8 - Spend the Night?

Jace and Darla weren’t up for staying at the bar without Henry, so when he told them he was bringing Rose home, they were all about jumping in the car and heading to their hotel room. Rose was a little nervous that they may be a little too rowdy for her guest. Not that she couldn’t handle it. She’d had rowdy customers before, at least she knew these guys, and she was pretty sure Henry would back her no matter what. She was just so grateful that he was willing to go home because of what happened. He didn’t even question it. *He suggested it!* She knew it was crazy, but she’d never really had anyone else to back her like this.

As Rose fumbled with her keys, Henry was right there next to her, laughing as she tried to figure out which key to use. Eventually, he snagged the keys from her hand. “Sorry, it’s becoming painful to watch you try.” He laughed as she blushed up at him.

“Hey!” Jace called, half falling up the stairs to the porch. “I don’t have any clothes. Can I go in the hot tub naked?”

“There’s a bag already packed for you in the car. I’ll get it after everyone gets inside.” Henry answered. Rose was usually good about making sure that everything was ready and set up so to have Henry there, ensuring everything would be fine was nice. Her head spun a bit from the drinks earlier, and maybe a bit of the nervous energy she got from Kia. Henry efficiently placed the key in the hole and had the door opened. Rose stood aside as Darla and Jace stumbled through it. “I’ll go get the bags. Are you going to check on Kia?”

“Yeah.” Rose agreed. That was what she really needed to do.

“Hey, hello!” Evelyn greeted them. “I thought you were going to stay out?” Her mother’s eyes roamed over Darla and Jace, who were now currently snogging in the entryway. “Who are they?”

“They’re the guests for the honeymoon suite.” Rose said, stumbling over the threshold. “I’m going to go—” just as she started to make her way up the stairs, she tripped over her own feet and cried out. A large arm wrapped around her waist before she hit though.

“Carefully,” Henry whispered in her ear from behind as he pulled her back to standing. “Are you okay, Rose?”

“Umm. I-I’m fine.” His arm was still wrapped around her, and she could feel the heat emanating from him.

“Do you want me to help you upstairs? I can grab the bags after.” When his arm fell away from her it was almost disappointing. When he took her hand, that disappointment fizzled, and she couldn’t help but look up at him with a blush on her cheeks. He didn’t wait for her answer as she felt his hand on her lower back, pushing gently to get her upstairs.

“I… I can do it.”

“I know.” He said quietly. Hesitating at the top of the stairs. “I just want to make sure you’re good. I’m not making you uncomfortable, right?”

Rose shook her head, turning down the hall toward her son’s room. “Thank you.” She said, stopping in front of his door. “Really. Thank you. I already feel better being home.”

“I know.” He smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I can see you look more at ease. Are you going to check on him and head to bed? Or do you want me to wait for you?” Looking up at him made her a bit dizzier than before. Be it the drinks, or having him so close, she wasn’t sure. But he was beautiful.

“I have some wine down in the cupboard. I’m sure mom would be happy to get it out. I have a small bar in the living room too. I don’t go in there often, so have no idea what’s there, but mom could tell you. When someone wants a drink, she’s usually the one who makes it. Kai may be sleeping, but I’ll be down in a moment.”

“Alright. I’ll wait.” As Henry’s hand came up to touch her cheek, his thumb caressing the tip of her ear, Rose felt the heat rise up her face. He leaned down, slowly, and his lips caressed the top of her head. “If you need me, I’ll be right downstairs.” She watched him disappear around the corner before taking a deep breath and stepping into the room.

“Hey, kiddo. You sleeping?”

She heard the rumpling of the bedsheets. “No. I thought you were going to stay out? I’m really sorry mom, I think Mason would be good for you. He was really nice, and I just, I really liked him. More than any of the other guys you told me about.”

“I couldn’t just leave you here alone, baby,” Rose said, making her way clumsily through the dark until her knees bumped against his bed and plopped onto the corner. “Also, I’m sure you really like Henry because he’s the only one you’ve ever met. I don’t normally bring my dates home.”

“I’ve met Sheriff Jace before mom. Just because you didn’t bring him here, doesn’t mean I had no clue who he was. I’ve met Mason before too. We live in a small town. Everyone knows everyone here. Remember Randy?”

“Let’s not talk about Randy, okay?”

