Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Seth exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. He’d rehearsed it in his head a dozen times, but now that the moment had come, the speech stuck in his throat. “I need to tell you something. About Heavenly and me. And…Beck.”
“You mean the fact that you and Beck are both with her?” Matt said calmly.
Seth froze. “You knew?”
Matt’s mouth quirked up into a wry smile. “C’mon. I’m a PI. Of course I figured it out. It’s my job to look for clues.”
“Shit. What gave us away?”
He shrugged. “Nothing overt. Just…the way you three are when you’re together. You’re comfortable. You speak each other’s languages. You move like a unit. The chemistry between Beck and Heavenly is the same kind of chemistry you have with her. It wasn’t hard to put together.”
Seth stared at him. “If you knew, why didn’t you say something?”
Matt shrugged again. “Figured if you wanted to talk about it, you’d bring it up.”
Seth exhaled roughly, filled with something between relief and concern. “Damn.”
“Who else knows?” Matt asked.
“Jack and Connor caught us together in the backyard one night last summer.”
Matt’s laughed. “Jesus. So when Mom asked you to talk to them last month about their lifestyle…”
“Peak irony,” Seth admitted dryly. “Then, this morning…Carl caught Beck sneaking across the hall, back to his room. Surprisingly, he’s okay with it, though. I’m hoping that’ll make a difference when I break the news to Mom on Monday.”
“You know she’s going to lose her fucking mind.”
“Yep,” Seth said quietly. “But I can’t keep lying to her. And we can’t keep pretending. It’s not fair to Beck.”
Matt nodded slowly. “I get it. And for what it’s worth, you’re doing the right thing. It won’t be easy, but you deserve to live your life the way you want, without hiding.”
“You really feel that way? You’re not weirded out or disappointed?”
Matt studied him for a long moment, his expression serious. “Seth, I don’t care what your love life looks like. You’re my brother, and I love you no matter what.” He paused, then his mouth curved into a wry smile. “But I do want to know what kind of flowers you want on your grave.”
Seth huffed out a laugh despite himself, the tension breaking slightly. “Asshole.”
“I am.” Matt nodded with a grin. “But I’ve always got your back.”
“Thanks, man,” Seth said, his voice rough.
Matt’s support meant the world to him.
“Think Danny has any inkling?” Seth asked.
“I doubt it. If he’d figured it out, he would have said something to me.”
Seth nodded, his chest loosening slightly. “True that.”
“You telling him next?”
“I’ve got to.”
Matt tensed. “Yeah. But Maggie—”
“I know. She can’t find out before Mom. I’ve got a plan.”
“Thanks for trusting me enough to come clean,” Matt said. “I miss having you around, but now that I’ve met Beck and Heavenly…you’re where you belong.”
“I miss you, too, bro.”
Just then, the emcee’s voice rang out over the speakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is now being served. Please find your seats.”
Matt straightened, gesturing toward the doors. “Guess that’s our cue.”
Seth nodded and glanced back through windows, watching as waiters began moving through the room with plates, before they headed back inside together.
He collected Heavenly from where she stood with Beck near the dance floor.
Together, they retrieved Hudson, who had taken up with the twins again.
They made their way to the family table.
Heavenly sat between him and Beck—a deliberate choice, meant to unconsciously prepare others to accept them as a trio.
Hudson sat on his other side, a little put out that his dad and Beck the hard-ass had hauled him away from hearing some likely inappropriate frat-party story.
Appetizers appeared. Casual expression locked in place, Seth pushed stuffed mushrooms around his plate.
Across from him, Jack and Connor wolfed theirs down, then announced that they were heading back to the bar.
“Not without me.” Matt followed, leaving them alone with Danny, Maggie, and Anna.
As the server cleared his plate, Beck leaned over Heavenly and whispered, “What’s wrong? Seems like everything has gone well so far.”
“Yeah, but one more conversation to go.” He glanced Danny’s way. “And he’s the wild card.”
Beck frowned. “Think he’ll push back?”
Seth shrugged. Danny by himself? Probably not. But he and Maggie were a package deal. Her opinions mattered to him…and she was a lot like his mom.
Beck grimaced.
“You’ll find the right words,” Heavenly murmured softly, squeezing his hand.
Seth’s heart swelled. The people he loved wanted to help; he could see that plainly. But this was his job alone. No way around that.
“I hope you’re right.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I just need an opening.”
And fast. If Danny rejected Seth and the future he had planned…Mom might never come around.
His younger brother was the lynchpin.
