10. Henry

Henry

T wo weeks later, Henry stood in front of the Grand Ballroom of The Pierre, Tomás at his side. The opulent room shimmered brightly, decorated to perfection. The polished sheen of wealth lay over everything, making Henry's stomach dip. This was a world he was familiar with. Beautiful perfection on the outside, icy disdain on the inside.

His papa held a huge charity ball every year. Last year, Henry had managed to avoid it, but this year would be different. There was no reason to avoid anything or anyone.

"What do you think?" He squeezed Tomás's hand. His alpha looked around in amazement. Tomás fit the scenery in his new, perfectly tailored tux and slicked back hair.

"Fancy," Tomás said, shrugging. He smiled at Henry. "I like that chandelier. I think I could make one that big."

Henry snickered. "Where would we put it? It wouldn't fit in either of our houses."

"Finally, you're here." Teague gave him a desperate look. "When can we leave?"

Sam sighed and grabbed his husband's arm. "We haven't even met Henry's papa yet. We haven't met anyone. You need to talk to at least ten people before I'll let you leave. We came all this way, so you can at least do that."

The two men looked sharp in their tuxes. Audrey had done a good job picking out their clothes, even if the four of them were dressed the same as every other man in the room. Sometimes Henry wished he had the flexibility in dressing that Audrey did with these events.

"There's Papa." Henry said, already tired. He wanted to take Tomás and go back to their room. They could lock the world away and order room service.

Milton Powell practically glowed. Surrounded by society's wealthiest, he was in his element. The older omega was trim with rich brown hair and steel gray eyes.

His husband of the moment, Rinaldo Agosti, stood beside him, a handsome accessory. Henry's papa had married three times after his divorce with Dennis Powell. However, he had kept the Powell name through it all and wore it like a badge of honor.

"You boys clean up nicely." Audrey gracefully came to a stop in front of them, a glass of champagne in her hand. She wore a black, sequined Balmain gown and her favorite set of diamonds.

It took him a moment to notice that her smile was brittle, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Teague asked, frowning.

"I made a huge mistake," she said, voice shaking. "I should have asked Papa what charity he was raising money for this year, but it's always been the same one, so I didn't think anything about it."

"What is Papa doing?" Sterling, Henry's eldest brother, stomped up behind them, scowling. The large alpha looked dapper in a tux and black rimmed glasses. He also looked furious.

"Hi, it's nice to see you after such a long time," Henry said, sighing. "Yes, I'm doing well. Thanks for asking."

Sterling blinked a few times, reminding Henry of a flustered owl. "Oh, hello Henry." He blinked at Teague. "Nice to see you, Teague."

"Aww, I missed your awkwardness, Sterling." Teague grinned. "It's so fun to watch."

"Now, what's this about Papa's charity this year?" Henry asked, already dreading the answer. If Audrey was upset about it, it couldn't be good.

"He chose your sanctuary," Audrey said, sniffling. "I saw his speech while he was getting dressed. He's trying to embarrass Teague. That's why he invited him."

"He's raising money for our sanctuary?" Teague looked confused. "How is that embarrassing?"

"He wants to make you feel small," Henry said, anger filling him. "To feel like you're out of place here and don't belong."

"I already feel like that." Teague shrugged. "What's the big deal? If we raise money, that's good. Right?"

Sam stomped his foot. "Not if it makes you feel bad about yourself."

Henry closed his eyes and thought for a moment. All the Powell family's friends were there, as well as the leaders of New York high society. He could easily imagine Papa's speech, showcasing Teague as his ex-husband's newest stray in need of their help. It wouldn't be about the animals. It would be about making Teague look like a stupid, poor man that they should all feel sorry for.

He was a little surprised that his papa was doing this. Milton took his charities seriously. "Is his speech really that bad?" he asked Audrey.

She nodded. "It's horrible."

A familiar face drew his attention. "Oh, yay! The Webs just arrived."

Keaton and his brother Alistair followed their parents into the ballroom, smiling and shaking hands as they made their way toward Milton's group.

Henry expected to feel something more than disgust and annoyance at the sight of the man he had avoided for almost two years.

Tomás watched him with kind, brown eyes. "Are you alright?"

Henry slowly grinned. "I am. I really am." He clapped his hands. "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. The opening speech is scheduled to begin in thirty minutes. Sterling, you keep Papa off the fucking stage. Teague, will you go upstairs and get Journey for me? Please put his doggy tux on him and bring the pooch pouch and his treats. Sam, please grab the puppies. Instead of our laundry basket, put them in the container the hotel used for the fruit basket in my room. It should be large enough. If not, grab the one from your room too. Audrey, I need a large piece of black velvet, two decorative boxes no higher than two feet, fashion show background music, and control of the A/V system."

"What are you going to do?" Tomás asked.

"I'm going to raise money for our sanctuary." Henry looked at the group around him. "Get moving."

"On it." Audrey spun around and rushed toward the ballroom door.

