26. Henry
Chapter 26
Henry
B reakfast at Ellie’s is a fun, boisterous event with the Landry family. Or at least most of them. Getting them all in one place at the same time is a feat even Ellie accomplishes only a couple of times a year.
But Ruby eats quickly, and I wonder if she even tastes the praline-stuffed French toast once Fiona asks if she’d like to have a behind-the-scenes tour of the giraffe barn.
Now we’re walking between the pens inside the enormous building that houses Fiona’s gentle giants.
Fiona and Ruby are in front of Knox and me. We’re hanging back, just letting Fiona show off her babies to a new enchanted fan.
I’ve been around giraffes as long as I’ve known Fiona, but they still amaze me. Still, watching Ruby experience this makes me realize how many incredible experiences I’ve had that I now want her to have. I want to take her to every country, every city, and every village I’ve visited and loved. I want to eat with her in every bistro, dive bar, five-star restaurant, and tavern I’ve enjoyed. I want to show her the Northern Lights, the pyramids, the Himalayas, the Great Barrier Reef, and so much more.
I also just want to watch her enjoy a funny story told by one of my favorite people while eating the best bread pudding ever made.
I want to make her life as incredible as it can possibly be.
“Oh my God ,” Ruby says, looking up as one of the giraffes peers over the top of the wall at her. “This is amazing.”
Fiona is delighted by her delight. “Let’s go out here. Speir will let you pet her.”
Ruby looks like a little kid as Fiona leads her into the outdoor yard where four giraffes are hanging out.
When they see Fiona, they start in her direction.
Ruby laughs. “Do they think it’s feeding time?”
“They just love her,” Knox says, referring to his wife, an affectionate note in his voice as he watches the animals approach. “They don’t need treats to come to her. The rest of us? Definitely.”
“They’re so gorgeous,” Ruby says, awe in her voice as one giraffe reaches where Fiona is standing and bows its head so she can rub his nose.
“I don’t know why people get so enamored with them. They’re really just tall cows,” Knox says. “They make a huge mess, take up a ton of space, and are expensive as hell to keep.”
Fiona laughs. “You’re just grumpy because the inspector is coming tomorrow.”
“The inspector is coming again tomorrow. She was just here,” he grouses. “There’s so much paperwork when she shows up.”
“You love paperwork,” Fiona reminds him. “Helping run this animal park should be your idea of heaven.”
“Helping run this animal park while also helping run this town has gotten me over my love of paperwork,” Knox says.
Fiona gasps. “Say it isn’t so.” She grins at Ruby. “He’s lying. It’s not the paperwork he doesn’t like when the inspector comes. It’s that he has to pretend not to notice her flirting but still be nice and polite while turning down all her advances.” She gives her husband a grin. “Nice and polite are a little tough for Knox when people are being…”
“Irritating. Annoying. Rude. Audacious,” he fills in.
Fiona laughs. “Those things.”
Three of the giraffes are vying for Fiona’s attention, and Ruby is able to rub their noses and necks. The look on her face is absolutely gorgeous. I love seeing her free from pressure and having joyful experiences that require no work or worry from her.
I am going to make more things like this happen for her. I know she’ll be consumed by school for the next few years, but after that, I’ll take her around the world.
The fourth giraffe lumbers over and is clearly headed directly for Knox. It grabs his hat in its teeth, tossing it to the ground, then nuzzling its snout into Knox’s hair.
Knox laughs, pushing it back, but stroking the animal’s nose. “I’m married with two kids,” he says, still clearly talking about the flirty inspector. “I shouldn’t have to turn down any advances from anyone.”
“Being an amazing dad just makes you hotter,” Fiona says, clearly unbothered by this other woman’s flirting. “It’s not her fault.”
“Oh my God,” Knox mutters.
It seems they’ve had this conversation before.
“What about my hot, kickass wife?” Knox asks. “Shouldn’t this woman worry about messing with the husband of a woman who knows how to wrangle tigers?”
Fiona laughs. “I think she’s holding out for a threesome.”
Knox stops and turns toward his wife. “ What ?”
Fiona shrugs. “I flirt with her too.”
“I repeat, what ?” Knox says.
“I want good inspections! This animal park has a lot going on and we need to stay on her good side!” Fiona tosses her hair. “I think she’s into me too.”
“So you’re making her think we’re going to sleep with her ?” Knox demands.
