Henry (The Beck Brothers) (15 page)

"Claire,
”
she heard Sebastian's voice,
low and trembling.

"Don't...don't
say it,
”
Claire choked.

"Baby, I'm sorry,
but it was Henry's plane,
”
Sebastian said, his voice pained.

"Is he...do
they...did they find him?
”
Claire sobbed, covering her mouth with her hand to try and muffle it.

Claire could hear
Sebastian crying on the other end, which broke her heart even more. "No,
they haven't. They
’
ve
recovered the pilot and co-pilot, neither of them made it."

"Are they sure he
was on the plane? Maybe he missed the flight?
”
Claire said, swiping at the tears running down her face.

"No, they
confirmed that he was onboard,
”
Sebastian replied hoarsely.

Claire felt numb. She
couldn't handle this.

"Claire, why
don't I come get you and bring you back here? You can stay with us while we
wait for news,
”
Sebastian
offered quietly.

"Okay,
”
Claire croaked. She couldn't
focus on work anyway. "I'm at the office"

"I'll be there as
soon as I can,
”
Sebastian
promised and hung up.

Claire hung up her
phone and fought to not break down completely. She felt like her heart was
being ripped out of her chest and stomped on until it exploded. She had no idea
that time had even passed until Sebastian walked into her office. He looked
horrible, his expression grim, his green eyes bloodshot and puffy, his blonde
hair disheveled.

"Anything new?
”
Claire asked as she stood and
grabbed her purse.

Sebastian shook his
head and held his arm out. She sniffed and walked over, tucking herself under
his arm. Sebastian was her buddy, like the brother she never had. And she was
grateful for his comfort, even though he probably needed it more. Sebastian
walked her out, the whole office watching as they went. Claire didn't care. She
only cared about Henry. She prayed to God that he was still alive.

Sebastian brought her
back to Henry's house, where the rest of his family had gathered. Not really
the way she wanted to meet his father and other brothers, but whatever.
Sebastian introduced her to his brothers Quinn and Christian first, since they
were in the kitchen when she walked in.

Claire shook hands
with Quinn first. He gave her a tight smile and a firm handshake. He was a
gorgeous man, tall and built, like Henry and Sebastian. His hair was a bit
darker though, and his eyes were chocolaty brown, framed with long dark lashes.
He also had a short neatly trimmed beard, giving him a rugged look. Christian
was next. He was tall, thin, and toned, built more like a soccer player. Claire
could tell he was the youngest; he still had a bit of a baby face look about
him. His hair was longer than the rest of them, a bit shaggy, falling down over
his forehead, but was swept to the side. It was blonde like Henry's, but he,
too, had brown eyes. He was just friggin adorable.

The air was thick with
grief as Claire followed Sebastian into the living room where his mother, Anne,
and father, Henry Sr., were sitting on the love seat. Anne was tucked neatly
under Henry Sr.'s arm, her head on his chest, a tissue held up to her nose.
Claire could see the tears running down her face as she walked in. Anne lifted
her head when she noticed someone enter. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw
Claire. Her expression confused.

"Claire, you know
my mom, Anne, and this is our father, Henry Sr.; dad, this is Claire, Henry's
ah...friend and personal assistant,
”
Sebastian murmured. He still had his arm around Claire's shoulders.

Henry Sr.'s eyes
softened and warmed as he stood to greet her. He started forward, his hands
outstretched. "So this is the girl that finally stole Henry's heart, huh?
”
he said, his voice warm and
loving.

Claire frowned as he
took her hands and kissed her knuckles. Sebastian snorted behind her and
mumbled something like, "Yeah, but the idiot never told her."

"You're
beautiful, no wonder Henry loves you so,
”
Henry Sr. smiled softly, bringing a gentle hand up to cup her chin. "Don't
worry, sweetheart, everything will be okay,
”
he whispered, brushing away the tears that started to fall.

Claire didn't know
what to say, but she loved the man instantly, and now she knew where his sons
got their handsome good looks from. Henry Sr. was gorgeous for an older man.
His gentle smile and laugh lines at the corners of his eyes just added to his charm.
His hair was white and he was probably as tall as his sons.

"Come in and sit
with us, sweetheart. Henry tells me you have a son?
”
Henry Sr. asked, leading her over to the couch. He
sat her down, and then sat next to her.

Claire cleared her
throat. "Um yes, Ethan, he's two."

"Henry loves him
to death, talks about him all the time,
”
Henry Sr. smiled, showing off his dimples that matched Henry's.

Claire nodded, getting
choked up again. "Yeah, they really have grown close over the past few
months."

Sebastian went over
and sat with his mother, who was watching Claire. Claire had no idea what she
was thinking because she hid it well. But the last time they'd been in the same
room, they hadn't gotten along.

"Where is your
son now?
”
Anne asked, her eyes
narrowing on Claire from across the room.

"He's with my
father, who watches him every Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
”
Claire answered.

"What about
Tuesday and Thursday?
”
Anne
asked, her eyebrow lifted in challenge.

"Daycare, he
needs socialization time with other kids,
”
Claire snapped.
 
She now understood
where Anne was going with the line of questioning; she was trying to find out
if Ethan's father was in the picture, but now was not the time for it.

"Darling, please
don't start,
”
Henry Sr.
chided his wife, giving her a sharp look.

Anne glared at him for
a moment before pursing her lips and turning away. Sebastian gave Claire an
apologetic look. What the hell was her problem? Did she not want her sons to
have any women in their lives? Good thing Claire didn't give a shit about what
she thought. But she could see how other women would just walk away, not
wanting to be with a man because his mother was a bitch.

