Grace opened the portal to reveal a familiar man with graying hair and sharp eyes that cataloged the scene in a single sweep. He stepped inside with the easy confidence of someone who’d been here a hundred times before.
“Gene!” Grace’s face lit up.
“Morning, newlyweds.” Gene Hammond’s voice was gravelly and warm. And when he hugged Grace, it was brief but genuine.
“Glad you’re here,” Carl said, shaking Gene’s hand.
“Me, too.” Gene’s gaze swept the room, landing on Seth with a grin. “There’s the troublemaker.”
Seth looked up, and for the first time all morning, something like a real smile crossed his face as he strode toward the man and offered his hand. “I was hoping you’d choose brunch over fishing.”
“Only for the Cooper clan. Besides, I wouldn’t miss one of your mom’s spreads.” Gene smiled, shaking Seth’s hand with a fatherly grip on his shoulder.
As more friends and neighbors arrived, the living and dining rooms filled with the hum of voices and laughter, layering over the clink of glasses and the rustle of plates.
Grace’s phone rang shrilly on the counter. She glanced at the screen, frowned, and answered. “Danny? Is everything okay?”
Beck watched her expression shift—concern replaced by relief.
“Oh, no. Poor baby.” Grace pressed a hand to her chest. “No, no, don’t even think about it. You stay home with Anna. She needs you more... Yes, of course. Give her a kiss from Grandma... Okay. Love you, too.”
She hung up and sighed. “Anna’s sick. Danny and Maggie aren’t coming.”
“Oh, I hope she’s okay,” Heavenly said with concern.
Grace waved a hand. “I’m sure she will be. You know how babies are. They get sick all the time until they build up their little immune systems. But they said to say their goodbyes to you, and they hope they’ll see you soon.”
“Give them all a hug from me,” Heavenly murmured as Seth slipped past her, slinging an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek on his way to the table with a platter of muffins.
His mother frowned. “Have you heard from the twins? They should be here by now.”
“No.” Seth quickly set the muffins down and pulled out his phone. “I’ll call them.”
“Thank you. Those two...”
Beck couldn’t miss the annoyance in Grace’s tone. He sidled closer and exchanged a glance with Seth as he dialed. “Twenty bucks says they’re too hungover.”
Seth snorted. “As drunk as they were last night? I’m not taking that bet.”
Then he stepped into a quiet hallway. Beck couldn’t hear the conversation, but saw the exact moment Seth’s jaw tightened.
Moments later, he returned with a scowl. “Yep. They’re hungover, and they’re not coming. When the fuck are they going to grow up?”
“When they’re dead plus ten days?” Beck quipped.
“You’re being optimistic.” Seth crossed the room to Grace. “They’re…not well. Sorry, Mom.”
Grace closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head. “You mean they drank too much and now their heads are pounding?”
“They were all apologies and said they’ll see you later.” Seth’s tone was dry. “I tried texting back…but they stopped answering.”
Grace’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’m going to throttle them.”
Clearly, she wasn’t happy. Beck suspected she was still pissed off that Jack and Connor liked to share girls. That didn’t bode well for Seth’s conversation with his mom tomorrow.
And he was probably feeling that, too.
Fuck.
