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)
“In a heartbeat. No more tuition, no more rent money, no more grocery allowance. Kiss your degrees goodbye unless you can suddenly afford to finance the rest of your senior year yourselves.” Seth gestured around the apartment. “And judging by this disgusting place, you don’t seem responsible enough.”
Jack’s face had gone parchment white. “She’s that pissed?”
“She’s that ashamed,” Seth corrected, watching the twins flinch. “Every time she replays what she walked in on, she worries about nosy Mrs. Patterson from church finding out. Or Father Heasley asking pointed questions about her sons’ moral character.”
Seth paused, the weight of his own hypocrisy settling in his chest like a stone. When he eventually came clean about Beck and Heavenly, Grace would face the same gossip he was warning the twins about. The same whispered conversations after church, the same pointed looks from neighbors with moral sticks up their asses.
“Jesus, it’s not like anyone got hurt,” Connor protested.
“You were hurting her. When you flaunt your arrangement in public, you’re risking her reputation. Her standing in the community—which she’s spent decades building. While you two are picking up your flavor of the week, Mom’s at home weighing whether or not to pull the plug. Unless you do something fast, you’ll be on your own.”
“What the fuck…” Jack began to pace.
“Look, I know this sounds hypocritical coming from me.” Seth frowned. “When I tell Mom about my situation, she’ll have to deal with the same shit. But at least I’m giving her time to adjust gradually, not blindsiding her all at once. And maybe by then…” He shrugged. “Who knows? We’ll be discreet during our visits here. Maybe she’ll be so focused on potential grandchildren that the neighborhood gossip won’t matter as much? I don’t know. But Beck, Heavenly, and I will figure it out together.” He met the twins’ stares. “The plan isn’t perfect. But it’s better than the alternative, which is losing our family. Sometimes in life, like now, you have to choose between bad options and worse ones.”
The apartment fell silent except for the sound of a neighbor’s TV bleeding through the thin walls.
“What do we need to do?” Jack’s voice finally sounded devoid of its usual cockiness.
“Yeah.” Connor nodded. “How do we fix it?”
Seth had never seen his brothers look so genuinely rattled. Good. Maybe now they’d finally understand the gravity of the situation.
“No more PDA. No more taking girls to Mom’s house—ever. And your sex life needs to be completely underground. Matt and Danny have both caught you in public with other girls over the years.” When their eyes bulged in shock, he skewered the twins with a stare. “So if you want to share, do it where no one can see.”
Connor looked ready to cry. “But you’re asking us to hide who we are.”
“No, I’m telling you to grow the fuck up.” Seth’s voice turned sharp. “You’re playing at relationships like they’re video games, moving from one level to the next without any real investment.”
Jack’s jaw clenched. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
Seth sent them an imposing stare. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“We caught you and Beck putting Heavenly between you two in the backyard, remember?” Jack’s voice carried an edge of challenge. “We kept our mouths shut, but you’re every bit the pervert we are. So, don’t lecture us.”
“I appreciate you not running to Mom,” Seth said carefully. “But what I told you this summer still stands. What I’m doing is different. I’m not just looking for a quick piece of ass. What I have with Beck and Heavenly isn’t a game or a thrill or something I do for kicks. I’m in a relationship with people I’d fucking die for.”
Connor blinked, eyes round with shock. “No shit?”
“No shit. And it’s a good thing, because when Mom finds out and threatens to disown me? I’ll be fucking sad. But I’ll still choose them without hesitation.” Seth’s voice was rough with emotion. “They’re everything to me—my air, my heartbeat, my reason for existing. And if you can’t understand the difference between that and putting a hot piece of pussy between you for a few hours, you’ll never know true happiness.”
The twins stared at him, something shifting in their expressions.
“I’m planning to come clean with Mom after the wedding,” Seth continued. “If you two can keep your heads down for a couple of months, maybe my confession will pave the way for whatever you do next. No promises; she might disown us all. But that’s a chance I’m willing to take for the people I love.”
“You’d really choose them over family?” Connor all but whispered.
“Every time. Without question. Without regret.”
Jack swallowed hard. “We’ve never felt… I mean, no girl has ever…”
“Then you’ve never been in love.” Seth shrugged. “Hopefully, one day you’ll find a woman worth fighting the whole world for. When you do, you’ll understand why I can’t walk away from Beck and Heavenly. Why I won’t.”