Henry lifted him up and sat the little boy on his knee, " My man Ethan", Henry chuckled and held out his hand for a high five. Ethan gave him a good slap.
Henry looked up to watch as Claire walked in. She carried a cooler bag and what looked like a sleeping bag in another tote bag. She looked stunning in black dress pants and a short sleeved baby blue frilly blouse that had a high collar. Her hair was half up and loosely curled. Her makeup was minimal, which he liked. She didn't need it at all.
" I got snacks and juice boxes and I brought his sleeping bag for when he gets tired, he can just lay on the floor and take a nap", Claire said, out of breath as she plopped down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
" You look nice", Henry said softly, unable to stop running his eyes over her. He couldn't help but think about the image of her in the bra and panties splayed out on her bed.
Claire blushed and smiled, " Thank you"
Henry gave her a nod then looked at Ethan, " What do you think buddy? Doesn't mommy look nice?"
Ethan nodded, " Mommy pretty"
Claire beamed, " Thank you sweetie"
Henry ruffled his hair. The kid was too cute.
" Ethan, do you want to stay with Henry so mommy can go do a few things?", Claire asked Ethan.
" Yeah!", Ethan cried excitedly and nodded.
Claire smiled, " Okay!", she said and stood up.
She came around the desk and dropped a kiss on Ethan's forehead. Then she shocked Henry by pressing her lips to his cheek and whispering "Thank you" in his ear before she turned and headed out the door. Henry watched her go, falling just a little harder.
Claire passed by Henry's open office door on her way to the file room about an hour later. She glanced in and had to back pedal to make sure she was seeing correctly. She stood to the side of the door and peeked in, not wanting to disturb the two boys.
Henry had brought one of the chairs that were in front of his desk around so that it sat next to him. Ethan occupied that chair. On the desk between them was a coloring book. Each had their head bowed in concentration as the colored. Claire couldn't help but smile. Henry was so good with Ethan. He probably had no idea either.
" Is Henry coloring?", came Asher's dry comment from behind her.
Claire glanced over her shoulder at him, " Yeah", she giggled.
" What the hell are you doing to him? He's going all soft and shit", Asher muttered, scrubbing a hand over his mouth to hide his smile.
" I think my son brings out his soft side more then I do", Claire said quietly.
" Well that's obvious", Asher snorted, motioning at the two of them.
Claire hummed her agreement and continued to watch as Asher walked away. Her feelings for Henry were spiraling out of control. She's never felt like this about anyone, not even Ethan's father, Teddy. She thought she had been in love with him. But this didn't even come close. This was so much more. She felt it with everything she had. Henry was the one and would be the only one for the rest of her life.
" Hey Henry, how's his diaper?", Claire called into the room.
Henry's head shot up, " Huh?", he asked.
" Does he need a diaper change?", She asked.
Henry glanced at Ethan, " Ahhh", he said, his eyes widening, clearing having no idea what to do.
" Just give his butt a squeeze", Claire said, biting her lip to stop the laugh that threatened.
Henry did as he was told.
" Does it feel mushy?", Claire asked.
" Yes?", Henry replied, still looking unsure.
Claire moved into the office and went over to Ethan and felt his diaper. " Oh yeah, he definitely needs a change. Come on Ethan"
Ethan put down his crayon and held out his arms for Claire. Claire lifted him up and grabbed a diaper out of his bag. Claire took Ethan into Henry's private bathroom and changed his diaper. Once she was finished Ethan went back to Henry. Claire shook her head as Henry plopped Ethan back down in the chair.
" You're okay with him Henry?", Claire asked as she headed for the door, knowing the answer already.
" We're fine", Henry replied, already back to coloring.
Claire chuckled and went about her work for the next two hours. Then Claire had to take Ethan because Henry had a meeting to go to and Ethan needed a nap anyway. She set up Ethan's sleeping bag on the floor in the darker corner of her office and laid him down with his turtle pillow pet and Mr. Henry Monkey. He fell asleep almost immediately. Claire used the time to go through Henry's voicemails and emails.
