“Neither. It’s common sense. You’re trying to talk yourself out of doing what’s right, and you’ll completely fuck up your life.” Liam frowned. “If you realized that you deserve to love and be loved unconditionally and that you already have the tools to live happily ever after in the palm of your hand, you’d trust Beck and Heavenly enough to be honest with them.”
Seth scoffed. “You make it sound so simple.”
“Because it is, you bull-headed bastard,” Liam growled. “If you address the reason the past is pouring over you like hot lava, the blistering flow will stop.”
“You mean Zach.”
“Precisely.” He nodded. “He’s the reason your dormant volcano erupted and the reason you’re running away.”
Liam knew him so well. Seth had taken one look at Beck’s younger brother, fresh from the shock and pain of his loss, and seen himself eight terrible years ago. He hadn’t been able to yank himself back to the present since.
“Yep,” Seth whispered.
“You’ve got to confront it. And you’ve got to come clean with the people you love—completely. All the ugly, sordid details. It’s the only path forward.”
Seth heaved out a ragged breath. His old friend was probably right. He didn’t know how he was going to do that…but he had to try.
He stood again and held out his hand. “Thanks.”
Liam took it and dragged him in for a hearty, back-slapping hug. “I’m here for you anytime, especially if you need your balls busted.”
At his Irish friend’s wink, Seth found himself laughing. “Asshole.”
“You’re welcome.”
* * *
Heavenly finally slept. She woke with the sun beaming on her face, her back pressed against Beck, whose arm was wrapped around her. Her head hurt. She opened her still stinging eyes.
Seth’s empty side of the bed was a stark reminder that the happily ever after she’d tried to embrace was slipping through her fingers.
Last night, she’d cried until she’d run out of tears. After a restless night, she had more to shed. But she swallowed them back and tried to cling to hope. Seth grappling with his past couldn’t last forever. He would eventually realize how much she and Beck loved him and want to come home, right?
Maybe…but she had no guarantee.
Heavenly closed her eyes again and dragged in an uneven breath to stave off more tears. She missed Seth so much.
Refusing to wallow away the day, she turned and pressed a grateful kiss to Beck’s forehead. Last night, he’d tried so hard to steady and bolster her. Honestly, she didn’t know how she’d ever do without him. But clearly, he was suffering, too. Seth had asked him to compromise more than once without any reciprocation. That couldn’t go on. Eventually, the stubborn PI had to let them in.
Or they were doomed.
Pushing the horrible thought aside, she extricated herself and crept out of bed. Easing the door to the attached bath shut, she went through her morning ritual. But her mind wandered. Had Seth slept last night? Did he miss them, too?
As she reached for her toothbrush, she zeroed in on his sitting beside hers in the holder. The sight wrenched her. How would he perform this everyday task when he’d left his behind? Yes, there was a drugstore not far from his office. But what about shave cream? Coffee? A shower? Fresh clothes?
Her first instinct was to call him and offer to bring him his things. Maybe he’d want to talk…
No matter how tempting that idea was, Beck had been adamant about Seth needing time to figure out his feelings and priorities. If she got in the way, would she make things worse?
Heavenly rinsed her mouth and set her toothbrush aside. As painful as it was to wait for Seth to want them more than he wanted to avoid the pain of his past, she had to.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, she made her way to the study corner she’d set up down the hall. Even with her head and heart in turmoil, she had school to think about. Finals were coming up…
But forty minutes later, Heavenly lifted her head from her textbook. She’d probably read the same page a handful of times and retained nothing. She needed a caffeine infusion.
Rising, she tiptoed to the stairs and made her way to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Zach sitting at the table, staring down into a cup of coffee.
“Good morning.”