The Confession

“We have plenty of time for that crap,” Jack countered. “We’re not ancient like you.”

“Ancient?” Seth scoffed. “I was already married when I was your age.”

“No offense, bro, but we’re not you,” Jack reminded.

No shit. By then, he’d been responsible enough to be in a committed relationship. “You’re not, and I’m not trying to compare our lives. I’m simply trying to put things into perspective. When you find your soul mate, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Your heart comes alive. Life takes on a whole new meaning. And the world is brighter and more beautiful than it’s ever been. I want that for you—each of you. But if you don’t start looking separately, you’ll never find it.”

“We appreciate your wisdom, Obi-Wan,” Jack drawled. “But like we said, we’re not ready to settle down, get married, and make babies yet.”

“We’d rather practice.” Connor grinned.

“Oh, I saw. More than I wanted to,” Seth drawled. “But there’s more at stake than finding your happily ever after.”

“Like what?”

“Like…have you thought about what sharing a woman would do to Mom?”

Jack’s jaw fell open. “You’re gonna tell Mom? Dude, y-you can’t. She’ll—”

“Freak the fuck out,” Seth finished for him. “I know. When I told her about Hammer, Liam, and Raine, she nearly had an apoplectic seizure.”

“Oh, god.” Connor blanched. “If you tell her, it might kill her.”

“I doubt she’ll die, but she’ll probably browbeat you both within an inch of your lives. You know what she believes, what the Church has taught her since before her first communion.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Connor sighed. “Sex is between a man and a woman.”

“It’s more than that. She’s going to think it’s incest, and the Bible has a whole lot to say about that.”

“Eww.” Jack recoiled. “We don’t fuck each other.”

“No. That’s disgusting,” Connor snarled. “It’s sick and wrong on every level.”

“Well, in the eyes of the Church, sharing one woman is just as sick and wrong.”

Which is exactly why I haven’t mentioned a word to Mom about my relationship with Beck and Heavenly.

Seth knew he’d have to drop his bombshell confession on her soon. And once Jack and Connor found out, they’d be pissed beyond belief. But Seth wasn’t being hypocritical out of spite or selfishness. He simply wanted his brothers to grow up before they got serious about traveling down such a hard road. They weren’t yet capable of putting their own wants aside and doing what it took to maintain a stable, secure, and loving relationship. Separately, they might learn. Together? They fed one another’s worst tendencies. And even if they weren’t looking for happily ever after now, they would someday. Seth was doing them a favor.

Are you sure you’re not rationalizing?

“All the more reason not to tell her,” Jack bit out emphatically.

“I won’t,” he assured them.

They blew out a collective breath of relief before Jack spoke up. “Thanks, bro. We—”

“Really appreciate it,” Connor seconded. “And we—”

“Under one condition,” Seth cut into their word vomit. “You both make a concerted effort to date separately, starting now.”

The twins exchanged a look that told him they didn’t like the idea, but they sighed and nodded glumly.

“All right.” Connor didn’t sound pleased. “We will.”

“Will you? Really?” Seth probed.

“We’ll try,” Jack answered. “Promise.”