“I’m moving to LA.”
Eyes grew wide. Mouths gaped open and chaos erupted.
“You’re what?” Danny barked.
“Moving? You mean for good?” Shock lined Matt’s face.
“What made you decide to do that?” Danny demanded.
Conner smirked. “I bet he found a woman out there and—”
“Is she hot?” Jack looked far more interested than he had moments ago.
“Definitely,” Seth assured.
“I knew it! That’s the reason you were so sad over Christmas, isn’t it?” Maggie leapt from her chair and hugged him. “I knew you couldn’t possibly be a boinking manwhore for the rest of your life! I’m so happy for you!”
“What kind of work do you plan to do out there?” Matt asked, still looking stunned.
Carl didn’t say a word, simply chuckled, while his mother sent him an encouraging smile.
Seth raised his hands to ward off the barrage of questions. “If you’ll give me a minute. I’ll explain. Her name is Heavenly and—”
“Is she a stripper?” Conner asked with an eager grin.
“No! What the hell is wrong with you?” Seth growled as he smacked his idiot brother upside his head. “She’s a very sweet nursing student.”
“And she’s willing to date you?” Jack scoffed. “Must be something wrong with her.”
“Ha ha.” Seth wasn’t amused. “Do you want to listen to what I have to say or just bust my balls?”
Conner shrugged. “We can do both.”
“Hush, you two,” Grace admonished the twins with a scowl, then turned an understanding gaze Seth’s way.
“As far as what I plan to do out in California, well…I’ve decided to open up a branch of Cooper Investigations out there.”
“So, we’ll be working together on opposite coasts?” Matt arched his brows.
“Absolutely. We can expand our client base and cover more territory. I’m sure there are plenty of cheating spouses, missing persons, embezzlers, and assorted troublemakers to keep us busy.”
“You’ve thought this through, haven’t you?” Matt gaped.
“Yep.”
“Are you going to ask Heavenly to marry you?” Maggie asked with a wide grin.
“One thing at a time,” Seth dodged. But strangely, the thought wasn’t nearly as terrifying as it had been in the past.
“Hey, can we come to your place and hang out on the beach for spring break?” Jack asked.
“That would be epic!” Conner chimed in as they high-fived.
“We’ll see.” Seth chuckled. “I have to find a place first.”
Though he had a suspicion they’d fit right in at Shadows…
“What does Heavenly look like?” Jack asked with a lurid grin.
“Curb your hormones, bro,” Seth chided as he slid out his phone and passed around the photo of Heavenly he’d shared with his mom earlier. “She’s the blonde.”
“Damn. How’d you bag a babe that gorgeous?” Conner jabbed.
“He must have bought her on the Internet,” Jack taunted. “No way could he ever snag a girl that fine on his own.”
“Bite me,” Seth growled.
“Does she have a sister?” Matt grinned hopefully. “I could move out West with you and—”
“No. She’s an only child, and your ass stays here to run the business.”
“While we’re on the subject of good news, I have some to share as well,” Grace announced at the other end of the table.
“Oh, my god. You’re not pregnant, are you?” Matt choked.
“No!” She blanched. “Honestly, Matty. What goes on in that head of yours?”
“You don’t want to know. Trust me.” He grinned.
Grace sucked in a deep breath and darted a nervous glance toward Carl. “I’m—”
“We,” the man beside her corrected, squeezing her hand for support.
“Right. We—Carl and I—are getting married. He asked, and I said yes.”
A collective silence filled the room. Seth skimmed a stare over his brothers, cataloging their expressions. There wasn’t a hint of anger or resentment, simply stunned surprise. Tears spilled down Maggie’s cheeks as she smiled sweetly and sniffed.
Maybe his job holding them all together wasn’t quite finished, after all. Seth picked up his wineglass and raised it in the air. “Congratulations. I’m truly happy for you two.”
That was all the icebreaker that his siblings needed. Another barrage of questions and chatter echoed off the walls, proving once again that dinner at the Cooper household was never boring.
Grace smiled at Seth. “I expect to see you and Heavenly at our wedding, son.”
“We’ll be there. Who do you think is going to give you away?”
Tears filled her eyes. “You’d do that for me?”
He rose from his seat and wrapped his arms around her. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t let me.”
“Then I’d be honored. Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Have you set a date yet?”
“No. Everything is still in the planning stages. There’s no rush, and summer is Carl’s busy season, so it’ll be a while yet.”
Thank goodness. While he had no doubt his family would love Heavenly, he needed time to prepare her. Meeting his big, boisterous clan might be more than a tad overwhelming for her.
Later that night at his brownstone, Seth lay in bed as visions of Heavenly flashed through his brain. He pulled out his phone and started to call, but decided a text might be best. He didn’t know if she was at work or, god forbid, on a date with Beck. When she replied seconds later, a satisfied grin tugged his lips.
An hour passed, then he told her to get some sleep and said good night. She answered by telling him to have sweet dreams and added a heart emoji. After tossing and turning for another hour, making a mental checklist of all the things he needed to do, Seth switched off his brain. He focused once more on Heavenly and drifted off to sleep, contentment filling his soul.
During the next four days, Seth temporarily forwarded his mail to Shadows via the post office. He’d also hired a moving company to pack up his belongings and haul both his SUV and motorcycle to LA. He’d spoken to a couple