After Ethan's nap, he went back to Henry, where they pretty much played the rest of the day. The office was buzzing with gossip about Claire and her relationship with Henry. People had been shocked when she walked in with Ethan. She heard a rumor going around that Claire had slept with Henry a couple years ago and that Ethan was really Henry's son and that Claire was hiding that fact from him. That was also the reason Henry treated her so differently. People were ridiculous sometimes. Claire rolled her eyes more times today then in her entire life.
At the end of the day, Claire headed to Henry's office to get Ethan. When she walked in, they were sitting on the floor rolling a ball back and forth. Claire smiled. God, they were so cute together.
" I hate to break up the fun, but it's time to go home Ethan", Claire said.
" No!", Ethan cried, his bottom lip trembling.
Shit, this was going to be a fight. " I'm sorry sweetie, but we have to go home, Henry has to go home too"
" I go Henwee", Ethan whined, his eyes filling with tears.
Claire's heart broke for her son. She knew he loved Henry if he wanted to go home with him. " Ethan, you can't go home with Henry", she said, using her gentle but firm tone, letting him know that it really wasn't going to happen no matter how much he cried.
" I go Henwee!", He screamed and kicked his feet.
Henry watched him, his expression was one of torture. He obviously didn't want Ethan so upset. Henry glanced at her and opened his mouth to speak but Claire shook her head. She knew he wanted to suggest they come to his house but she didn't want to go back on what she decided, it would only cause more problems later with Ethan. Henry snapped him mouth shut and got to his feet.
Ethan cried and screamed for a good five minutes on the floor before getting up and running to Henry. Ethan held his arms up, crying Henry's name. Henry looked at Claire, silently asking permission. Claire gave him a nod. Henry blew out a breath he had apparently been holding and picked Ethan up. Ethan wrapped his arms around Henry's neck and clung to him for dear life. Henry rubbed his back, frown firmly in place.
" How do you deal with this all the time?", Henry murmured.
Claire shrugged, " It's part of being a mother"
" It's heartbreaking", Henry croaked.
Claire nodded, " I'm used to it, but I understand"
" What should I do?", Henry asked, still rubbing Ethan's back and now he was swaying side to side to try and soothe the little boy in his arms.
Ethan had already started to quiet down, which would be good for Henry, " When he's done crying just explain to him that you'll see him another day"
Henry nodded, his expression telling Claire that he was struggling to deal with this. Claire knew that Henry really hasn't been around many kids, so he had no idea what they were really like. But it was okay. Henry was doing a fantastic job. And it was mostly due to the fact that he loved Ethan.
A few minutes later, Ethan was done with his fit. Henry took him over to his desk chair and sat down with Ethan on his lap. He grabbed a tissue and had Ethan blow his nose. Then he lifted Ethan and sat him on the desk so that they were eye level. Claire was shocked by Henry's natural fathering ability.
" Did you have fun today Ethan?", Henry asked.
Ethan nodded, frowning around the finger in his mouth.
Henry smiled warmly, " Good, so did I, but it's time for you to go home with your mom, okay? But don't worry, I'll see you soon and we'll play, alright?"
&nb
sp; Ethan nodded again.
" Good boy, give me a high five", Henry said, holding up his hand.
Ethan smacked it. Henry yelped and pretended that it hurt making Ethan giggle. Claire smiled. Henry then lifted Ethan as he stood and brought him over to Claire. She took Ethan from Henry. She gazed up into Henry's green eyes. Damn, he was gorgeous. She reached up and cupped his jaw before giving him a light lingering kiss on the corner of his sexy mouth. Henry sucked in a sharp breath, causing Claire's heart to flutter wildly.
Claire pulled back, her eyes locked on Henry's heavy lidded gaze that was now ablaze with desire. " Thank you for today Henry"
" You're welcome", He replied hoarsely.
" See you in the morning", she said softly.
Henry swallowed hard and nodded.
