“I-I don’t…I’m not sure I understand what you’re telling me.” Laura looked at Beck, then Heavenly, then back at Seth. “You’re…both with her? At the same time?”
“Yes.” Seth exhaled through his nerves. “We came today to be completely honest and transparent. So here’s the truth: Beck and I are both in love with Heavenly. He and I aren’t together…romantically. We, um?—”
“At all,” Beck cut in firmly.
Seth nodded. “We’re just in love with the same woman, and we’re planning to spend the rest of our lives with her.”
Laura stared at him, her face cycling through shock and confusion.
“And you all live together.” It wasn’t a question. “Hudson said you did, but I thought… I assumed it was because LA is so expensive?—”
“It’s not about finances,” Seth admitted. “It never was.”
“How long has this been going on?” Laura’s voice had an edge now, protective instinct kicking in.
“Since March,” Seth answered. “Hudson has known since day one.”
Laura reared back, her face full of shock. Then her stare skipped to their son, taking in his total lack of surprise. Her expression changed to something that said she wasn’t taking this well.
Seth feared this revelation was going down like the Titanic.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“You told a sixteen-year-old boy that you three are sleeping together?”
“We didn’t have to,” Seth said wryly. “He figured it out on his own. But yes, we’ve been completely open with him from the start.” He held her gaze. “I didn’t want to keep secrets, Laura. Not from him, and not from you.”
She looked stricken, her gaze dropping to the table. Seth could see her mind racing—her teenage son living with three adults in an arrangement she’d never imagined and probably didn’t condone.
He waited, heart pounding, giving her space to think or ask more questions. He just hoped she wasn’t already judging him—and deciding that his love life made him an unfit parent.
Hudson surprised him by jumping in. “Mom, it’s no big deal. Think of it this way: most kids have two parents. In LA, I’ve got three. It’s not weird—at least not to me. So, please…don’t freak out.”
Seth held his breath as he watched Laura’s face, gauging her reaction.
“Not weird?” she challenged, sounding slightly incredulous.
“Yeah.” Hudson nodded. “It’s not like they’re fucking in front of me.”
Seth exploded—at the same time Laura did. “Hudson!”
Their stares met. He sent her a look that was something between a grimace and grin. After a tense moment, she grinned back.
That broke some of the tension.
“Clearly, we’re both parents,” Seth drawled.
“It would seem.”
Laura’s expression shifted. The rigid tension in her shoulders eased. Hudson hadn’t conveyed his point the way Seth would have chosen…but maybe his son had known how to reach Laura in a way he couldn’t.
Finally, Laura turned back to Hudson. “If it’s not weird, what is it like?”
“Honestly? Balanced. Heavenly is kind of…the beauty to their beasts, you know? She keeps the place homey. Plus, she’s a really good cook. Dad is supportive but firm. And if I screw up, Beck is a straight-up hard-ass.”
Seth bit back a grin. Clearly, Hudson had been paying attention.
Laura blinked, her thoughts obviously racing. Finally, she glanced at her husband, as if seeking his input.