“Fine. But, I like Henry more than those other guys. That you even thought about letting him bring you home is awesome. You know he lives right next door.” Rose may not be able to see Kia in the dark, but she could hear his sarcasm loud and clear.

“I’m quite aware, thanks,” Rose grumbled.

Kia laughed, “He’s actually the first guy I’ve ever seen you this excited about. You going to keep him here for breakfast?”

Rose’s head couldn’t have whipped around more quickly. She was glad he couldn’t see her blush. “I… I-I.”

“It’s okay, ma. Go have a good night. I’m fine. I’m good. I think I just got nervous. I am really sorry.” She felt him grab her hand. “I’m glad you came home though. I love you.”

Grabbing first his elbow and then his shoulder, she pulled Kai into a hug. “I’ll always be on your side, baby.”

“I know. But I’m tired and want to sleep ‘kay?” Kai pat her back.

“Alright. Sweet dreams. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

“G’night.” Kai responded.

“Love you, babe.”

“Mhmm,” was the last thing Rose heard before clicking the door closed.

Rose waited a moment before heading down. She could hear her mother’s laugh from here. She must be enjoying Henry’s company. To her surprise, Jace was with Henry and her mom at the dining room table.

“Then, he asked if we could play body tic-tac-toe on his car…” Darla said, and everyone laughed. “Who does that?”

“I mean, I would totally play human tic-tac-toe with you on a car,” Jace said. “Right. Henry?”

Rose hung back, standing a few stairs up, listening.

“Maybe? I mean, if I just washed it… and if it wasn’t sitting under the sun. No. Nope. That’s a lie. I would never. Now inside my car…” He gave a grand shrug.

Rose’s knees went weak, buckling. When her ankle twisted under her, she fell down the last two stairs, crashing against the front door. What was wrong with her?

Henry was the first one by her side, she hadn’t even gotten the chance to stand up on her own before his hands were wrapped around her and pulling her up.

“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. He pulled her into his chest, embracing her. “I can’t seem to stay on my feet.”

“You’ve had a few drinks and we came home in a hurry. I think you just need a bit of time. Come, sit down with us and relax and unwind a little.”

“Okay.” She said meekly, letting him wrap his arm around her waist and lead her into the dining room. When he held her chair out, she looked up at him, “Thank you. For everything.” The words were barely a whisper, but he gave her a small, sincere smile, and she knew he’d heard her.

Evelyn was at the head of the table while Darla was across from where Henry had her sit. The guys were a chair down. “Would you like anything to drink?” Henry asked, pointing to a pitcher of water, a wine bottle, and a liquor bottle.

“Um, could I maybe have just one more half a glass of wine?” His dark hair bobbed as he nodded, getting it for her. What was nice, was that he didn’t fill the glass too high, and immediately poured her a glass of water as well. He wasn’t just trying to get her drunk. She remembered a few times when Carlyle had done that.

“How’s the kid?” Jace asked.

Rose smiled, “He’s okay. Thank you.” She could already see the questions burning in Henry’s eyes, and she was really glad that he wasn’t trying to ask now, in front of everyone. Rose reached over, placing her hand on his arm. “And thank you. Again. I just…”

Henry placed his hand over hers. “Thank you too. I haven’t had a night this great in a really long time. I should probably head home soon so you can rest.”

“Do you want to stay here for the night?” The words were out of her mouth before she realized what she said. She felt the heat rising on her cheeks and knew she was blushing furiously. “I-I mean… I mean, I have spare rooms. Not all of them have been filled for the night. So, you know, you could… I could make a nice breakfast for everyone tomorrow. I thought it would be nice.”

“If it doesn’t bother you, I think I might take you up on that.” He watched her curiously, and she wondered what he was thinking. She felt like this was moving way too fast, but she really didn’t want to put the brakes on either.

The fact that Darla was sitting across from her wiggling her eyebrows, Rose couldn’t help but laugh. Henry had that hungry look in his eye, and she was going crazy. She was starving, but not for food. Her mom, Evelyn stood up suddenly, waiving. “It’s high time I head off to bed.”

“Night, ma.” Rose waived.

Henry stood, holding out his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you today, Evelyn. I’m hoping I’ll get to see you more soon.”

“Love you, darling. All of the rest of you better behave. If I get woken up in the middle of the night because of you, I won’t be a happy mama.”

Jace stood, even if a bit wobbly, and gave her a salute, “We will be quiet as mice.”