Ruby and I exchange a look. She’s trying not to laugh. I’m not surprised by this exchange. I am surprised that Knox still hasn’t completely figured out when Fiona is screwing with him, though. I’ve always found the way our princess keeps the big, grumpy guy on his toes entertaining.
“I’ve never said that,” Fiona is telling Knox. “I’ve just never didn’t say that.”
Ruby comes to stand next to me and says quietly, “She’s messing with him, right?”
I look at her in surprise. “You already figured that out?”
She laughs. “The more outraged he gets, the more outrageous she gets.”
Of course, Ruby has figured them out. She sees people. I fucking love her so much.
“Fiona will still be doing that to Knox when he’s ninety,” I say. “And he’ll still be falling for it.”
“I’m not going to live to be ninety,” Knox says with a sigh, overhearing. Apparently, he just figured out his wife was only trying to provoke him. “She’s going to drive me to an early grave.” He’s watching his wife with a mixture of love and exasperation that I’ve seen a million times, but I never fully understood until Ruby came into my life.
“You’re catching on to her faster than you used to,” I tell him with a chuckle. “That’s progress.”
“He’s just so easy to rile,” Fiona says, sliding her arms around her husband’s waist to hug him. She’s so petite, and he’s so tall that she only comes up to his chest.
“Does this mean you’re going to tell the inspector to back off?” he asks, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.
“Oh no,” Fiona says. “I love how flustered you get when she flirts, and you have to figure out a way to turn her down without resorting to being your usual grumpy fuck-off self.”
I’d love to be a spectator for that, but before I can get details about when the inspector will be here, my phone rings.
I pull it out and see that it’s Cian. I show the screen to Ruby, then lift it to my ear.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he greets. “So, don’t be mad and don’t freak out.”
I frown. “We’ve talked about you starting conversations that way,” I tell him. I turn and walk to the edge of the pen. “What’s going on?”
“Everyone is fine,” he says.
“Okay.”
“I want you to repeat that back to me so I know it sunk in.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I demand.
Ruby notices and comes over. “What’s wrong?” she asks.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Everyone is fine,” Cian says. “Repeat it.”
“Everyone is fine,” I say shortly. “What happened?”
“Scarlett, Mariah, and I are on our way back to Emerald.”
“I thought you were going to New York for another community opening first.”
“We were. But…” He trails off.
I brace myself.
“There was a car accident.”
“ What ?”
“Everyone. Is. Fine,” Cian repeats, slowly and firmly. “There was a car accident. Someone hit us at an intersection. It was just me and Scarlett. We did go to the hospital but were released after Scarlett’s arm was cast.”
“Her—” I cut myself off, not wanting to panic Ruby.
“She broke her arm. One of the bones in her forearm. It’s not a big deal, except that it’s her right arm, so she’s going to need some help for a while and won’t be able to work at the shop. But we’re heading home, and we’re still planning to go open the moms’ community in Omaha in two weeks.”
I blow out a breath.
He sounds fine. It’s a broken arm. Both Cian and I have had broken bones and we’re fine.
If this was more serious, Cian wouldn’t be the one calling me. And I’m sure Jonah and Iris will both be checking in with me soon.
Everyone. Is. Fine.
“Okay,” I say. “Ruby and I are in Louisiana, so, I’ll meet you in Emerald.”
“You’re in Louisiana?” he asks. “Are you in Autre?”
I can hear the smile in his voice.
“We are.”
“That’s great! Hey, you don’t have to rush back. We’re okay.”
Except that April and Elliot haven’t fully moved out, and…
Cian and Scarlett were in a car accident. And in the hospital. And I wasn’t there.
Suddenly, my stomach knots and my lungs refuse to inflate. Jesus. They were in a car accident . They could have been seriously injured. They could have…died.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
I absolutely cannot imagine a world that doesn’t have Cian O’Grady in it.
I hate even picturing Cian hurt or in pain.
I’ve seen him banged up and even with broken bones.
And I’ve fucking hated it.
Something worse is impossible to even conceive.
And while that was happening, I was thousands of miles away.
A part of my mind, the rational part, understands that I couldn’t have necessarily prevented the accident even if I’d been there. But my rational mind isn’t always in charge when it comes to the people I love.
I need to be there now . I need to see for myself that they’re fine. And take care of whatever they need to have taken care of.
I respect that Cian is Scarlett’s husband now, but he’s not exactly an expert in caregiving. He’s been the recipient of most care. I just need to be sure everything really is okay.
It’s my bloody job.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I tell him.