"Journey, tux, pouch, treats." Teague pulled Sam along with him and hurried away.

Sterling grunted and stalked toward their papa's group.

"Tomás, it's time to smile and woo the money out of everyone's pockets. Are you ready?"

Tomás grinned. "Not at all, but I'll do whatever you tell me to do."

Over the next thirty minutes, Henry greeted every single person he could, introducing them to Tomás and thanking them for coming to support the sanctuary. It was what Milton was supposed to be doing, but instead, his papa was gossiping with his friends.

Tomás was surprisingly popular with the guests. Henry shouldn't have been surprised. He knew how charming the alpha could be. The guests they spoke with probably found it as refreshing as Henry did to have conversations without any hidden snark or empty flattery.

When the music quieted and the spotlight lit the stage, it was Henry that walked to the podium, not his papa. Sterling stood with Milton, his hand on their papa's shoulder.

He met his papa's gaze, suddenly feeling exhausted. They hadn't seen each other in months, but his papa hadn't come to greet him or showed any interest in speaking to him before the ball.

Milton looked more angry than guilty, as if he hadn't planned on doing anything wrong at all.

Henry focused on the crowd filling the room and smiled his biggest, fakest smile. "My wonderful papa, Milton Powell, is known for his love of charity. For the past twenty-three years, he's held an annual charity ball for the groups he admires the most. This year, he was kind enough to give his own family a chance to ask for help." He gave his papa a sweet smile. "Thank you, Papa."

The crowd politely applauded, and Henry looked out over the crowd, making as much eye contact as he could. "And thank you all so much for coming out tonight to support Furever Home Sanctuary in Hobson Hills, Maine. While most of you may never see the work we do, each and every one of you should feel proud in supporting our no-kill animal sanctuary."

Henry beckoned to Teague and his step-brother came and stood beside him. "Almost two years ago, my brother, Teague, opened a no-kill animal sanctuary with the goal of offering help to any animal in need. He left his successful veterinary clinic in Washington and moved all the way across the country to a tiny town in Maine. With the help of some wonderful donors, a supportive community, and his own hard work, he has been successful."

The crowd applauded, making Henry's papa scowled.

"Recently, I've invested my own time and money into the sanctuary, officially becoming partners with Teague."

His papa's mouth dropped open and Sterling and Audrey looked surprised.

"When I first went to the sanctuary, I was completely unprepared for what I would find. I expected kennels with dogs and cats and maybe a dingy exam room attached to Teague's house." Henry laughed wryly. "What I found was a wide variety of animals living their best lives in cozy, little homes. For example, we have a whole barn just for our goats. They have their own pasture and playground where they get plenty of enrichment. We keep them well fed and play with them every day. Of course, Teague is there to make sure they all stay healthy with his own top-notch exam room and office."

He tapped his phone and a picture of the goat barn appeared on the screen behind him. It wasn't a professional picture by any means, Teague had taken it quickly. Sam and Henry stood surrounded by the smaller goats as they begged for treats. Their panicked looks had several people laughing.

"These are our smaller sized goats. They really like their treat time, but their silly humans forgot to grab the treats before coming in to play."

He pulled up another photo of the goats, these dressed up in donated clothing. "Here are our larger goats. Occasionally they have pajama parties, as you can see."

More laughter filled the room.

"While we have many, many goats, we also have other animals." He showed pictures of the chickens, introducing each one and telling them all about the animal's individual needs and personality.

"This is my chicken, Sophie, and her companion, Clucky." The picture showed the two hens pecking at their food, side by side. "I adopted Sophie from the sanctuary a few weeks ago. She was almost dead when she first came to us, but Teague saved her." He leaned over and kissed his brother's cheek, surprising the man. "This man worked for hours to save one lone chicken."

"Many of you may be asking yourself, why is one chicken important?" Henry pulled up a picture of himself with Sophie. He held her close and grinned happily. If he could see the joy in his own eyes, then surely everyone in the room could. "Animals bring people so much happiness. When I'm with Sophie, all the troubles of the world disappear." He smiled at the crowd. "I'm sure many of you have a pet of your own that gives you unconditional love. This is what we offer to our animals at Furever Home Sanctuary."

The applause was louder this time.

Henry squeezed Teague's arm and the alpha went and fetched the basket of puppies from Sam. Henry focused the camera of his phone on the puppies, so their image showed on the large screen. "I want to take this chance to introduce you to our newest residents of the sanctuary. These puppies were brought to us as newborns. Their mama had an extra-large litter and couldn't take care of all her babies, so we were tasked with raising these cuties. For the first two weeks, they needed to be fed every two to three hours. Now that they're a few weeks old, we only have to feed them every six to eight hours." He grinned at the crowd, enjoying the aww coming from several people. "We had to drive here from Maine, so we could bring them with us. While volunteers are taking care of our animals while we're here, Teague and I take our responsibilities very seriously."

Henry's papa stared at him, completely shocked.

