Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Connor grappled for an answer. “Isn’t that what summer breaks are for?”
Heavenly shook with silent laughter.
Jack pinned his twin with a what-the-fuck glare, then slanted Seth the puppy-dog eyes he’d perfected as a toddler to get an extra cookie at snack time. “C’mon, bro. You’re not happy to see us?”
“I am,” Seth admitted. And he was, but… “You might have called first. Does Mom know you two are here in LA?”
“Yeah. We already checked in with her, like we promised,” Connor assured.
“When did you arrive?”
“Our flight landed about three hours ago.” Jack answered. “It took a while to get our luggage and the rental car—”
“Since we’d never seen the Pacific, we stopped at the beach on our way here,” Connor offered.
“We checked out the babes, too.” Jack grinned wolfishly.
“Then we came here. We knocked on the door, but no one answered, so we wandered to the pool—”
“Wait,” Seth interrupted, turning his glance to Heavenly. “Where’s Zach? Did he already learn to swim?”
She sighed. “No. We tried. He got frustrated and left to watch The Price Is Right. He must have passed your brothers in the alcove.”
“Who’s Zach?” Connor frowned.
Shit. How was he going to explain this? “A friend’s brother. He just moved to town, so he’s staying in my apartment for a while.”
“How many bedrooms you got?”
“One.”
“So where are we going to sleep if he’s crashing on your couch? Or are you living with Heavenly now?”
“Don’t you think I would have told Mom if I was?” He skirted the truth.
“True, but I’ll bet you didn’t mention sleepovers.” Connor leered.
That just annoyed Seth and he tried to hold on to his temper, but…no dice. “Shut up.”
Jack turned to drill Connor with a glare. “I told you we should have called and let Seth know we were coming. But no. You wanted to surprise him. Where the fuck are we gonna stay for the summer, Einstein? On the floor?”
Connor scowled. “How was I supposed to know he’d turned all Mother Teresa and let someone else have his sofa?”
“Stop squabbling. I’ve been staying with Dr. Beckman temporarily. He’s a friend. Zach has been sleeping in my bedroom here at the apartment. I’ve got a sectional sofa that turns into a king bed. You bozos can have it.” Seth squeezed the back of his neck, trying to ward off the headache beginning to throb in his skull. “Now go get your luggage and meet us back at my apartment before I change my mind and make you two cockbags find your own place to crash.”
“Awesome!” Connor cheered, fist pumping the air. “Thanks!”
“Yeah!” Jack barked out, grin wide. “Thanks a bunch, bro. We won’t eat all your food. Promise.”
“Liar,” he drawled, fighting a smile.
The twins laughed, then Connor clapped Jack on the back. “Come on, man. Let’s get our shit.”
As they raced toward the parking lot, Seth peered down at Heavenly with a sigh and shook his head. “I’m sorry about them. They’re…”
“Funny and weirdly sweet.”
“They’re demons who did everything possible to make my life hell growing up.”
“Boys will be boys.” She grinned.
“Yeah. Even if they’re supposed to be grown men.” He chuckled, then sobered. “Gather your things, angel. I need to prep Zach before the twins return.”
“Prep him?”
“He knows about the three of us. I can’t risk him saying anything about it to Jack or Connor. Or my mother will know in two point two seconds.”
Heavenly looked away and nodded, but he couldn’t miss the disappointment in her expression as she started shoving her things back into the canvas bag.
Biting back a curse, he moved in behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and nuzzled his lips against her ear. “I don’t want my mom to find out about us from my bigmouthed brothers, angel. I want to tell her myself, the right way.”
Heavenly tucked her cell phone into the bag, then turned to faced him. “Zach won’t lie for you, me, or Beck. You know that, right?”
He hadn’t considered that, but she made a good point. “I get it and I’ll figure something out, but this isn’t the right time for me to talk to Mom about us.”
“Are you sure? She’s happy right now. Maybe it’s the perfect time.”
At Heavenly’s expectant gaze, guilt splintered his composure. He had to break the news to his mom. He knew that. He simply wasn’t sure how to manage that, not without her losing her shit.
“Not yet. But soon, angel. I swear,” he assured before brushing his lips across hers, then giving her ass a playful swat. “Get moving so I can talk to Zach.”
“Do you want me to talk to him for you?” she asked as they reached the archway.
She was trying to keep him from falling into the black abyss of the past again, and he loved her for it, but he had to start manning up. “No. They’re my brothers. I’ll be fine. Trust me.”