Pack Mentality: Ring Ready

Chapter 6

"Where's Becky?"

Seth expected that from his Shield brothers or backstage at a WWE event or even from his Black and Brave students now. It had taken him a while to realize it wasn't a slight against him in any way. Becky was just the kind of person who drew your attention, something he knew all too well. He just didn't expect it from his own mother. She and Becky hadn't had the warmest of beginnings, but Holly gradually realized how good a friend—and later partner—Becky was to him, and Becky in turn came to turns with the fact that Holly was used to being overprotective of him, especially when it came to his werewolf nature.

But there Holly was at the door, trying to look around Seth's shoulders to spot Becky. It made Seth smile, and he made a note to tell Becky when he picked her up from the gym. "She's not here, Mom," he replied, hugging Holly and stepping inside. "She wanted to get an extra workout in at the gym before classes started today and Marek said he'd work with her, so I dropped her off."

"Oh. Things are going well, then? That's good." Holly locked the door behind him and headed to the kitchen. "Why aren't you working out with her? We could have done coffee later, the three of us."

Seth's smile grew. He knew his mother wasn't completely won over by Becky, but he was very grateful that Holly was trying to include her in more family things—and that Becky, to her credit, was trying to adjust to the slower pace of life in Iowa. "I'm sure she'd like that. I'll ask her when I pick her up. I just wanted a chance to talk you... one on one, I guess." He poured himself a cup of coffee and wrapped his hands around it. "Where would you like to sit?"

Holly's eyes widened a bit. "Oh no. Nothing's wrong, is it? I thought her rehab was going really well. I haven't seen her using the cane for a while now, and since she stopped wearing her brace last month, I thought...." She reached for her coffee cup and poured the last of the coffee into it. "Should I brew another pot?"

Seth shook his head. "This will be good for me. And it's nothing bad, Mom. I promise. She's doing really well in her recovery. When Roman and Dean were here, they said so too, so I'm not just being overly optimistic. Let's go sit in the living room." His mother could be a compulsive worrier, he knew, so he didn't want her to get up and start baking to alleviate her stress.

"You're sure?" She let Seth herd her into the living room, but she refused to sit down until he did. "It's just that she's been working so hard...."

"I know. And please remember that I said nothing's wrong." Seth set his coffee cup down on a coaster and then pulled the engagement ring box out of his cross-body bag, setting it on the table. "No, I haven't asked her yet," he said before his mother could say anything. "I just want to know if I can keep it here so she doesn't accidentally find it."

"You haven't?" Holly looked genuinely surprised. He had told her that he was designing a ring, hoping that if she had any qualms she would air them with him privately rather than give Becky the cold shoulder again. To his surprise and delight, she had been very supportive. "Why not? When you said Roman and Dean were going to be in town, I thought maybe you had something planned."

Seth shook his head. "When I propose, I want more of a... private moment," he hedged. As much as he loved his Shield brothers, that was one memory he didn't want overshadowed by their well-intentioned heckling. "So can I...?"

"Of course, of course." Holly leaned forward and picked up the box, flipping it open. "It's a very beautiful ring, sweetheart. You did an excellent job. She's going to love it."

"I hope so." Then he took a deep breath and leaned back against the couch. This wasn't his childhood home—they had moved several times since, and once he was making good money with WWE, he had bought homes for his mother and his grandparents—but it still felt comfortable in a different way from his own house. "Can I get your opinion on something?"