Chapter Nineteen
At ten a.m., Seth dragged ass as he ushered an exhausted Heavenly into Batter Up, the diner the Cooper clan had been frequenting for thirty years.
Beck slowly brought up the rear. Despite being wrung out, their smiles were all replete with satisfaction.
Seth hoped like hell his mother didn’t notice.
As Seth ducked inside, he scanned the place.
It looked exactly the way it had when he’d been a kid.
Same baseball-themed motif, same red vinyl booths, same black-and-white checkered floor.
The smells of bacon grease and coffee had permeated the walls decades ago, adding to the cafe’s dubious charm.
The waitresses called most everyone “hon” and knew the orders of their regular patrons by heart. And everyone who came here loved it.
He had so many memories of this place. Usually, the familiarity and nostalgia made him happy.
Today, anxiety gnawed at him. He had to start softening his mom’s attitude or coming clean with her would go over like a turd in a punchbowl.
“This is adorable!” Heavenly exclaimed as she sized up the diner.
“Wait until you try their pancakes. They’re legendary,” Seth quipped, though he was more focused on what he was going to say than on food.
Across the restaurant, he spotted Mom, Carl, and Hudson already waiting for them at one of the big tables.
“There they are,” his mother called, waving them over with a bright smile.
Hudson jumped up, grinning as they approached. “Hey! How was your night in the fancy hotel?”
Seth pulled his son into a hug, surprised by how much he’d missed the kid, how attached he’d grown in a few short weeks. “Good. How was your night with Grandma Grace?”
“Awesome. I slept in your old room and found your high school yearbooks.”
“Find anything embarrassing enough to blackmail me with?”
“I’m still deciding,” Hudson shot back with a grin that was pure Cooper mischief. “But dude, your hair was seriously questionable. And that wrestling team photo was a lot…”
“Thanks,” Seth said dryly.
Beck ruffled Hudson’s hair as he passed. “Other than snooping, did you stay out of trouble?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Hudson laughed.
“He was very well-behaved,” Mom insisted as she stood. “And he called Laura last night. They had a long chat.”
Hudson nodded. “Yeah. It was good.”
Seth was glad to hear that. On top of everything else, Laura’s concern was something he didn’t need now.
Carl stood as they reached the table, giving Beck a friendly pat on the shoulder before shaking Seth’s hand. “Morning, you three. Everyone sleep well?”
“Like a rock,” Beck replied as Mom hugged Heavenly. “The sheets at that hotel have some serious thread count.”
“Everything was super comfortable.” Seth kissed his mother’s cheek before rounding the table and sliding across the bench to sit strategically beside her.
With all the wedding craziness, he wouldn’t have much time to talk one-on-one with her. He could practically feel the time ticking away before he had to walk her down the aisle and fly home again. Bending her ear while he could was critical.
Heavenly slid in after him, her thigh brushing his as she laid her hand over his and spoke to his son. “I’m surprised I could hear the traffic twenty floors up.”
Hudson took the chair across from her, beside Beck. “Really?”
She nodded. “It was crazy.”
His mom just laughed. “There’s a reason people call it the city that never sleeps, dear.”
“I had to see it to understand.” Heavenly flashed a self-deprecating grin before changing the subject. “How are you feeling with the wedding two days away?”
“Nervous but excited,” his mom admitted. “I’m so afraid I’ve forgotten something important, but Carl just tells me to relax.”
“Everything’s going to be perfect.” Her groom sent her a reassuring smile across the table.
As he, Beck, and Heavenly began comparing life in New York and California with Hudson hanging on their every word, Seth saw his opening. Time to start laying the groundwork.
“You seem happy this morning,” Seth said quietly as the waitress brought their coffee and paused to take their order.
After her departure, his mom smiled and stirred more cream into her cup.
“I am, though I feel a bit run ragged trying to take care of all the last-minute details.” She glanced at Carl, her expression softening.
“But I’m marrying a good man. I never thought I’d get another chance at this kind of happiness. ”
“You deserve it.”
“Thank you, honey.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m so happy for you and Heavenly. Having you two here—and announcing your engagement—makes everything even better. And Beck seems like a wonderful friend. I’m glad he came, too. He fits right in with the family.”
Seth overheard Beck describe the last medical conference he’d attended with his usual sarcasm. They all laughed, and Heavenly poked gentle fun at him. But the tightness at the corners of his eyes told Seth just how much effort it cost him to keep that smile in place.