“Okay. We’re getting on the plane in about an hour.”
I do a quick calculation. “Okay. See you soon.”
We disconnect, and I meet Ruby’s gaze.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, clearly concerned.
“Well—”
Her phone starts to ring.
I’m one hundred percent certain it’s her sister. “Talk to Scarlett. I’m going to get us a plane.”
“Henry,” she says, her eyes wide.
“Everyone is fine,” I tell her.
She takes a breath and nods. Then answers her phone. “Scarlett, what’s going on?”
My phone rings as I’m scrolling through my contacts for our airport contact. “Jonah,” I answer. “What the fuck happened?”
“Everyone is fine,” my friend and fellow O’Grady protector says.
“People really need to stop saying that to me.”
“The guy ran a red light, but he was going pretty slow. Cian had just pulled out. They were in the car alone. We were right behind them and saw the whole thing. They were hit on Scarlett’s side. She broke her right arm. Clean break. They were able to set and cast it. She’ll make a full recovery.”
I appreciate that he just gets to the point and gives me all the information I would ask for before I have to.
“She and Cian both also have mild concussions, but they’ve been cleared to fly. Mariah is flying home with them, and they don’t feel that they need Linnea and me with them, so we’re going to stay here in Portland for a couple more days, then head home. If you need anything, I can be on a plane to Ohio in less than an hour.”
That all actually sounds good. It’s nothing major. Nothing to panic about.
I glance at Ruby. She’s frowning slightly but nodding. She doesn’t look too upset, just mildly worried.
She meets my gaze but doesn’t give me much indication of what she’s feeling or thinking.
“Thanks, Jonah.”
“I can be with them in Omaha in a couple of weeks,” he says.
I shake my head. “No need. I’ll be there.”
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything else.” He pauses. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. “I’m great. Nothing broken. Head’s fine.”
“I mean…” Jonah pauses again. “You know what I mean.”
Jonah has been Torin’s bodyguard and, more importantly, friend, as long as I’ve been with Cian. Their relationship is as close as mine and Cian’s is.
I know exactly what he means.
“Cian’s never been in the hospital when I haven’t been there. He was never in the hospital as a kid after he was born. He didn’t even have his tonsils out until he was twenty-two. And he still has his appendix.” I sigh. “It just feels weird.”
“I get it,” Jonah says. “But for what it’s worth, he’s doing a fantastic job.”
“A fantastic job of being in the hospital?”
“Well, he’s fine, physically. But he’s shaken up seeing Scarlett hurt. Still, he held it together, was calm, asked all the right questions, and hasn’t left her side. He’s taking amazing care of her.”
I think about that.
And how Scarlett has changed my best friend in so many great ways.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I’m just saying, you don’t have to worry,” Jonah says. “They’re good.”
“They were in a car accident. That could have been really bad.” In fact, I can’t even let myself go there fully. I can’t let myself imagine what could have happened. I don’t know what I would do.
“It could have been,” Jonah agrees. “But it wasn’t. That’s what you have to focus on. Any time any of us leaves the house, something bad could happen. That’s the problem.”
“The problem with us not always driving them everywhere they go?” I ask.
And for the first time in my life, I’m actually annoyed at the thought that I might not be able to ever let Cian travel without me.
Dammit.
I don’t want us to be joined at the hip for the rest of our lives.
Friends? Of course. In constant contact? Definitely. In each other’s business all the time? Sure. But physically together every damned day? Not really.
“What? No.” Jonah laughs. “You have no way of knowing that accident wouldn’t have happened if you’d been driving. What I meant is that’s the problem with loving our protectees like family. And, well, it’s too late to change that, so we’re just going to have to deal with it.”
I frown. “You’re really that nonchalant about the idea of something bad happening to Torin?”
“Nonchalant?” Jonah asks. “Fuck no. But the realization that something bad could happen makes me want him to have as many amazing experiences and happy times as possible. It’s how I feel about Linnea. My parents. Everyone I love.” He pauses. “Even you.”
I pause at that. Then smile. “I love you too, Jonah.”
He chuckles. “Thanks. Talk to you later.”
“Thanks for covering me in Portland.”
“It was great. Any time.”
We disconnect, and I take the few steps to where Ruby is saying, “I love you too. So much. We’ll talk soon.”
She disconnects and looks up at me.
“We should go pack,” I tell her.
She looks down at her phone, then up at me. “Yeah. Um, I’m not going back to Emerald.”
I frown. “What?”