A phone rang, cutting
through the tension like a knife. Sebastian jumped up and ran for the cordless
phone, snatching it off the end table and smashing the call button.
"Hello?
”
he answered,
panicked.

His eyes darted
around, landing on each person in the room while he listened. Quinn and
Christian came rushing in from the kitchen, both looking anxious. Claire
watched as Sebastian asked, "Are you sure it's him?
”
Whatever answer he got make him burst into tears.
He pressed his fist to his mouth. Quinn gripped his shoulder as Sebastian
dropped to his knees.

Claire covered her
mouth and nose with her hands; she hated seeing Sebastian like that. Was it bad
news that brought him to his knees? Or good? Sebastian choked out a,
"Thank You,
”
then hung
up. He dropped the phone and covered his face with both hands as he sobbed.
Quinn bent over him, now holding Sebastian by both shoulders.

"Sebastian?
”
Quinn prompted, wanting to know
what was going on.

"They found him,
he's alive!
”
Sebastian
cried.

Relief smashed into
Claire. Her whole body started to shake as the rest of the room erupted into cries
of joy and tears. Henry Sr. wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a
squeeze and a kiss on the temple. Then he got up and went to his wife.

After everyone calmed
down some, Sebastian relayed what the police told him. They found Henry clinging
to his seat/floatation device, floating about a mile down the river, the
current having swept him away. Other than a mild concussion, some bruised ribs,
and being wet, he was fine. Once he finished his statement, they were going to
bring him home. The police were utterly dumbfounded that he wasn't killed or at
least seriously injured. It was a miracle.

Chapter 10

Henry's ribs protested
as the police cruiser came to a stop out front of his house. He stifled a groan
and waited for the police officer to come around and let him out. He thanked
the guy and shook his hand before starting up the walkway. He could make out
the walkway but it was blurry since he lost his contacts during the crash. He
was about halfway to the front door when it opened and his family poured out.
His mother reached him first, of course. His mother refused to let his hand go
as he hugged his father and brothers. All of them with tears in their eyes.

Henry blinked away his
own tears. He just had the most horrendous experience of his life and it had
shaken him to his core. He wanted to get inside his house and call Claire, who
was probably a mess. He just let go of Christian, who moved to the side,
revealing a blurry Claire, who was standing behind everyone, tears streaming
down her gorgeous face. Henry started forward but was stopped by his mother's
grip tightening on his hand.

Henry turned to look
at her. "Mom, let me go,
”
he said, frowning.

His mother stared at
him for a moment, glanced at Claire, then back at him before slowly releasing
his hand. Henry clenched his jaw. He didn't want to be mad at his mother right
now. Why did she have to be so difficult? His father slipped his arm around his
wife's shoulder and gave Henry a nod.

Henry spun back around
and went to Claire, who let out a heart-wrenching sob before flinging her arms
around his neck. Henry ignored the pain in his ribs and enveloped her in his
arms. He tucked his face into her neck and just cried, unable to hold it back
anymore. He had been so scared that he was never going to see her again. As the
plane was going down, she was the only one he could think of. And Ethan. Oh
god, that little angel's face had flashed before his eyes, and Henry swore that
he was the only reason that he was alive. He had been spared for a reason: to
take care of the one woman and child who meant everything to him.
 

Henry lifted his head
to look down at Claire, tears making his vision even blurrier. He couldn't stop
the wince, his ribs were really painful. He refused to go to the hospital. The
paramedics had checked him out, said that he had a mild concussion, some
bruised or cracked ribs on his right side, and that was it. They gave him some
scrubs to change into and had him sign a release form.

Claire released him
with a gasp. "Oh, Henry, your ribs! I'm sorry!"

Henry shook his head
and thrust his fingers into her hair, cupping her head. "I don't give a
shit about my ribs,
”
he
said roughly before lowering his mouth to hers.

Claire sucked in a
sharp breath through her nose when their lips met. Yeah, she felt it, too: the
connection, the electricity, the love. Her lips parted, letting him deepen the
kiss. Just like the last time they kissed, the world fell away, and it was just
the two of them standing there. Henry's heart pounded. Claire tasted so sweet
and she kissed him with such passion, her hands clutched the front of his
shirt.

Henry used his hands
that were tangled in her silky hair to tilt her head. Their kiss turned
desperate and needy. He never wanted to let her go. Distantly, he heard someone
suggest they give them some time alone before he heard the click of the front
door shutting.

Too soon, Henry had to
end the kiss. He couldn't breathe well to begin with, and he couldn't keep
kissing Claire without passing out from lack of oxygen. He kissed her softly on
the lips a few times before pulling back to gaze down at her. Being this close,
he could see her blue eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"I thought I lost
you,
”
she whispered,
swallowing hard.

Henry closed his eyes
and leaned his forehead against hers. "I was so scared,
”
he breathed.

"I can only
imagine,
”
Claire breathed,
her hand coming up to touch his face.

"Will you stay
with me tonight?
”
Henry
croaked, feeling like a pussy for not wanting to be alone. Sebastian had found
a job and an apartment a couple weeks ago, so he wouldn't be there.

"Of course,
”
Claire said softly, her hand
cupping his cheek.

"Does your dad
have Ethan?
”
Henry asked,
opening his eyes and pulling his head back to look at her. She was so
beautiful.

Claire nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sure he will be fine with staying overnight."