Seth did his best to shelve his lazy satisfaction and stepped in front of the surgeon. “Have fun last night?”
Beck’s jaw tightened, and Seth saw the question forming. He’d anticipated it. Beck wanted to know why Seth hadn’t once taken her pussy.
“Obviously, but?—”
“I know what you’re thinking,” Seth cut in, meeting Beck’s stare. “I’m not backing out of having a family. But I’ve had two sons, and I’ve got my hands full with Hudson. Plus…I owe you for dealing with my family’s bullshit this weekend. The shot at her this month? It’s all yours. If she gets pregnant, I’ll be a proud daddy, too. Promise.”
Beck’s throat worked. Emotion flickered across his face—surprise, gratitude, something deeper.
“Seriously?”
Seth nodded. “Yep. Absolutely.”
“And Friday night?” Beck asked quietly. “When you’ll be alone with her at your mom’s house?”
Seth shrugged, a wry smile tugging his lips. “Her mouth, her ass, or just a snuggle—I’m good for any of those. I’m sure my mom would prefer the last option, but whatever makes Heavenly happy.”
Beck chuckled, and Seth felt the last of the tension between them ease. This weekend would be a minefield with his family, but the night the three of them had just spent together? Worth every second of torture over the coming days. They’d crossed a line together, made an unspoken promise about their future.
And as Seth clapped Beck’s shoulder, they headed to the suite’s giant shower to join Heavenly. In that moment, Seth had never been more certain of anything in his life.
At ten a.m., Seth dragged ass as he ushered an exhausted Heavenly into Batter Up, the diner the Cooper clan had been frequenting for thirty years. Beck slowly brought up the rear. Despite being wrung out, their smiles were all replete with satisfaction. Seth hoped like hell his mother didn’t notice.
As Seth ducked inside, he scanned the place. It looked exactly the way it had when he’d been a kid. Same baseball-themed motif, same red vinyl booths, same black-and-white checkered floor. The smells of bacon grease and coffee had permeated the walls decades ago, adding to the cafe’s dubious charm. The waitresses called most everyone “hon” and knew the orders of their regular patrons by heart. And everyone who came here loved it.
He had so many memories of this place. Usually, the familiarity and nostalgia made him happy.
Today, anxiety gnawed at him. He had to start softening his mom’s attitude or coming clean with her would go over like a turd in a punchbowl.
“This is adorable!” Heavenly exclaimed as she sized up the diner.
“Wait until you try their pancakes. They’re legendary,” Seth quipped, though he was more focused on what he was going to say than on food.
Across the restaurant, he spotted Mom, Carl, and Hudson already waiting for them at one of the big tables.
“There they are,” his mother called, waving them over with a bright smile.
Hudson jumped up, grinning as they approached. “Hey! How was your night in the fancy hotel?”
Seth pulled his son into a hug, surprised by how much he’d missed the kid, how attached he’d grown in a few short weeks. “Good. How was your night with Grandma Grace?”
“Awesome. I slept in your old room and found your high school yearbooks.”
“Find anything embarrassing enough to blackmail me with?”
“I’m still deciding,” Hudson shot back with a grin that was pure Cooper mischief. “But dude, your hair was seriously questionable. And that wrestling team photo was a lot…”
“Thanks,” Seth said dryly.
Beck ruffled Hudson’s hair as he passed. “Other than snooping, did you stay out of trouble?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Hudson laughed.
“He was very well-behaved,” Mom insisted as she stood. “And he called Laura last night. They had a long chat.”
Hudson nodded. “Yeah. It was good.”
Seth was glad to hear that. On top of everything else, Laura’s concern was something he didn’t need now.