“I’m not going back. Not right now. I’m going to stay in New Orleans. In the new apartment. Mariah is going to pack up my room and send what I need.”
I stare down at her, not fully understanding what she’s saying. “Did Scarlett tell you about the accident?”
Ruby nods. “Yes. And her arm.”
“You don’t want to check on her?”
She wiggles her phone. “I just did.”
“That’s enough?”
“Yes.” She straightens. “She and Cian are fine. She said he’s been great, that they have a plan, that she’s a little sore, of course, but her meds are working.” She stops, then says, “She doesn’t need me, Henry.”
I shake my head. “Come on, Gem. You know that’s not true. Let’s go home. You’ll see.”
But she just smiles. “I’m not saying that in an ‘I’m so sad she doesn’t need me anymore’ way. I’m glad. I’m…relieved. She sounds great. The fact that she’s letting Cian take care of her is huge. Scarlett doesn’t do that. I’m the only one she’s ever leaned on. This is big for them.”
“You will not be in the way. It’s not like she won’t be glad to see you,” I say, guessing at her feelings now.
“That’s not it.” Ruby reaches out and squeezes my arm. “This is good . I’ll admit that I was a little worried about what it would be like once I started school. Would there be a time when something happened, and Scarlett or Mariah would want me to come home to help out? It’s how it’s always been, Henry. We’re a unit. A team. And we’re amazing. But now I don’t have to worry.” She smiles, and it seems completely genuine. “I can go to school and not worry. I can fully focus and not wonder if I’m going to feel the need to go back to Emerald. Cian’s there, stepping up, and Scarlett is letting him. It’s awesome.”
What feels like a ribbon of panic sneaks through my gut.
I’m not ready to leave her. I’m not ready for goodbye.
“Don’t you want to pack your own stuff? Say goodbye? Have a going away party at the bar?”
She laughs. “No way.”
“What? Really? But these are your people. Your community.”
“I know. And I’m going to miss them like hell. Saying goodbye to them will suck no matter how I do it. This way it feels kind of less official and big and sad. This feels like I’m just away on a trip and I’ll see them soon when I come home. It’ll just be a visit, but by then we’ll have all adjusted to the new normal.”
“It’s a long time until classes start.” I feel like I’m grasping at straws.
I’m also reeling a bit from her not wanting to go back. From being able to not go back.
“I know, but I can get settled and enjoy New Orleans and feel really ready by then. I’ve never done full-time classes. Once they start, it will be intense. I need time to prepare.”
I try to think of another excuse, something else to convince her. Anything else to say.
“I’m not ready to say goodbye,” I finally tell her. Might as well be completely honest.
That makes her smile fade. She swallows, and nods. “I know. Me either. But I’m never going to be. It’s not going to be any easier if I go back and then leave. In fact, it will be harder.”
She’s right. I know she is. But I still don’t want this.
“I’m disappointed,” I tell her. “I thought you’d want to check in on them, make sure they’re really okay, and that April and Elliot get moved, and that you’d want to see what happens with the church guys and the free cinnamon rolls.”
“I’m sorry you’re disappointed.” She frowns as if she really doesn’t like that word. “But none of that needs me. It will all be okay whether I go back or not.”
“Yes, because I’m going to go back and take care of it.”
Now she looks disappointed. “All of that will be okay without you, too. You could sta?—”
“Stop.” I cut her off before she can finish that sentence. “Don’t make me say no, Gem,” I say, my tone pleading. “Please.”
She presses her lips together.
“I need to get to the airport,” I tell her. “I can drop you off at the apartment.”
She shakes her head. “Why don’t you just send Sammy down here after he takes you to the airport?”
“You’re going to stay here?”
“Yeah.” She looks around. “It’s really nice to step into a strong, fully formed, happy community. One that takes you in instead of…”
“Being the one that puts it together?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She smiles up at me, a little sadly. “I expect I’ll put one together eventually. But I like this one.”
“You’ll probably put more than one together.”
She just lifts a shoulder, not bothering to argue.
“This is what I wanted for you,” I tell her. “I wanted you to be taken care of for a change. I wanted you to feel what you do for everyone else.”
Her eyes get a little shiny. “Then you don’t have to worry about me, Henry. I’m in a great place.”
Yeah. She is. I can leave her here, and she will be fine.
Without me.
I lean in and kiss her. She fists the front of my shirt and kisses me back.
Then I turn and leave.
To go back to the job that has meant more to me than anything else in my life.
Until now.