Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Heavenly exhaled. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t be without you anymore.”
“I couldn’t sleep either,” Beck murmured against her mouth. “Close your eyes.”
“We’ve got you, angel,” Seth promised, his hand sliding over her hip to rest on Beck’s arm, anchoring them all together.
Gradually, they shifted until Seth ended up on his back with Heavenly tucked against his side, her head on his chest. Beck pressed against her back, one arm draped over both of them, his face buried in her hair.
It was cramped. The mattress wasn’t wide enough, and Beck didn’t dare move or he’d probably fall off the bed, ass first. But none of that mattered. This was what he’d been missing. The warmth of her body against his. The steady rhythm of Seth’s breathing. The way Heavenly’s hand found his and held on tight.
“Better?” Seth whispered.
“So much,” Heavenly breathed.
“Perfect.” Beck tightened his hold, feeling something in his chest unclench for the first time all night.
Seth lifted his head and stared at Beck. “Is it? Really? I feel like a sardine.”
“Thank fuck you don’t smell like one,” Beck quipped back.
Heavenly covered her mouth to muffle her giggle. Beck pressed his face into her neck, stifling his outright chortle. And Seth pressed his lips into a thin line, as if that could keep his bark of a laugh from escaping.
They lay tangled together in the dark, in the postage-stamp bed that was uncomfortable as hell. And for the first time since they’d arrived in New York, Beck finally felt like things were right.
He and Seth stayed like that, wrapped around her, both whispering soft reassurances until her breathing evened out and her body went slack with sleep.
Beck felt the exact moment she let go—the way her grip on his hand loosened, the small sigh that escaped her lips. He pressed one more kiss to her hair, careful not to disturb her.
Seth shifted slightly, adjusting his position so Heavenly was cradled more securely between them. His eyes met Beck’s over her shoulder in the dim light.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Just lay there, listening to her breathe, feeling the rise and fall of her chest.
Then Seth’s voice came, barely a whisper. “I couldn’t sleep either, so I’ve been thinking, trying to decide when and how to tell my mother. About us. About this.”
Beck’s entire body went still. His pulse kicked up, but he kept his breathing steady, his gaze locked on Seth’s.
The air seemed to leave the room—and his body—in a rush. “And?”
“I need to look her in the eye and tell her. I respect her too much to call her from the other side of the country. You know that.”
He’d said that before, and Beck had always thought it was a BS excuse…until he’d met Grace. “Yeah.”
Seth’s eyes held his in the darkness. “So I’ve decided to tell her Monday.”
Beck’s breath caught. Monday. Two days away. After months of pretending. After days of subterfuge under Grace’s roof. The lies would be over. Hopefully the torment, too.
He wanted that more than anything for Seth. For Heavenly. For their collective future. But now that he’d met Seth’s mom and saw how close this family truly was, he hesitated. “You’re sure?”
“It’s past time,” Seth whispered. “I need to ask Carl if he’s talked to Mom since my visit last month and if she’s relented any. I’ll take any help I can get.”
Grace softening her stance? Beck hadn’t seen that. “He hasn’t volunteered anything?”
Seth shook his head. “I haven’t been able to get him alone for even a moment. But tomorrow, I’m hoping to get a few private moments with him before the ceremony. Once I’ve gotten the scoop, I’ll pull my brothers aside one by one, get their read on things. I need to know if I can count on their support when the shit hits the fan.”
When, not if. Clearly, Seth was under no illusions about how this would go.
“You said they didn’t seem shocked by the idea when you talked to them last month.” That gave Beck some hope Seth would have allies.
“They weren’t. I think they’ll be on our side. Then…I’ll start looking for the best way to approach Mom.” Seth’s jaw tightened. “I have to do it gently.”
Beck’s chest constricted. He’d waited months for Seth to commit to telling his family the truth. Now that the moment was here, the magnitude of what the big guy was undertaking hit him hard.
“Not to be an asshole, but what gentle way is there to say, ‘Hey, Mom, I’m in a committed threesome’?”
Seth winced. “Three seconds, and you found the flaw in my plan. There isn’t a gentle way to say it. But I have to try.”
“You don’t have to do it alone. I can stay,” Beck offered quietly. “If you want to tell your mom on Sunday before we fly out, I’ll stand by your side. Help you explain. Answer her questions.”