“Or resent the fuck out of us.”
“On some level I wanted Gene to stop me that night. I think Heavenly wants the same.”
“I still don’t like it,” Beck grumbled.
“Look, after my dad died, I had to be strong since I didn’t have anyone to lean on. It almost broke me. I was so close to ending it all. So yeah, I’d rather run the risk that she’ll hate me than stand over her casket wishing I’d intervened.”
Well, thanks for that kick to the balls… “Point taken.”
“I’m worried about our bigger problem.”
“What?”
“We’ve spent months chasing her and turned our lives completely upside down to be with her. But she hasn’t committed to us. So once we start trying to take care of her, she’ll just insist again that she’s not our responsibility.”
“After the last few days, she should fucking know better.”
Seth scoffed. “I’ll bet her father’s last words are crawling through her head. They might undo everything we’ve done to win her over.”
“But with a little time—”
“She might not give us any. Think about it. Our lives are here. She can’t see the world if we tie her down.”
“Fuck. And the only thing holding her in LA now is Raine…and maybe you and me.” Beck worried that wouldn’t be enough to keep her from leaving.
“Exactly. If we don’t give her a sense of belonging and family, there’s every chance she’ll walk out for good.”
“We can’t let that happen. We have to show her she belongs with us.”
Seth pushed away from the railing. “Then let’s drag her out of bed and get started.”
“Fine.”
Together, they made their way inside and headed for the bedroom. Once there, Seth opened the shutters. As sunlight poured in, he also flipped on the lights in the adjacent bathroom. Then they stood on opposite sides of the bed. Each grabbed the top sheet and flung the covers to the bottom of the mattress.
“Time to get up, angel.” Seth shook Heavenly with a gentle hand.
She curled into a tight ball and covered her ears. “No.”
Beck lifted her into his arms, against his chest, and hugged her tight. It felt so good to hold her again. “Yes.”
“Put me down.” She wriggled, glaring through half-open eyes. “You don’t get to touch me.”
“I’m not molesting you; I’m helping you.”
“I don’t need your help, just sleep.”
“You’re done hiding from the world. The first thing you’re going to do is tame that breath. It could slay people.”
The furrow between her brows deepened as she scowled and kicked at him. “Maybe your wife’s breath is better.”
Even if he didn’t like the topic, he took her fight as a good sign. She cared about something besides her father’s death. “Gloria isn’t really my wife.”
“The papers that fell out of your pocket say otherwise.”
“Legally, yes. But—”
“Then you’re still married. Put me down. I mean it.”