The Marriage Counselor

18. Do You Think It's Too Soon?

He focuses on her face, which does nothing to ease his desire, since it's the part of her body he loves most. Those big brown doe eyes. The way they look at him with that ever present innocent gleam. The slightly turned up nose. The pink cheeks that can blush red in an instant. The supple lips he wants to spend forever turning into a smile, however he can. The long waves of brown hair that tickle his face when ever she's lying on top of him or cuddled up on his chest.

God, he's like a junkie who can't get enough. It's only been a few hours since he last saw her. This is the woman he loves, the woman he craves, the woman he needs, the woman he wants to spend the rest of his days with.

Everyone around him starts clapping, which breaks him from his trance. It's the end of Stephen's shitty speech. He keeps his eyes on Sam as she speaks to Claire. He wonders what's being said but by the look of it, he guesses that it's some critique from her mother in law. One by one, members of the Chambers family leave the stage, leaving Samantha and Stephen up there. The guests have all returned to their previous dealings but he can't look away from the two of them. She looks nervous. Then he watches as the two of them move through the crowd, heading in the direction of the house.

He looks back at Rebeca, who's already on the same page. "Are you—"

"I'm fine. Go, go." She ushers him in the direction Stephen and Samantha are headed.

He mumbles a thank you to her before he goes to follow them. He maintains enough distance that it doesn't look like either of them notice him. He keeps his head down as he comes close to bumping into Cody, who's talking to some blonde woman about the yacht he's considering purchasing.

Up the stairs, he sees Samantha disappear into Stephen's study with him. The door closes behind them, leaving Henry alone on the second floor. It's somewhat of a relief to be away from the crowd of people. But his anxiety continues to grow as the minutes pass without knowing if she's okay.

After a second of consideration, he steps into the coat closet directly next to the study. He doesn't bother turning on the light but he can see the outline of various coats and jackets as he presses his body against them in order to get the door closed. It's a spacious closet, bigger than what you'd expect.

His hand reaches into his pocket for his phone. He types out a message to her quickly. I'm in the closet next to his study.

Then he types out another message to Agent Hansen. They're in his study alone. I can't hear anything. Is this safe?

He's not sure how long he spends waiting. But then he hears the study door open, Stephen and Samantha can both be heard walking out of the room.

"I'm glad we could have that talk." Stephen says.

"Me too. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll use the restroom. I'll see you downstairs though." She responds.

Silence follows this and then he can't hear anything anymore. The closet door opens slightly then closes.

"Henry?" She whispers, her hands brushing against some of the fabric there.

"I'm here." He whispers back, his hands finding hers. He kisses her finger tips in the dark. "Sorry for the stalkerish behavior. I saw you come upstairs with him and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thank you," She breathes, her hands snaking along his sides until she's pulling him closer into a hug. The familiar scent of his cologne grounds her there in that moment, calming her racing heart.

"How did it go? What did you say?"

"Everything we rehearsed," She keeps her voice low. "I told him you were giving up your practice, which seemed to get a response."