Chapter Four
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.
“What the hell?” Seth muttered, pausing the music and answering the call. “Liam? It’s your wedding night. Shouldn’t you and Hammer be doing unspeakable things to your bride right about now?”
Liam’s rich laugh filled the speaker. “Well, hello to you too, Seth. And for your information, we just finished doing unspeakable things to her. Raine passed out, mate. Hammer’s getting us water. And I felt compelled to call you.”
Seth unwrapped his hands, suddenly wary. When his Irish friend felt “compelled” to do anything, it usually meant his psychic abilities were kicking in. “Why exactly are you thinking about me tonight, of all nights? That’s either flattering or deeply disturbing.”
“Bit of both, probably.” Another chuckle. “But I needed to check on you. See how you’re handling things.”
Seth’s stomach clenched. “Handling what things?”
“The choices you made tonight. With Heavenly. And Beck. But don’t worry. I won’t tell Raine and ruin Heavenly’s surprise. Nice ring, by the way.”
The words hit him like a blow to the gut. Seth sank onto the weight bench, his legs suddenly unsteady. “How the fuck do you—never mind. I don’t want to know.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “So…who legally married Raine? You or Hammer?”
“Don’t deflect,” Liam returned. “But we’ve all vowed never to tell. Let people wonder. Adds to the mystique.”
“You’re all evil. And a bit insane.”
“Says the man who just took turns with another guy to knock up his girlfriend.” Liam’s voice softened. “How does it feel, knowing Heavenly could be pregnant?”
Seth’s heart hammered against his ribs. “Could be? You mean you don’t know for sure?”
“No. Conception is a process, not an instant event. Right now, it’s merely a possibility. I can see what has happened and what could happen, not what will happen.” Liam paused. “But the potential is there. Strong potential.”
“Shit.” Seth leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his body caught between excitement and dread. Part of him thrilled at the possibility. But another part clenched with familiar terror. “I thought I was ready for this, that I’d worked through my fears.”
“And you have, mostly. But it’s natural to feel unsettled when you’re standing on the precipice of everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“Is it? Because I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin.”
“Seth.” Liam’s voice carried that familiar tone, the one he used when he was about to drop a truth bomb. “What if you reframed this entire experience?”
“I’m listening.”
“You’ve been thinking about fatherhood as something you lost, something that was taken from you. But what if it’s actually about reclaiming your legacy?”
“My legacy?”
“As a Cooper. Think about your father—the man and parent Michael was. You’ve been so focused on protecting your heart from potential pain that you’ve forgotten the honor would be passing on the best parts of him to the next generation.”
The words hit like a sucker punch. Seth’s throat tightened as memories flooded back—his father teaching him to throw a curveball, showing him how to change a tire, explaining the importance of protecting those who couldn’t protect themselves.
“Your father raised a good man, Seth. A fighter for justice. Those qualities shouldn’t die with you.”
“But what if something happens to Heavenly and the baby? What if I lose another family?”
“Then you’ll grieve, and you’ll survive, like you did before. But the alternative—living in fear, denying yourself love and family because of what might happen? That’s not surviving. That’s dying slowly.”
Seth closed his eyes, Liam’s words echoing in his skull. Zach had said something eerily similar hours ago, but this felt like an even harder-hitting mic-drop moment. “Fuck.”
“Look, I know your past better than most. I was there; I saw your pain. But I’ve also seen your future—or at least, the potential one. And Seth? It’s beautiful. Messy and complicated but absolutely beautiful.”
“You really think I can do this? Be a father again?”
“I think you’ve been a father figure to your brothers for years. I think you have your father’s heart and your mother’s strength. And I think any child lucky enough to be yours will know exactly what kind of man they came from.”
“Damn.” Seth’s chest loosened slightly, some of the crushing weight lifting. “You make it sound simple.”
“It’s not simple. Nothing worthwhile ever is. But it’s right. For you, for Beck, for Heavenly.”
They talked for another ten minutes, Liam sharing snippets of their time in Vegas so far, his voice a steady anchor. Just as Seth was feeling more centered, more grounded in his decision, Liam’s tone shifted slightly.
“You know…” his Irish friend began almost casually. “Sometimes the things we think we’ve resolved have a way of resurfacing when we’re on the verge of something new. Something that matters.”
Seth froze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Keep your eyes open, mate.”
A chill ran down Seth’s spine “If you know something—”
“I don’t. Just…be aware. That’s all.”
Seth waited for more, but Liam fell silent. The vague warning sat uncomfortably in Seth’s chest. He’d already been through hell and come out on the other side. The past was behind him. He’d made damn sure of that. So whatever niggled at Liam couldn’t be worse than what he’d already survived.
“Thanks for the cryptic warning,” Seth said dryly. “Really helpful.”
Liam chuckled. “Sorry. Sometimes I get feelings about things, but I can’t say for certain what they mean. Probably nothing. Just…take care of yourself, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Seth promised before they hung up.
But as he darkened his phone and left the home gym, that familiar doubt crept back in.
He’d made the choice, taken the leap, and committed to their future.
If the rest of his tomorrows were mapped out and everything was falling into place, why did he still feel like he was holding his breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop?
It’s just nerves, he told himself. Anyone would feel unsettled about committing to a whole new life in one night.
As Seth let out a deep breath and headed for the stairs, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was waiting in the shadows. Something he hadn’t accounted for.
Seth was halfway up the stairs when his phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen, expecting a follow-up text from Liam. Or a message from a client with a cheating spouse. Instead, his mother’s name popped up. He froze.
Shit. It was three-fifteen in the morning in New York. After all the upheaval tonight, he didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to juggle a crisis three thousand miles away.
But Grace Cooper wouldn’t call at this hour unless something was seriously wrong.
“Mom?” Seth answered, sinking onto the stairs. “What’s going on?”
The sound that came through the speaker was something between a sob and a gasp. “Thank goodness you answered. I’m sorry to call so late. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Hey, hey. Take a breath. Tell me what happened.” Seth’s protective instincts kicked in, and he shelved his own turmoil. “Are you okay? Is someone hurt?”
“No. But…” Her voice broke again. “Carl and I went away for the weekend. He got sick, so we came home early. We walked in…and found Jack and Connor. Sleeping…with the same girl.”
Fuck. Seth closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He’d feared this day would come. After the twins had spent last summer with him in Cali, he’d gotten an eyeful of their proclivities.
He hadn’t expected them to change, but he thought they’d be smart enough not to fly their freak flag around their deeply Catholic mother.
“Mom, I’m sure that was shocking, but—”
“Shocking?” Grace’s voice climbed an octave. “It was... it was disgusting. Sacrilegious. Where did they even get that idea? How could they do something so...so deviant?”
He flinched, his fingers tightening on the phone. Deviant? If only she knew what her eldest son had been up to earlier this evening. Hell, for months.