Chapter Eleven
Tuesday, April 9
The following morning,Beck sat at the breakfast bar, sipping coffee and watching Seth impatiently tap his fingers on the marble surface. He was clearly anxious to toss their suitcases in the black SUV and start trailing their girl.
“You don’t seem too happy this morning,” he remarked.
Seth scoffed. “I’ve got stuff on my mind.”
“Heavenly is fine.”
“Giving her the space to spread her wings fucking sucks.”
“Yeah, but we’ve talked about this. It’s a necessary evil, especially if it mitigates her guilt. Hell, this was your idea.”
“I know.” Seth gave him a self-deprecating grin. “And it sounded great until I had to watch her leave.”
Beck understood. “She’s wearing the Tiffany necklace you had fitted with that tracking device. We can find her whenever we want. So try to relax and enjoy the time we have to focus on the three of us. We’ll work on breaking a few bad habits of hers, too. Won’t that be fun? C’mon…”
Seth sighed. “I’ll try. I just feel like I’m crawling out of my skin.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“I’m concerned for her safety. What else is there to say?”
Beck didn’t think that was the whole story, but he didn’t pry. “Fair enough. I know there’s something else on your mind.”
“Yeah. What the fuck was up with you last night?”
Seth’s snarl told Beck that he intended to take his shitty mood out on the only other person in the room. But he’d known this conversation was coming. “I’m sorry about the condom. I got lost in the moment. I slipped.”
“Slipped?” He leaned in, determined to make his point. “Your overeager dick could ruin everything.”
In Beck’s opinion, a baby would make them all feel more committed and connected, but that wasn’t the point. “I wasn’t trying to get her pregnant. I’ll be more careful. Just chill.”
“What would have happened if you’d been alone with her?”
“I would have stopped.” Eventually. Most likely.
“Yeah? How am I supposed to trust you not to do that shit if I’m not there?”
“Relax, Dad. I won’t fuck up,” he quipped to lighten the mood.
With a sigh, Seth sat back. His expression said he knew he was being a pain in the ass. “Sorry. It’s just that what one of us does affects all of us.”
Beck hardly needed the reminder, but since he was the one who’d screwed up, he didn’t argue. “Yep. That’s especially true of Heavenly. What did you make of her mood this morning?”
Thankfully, Seth took the change of subject. “She seemed excited.”
“Yeah. I know she just laid her dad to rest a few days ago, and I still see moments of grief on her face when she thinks we’re not looking…”
“It’s going to happen, especially for the first few months. She’s suffered a big loss. But I hear you. It did me good to see her smiling.”
Beck nodded. “For sure.”
Another pensive expression crossed Seth’s face. “And after last night, I realize we’ve got to start teaching her about the lifestyle. She responds so damn submissively but…”
Her lack of education hadn’t been intentional. “If we want her to stay with us, we have to do more than simply tell her we’re Doms.”