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)
Whatever plagued Seth’s thoughts wasn’t letting up.
Cat drifted over to where Heavenly was arranging fruit on a platter, the two of them chatting quietly. Grace hovered nearby, smiling happily when the doorbell rang again.
Grace opened the portal to reveal a familiar man with graying hair and sharp eyes that cataloged the scene in a single sweep. He stepped inside with the easy confidence of someone who’d been here a hundred times before.
“Gene!” Grace’s face lit up.
“Morning, newlyweds.” Gene Hammond’s voice was gravelly and warm. And when he hugged Grace, it was brief but genuine.
“Glad you’re here,” Carl said, shaking Gene’s hand.
“Me, too.” Gene’s gaze swept the room, landing on Seth with a grin. “There’s the troublemaker.”
Seth looked up, and for the first time all morning, something like a real smile crossed his face as he strode toward the man and offered his hand. “I was hoping you’d choose brunch over fishing.”
“Only for the Cooper clan. Besides, I wouldn’t miss one of your mom’s spreads.” Gene smiled, shaking Seth’s hand with a fatherly grip on his shoulder.
As more friends and neighbors arrived, the living and dining rooms filled with the hum of voices and laughter, layering over the clink of glasses and the rustle of plates.
Grace’s phone rang shrilly on the counter. She glanced at the screen, frowned, and answered. “Danny? Is everything okay?”
Beck watched her expression shift—concern replaced by relief.
“Oh, no. Poor baby.” Grace pressed a hand to her chest. “No, no, don’t even think about it. You stay home with Anna. She needs you more... Yes, of course. Give her a kiss from Grandma... Okay. Love you, too.”
She hung up and sighed. “Anna’s sick. Danny and Maggie aren’t coming.”
“Oh, I hope she’s okay,” Heavenly said with concern.
Grace waved a hand. “I’m sure she will be. You know how babies are. They get sick all the time until they build up their little immune systems. But they said to say their goodbyes to you, and they hope they’ll see you soon.”
“Give them all a hug from me,” Heavenly murmured as Seth slipped past her, slinging an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek on his way to the table with a platter of muffins.
His mother frowned. “Have you heard from the twins? They should be here by now.”
“No.” Seth quickly set the muffins down and pulled out his phone. “I’ll call them.”
“Thank you. Those two...”
Beck couldn’t miss the annoyance in Grace’s tone. He sidled closer and exchanged a glance with Seth as he dialed. “Twenty bucks says they’re too hungover.”
Seth snorted. “As drunk as they were last night? I’m not taking that bet.”
Then he stepped into a quiet hallway. Beck couldn’t hear the conversation, but saw the exact moment Seth’s jaw tightened.
Moments later, he returned with a scowl. “Yep. They’re hungover, and they’re not coming. When the fuck are they going to grow up?”
“When they’re dead plus ten days?” Beck quipped.
“You’re being optimistic.” Seth crossed the room to Grace. “They’re…not well. Sorry, Mom.”
Grace closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head. “You mean they drank too much and now their heads are pounding?”
“They were all apologies and said they’ll see you later.” Seth’s tone was dry. “I tried texting back…but they stopped answering.”
Grace’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’m going to throttle them.”
Clearly, she wasn’t happy. Beck suspected she was still pissed off that Jack and Connor liked to share girls. That didn’t bode well for Seth’s conversation with his mom tomorrow.
And he was probably feeling that, too.
Fuck.
Seth pocketed his phone and turned back toward the dining room when Matt walked through the door.
Immediately, he pulled Grace into a hug with a smile. “How’s married life treating you?”
“It’s been less than twenty-four hours, but so far? Wonderful.” Grace beamed up at him. “I’m so glad you’re here. Danny is home with a sick baby, and don’t get me started on the twins.”
“Hungover as fuck?”
“Language!” Grace snapped, then sighed. “But yes.”
“Called it.”
“Me, too.” Carl smirked, moving in and shaking Matt’s hand.
“Some things never change…” Seth’s brother grabbed a coffee and made his way through the crowd, stopping to greet Gene with a hearty handshake and a few words Beck couldn’t hear from across the room.
He turned back to Seth. They exchanged bro hugs and a few words. Matt said something that made Seth smile, but the happiness didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Heavenly approached next. Matt hugged her briefly before he strolled in Beck’s direction and shook his hand, the gesture welcoming. “Morning. How’re you holding up?”
“Fine. You?”
“Just ‘fine’?” Matt raised a golden brow.
Beck glanced Heavenly’s way, then shrugged. “You know.”
“Yeah.” Matt looked back toward his mom as he grabbed a pastry off a nearby platter, voice dropping low. “She’ll come around.”
“For your brother’s sake, I hope so.”
“Give it time. No other trouble in paradise?”
Beck frowned. What was Seth’s brother getting at? “Why would there be?”