Seth’s eyes held his in the darkness. “So I’ve decided to tell her Monday.”
Beck’s breath caught. Monday. Two days away. After months of pretending. After days of subterfuge under Grace’s roof. The lies would be over. Hopefully the torment, too.
He wanted that more than anything for Seth. For Heavenly. For their collective future. But now that he’d met Seth’s mom and saw how close this family truly was, he hesitated. “You’re sure?”
“It’s past time,” Seth whispered. “I need to ask Carl if he’s talked to Mom since my visit last month and if she’s relented any. I’ll take any help I can get.”
Grace softening her stance? Beck hadn’t seen that. “He hasn’t volunteered anything?”
Seth shook his head. “I haven’t been able to get him alone for even a moment. But tomorrow, I’m hoping to get a few private moments with him before the ceremony. Once I’ve gotten the scoop, I’ll pull my brothers aside one by one, get their read on things. I need to know if I can count on their support when the shit hits the fan.”
When, not if. Clearly, Seth was under no illusions about how this would go.
“You said they didn’t seem shocked by the idea when you talked to them last month.” That gave Beck some hope Seth would have allies.
“They weren’t. I think they’ll be on our side. Then…I’ll start looking for the best way to approach Mom.” Seth’s jaw tightened. “I have to do it gently.”
Beck’s chest constricted. He’d waited months for Seth to commit to telling his family the truth. Now that the moment was here, the magnitude of what the big guy was undertaking hit him hard.
“Not to be an asshole, but what gentle way is there to say, ‘Hey, Mom, I’m in a committed threesome’?”
Seth winced. “Three seconds, and you found the flaw in my plan. There isn’t a gentle way to say it. But I have to try.”
“You don’t have to do it alone. I can stay,” Beck offered quietly. “If you want to tell your mom on Sunday before we fly out, I’ll stand by your side. Help you explain. Answer her questions.”
“No.” Seth’s answer was swift and firm. “My family. My problem.”
“And it’s our future. Seth?—”
“You want to help, I know. I appreciate it. But?—”
“A stronger, more united front might be more persuasive. If Grace sees how much we love Heavenly, how happy she is and how much she needs us both?—”
“Mom will feel ambushed. She’ll get defensive.” Seth’s gaze dropped to Heavenly sleeping between them, his fingers brushing a curl back from her face. “And in case Mom loses her temper and says something…cruel, I don’t want Heavenly anywhere she might hear. She would die if Mom thought less of her.” His voice roughened. “I won’t put our girl through that.”
Beck hated it, but he couldn’t disagree. Protecting Heavenly came first.
“Besides, I have to consider Hudson,” Seth added. “If this turns ugly, I don’t want him overhearing that. He’s been through enough upheaval. Better to get him on a plane, back to his routine, before I detonate my mother’s world.”
Not to mention your own.
But the quiet conviction in Seth’s voice was unshakable. He’d decided, thought it through from every angle. By every standard Beck could see, Seth was prepared to face the consequences.
“All right. But if you change your mind?—”
“I won’t.” Seth’s expression showed nothing but steely determination. “Thanks, but my mind’s made up.”
But Beck also saw the flicker of fear Seth was trying so hard to hide. This was going to cost him. Maybe everything. And he felt a little guilty that he’d pushed to make this happen on his timetable, not Seth’s.
They fell silent then, the weight of the coming storm settled over him like a heavy blanket—and it wasn’t even his mother.
He tightened his hold on Heavenly. Whatever happened Monday, Beck vowed to stand beside him and pick up the radioactive pieces if Grace Cooper’s reaction turned nuclear.
A handful of minutes passed in contemplative silence. He pressed close to Heavenly’s warmth and breathed her in.
Beck knew he should go, slip back across the hall while the house was silent and everyone still slept. Every minute he stayed increased the risk of someone waking up—Grace padding down the hall early with pre-wedding excitement or Carl fetching a glass of water.
But Beck couldn’t make himself move just yet.