“I thought he would.” Seth leaned in close to his mom and dropped his voice. “Speaking of family, how are things with Jack and Connor lately?”
Her smile faltered slightly, her fingers tightening around her coffee mug. “Better. Not...normal, but better.”
“That’s progress.” And at least she wasn’t hostile anymore. Struggling, he’d expected. She even sounded a bit resigned. Maybe that meant she was trying to accept their choices?
“I suppose. I’m still trying to understand why they share women that way. The glimpse I saw… It was so shocking. I still can’t wrap my head around it.”
Seth’s throat went dry. How could he explain the completeness, the rightness of what he shared with Beck and Heavenly when he couldn’t admit yet that their relationship even existed?
“Have you talked to them any more?”
“A little. They’ve been respectful about my boundaries—no bringing women to the house, no flaunting one in public. And I’ve tried not to be intrusive.” She sighed, her voice dropping. “I love them, but I don’t know how to accept this part of their lives.”
“Are you hoping they’ll grow out of it?”
Her silence was answer enough.
“Mom…” Seth chose his next words carefully, as if he was defusing a bomb. “I’ve talked to them. This isn’t a phase. They’re not experimenting or rebelling. This is who they are, the way they’ve chosen to express love.”
“But—”
“I know you don’t approve, but if you want them in your life, you’re going to have to make peace with their choices.”
His mom’s eyes filled with tears. “You said the same thing last time we talked, and you made good points. I’m not trying to be old-fashioned. I’ve been praying about it, thinking about it...”
“And?”
“Logically, I know you’re right. They’re still the same kind, funny, protective boys I raised.” She rubbed her forehead. “It’s just…their desires go against everything I was taught about relationships, about what’s right.”
“What if you stopped focusing on their sex life and just considered who they are as people? On the fact they’re your sons?”
His mom blinked. “I’m sure I should, but…how?”
“Easy. When you talk to them or spend time with them, just be their mother. Their romantic choices aren’t the sum of who they are, just like Carl’s job doesn’t define who he is.”
“I know you’re right.”
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t struggling.
“Why do you need to understand Jack and Connor’s sex life to love them?”
“I don’t, but—”
“There’s no buts. You need to love them for who they are, not who you want them to be.”
She stared into her coffee cup for a long moment. When she looked up, her eyes were bright with unshed tears. “When did you get so wise?”
Seth’s chest tightened. If she only knew… “You raised us to think for ourselves, and sometimes those choices are going to be different from what you’d pick.”
“You’re right. I just…” His mom glanced around the table, making sure the others were still absorbed in their own conversation. “What about marriage? Children? How will that work with their…arrangement?”
“That’s for them to figure out, Mom. Right now, you only need to focus on you, your wedding, and being happy. One day at a time.”
“You’re right again.” She squeezed his hand. “Thank you for listening. I know it’s not easy, having your mother struggle with your brothers’ choices.”
Seth squeezed back, hoping desperately that she’d remember this conversation when the time for his own admission came. “I love you, Mom. Just like I love Jack and Connor. I want this family to stay together. Whatever it takes. How about we talk again after the wedding?”
“Could we?” She actually looked hopeful.
“Let’s plan on it.” He kissed her cheek, hoping the breakthrough they all needed was just around the corner.
The waitress appeared with their food, breaking the moment.
As plates of eggs, bacon, and toast were distributed around the table, the conversation shifted to lighter topics—picking up tuxedos, last-minute details for the rehearsal dinner, seating arrangements that would keep certain relatives from killing each other.
Seth half listened to the chatter about flowers and photographers, his mind churning.
“So what’s the plan for today?” Carl asked as they finished eating.
“Beck needs to get back to the city for his conference presentation,” Seth supplied.
“Heavenly will go with him to take some photos of him in action for hospital administrators and social media. While they’re busy, I’m meeting Tony for a beer so we can catch up.
Then we’re hoping to take in a show tonight.
But we’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow? ”
“Perfect.” His mom smiled.
As they gathered their things and headed for the door, Seth’s phone buzzed with a text from their Uber driver. “Our ride’s here.”
His mom hugged each of them goodbye, smiling and holding on to Heavenly for a few extra moments. “I’m so glad you’re here, sweetheart. This weekend means the world to me.”