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)
Jack gaped. “Are you shitting me?”
“No.” Seth paused and sent them both a warning glare. “I don’t want either of you bringing it up. Understand? He’s mourning, not only the loss of his family but the only way of life he’s ever known. He doesn’t understand how the real world works, so don’t be assholes. I need you to act like considerate, responsible adults. Be respectful of what he’s going through. That means my apartment will not be party central. No acting like frat boys. No keggers. No booze. No hookups. No pussy in the apartment.”
“C’mon, man.” Jack huffed. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Seriously?” Connor chimed in. “No booze? No beer? No banging?”
“None,” Seth bit out. “The rules of my apartment are the same as Mom’s rules back home. If you want to party and get laid, do it somewhere else. Understand?”
Jack heaved an infinitely disappointed sigh. “We get it. We promise not to mess with Zach. The poor man is probably messed up enough.”
“He is,” Seth put in.
And every time I see him, all I see is my past. So clearly, I am, too.
It was late when Beck finally left the hospital and stepped out of his Mercedes in the parking lot in front of Seth’s apartment. In the past few weeks, he’d been in frequent contact with Zach, checking on his transition from The Chosen to the real world. His brother seemed okay…but Beck still felt guilty as fuck for inviting him to stay at the house, then asking him to leave the very next day. It had been imperative for Seth’s mental health and the survival of their trio, but he’d hated it for Zach.
Thankfully, his brother had seemingly been okay for the past couple of weeks on his own, cautiously exploring his new world. Whenever he’d asked questions, Beck had given him straightforward, sometimes blunt answers. That had been working pretty well. But two days ago, Seth’s twin brothers had invaded the space he’d hoped would be a haven.
Zach had barely had time to find his footing in this totally foreign world, and now he was sleeping mere feet from strangers. Beck needed to check in with his brother, face to face.
Dashing off a quick text to Heavenly and Seth to let them know, Beck promised to advise them when he was on his way home. Seth responded with a thumbs-up emoji and a picture of his current location, the lobby of some swanky downtown hotel. Heavenly sent a heart and a quick message to say hi to Zach for her.
Sighing, Beck pocketed his phone and headed through the balmy night to Seth’s apartment. He knocked, not surprised when Zach answered right away. His brother’s appearance, however, shocked the hell out of him.
Two days of scruff covered Zach’s jaw. He’d shed his usual starchy button-down shirt for a dark graphic tee seemingly plastered to his body, hardened by years of work. His faded, serviceable jeans had been replaced by basketball shorts. And instead of boots, he wore trendy sneakers.
Had Zach gone shopping again?
“Hey. I thought I’d stop by and check on you. How are you doing?” Beck gave him another once-over. “You look…good. Different, but I like it.”
Zach stepped back and silently invited him in. “I’m well. As you can see, Jack and Connor insisted I find clothes that didn’t make me look, in their words, Amish as fu… Well, Amish. I didn’t know what that meant until I looked it up online. I like the internet. And I really like these clothes. Far more comfortable.”
“Good.” Beck followed his brother through the narrow foyer, past the kitchen, and into the living room, filled with the king-size sofa bed with pale, rumpled sheets. “Have the twins been sleeping here?”
“They have.” Zach hesitated as he sat on the edge.
So they’d left him the apartment’s lone bedroom? Good.
“Then what’s wrong?”
His brother didn’t answer right away. “Are they typical men of this society? I know they’re a few years younger than me, but…”
What the hell was Zach really asking? “I haven’t met them. Where are they?”
“Out grabbing food. They said they would bring some back for me, but that was a few hours ago.”
Beck frowned. Were they going out and leaving Zach behind because he didn’t want to tag along? Or because they were assholes, intentionally excluding him? “How are you getting along with them?”
“Jack and Connor? Good, I think. They’re trying to understand what I’ve been through, but they don’t have a frame of reference, except their father’s unexpected death. They were just children, though. They don’t remember much.”
If Seth had been sixteen, the twins had been five or six. They likely didn’t recall the loss itself, so yeah, they probably struggled to relate. “Listen, if being here isn’t working for you, I have another place. A condo on the beach. It’s really secure, so you wouldn’t have to worry if the press finds you. And you’d have the place all to yourself—”