The Chase

Would He? Since He hadn’t helped her or her father much so far, Heavenly figured she would have to overcome without His divine intervention again.

But she gave the minister a tight smile before he wished her well and wandered off.

A few feet away, Beck and Seth spoke in hushed tones with Liam, Hammer, River, and Dean. Both cast glances her way as if they were afraid she would shatter at any moment. They weren’t wrong. She’d played the role of caretaker for so long that it seemed both foreign and uncomfortable for anyone to look after her. But with insistent tenderness, Seth and Beck had.

Which made what she had to do next even more wrenching.

But she’d promised her father, so no matter how badly it hurt, today was the day for goodbyes.

Seth broke from the men and hustled to her, concern twisting his brow. “Angel?”

“I’m fine.” She wasn’t. And wondering if she would ever see them again was shredding her.

But before she could give them any commitments, she had a duty to perform. Then she had to figure out where life was taking her and where her heart truly belonged.

“Are you sure?”

God, if he didn’t stop caring so much, she might break down, fall into his arms, and beg him to bear her pain. And it wouldn’t be fair—or possible.

This was something she had to do alone.

She sent him a brittle nod. “Would you unlock the car so I can stash these things in the backseat?”

He gave the urn and the picture a once-over, then caressed her shoulder. “I’ll take them for you.”

“No. Let me,” she pleaded. “I need to.”

“Okay.” With a sigh, he pressed the button on his car fob and glanced at her father’s portrait. “You look a lot like him.”

And today that filled her with a sliver of sweet peace.

“So I’ve heard.” She resisted the urge to tell Seth that she’d be back. She loved him too much to lie.

Then she rose on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his, lingering as if she could stuff all her regret and a million goodbyes into that one kiss.

When she pulled back, Beck stood at her side. “You okay, little girl?”

Heavenly teared up. Damn it, she couldn’t cry. If she started now, she didn’t know when she would stop.

She was going to miss them so much.

No, they weren’t perfect. They could be bossy and infuriating. They were definitely more alpha than she’d been prepared to handle. But they’d shown her more about life—and herself—than she’d thought possible. Seth never failed to make her ooey-gooey inside. He’d definitely stolen her heart. And Beck? Despite their tangled relationship, she’d fallen for him hard. Discovering he was married minutes after trusting him with her virginity had been a visceral body blow. Admittedly, she’d seen no sign of a wife in all the time she’d known him, and he claimed they weren’t really married. But until he wasn’t legally bound anymore, her moral compass wouldn’t let her be with him. And she couldn’t imagine being with Seth without him.

“Fine,” Heavenly lied as she clutched Beck and pressed her lips to his, desperate to memorize his touch, his scent, his taste.

After a final bittersweet moment, Heavenly stepped back with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She was too choked up to say anything, so she headed for the parking lot. She didn’t let herself look back as she withdrew Raine’s fob, climbed into the woman’s red Audi, and left to begin the life her father had always meant her to live.

* * *

As Beckhalf listened to Litchfield drone on about a promising new Alzheimer’s drug, he glanced around the room in search of Heavenly. Worry niggled at him.

He didn’t see her anywhere.

“Excuse me, Brad.” Beck didn’t wait for the other doctor’s reply, simply bolted toward Seth, who had just ended a brief exchange with Nurse Lewis. “Where’s Heavenly?”

“She’s not back yet?” Seth scanned the room with a frown.

“From where?”