After we had boarded the plane and gotten settled in our spacious seats, we all realized how exhausted we were. None of us had slept much since the night before, with the exception of little cat naps. Now we'd have at least ten hours in the air and hopefully we could get some rest. The stewardess brought us full-sized pillows and heavy blankets. I was really enjoying the perks of first-class flying. Harry reclined his seat and I snuggled in close to him, much like I had during the blizzard. He wrapped both arms around me and we both fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up several hours later with the sounds of flight buzzing around me – the constant drone of the engines, the soft conversation of those passengers who weren't sleeping, and the quiet questions being answered by the flight attendants. It all faded into a buzz around my head because I was only listening to one thing: Harry's heartbeat. His chest lightly rose and fell as he slept, and his heartbeat was soft and steady. I was overwhelmingly grateful to be with him like this again, even though the circumstances that brought us to this were quite tragic. I closed my eyes and was lulled back to sleep by his rhythm.

A few hours later, I felt Harry stroking my hair. I opened my eyes and he asked quietly, "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, quite hungry, actually," I said sitting up. It didn't seem like we had been in the air for a full night, but it was already light outside, and I noticed that Charlie and Courtney were already eating breakfast. Then I remembered the time change. We had effectively flown five hours into the future.

Harry waved an attendant over and ordered some food and coffee for us. "How much longer until we land?" I asked.

"'Bout two hours, I think," Harry answered.

"We slept a long time, didn't we?" I smiled, still feeling a little drowsy, but rested.

"I had the best sleep I've had in a long time," Harry remarked.

"On an airplane?" I asked incredulously.

"With you in my arms," he clarified.

My heart felt warm and content with his comment.

The last two hours passed quickly and we soon landed at Heathrow. "Is anyone picking you up?" I asked.

"Yes," Charlie answered. "Our chauffeur will take us to our place."

When Charlie said "our place," I imagined maybe a swanky townhouse. I remember Harry mentioning an "estate," I thought he was referring to the entirety of his family's home and possessions. I was in no way prepared for an actual sprawling English estate.

I had to work hard to keep my jaw from hanging open. It seemed we drove for ten minutes from the front gate to the front door. I thought to myself what a step down it was for Harry and Charlie to live in the house next door, a modest 2000 square foot ranch, in what was considered to be a borderline upscale neighborhood on the outskirts of the Twin Cities. In comparison to their home in England, the house next door to mine seemed like a shack.

The chauffeur stopped, and Harry jumped out excitedly – he was clearly happy to be back home, even if it was to attend his father's funeral. He held his hand out to me and helped me out of the car. The towering french doors swung open and a middle-aged woman came running out. Charlie exclaimed, "Aunt Bev!" and he hugged her tightly. They both began to cry and it didn't take long before I felt the familiar wetness forming in my own eyes. Harry took his turn hugging Aunt Bev, and then he turned to introduce me to her.

"Aunt Bev, this is Lise," he said.

"Oh, so you're the lovely Lise. Harry has told me so much about you," she gushed. "Thank you for coming with the boys. This isn't the happiest of occasions, to be sure, but I'm so glad you're here."

"Thank you for having me," I said. "I'm so sorry for your loss. Your brother was a good friend of mine."

"Thank you, dear," she said. "Now, Nana is inside waiting for you."

We left our bags on the front step, and I asked Harry if I should bring mine inside.

"Don't worry about it. The servants will get them," he said in all seriousness.

I followed Harry and Charlie inside to a small sitting room. There sat an elderly lady whose face lit up when she saw the boys.

"Nana!" Harry said, lunging into her outstretched arms. "I'm so sorry, Nana."

"I know, darling, I'm sorry too. He was your daddy and we'll all miss him." She kissed him on his forehead and then said, "Come here, Charlie boy!" Charlie obediently knelt in front of her and hugged her.

"Well, we had such a nice time on New Year's Eve, didn't we? I told you boys to come back soon, but I certainly didn't want it to be under these circumstances." Nana smiled.

"New Year's Eve?" I interjected.

"Oh, yeah," Charlie laughed. "Nana came to the pubs with us and got wasted," he teased.

"Don't go telling stories, Charlie boy. We went and had one drink, and then we came back here where I crushed you at Scrabble. Tell it it like it is!" I had to laugh at Nana's spunk. Then she looked at me and asked, "Are you Lise?"

"Oh, yes, I apologize. Harold was a good friend of mine – I'm so sorry for your loss. Charlie and Harry are good friends, too, and I'm grateful to be here for all of you."

It wasn't long before the family was plunged into meetings with lawyers and the funeral director. I stayed by Harry's side as much as I thought he'd want me to, but at one point, he smiled and said, "I can't believe you're at my home. Why don't you explore a bit? This must not be much fun for you."

I took him up on his offer, but not before telling him, "Please find me if you need me."

