Matt shut the front door behind them and gestured toward the driveway. “I’m heading out. Walk with me?”
Seth’s stomach tightened. Normally, he’d think Matt wanted to talk shop, but his brother’s face said otherwise.
“Sure.” He tried to sound casual.
Together, they moved down the steps, stopping beside his mother’s SUV.
Matt leaned against the vehicle, arms crossed. “What’s going on? You’re off today.”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit.” Matt’s tone was patient but firm. “This is me you’re talking to. You’ve been wound tight all morning. I noticed. Beck noticed. What’s bothering you?”
Seth looked away, his jaw working. He could keep lying, but he was already keeping too much from Matt. His brother ran his East Coast office; the arrangement only worked because they trusted each other.
And Seth knew that if he didn’t tread carefully, he’d fuck that up.
On the other hand, he didn’t want to spill this to Matt, get his hopes up, if it turned out to be a big, fat nothing.
“All right. Just between us? Heavenly is pregnant.” Seth managed a smile. “We just found out this morning.”
Instantly, a grin split Matt’s face. He clapped Seth on the shoulder. “Holy shit. That’s incredible, man. How do you feel?”
Seth swallowed, joy and terror warring in his chest. “Excited…mostly, but I won’t lie. I’m scared shitless, too.”
“Of course you are.” Matt squeezed his shoulder. “But you’ve done this before.”
“Not in a long time.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re a great dad,” Matt pointed out.
Seth’s voice dropped. “Am I? The last time...”
“I know.” Matt’s expression sobered. “But you’re doing amazing with Hudson. And this time is different. You’ve got Beck. You’ve got Heavenly, who is definitely not Autumn, thank fuck. And you’re not doing this alone.”
Matt was right—all the way around. And those were precisely the points Heavenly and Beck had made last night.
Unfortunately, that still didn’t stop the fear.
“That’s what I keep telling myself. It’s just… I wasn’t sure I’d ever be in the position to be a father again. Hudson shocked the hell out of me, and I’m damn glad now for my teenage stupidity. He’s a good kid. But a baby?” He rubbed at the back of his suddenly stiff neck. “I didn’t think I’d ever go down that path again.”
“I get it. I’d be gun-shy, too. But you’re strong, bro. You got this.”
The confidence and empathy in Matt’s expression nearly undid him. “Thanks.”
“Do you know whose baby it is?” Matt asked.
“No, and we don’t care,” Seth said firmly. “So I’m hoping it doesn’t matter to anyone else.”
“It doesn’t to me.” Matt’s tone was absolute. “If you claim that kid as yours, as far as I’m concerned, he or she is family.”
Relief spread warmth through Seth’s chest. “I appreciate that. Just...keep the news on the down-low for now. Other than Beck and Heavenly, you’re the only one who knows.”
“You got it.” Matt studied him, his gaze shrewd. “Is the pregnancy news what’s got you so twisted up this morning?”
Seth hesitated. The key to the storage unit sat like a boulder in his pocket, pressing against his thigh. For a moment, he reconsidered telling Matt what their dad had left taped to the back of his dresser…then swallowed back the admission. No point messing with his brother’s head over what might be nothing. But if he found something, Matt would be the first to know.
“Yeah. Among other things,” Seth said carefully.
