Chapter Twelve #3
“You’re just jealous that I had a steady supply of pussy at his age.” Beck nodded Hudson’s way.
“I have living proof that I was getting busy at that age.” Seth pointed at Hudson. “You only got laid because Gloria kept you dick-deep in hookers.”
“Guys!” Heavenly protested. “If you don’t dial it down, Hudson will need therapy before dinner is over.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Hudson swore, never taking his bulging eyes off Beck. “Hookers? Seriously? And who’s Gloria?”
“My ex-wife.”
“She hooked you up with…?”
“Prostitutes? Yep. She’s a madame in Vegas. She ‘adopted’ me when I was sixteen. Well, actually we got married, but same difference.”
Hudson’s expression turned downright disbelieving. “You’re making that shit up!”
“He’s not,” Seth promised. “But…maybe you shouldn’t mention that to your mom just yet.”
“Or the fact you’re in a threesome?” Hudson raised a brow.
Seth winced. “Yeah. Don’t mention that yet, either.”
“Probably wise.” Heavenly laughed.
“So…I heard you tell my mom that he’s a doctor,” Hudson said.
“A vascular surgeon,” Beck verified.
“How the hell did you go from running away to banging hookers to getting an MD?”
Beck flashed him a devilish grin. “Private school.”
They all laughed again before Hudson shook his head, eyes narrowed. “That’s not bullshit?”
“No. But it was a lifetime ago. Now I devote my life to patching up patients. That makes me happy. So does being here with Heavenly and your dad.”
“Damn… So how did you three actually meet?” Hudson looked curious. “I mean, your whole situation seems…complicated.”
“It is, but less now than it used to be,” Heavenly replied. “I met them at the hospital where I volunteer. On my first day, I’d been walking in circles for fifteen minutes, and Beck helped me. He offered to be my friend.”
Hudson scoffed. “You believed him? Didn’t you know that’s code for ‘I want to get in your panties?’”
Clearly, the kid was less naive than she’d been.
She sent him a self-deprecating smile. “I know that now… And Seth was with friends in the ER waiting room.”
“Why didn’t you just pick one over the other? I mean, I’ll bet the sex is off the chain, but—”
“That’s not why. I tried to choose, but you wouldn’t believe the lengths they each went to win my heart.”
“And get in your panties,” Beck drawled.
Seth grinned. “That, too.”
She slapped each of them on the shoulder. “Behave!”
“Why start now?” Beck winked.
“So how did you end up with both of them?”
Seth’s expression grew serious. “Neither Beck nor I knew this, but Heavenly was half starving, and she was about to be homeless. Her landlord was demanding sexual favors instead of rent. We intervened.”
Hudson scowled. “You beat the shit out of him?”
Heavenly flattened a smile. The kid really had no idea just how much like his father he was, even down to the protective streak.
“Let’s just say I broke my Hippocratic oath that day, and now the son of a bitch eats through a straw,” Beck drawled. “In prison.”
“Good.” Hudson clearly approved. “He sounds like a dirt bag.”
“He was awful. Every time I talked to him, I got the heebies. But that place was all I could afford.”
“She didn’t tell either of us how bad her problems were, but when we finally realized, we stopped fighting each other and started taking care of her—together.”
“And here we are.” Heavenly reached for both men’s hands. “It all worked out for the best.”
They finished dinner with more good-natured banter and jokes.
Heavenly had to admit that having Hudson here was far less awkward than she’d thought it would be.
Certainly, more natural than it had felt even thirty minutes ago.
He fit right in, and honestly, she didn’t hate the idea of having another person to nurture, especially one who needed it so much.
Once they’d finished eating, they all rose. Seth looked at Hudson. “Help us clear the table and load the dishwasher.”
“All right.” Hudson didn’t sound thrilled, but he didn’t argue.
As far as Heavenly was concerned, that was progress.
They worked together, and she watched the easy way Seth and Hudson moved around each other. Their bond was tentative but growing almost before her eyes.
When the kitchen was clean, Seth sidled up to his son and bumped his shoulder. “Want to watch a movie?”
“Nah. I’m going to go to my room and chill, if that’s cool. I’ve talked more today than I have in the last month.”
“No sweat,” Seth told him. “Set your alarm for six-thirty.”
Hudson frowned. “In the morning? What the fuck for?”
“Starting tomorrow, we’re working out together. Meet me in the home gym.”
The kid froze. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you some kind of sadist?”
“No, that’s my role,” Beck bantered with a sarcastic wave.
Hudson didn’t answer right away. “I’m not even going to ask.”
“Better if you don’t,” Heavenly whispered.
“He’s not kidding.” Seth crossed his arms over his chest.
“Okay, then.” The kid stepped back, hands raised in jest. “I’ll just try not to think about the fact that I’m living with someone who gets off causing pain.”
“He’s harmless,” Heavenly assured, but when Beck raised a challenging brow, she added, “Well, mostly.”
“Nifty. You all have a good night. I’ll…see you in the morning.”
“If you need anything, just let us know,” Heavenly called to his retreating back.
“Yeah. Thanks.” Hudson paused at the top of the stairs, turning serious. “And thanks for…you know. Letting me stay.”
“You’re family,” Seth said simply.
After Hudson nodded thoughtfully and disappeared downstairs, Heavenly followed Seth out to the back patio. Beck joined them. The warm evening air enveloped them as the guys settled into the outdoor sofa, pulling her between them.
This was where she belonged. And despite all the recent upheaval, this was where she felt safe. But now…they were alone, and she had so many questions.
“So…tell me about your time with Hudson downstairs.”
