Even now, hours later, Seth was still on edge, his usual easy confidence replaced by something coiled. Watchful. Dangerous.
“Hey, um…” Seth reached for another slice of pizza. “I have a meeting with a Realtor at four-thirty. To sell my house.”
The one he’d shared with his late wife and son. Heavenly’s stomach tightened. Seth had already been through a lot today. That would only heap more trauma on his shoulders.
“I shouldn’t be long.” He didn’t quite meet their eyes. “Stay here and…enjoy the room.”
She caught his subtext immediately: make love, try to conceive, stay in this safe cocoon while he faced his demons alone.
She met Beck’s stare across the room and saw instant agreement.
Absolutely not.
“We’re coming with you,” Heavenly insisted, shoving her plate onto the table and rising to her feet.
Seth’s lips tightened. “Angel, you don’t have to?—“
“I want to.” She crossed the room to him, cupping his hard shoulder with a gentle hand. “After what you went through the last time you were there, we’re not letting you do this alone.”
Beck approached, nodding. “We’re not. So stop that bullshit now.”
Seth’s throat worked, seeming to struggle against emotion. “Thank you.”
He always tried to protect them, insisting he was strong and capable enough to handle anything without help. The relief on his face now told her he was glad he didn’t have to face this tragic remnant of his past alone.
They finished eating, the weight of their earlier argument and the upcoming meeting stifling their usual banter. When Heavenly began cleaning up, Beck took the empty box from her and discarded it before pulling her against his side.
“This afternoon is going to be rough on him,” he murmured against her hair.
“That’s why I insisted on going.” For the men she loved, she would walk through fire.
Beck kissed her nose. “And that’s one reason we love you.”
Forty-five minutes later, they climbed into an Uber, the silence so thick it felt choking. Heavenly sat between her men, holding both their hands as the city passed, a blur through the windows. Seth’s shoulders were tense, his mouth a flat line as he gripped her almost too tightly. She gave him a supportive squeeze and refused to pull away.
As they drove toward the suburbs, skyscrapers gave way to strip malls. The trees here were more plentiful, their branches creating tunnels of green overhead.
The driver stopped at a red light. Without the forward motion, the strain in the car somehow felt even more uncomfortably tight. Heavenly wished she could think of something to say to break it and make Seth smile.
Suddenly, Beck pointed out the window. “Hey, Seth. Look.”
He glanced over. “Yeah?”
“There’s a White Castle. Want to stop?”
Seth scowled. “Why? We just ate.”
“You could have a quickie in the men’s room and…reminisce.” Beck’s grin turned both teasing and wicked. “Maybe reenact your first time with Mary Jo Bartkowicz.”
Seth rolled his eyes, then burst out laughing—a genuine ripple of mirth that lightened the weight on her chest. Beck joined in, and within seconds, all three of them were shaking with it.
“You’re both disgusting.” Heavenly tsked. “That poor girl. It must have been horrible.”
“Hey! She left with a smile on her face.” Seth glared indignantly, but she caught the grin curling up his lips.
“More likely, you did. Nothing that happens in a bathroom stall is sexy.” Heavenly shook her head. “Besides, you were only fourteen.”
“So? I was precocious.”