As the waiters cleared the last of the appetizers, Danny stood and excused himself, heading toward the restrooms.
Beck raised a brow at him. Heavenly gestured to Seth with a little nod.
He waited exactly thirty seconds, then rose. “I’ll be back.”
“You got this,” Beck insisted.
“Good luck,” Heavenly whispered.
Seth crossed the room, then turned down the narrow hallway. He’d barely reached the bathroom when Danny pushed the door open and reared back in surprise.
“Going in?”
“No.” Seth shook his head, then dragged in a deep breath. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Danny’s brow furrowed. “Sure. What’s up?”
Seth scanned the hallway. Other than the muffled sounds of the reception drifting in, it was empty and quiet. But the clock was ticking.
“I need you to hear me out before you say anything, okay?”
Danny’s expression turned cautious. “Okay...”
“There’s no easy way to put this.” Seth took another deep breath. “Straight up? Beck and I share Heavenly. We’re all planning to get married next year. I’m telling Mom on Monday.”
Danny stared at him in silence for long, excruciating moments. Then he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly processing. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack,” Seth said firmly.
Danny’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I mean… On the one hand, I’m shocked. You were married to Autumn and—wait. Did you share her with someone, too?”
“No.” Autumn could barely handle one man, much less two. Beck would have completely overwhelmed his late wife.
“I didn’t think so, but after that conversation we had last month after Mom caught the twins fucking Gia in her family room…
I kind of wondered. You were more supportive of Jack and Connor wanting to share than I thought you’d be.
I never imagined you’d actually want that kind of situation permanently, but…
” He looked back up. “I caught some looks between Beck and Heavenly, looks you saw and didn’t seem to mind.
So, on the other hand, I’m not super surprised. ”
“And how do you feel about that?” Seth’s voice was tight.
Danny was quiet for another beat, clearly turning it over. “Not my life. I’m just worried… I mean, does being with them make you happy?”
“Honestly? Happier than I’ve ever been. Happier than I thought I could ever be after…everything.”
Danny nodded slowly. “What you three do as consenting adults is none of my business. But I’m not gonna lie. It’s outside the box. People will point, stare, and talk shit.”
“They already do.” Seth shrugged. “We’re used to being judged. We just don’t care what strangers think.”
“But you do care what the people you love think.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t have a problem with it. And if knowing you have backup to watch your woman and your kids gives you peace…I don’t blame you.”
Seth blinked. He’d never consciously thought about it like that, but yeah. That was at least part of the appeal. Mitigating the risks of losing the people he loved again. The comfort of knowing he wasn’t alone in protecting the ones who mattered most to him.
“I appreciate that. But we both know it’s not that simple. You have Maggie to think about, and her opinion matters to you. As it should.”
“Yep, and that’s my only hesitation.” Danny nodded slowly.
“She’s probably going to be a little weird about it at first. But she already adores Heavenly.
So far, she seems to like Beck. And she thinks you’re the best. She would never want you estranged from the family because of who you love.
She’ll come around. I’ll help her. But…it may take time. ”
“Thank you. A little time and understanding is all we need to show everyone we’re good together.
Really solid. The three of us are hoping to come back for Christmas—as a committed unit, not the lie we’ve been peddling for Mom’s benefit.
” Seth held his brother’s gaze. “To make that happen, Maggie needs to accept us. If she doesn’t, Mom might follow suit, thinking she has an ally. ”
“You’re right. But if all us boys are on your side—I’m assuming the others know?” At Seth’s nod, Danny went on. “Mom can’t fight all of us. She won’t.”
Seth hoped like hell Danny was right. “That was my assumption, too. But I need you to keep this from Maggie for a few days. I can’t risk her telling Mom before I’ve had the chance to sit her down and explain.”
“I don’t love keeping things from my wife, but for you?” Danny sent him a reassuring nod. “I’ll keep this to myself until you tell me otherwise.”
Relief crashed over Seth, so strong he damn near felt faint. He’d done it—gotten all the men in his family on his side. That was more than half the battle.
Time would tell if he won the goddamn war.
Seth stepped forward and clapped Danny on the shoulder, his grip firm. “Thank you. Really.”
Danny scoffed as he pulled Seth into a real hug—tight and meaningful. “You disappeared once. When you went dark for that year, it almost destroyed us all, especially Mom. The Cooper clan isn’t the same without you.”
Seth’s throat tightened. “It almost destroyed me, too.”
“I don’t pretend to understand what happened then. I never asked—”