“We had a really good talk.” Seth’s voice was rougher than usual. “It’s early days, and I know that kid is going to test me. Hell, he’ll probably test all of us.”
“He will.” Beck nodded. “I see so much of myself in that kid.”
Seth nodded. “Same. But I’m thinking…this could work. How are you feeling?”
“I agree.” Heavenly took his hand and squeezed it. “You’re doing the right thing.”
“You are,” Beck agreed. “But I’m sure walking in and seeing him today was a hell of a shock. I give you credit for handling it so well. Seems like fatherhood is like water off a duck’s back for you.”
“More like riding a bike.” Seth ran his hands through his hair. “But I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything, especially some stuff that happened my last day in New York.”
She exchanged a glance with Beck before she turned back to Seth. “Is that why you didn’t call last night?”
For long moments, he didn’t answer. Then he finally blew out a harsh breath. “Yeah. Lately, I started thinking that if we’re going to have a baby, we’ll need a bigger house. One with fewer stairs, proper nursery space. Maybe a yard big enough for a swing set.”
Heavenly’s heart fluttered at the image he painted, at the future he envisioned. It sounded idyllic.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Beck added. “This place won’t work long-term.”
Seth nodded. “It’s past time I sell the house I lived in with Autumn and Tristan, free up some cash to hopefully buy a new place. I hadn’t stepped foot inside that place in eight years—until yesterday. I went there to see what work it needed before I put it on the market.”
Heavenly blinked at Seth in shock. He’d never mentioned owning another house. In fact, he almost never talked about that part of his life.
“I’ll sell this place, too,” Beck said. “Together, we’ll be able to afford something bigger and better. I have a patient who’s an amazing realtor. She’ll help us find exactly what we need.”
“In a good school district,” Heavenly piped in. “We’ll need that right away, if Hudson stays. But we can’t get too far from everyone’s work.”
“Exactly,” Beck agreed, then turned back to Seth. “So what kind of work does your place need?”
Seth was quiet for a long moment before he rose, putting his back to them and staring out at the pool. “I don’t know. I lasted less than five minutes in the fucking house before I ran out. I just…couldn’t be there. Too many ghosts.”
“Oh, Seth,” Heavenly breathed, her heart hurting for him. She rose and approached him, smoothing soft hands over his shoulders.
“Everything was almost exactly the same as the day I left eight years ago. Autumn’s knickknacks were still all over the house.
Tristan’s toys were still tucked into baskets in the living room.
It was like walking into a tomb.” His voice cracked.
“Logically, I get why it affected me; I hadn’t seen the place since they died.
But running out made me feel like a fucking coward. ”
Beck approached and forced Seth to meet his head-on stare. “You survived something horrific, and confronting those memories isn’t fucking easy, man. You dealt with trauma that would have broken most people.”
“He’s right,” Heavenly reassured, reaching for Seth’s hand. “Going there took incredible strength.”
“But I tucked tail and ran.” Seth raked a hand through his blond hair. “I want to move forward with you two. Start the future, get married, have babies, and build our family. I know it’s important to you both, and I’m trying.”
But could he give them what they craved? That thought terrified Heavenly. “We know you are.”
“You don’t. And I keep disappointing you.
I just…” Seth trailed off, looking lost. “Mentally, I’m not where I should be.
But I’m trying. And I’ll keep trying. Today, talking to Hudson felt…
good. Maybe it sounds crazy, but I feel like, if I can handle having a teenage son here, maybe…
I’m not as broken as I thought. Maybe I can actually do this fatherhood thing again. ”
Clearly, he hoped that was the case. And maybe he was right, but Heavenly couldn’t help but wonder… Would having a teenage son help Seth work through his fears? Or would it painfully remind him of what he’d lost when Tristan perished.
“One day at a time,” she whispered. “It’s not as if we’re having a baby tomorrow. Just keep talking to us, okay?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I didn’t call, but I wasn’t ready to talk last night. I needed time to process. And I didn’t want my mom to overhear. She’d only worry.”
“Keeping things to yourself might work with your mom. But don’t fucking hide your feelings from us because you think we’ll worry,” Beck insisted. “That bullshit won’t do any of us any good.”
“I know. But sometimes, I feel like I’m drowning. I don’t want to take you down with me.”
“Ever think that we’d just throw you a life jacket?”
Seth chuffed. “I’m so used to rescuing myself—and everyone around me.”
“Yeah?” Beck challenged. “Well, stop that shit. You have us.”
“Exactly,” Heavenly agreed softly, raising up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Seth’s lips.
He turned and took her in his arms, laying a desperate kiss over her mouth, lifting his head only when she was halfway to melting. “I missed you two so fucking much.”
Heavenly knew that look on his face. He needed her, needed to be with them. Bond with them. Become one with them.
“We missed you, too. Come on.” She took his hand and led him inside.
She and Seth checked on Hudson while Beck headed upstairs. The teenager was sprawled on his bed watching a sitcom in the dark.
Seth’s expression grew soft as he looked at his son. “Sleep well.”
Hudson nodded. “You, too.”
Afterward, she climbed the stairs toward their bedroom, Seth directly behind her. At the top of the landing, he swept her into his arms, his eyes heating when he entered and caught sight of the bed turned down. Beck stood waiting, already shirtless.
Slowly, Seth set her on her feet, letting every inch of her body slide down his, including his stiff cock. “I need you naked. Now.”
Instantly, Heavenly recognized his voice. Seth had gone into Dom mode.
She dropped her stare and kicked off her sandals. “Yes, Sir.”
“Faster. Then lay across the bed, pretty legs spread so we can see that pussy that belongs to us. Beck, why don’t you grab the rope?”