Page 16 of Inferno
“Henry?” Penn says, his brow furrowing.
Telling even more people about my sexuality and attraction to Henry feels like it could be a mistake, but if anyone is going to understand what I’m feeling, it’s going to be the Barnetts. “Henry is mine,” I say, not bothering to sugarcoat it.
“Yours,” Penn says slowly, trying to hide the hint of surprise in his voice.
Covering a snort of laughter by clearing his throat, Beau slaps me on the shoulder as he passes me and takes a seat on the sofa, positioning the baby on his chest, his arm still wrapped around its tiny body.
“I can see it,” Beau says, with a nod. “He seems like a nice kid.”
“So, you’re together?” Penn asks, motioning for me to sit as he takes a seat in a chair.
“No,” I say quickly.
“Okay. Gotta be honest, I’m not sure what exactly you’re asking for here,” Penn says with a wry smile.
Sighing, I rub at my forehead with my palm. “I don’t really know either,” I admit.
“You planning on claiming him?” Beau asks, his voice rough but with zero judgment.
“I’m too old?—”
“There’s over twenty years between me and Bonnie,” Beau says, cutting off my protest.
“He’s…I have a type, and if I’m honest, he’s not what I normally go for.”
“Unless you’re hiding a husband or wife somewhere we don’t know about, your type clearly hasn’t been working out. Maybe it’s time to try something new,” Beau suggests with a knowing smirk.
Scoffing lightly, I dip my head in acknowledgment. “I’m a fucking possessive bastard.”
Both Barnetts laugh loud and long. “You’re preaching to the choir. We’re all fucking crazy over our women,” Beau says.
“I’ve never seen anyone who looks like they could benefit from a little possession, more than that kid. To be honest, if he wasn’t so skittish, I’d have invited him up here to live with us. I’ve been racking my mind trying to figure out how to convince him to take the permanent job we’ve offered him. But I’ve never even managed to get him to come to dinner, let alone let us take him under our wing. If I’m honest, you claiming him would be a huge fucking relief for me,” Penn admits.
“Apparently Parker gave him a ride home the other night, and his place is in a rough neighborhood,” I tell them both.
“Okay, what exactly are you planning on doing about that?” Beau asks.
“Fuck if I know,” I confess on a pained sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know if I can let myself claim him. I don’t want to ruin him, and I would. I’ve done it in the past, and I promised myself I’d never let it happen again.”
Both guys flash sympathetic eyes in my direction.
“We have an apartment over the garage that’s empty. Since Parker hinted that the lack of affordable apartments in town was the reason why Henry hasn’t accepted the job we keep offering him, I’d already planned to suggest that he could have it free for six months as a signing bonus if he takes the permanent job for us,” Penn says.
“Is it safe?” I growl, hating the idea of him living anywhere but with me.
“It’s safe. It’s small and empty, but it’s safe, and it’ll do as a stopgap until you figure your shit out and take him home with you.”
“How much would the rent be after the first six months?” I ask.
“Cheap enough that he could afford to stay there and not have to worry about money,” Penn answers. “But I’m guessing that he won’t be there in six months…will he?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “Probably not. I just need to figure out if I can make him mine without destroying him.”
“I have no fucking clue if it was fate, or our family’s legacy, or just dumb luck that brought you and Henry together. But I do know that since the day I realized Bonnie was mine and told her as much, things tend to work out. If you know that Henry is yours, that’s probably because he is, and if he’s yours, I’msure whatever you’re worried you might do to hurt him won’t be something he can’t handle.”
Beau and I aren’t close, but in the year that I’ve lived here, my team has talked about his advice, and how he’s the voice of reason when it comes to all this love-at-first-sight bullshit. As much as I hate to admit it, I hope that he’s right this time too. I hope that whatever force brought me and Henry together knows what it’s doing. That it didn’t give me perfection, only to take it away from me again.
After finishing my coffee, I leave the Barnetts, get in my car, and drive down into town, ready to pick my boy up and see just how bad his apartment is.
