All the talk about conception stabbed Seth with anxiety, but he pushed it aside. He’d not only crossed that bridge tonight, he’d burned it. There was no going back.
“Then we’ll plan on getting married after Grace, something small and intimate before you’re too far along to enjoy it,” Beck suggested. “Unless… Did you have your heart set on a big wedding?”
She shook her head. “I don’t have any family, and I don’t need an elaborate production. I just want to marry you two.”
Seth wanted that, too…but he’d have to explain the three of them to his mom. That stumbling block wasn’t new, and he wasn’t about to let that stop him. Grace would come around…eventually. “That works for me. Just…not December.”
They both nodded, well aware that December would always belong to Autumn and Tristan’s memory.
“We could always hop on a plane to Vegas tomorrow.” Beck grinned.
“Um…” Heavenly winced. “I don’t want Elvis marrying us.”
Seth nodded. “Same. And if I got married without inviting my family, they’d kill me.”
Beck shrugged. “Fair enough. January?”
“I’d be okay with that,” Heavenly replied. “Are we having a purely symbolic ceremony? Or am I legally marrying one of you?”
Seth exchanged a glance with Beck before the doctor spoke. “Actually being married will make medical and legal stuff easier, not to mention bank accounts, insurance… And the caveman in me, wants you to tie the knot with one of us.”
“You’ll still belong to us both,” Seth added.
She paused, her brow furrowing. “Okay…but how do we decide who I’m marrying?”
“We’ll figure that out later. Maybe we’ll flip a coin.” Beck smirked. “For now, come here, our bride-to-be… We want to make sure you feel really loved.”
The waggle of his brows suggested something a lot dirtier.
Seth was all too happy to join in.
As they made love again—slower this time, reverent and pulsing with their new commitment—Seth felt a deep sense of rightness. His future was set. His angel would be theirs, bound to both of them by choice and by love.
When he figured out how to break the news of their unconventional arrangement to his mother, she would love Heavenly. The whole family would. How could they not?
But even as he lost himself in Heavenly’s soft sighs, reveling in the knowledge that they were engaged and might soon be pregnant, a small voice whispered in the back of his mind.
If his future was mapped out and everything was falling into place, why did he still feel so unsettled?
Seth couldn’t sleep. Even with Heavenly’s warm body pressed against his side and Beck’s steady breathing filling the room, he couldn’t shut off his brain. The primitive satisfaction of taking Heavenly without protection, of potentially filling her with their child had been mind-blowing. The memory sent heat coursing through his veins.
But beneath his primal triumph, Seth was haunted by nagging fears that only grew louder in the bedroom’s silence.
Jesus, Cooper. Get your shit together.
Careful not to wake either of them, Seth slipped from the bed and padded to the dresser. He pulled on a pair of gym shorts and grabbed his phone, casting one last look at the tangle of limbs on the bed. Heavenly’s hair spilled across Beck’s chest, their faces peaceful in sleep. He was where he belonged; he knew that. So why did his chest feel tight with something that wasn’t quite panic…but still too close for comfort?
He needed to move. To sweat. To give his restless energy an outlet.
The tri-level house was quiet as Seth made his way to the bottom floor and into the large home gym. He scrolled through his phone until he found his workout playlist—driving rock that would help him focus on something other than the circular thoughts consuming him.
The punching bag hung in the corner like a patient enemy, waiting to absorb whatever he dished out. Seth wrapped his hands quickly, muscle memory from years of training taking over. The first punch landed with a satisfying thwack, vibrating up his arm and clearing some of the mental fog.
One-two. One-two-three.
Each combination felt better than the last, his body falling into the familiar rhythm. Sweat beaded his forehead as he increased the intensity, letting the physical exertion burn away the confusing tangle of emotions.
He was deep in the zone when his phone buzzed, the ringtone cutting through the loud music. Seth glanced at the screen and frowned. Liam O’Neill’s name flashed across the display.
