pulled away, Seth caught one last glimpse of the house—warm light spilling from the windows, his mom still waving from the porch.
He slammed back against the Uber’s leather seat with a curse. If tonight was any indication, the next four days were going to be far more difficult than he’d imagined.
Relieved that his performance was over—at least for now—Beck scrubbed a hand over his face with a frustrated sigh.
Pretending Heavenly was merely a friend had been way fucking harder than he’d anticipated. He’d known Seth announcing his engagement to her would sting. But he hadn’t expected it to fucking eviscerate him.
Hours later, a low-key anger was still grinding his gut.
He didn’t want to blame Seth. But this fucked-up situation wasn’t Heavenly’s fault. Or really Grace’s. But he feared it would get worse before it got better. And that pissed him off even more.
