Seth darkened his phone and sat on the stairs, his head spinning. What the hell was he supposed to tell Jack and Connor? That sharing women was wrong? That they each needed to find a nice girl and settle down?
The hypocrisy would be laughable if it weren’t so fucking tragic.
The truth was, Seth understood his brothers. The high of sharing a woman was undeniable. And the way some people fit together didn’t always match societal expectations… It just was. He couldn’t condemn them for following their hearts when he’d done the same.
But he also understood his mother’s shock, her horror at discovering her sons engaged in behavior she saw as immoral. Grace Cooper was a good woman, but she was also a product of her generation and her faith. The idea that love could exist outside the narrow confines of one man, one woman, one marriage was simply incomprehensible to her.
Seth cursed. His lies were piling up, creating a house of cards he feared would come crashing down. He could only deflect for so long before he’d have to tell his mother the truth. Somehow.
And speaking of deflecting… He had to convince Beck and Heavenly that this trip didn’t mean he was backsliding after they’d just committed to their future. He feared the fragile peace they’d negotiated was about to be tested.
Beck wouldn’t be happy. And Seth couldn’t blame him. If their positions were reversed, he’d be furious.
He was also unsettled by the thought of Beck and Heavenly alone while he was gone. Not because he was jealous, but because he wanted to be with them, a part of whatever happened next. What if Heavenly conceived while he was gone? What if Beck got her pregnant while Seth was three thousand miles away?
The irony wasn’t lost on him. He’d spent months terrified of getting Heavenly pregnant, and now he was worried about missing his chance to knock her up.
He sounded like he needed a shrink. Or a lobotomy.
Seth stood slowly, every muscle suddenly feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds. Somehow, he had to work through his fears about fatherhood while navigating the complex web of family expectations, religious beliefs, and social conventions. That’s not a tall order at all, he thought sarcastically.
As he climbed the last of the stairs toward their bedroom, Seth feared that this trip to New York was a disaster waiting to happen.
He paused outside the door and took a deep breath. Inside, Heavenly and Beck still slept peacefully. He wanted to join them…but somewhere in the back of his mind, Liam’s cryptic warning echoed: Sometimes the things we think we’ve resolved have a way of resurfacing…
Seth wasn’t sure what his friend meant, but as he quietly slipped inside the bedroom, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to find out.
The next morning, Heavenly woke to sunlight streaming through the bedroom window and the gentle weight of her engagement ring on her finger. She lay tangled in their sheets, savoring the memory of the night before—Seth’s desperate return, the intoxicating pleasure they’d shared, then the moment they’d knelt beside the bed with their hearts in their eyes, holding her beautiful ring and asking her to be their wife.
I’m engaged. She stared at the extravagant diamond, dazzling in the morning light. Warmth fluttered in her chest.
But as awareness fully returned, she realized she was in the bed alone. She’d expected to wake surrounded by them. The silence felt off-kilter.
Frowning, she glanced around the room. Beck’s wallet still sat on the dresser, where he usually left it at night, so he hadn’t been called to the hospital. But where was Seth? After everything they’d shared, everything they’d committed to…was he pulling away again? The thought made her stomach clench. She’d pushed him hard last night. Beck had, too. What if, in the cold light of day, it had been too much, too fast? What if he’d awakened regretting everything?
That worry niggled her as she climbed out of bed and pulled on her yoga pants and a tank top. Seth emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam and aftershave, hair damp from a shower. His smile was warm when he saw her, but she saw shadows under his eyes and tension in his shoulders.
He hadn’t slept. He didn’t when he was stressed.
“Morning, angel,” he murmured, taking her in his arms and kissing her softly before he pulled back to thumb her ring. “Last night wasn’t easy, but I’m beyond grateful you took me back. And that you said yes.”
Relief flooded her…but she still had questions. “Of course I said yes. You should have known I was going to. We’ve talked about it enough. And you know I love you both.” She studied him more closely. “If you’re happy I accepted, why didn’t you sleep?”
“You can tell, huh?” He huffed out a laugh. “You know me. Just…a lot on my mind.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Other things, not us. It’s not bad…just shit to deal with.”
Heavenly didn’t like the deflection. “Work?”
He shook his head. “I’ll explain. Hang tight, okay?”
With a few words, she went from mild concern to growing anxiety. “You’ll tell me soon?”
“Oh, angel…yeah. In ten minutes. It’s nothing you need to worry about. Promise.”
Why didn’t that make her feel better? And since she didn’t quite believe him, what did it say about their trust?
Heavenly took a breath and asked the question she didn’t dare put off. “I’m glad you’re happy about the engagement, but what about…the rest? Do you have any regrets about last night?”
He cupped her face and smiled, but something in his eyes… They closed up. “Not for one second. You’re stuck with me now, angel.”
