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)
She plucked up her water and left them to their cryptic conversation, strolling across the patio to claim a seat at the table with Hammer, Liam, and Raine. But before she reached them, a hot hand settled possessively on her hip.
“Having fun, little girl?” Beck murmured in her ear from behind her.
“Yes.” She sighed, leaning back against his solid warmth. “This is perfect.”
“Almost,” Seth said, easing in beside her, voice dropping to that low, seductive tone that never failed to make her shiver. “We still haven’t had our first dance. Or cut the cake. Or—” His grin turned wicked. “Made good on our wedding night promises.”
Heavenly felt heat pool low in her belly despite her earlier nausea. “You two are insatiable.”
“Only when it comes to you,” Beck assured her, his lips finding the sensitive spot below her ear.
Before they could whisk her away for any of those activities, Seth’s expression turned serious. He took her hand, his thumb stroking across her knuckles. “Actually, angel, I have something for you first. Come with me?”
Curious and slightly apprehensive, Heavenly followed him to a quieter corner of the patio, away from the music and laughter. Beck splayed his hand on the small of her back as he walked beside her.
Seth reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew an envelope, his expression carefully neutral. “I found your mother.”
Heavenly’s breath caught in her throat. She stared at the envelope in shock, her heart racing wildly. “You…found her?”
“Yes. I tracked her down, just in case…” Seth pressed the envelope into her now trembling hands. “If you want to know where she is, how to contact her, or what she’s been doing all these years, it’s all in here. But Heavenly—” He searched her face, his stare intense. “You don’t have to open it. You don’t owe her anything. This is your choice, and your choice alone. If you want to burn it without looking inside, I’ll light the match myself.”
Beck’s hand remained on her lower back, steady and supportive. “Whatever you decide, we’re with you, one hundred percent.”
Heavenly stared at the envelope, feeling the weight of it in her hands. Inside was information about the woman who’d given birth to her, raised her for fifteen years, then abandoned her to chase whatever selfish dreams had been more important than her own daughter.
For a long moment, she wavered. Part of her wanted to know—wanted to understand why. Wanted to ask the questions that had haunted her eight long years. Wanted...something. Closure, maybe. Or answers that would explain why she’d never been enough to make her own mother stay.
But then she looked past her men...
To Hudson laughing with the twins.
To Maggie chasing a laughing Anna around the yard.
To the rest of Seth’s brothers, relaxing and seemingly enjoying each other’s company.
To Grace and Carl, Gloria and Buddy, Raine and her men—people who had claimed her as their own without hesitation—gathered together, grinning and swapping stories and laughter at the bar.
Unfiltered joy settled over her.
Heavenly finally understood the true meaning of family.
She thought about the baby growing inside her, about the future she and Beck and Seth were building, and about the bliss she’d found in their big, beautiful hearts.
These people had fought for her, protected her, celebrated her, and loved her.
Not the woman who’d walked away without a backward glance.
Not the woman who’d chosen herself over her own child...over her sick husband.
“I don’t want to know. She’s a selfish woman,” Heavenly said firmly, her decision made with absolute certainty. “She chose to leave me...leave my dad. I don’t want her in my life.” Her hand drifted to her stomach, protective and fierce. “Or our child’s life. She made her choice the day she walked out. I’ve made mine.”
Without another word, without a moment’s hesitation, she walked to the chimenea and stared at the flames. Then tossed the envelope inside. The fire consumed it eagerly, turning years of potential what-ifs into curling, scorched ash.
She watched it burn, feeling...free.
Seth pulled her into his arms, his embrace fierce and proud. “I love you, angel. So fucking much.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered against his chest.
Beck wrapped around them both, and the three of them stood together as the smoke of Heavenly’s past wafted up into the evening air.
Like Seth and Beck, she’d chosen her future over her past.
As the sun finally dipped below the horizon and the fairy lights overhead glowed bright, the party showed no signs of slowing. Music filled the air, laughter echoed across the patio, and Heavenly felt wrapped in a cocoon of such profound joy it almost hurt.
Raine sidled up beside her at the dessert table, mischief dancing in her eyes. “So,” she said, her voice pitched low and conspiratorial, “your men told Hammer and Liam that they’re planning on taking you to Shadows soon.”
Heavenly felt her cheeks heat, the blush creeping up her chest. “They did?”