Claire gathered up all of Ethan's stuff and headed out the door. Her body thrumming. God, she wanted that man. She hadn't had sex in two years. Hadn't really wanted it. She was fine just taking care of herself when the urge became too much. But now, now she wanted Henry. Bad. It was all she thought about whenever she looked at him. Her days in the office were becoming more like torture then work.
Chapter 9
Claire was startled awake by her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the clock, 12:30am. Shit. She's only been asleep for an hour. It's been almost two months now since she spent that week taking care of Henry when he had the flu and when he had to take care of her when she had accidentally taken ecstasy. Their relationship had definitely changed. They were more at ease with each other, definitely closer and more informal. They have even been getting together at least one day of the weekend so that Henry could see Ethan. And Claire was completely head over heels in love with the man. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and looked at the screen. Speak of the devil.
" Hello?", Claire answered, her voice raspy from sleeping.
" Hey Claire, did I wake you?", Henry asked.
" Yeah, what's going on?", Claire asked, her head falling back onto her pillow.
" I just wanted to tell you that I'm flying out to Chicago tonight and won't be back until Wednesday, I have to meet with one of our major clients", Henry sighed, sounding tired.
" Oh, okay, is everything okay?", Claire asked.
" Eh, I don't know, he's one of my more irritating clients and he likes to meet in person, he didn't say anything was wrong but he didn't sound happy. I got a 2am flight so I can meet with him at 9am"
" That sucks", Claire snorted.
Henry groaned, " I know. I'll let you get back to sleep, I'll give you a call sometime tomorrow"
" Okay, have a good flight Henry", Claire murmured, hating that she was going to have to go two days without seeing him.
" Thanks Darlin', talk to you later", Henry said softly.
They said goodbye then Claire hung up. A knot formed in her stomach. An odd feeling started. Like something bad was going to happen. Claire shrugged it off and told herself that she was being silly. She placed her phone back on the nightstand and went back to sleep.
Claire woke up with that horrible feeling in her gut still. She went about her morning, got Ethan dressed and left for work after her father arrived. As she walked into the office, she felt the tension from everyone. She felt everyone looking at her as she walked towards her office, which was weird but she brushed it off. She had just put her purse in her drawer when an upset looking Asher appeared in her doorway.
" Hey Asher, you okay?", Claire asked, her heart racing.
" Have you seen the news?", Asher asked, his voice tight.
" No, why?", Claire asked, feeling her panic rise. What the fuck is going on?!
" There was a horrible plane crash early this morning, around 2:30am, a small personal jet barely made it out of the airport before coming down in the Delaware river", Asher said, his voice trembling.
Claire stared at him, " So?", she asked, a bit breathlessly.
" They think it was Henry's plane", Asher rasped.
Claire started shaking her head and whispering "no" over and over.
Asher came forward, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms, " They haven't confirmed it and they haven't said if there were any survivors"
Claire clung to Asher. A sob escaped her. Asher's arms wound tighter, holding her upright. Her knees felt suddenly weak. Her knuckles gripped Asher's shirt so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.
" Shit Claire, I'm sorry", Asher breathed.
They both knew it didn't look good for there being a chance of someone being alive. Let alone it being Henry. And now Claire understood why she had been having a bad feeling since hanging up with Henry. Somewhere deep down, she knew, she knew something would happen to him.
How could she go one without him? He had become her best friend. Oh God, how was she going to tell Ethan?! Claire sobbed again. The pain in her heart radiated through her whole body. She hadn't even had the chance to tell Henry that she loved him. He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't.
Claire sat at her desk just staring at nothing. Asher had left her about a half hour ago and she hadn't moved since. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think. He said nothing had been confirmed but she was afraid to hope. Because if he was gone and she had had some kind of hope that he was alive then she'd be devastated all over again.
Claire's cell phone rang. She started then scrambled to pull it out of her purse. She answered it without looking at the screen. " Hello?", she answered, her voice breathless.
" Claire", came 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 not to 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 she they 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 a chocolatey brown and 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 younges
t, he still had a bit of a baby faced look about him. His hair was longer then 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.
Henry (The Beck Brothers) Page 10