Henry stood up. "These puppies will be up for adoption in another month." He smiled and fluttered his eyes. "Just saying."

The crowd laughed again, the mood light and positive.

"Now, as a treat for your patience, I'll introduce you to the absolute best dog in the whole world."

Audrey and Tomás spread a black velvet runner on the stage and arranged two, sparkly white boxes. Henry thought he recognized them from the flower arrangements at the door.

Fashion show music played as Teague led Journey onto the stage. Journey looked adorable in his black tux jacket and bowtie.

The crowd cheered, the guests completely enchanted.

"This is my darling Journey. He was abandoned and living on the streets when a friend of Teague's found him. Due to malnutrition and stress, Journey had lost most of the hair on his body. As you can see, after a year of love and proper care, he has regrown most of his coat."

Henry picked Journey up and looked out over the crowd, stopping on his papa's face. "When an animal comes to us, they are not in the position to be adopted. They have health or behavioral issues that need to be addressed. If they were brought anywhere else, they would be put down with no chance at finding a home. This is because most people only see what is at the surface. They want a pretty dog to show off or a cat to play with only when they feel like it. The animals at our sanctuary don't fit into that perfect picture."

He smiled at his papa, a real smile this time. "We know better, though. Right? Pets give much more than what they receive. They aren't perfect. They may shed or make a mess. Maybe they aren't pretty or fluffy. Maybe they're a bit anti-social. That doesn't mean they don't deserve love."

The crowd applauded again.

Henry took Journey to the velvet run. "Journey had a rough beginning, but now, he's a smart boy who loves me, which makes me one lucky human."

He led Journey through their routine of tricks – running, jumping, and playing dead. Journey perched on top of one of the boxes. "Shake, baby boy," Henry said, laughing happily when Journey held up his paw. "Speak."

"Woof."

Henry hugged Journey as the crowd cheered again. "Without our sanctuary, Journey wouldn't be here with me. Neither would my chicken Sophie or my foul-mouthed parrot, Columbo. Furever Home Sanctuary is doing good work and can use all the help we can get." He smiled one last time. "Again, thank you so much for being here and for your donations. Enjoy the food, company, and music that my papa prepared for you."

The crowd clapped enthusiastically as he left the stage with Journey. Teague grabbed the puppy basket.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were surrounded by people who wanted to see the puppies and Journey. They shared stories of their pets with Teague and Henry and asked about the sanctuary.

"This year, we're planning on adding another goat barn specifically for dairy goats," Henry said. "We have about six at the moment that are lactating, but we don't have room to process their milk. I'd like to make goatmilk soap and sell it in town to bring in some a bit of money for the sanctuary."

"You would?" Teague asked, brows raised.

Henry flushed. "Yes, I would. We already sell chicken and duck eggs in town, but the more we can do, the better."

"There," Mrs. Riverty said, tapping her phone. Her daughter, Rosalie, hung over her shoulder. "I've donated on your website. When you get that goatmilk soap ready, send me some."

"Me too, Henny." Rosalie hugged him. "It's so good to see you."

The Webs approached them next and Audrey stepped forward to greet them. "I'll handle them," she whispered. "Juan seems to think they're not good for your mental health."

Henry leaned into Tomás's side, ignoring the Webs completely. "I really like Juan."

"Hmm," Tomás hugged him. "I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"You must be Tomás." Henry's papa approached, Rinaldo at his side. "Audrey told me about you."

"Papa." Henry nodded, voice cold. It would be a while before he forgave his papa for trying to hurt Teague.

Milton's eyes watered. "Oh, Henry. Don't look at me like that. I'm sorry. I let my pride control me."

"If you're sorry, prove it." Henry rested his head on Tomás's shoulder. "Come visit Hobson Hills next month."

Milton winced. "Isn't your father supposed to be there with that," he looked at Teague, "wonderful new husband of his?"

"Yes." Henry shrugged. "If you're sorry, come for the visit. You haven't even met Teague or his dad. You haven't seen my home either. Plus, it's going to be my birthday. Did you forget like usual?"

Milton sighed. "I'll be there, son."

Several hours later, Henry and Tomás lay in bed, Journey cuddled between them. Henry was exhausted. The emotional rollercoaster of the day was finally taking its toll.

"I can't wait to get home," he said, turning to look at Tomás.

Tomás smiled at him. "You were really good today. You know that, right? I could tell everyone was surprised."

"I'm not usually the family spokesperson." Henry sighed. "It felt good to talk about the sanctuary. I think if it had been any other subject, I would have choked."

"I'm proud of you." Tomás kissed him softly. "I think your papa really is sorry."

"I hope so." Henry frowned. "I don't usually stand up to him, but Teague didn't deserve to be treated like that."

"Always protecting everyone around you." Tomás kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you too." Henry closed his eyes with a smile, feeling sleep pulling at him. "Today was a good day."

"It really was," Tomás agreed and pulled him closer. "Surprisingly, it really was."