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)
“Come here,” Raine said softly, arms open wide.
Heavenly crossed to her and melted into Raine’s embrace. For a moment, they just stood there, holding each other in the quiet room.
“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Heavenly whispered against her shoulder.
“I can.” Raine pulled back and looked into her eyes with a strong, steady gaze. “You know why? Because you fought for this, no matter how hard it got. Even when you didn’t think you could handle Beck or Seth, much less both of them. Even when you got propositioned by a sex donkey.”
“Don’t remind me.” Heavenly laughed and shook her head. “But I did give up.”
Raine shook her head. “You got scared. You got overwhelmed. Still, you came back, and you loved Beck and Seth through all their damage and fear and stupidity. And they love you right back.”
“You showed me it was possible.”
Raine smiled through her tears. “That’s what best friends do. Remember the day we met? Me on that hospital gurney, blood everywhere, scared out of my mind.”
It had been both one of the worst and best days of Heavenly’s life. “Of course. You were so strong, even then.”
“I didn’t feel strong. I felt broken. But you looked at me like I wasn’t. Like I was going to be okay. And somehow, I believed you. And now look at us—both pregnant, both married to two incredible men, both building the families we’ve always wanted.”
Heavenly let out a watery laugh. “How did we get so lucky?”
“We didn’t. We fought for it.” Raine cupped her face. “And you’re going to keep fighting for it. When things get hard—and they will, because babies and exhaustion and hormones are no joke—you’re going to remember why you chose them. Why they chose you. And you’re going to hold on.”
“I will.”
“I know.” Raine kissed her forehead. “You got this.”
“Thank you.” Heavenly could barely get the words out. “For everything. For being my friend and the sister of my heart.”
“That’s what family does.” Raine pulled her close one more time. “Now stop crying before we both look like raccoons and I have to redo everything.”
They laughed together, holding each other tight, two women who’d found their way from lost to found, from broken to whole.
Finally, Raine pulled back. “I need to get out there before Liam and Hammer send a search party. But first—” She grabbed her phone. “One picture. Just us.”
They posed together, Heavenly in her wedding dress, Raine in her mauve gown, both of them teary and radiant and exactly where they were meant to be.
“Perfect,” Raine said, examining the photo. “I’m framing this.”
“Me, too.”
Raine gave her one last squeeze, then headed for the door, pausing with her hand on the knob. “And Heavenly?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to sob like a baby when you walk down that aisle. I’m really proud of you.” Her voice broke. “And I love you.”
Heavenly’s eyes stung. “I love you, too, bestie.”
The door closed softly behind her, and suddenly Heavenly was alone.
Silence settled around her like a blanket.
Heavenly turned back to the mirror, taking in her reflection one last time. The woman staring back at her looked confident, radiant, ready—so different from the scared girl who’d walked into Beck’s penthouse all those months ago, desperate and alone.
She thought about that night. How terrified she’d been, offering herself to River because she’d had no other options. How lost she’d felt, caring for her dying father, drowning in debt, convinced she’d never have anything more than survival.
And now...
Now she had everything.
Two men who loved her fiercely. A baby growing inside her. A home filled with laughter and hope. A family—not just Beck and Seth, but all their brothers, Hudson, Grace and Carl, Gloria and Buddy, Raine and her men—all bound together by choice and love.
She smoothed her hands down the lace of her dress, drew in a deep breath, and smiled before she opened the door and stepped into the hallway, ready to walk toward the men who were waiting for her—and the future they would build together.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she hurried downstairs, moving quickly but carefully in her gown. When she reached the bi-fold doors leading to the patio, she paused, peeking around the frame.
The sight melted her heart.
The backyard had been transformed into something magical.
White chairs arranged in neat rows faced an archway draped in ivory fabric and winter greenery. Delicate lights were strung overhead, twinkling like stars even in the late afternoon sunlight. White water lilies floated atop the swimming pool’s blue surface, while the sprawling grassy property stretched toward the hills.
Nerves humming, heart soaring with excitement, Heavenly stepped onto the patio, casting a quick glance over the small group of family and friends before her gaze landed on Beck and Seth.
Butterflies dipped and swooped in her belly.
They looked so devastatingly handsome in their crisp dark suits, standing side by side beneath the ivory-draped archway, watching her with such raw devotion, fierce possession, and blinding love, that Heavenly nearly forgot how to breathe.