He placed a kiss on my forehead and said, "I will." I was glad to see that he seemed a bit more peaceful, although I knew the worst was still to come. Harry hadn't seen his father yet.

I wandered through the palatial estate, marveling at how down-to-earth Harry and Charlie were, considering that they had grown up like royalty in this mansion with servants and chauffeurs. I walked slowly up the curved staircase, looking out through the multi-story windows that afforded a spectacular view of the gardens behind the house. When I reached the top of the staircase, there was a long hallway with several doors on either side. I peeked into the first door on the left and noticed Harry's suitcase just inside the doorway. I didn't want to be nosy, but I wandered in a little bit. I was surprised at the décor. The walls were covered in tasteful blue and green pin-striped wallpaper, and the carpet was a luxurious midnight blue, but there was a definite teenage boy feel about the room – posters, soccer trophies, a huge stereo.

I left the room quickly, not wanting to be too nosy. I found that my bags had been placed in the room one door down from Harry's. I smiled at the tastefully (and expensively) decorated room. It was obviously intended for a female guest, outfitted in pinks and lavenders, but it was very sophisticated.

Near the windows, there was an immense four-poster bed with an antique white quilt on it. I couldn't wait to lie down and sleep a bit as the trip was already taking its toll on me. But I was still too curious and wanted to explore the house thoroughly. I quickly made my way to the end of the hall, peeking into all the rooms. I blushed when I realized that Charlie's and Courtney's bags had been placed in the same room, remembering what Harry had told me about them. I assumed that they would be a bit more subdued on this trip.

As I wandered back down the steps, I know I should have felt the weight of grief, but Nana had given me a glimmer of hope. Harry really was in England for New Year's Eve. That meant that Victoria had blatantly lied to me. And I was starting to think she had told me more than just one lie.

I walked into a spacious sitting room with a massive fireplace and a baby grand piano. I noticed a rather large portrait sitting on the mantle of the fireplace. I looked more closely and I could tell it was Harry's mum. She was was beautiful. I was surprised that he hadn't shown me pictures of her before. Harry bore a strong resemblance to her.

I was gazing at her strong features when I heard Harry's soft voice. "That's my mum."

"She was lovely, Harry," I said.

"Thank you. We're going over to the funeral home now. It's customary for the family to see the deceased before welcoming visitors."

"Oh, okay," I said, thinking it would be strictly family from what he said. "I'll just make myself comfortable here, then."

"No, Lise," he said, putting his arms around me. "I want you there. And you are family."

When Harry saw his father lying in a satin-lined casket, he lost every bit of composure he had since he first told me that his father had passed away. He laid his head on Harold's chest and wept bitterly. Charlie went to him and wrapped his arms around his brother, both of them sobbing and consoling each other. Nana and Aunt Bev approached, weeping uncontrollably as well, and they said their good-byes while Harry and Charlie flanked them protectively. Courtney and I stood back, holding each other, crying for Harold and crying for the men we loved.

Harry's family spent a considerable amount of time just crying, soothing each other, and then crying some more. I never understood how family members managed to look so calm and collected when visitors came to offer their condolences. But now it made sense to me. The family was given this first extended period of time to go through the first phase of shock and grief before the visitation and the funeral. It was horribly gut-wrenching, yet cleansing in a way.

When they finally walked away from the casket, I approached Harold's body. I'd seen dead people before, but I'd never lost someone so close to my own age or someone I had known so well. It was hard to believe that he wasn't really there. More tears began sliding down my face and soon my chest was sucking in as I gasped for air through my sobs. Harold had his faults for sure, but I would still miss him. He was my friend.

Harry came and put his arms around me, just holding me and nuzzling my face from behind. He held me until I stopped crying. As I walked away from the casket, I said my farewell in my mind: Good-bye Harold. Thank you for being my friend. And thank you for giving me Harry.

We arrived back at Harry's estate after family visitation. He looked terrible. His face was drawn and his hair was stringy. I didn't think he had eaten since we were on the plane, and I tried to force him to get something into his stomach. I opened the massive refrigerator and looked around inside.

"Harry, I want you to eat something, but I don't recognize anything in here!" I laughed.

Harry laughed unexpectedly. That spark was back – the spark that made him uniquely Harry. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt. Then he stood up to grab me around the waist. "Thanks, Lise. It feels good to laugh. I'll just have some of this." He let go of me and pulled out a container of juice, pouring himself a glass. "Do you want some?"

I shook my head. "Please eat something, Harry."

"I will. I'll be alright. I'm just tired."

As soon as he had chugged the glass of juice, he surprised me by wrapping his arms around my waist again and pulling me tightly to himself. Before I knew what was happening, he kissed me. I wanted to resist, thinking about our one-year agreement, but I just couldn't. I wanted him so badly, so I kissed him back with everything I had.

He pulled away from the kiss and gripped me lower, around my hips, and lifted me up to him, catching my lips with his again. My heart completely stopped and then it took off racing.

I had missed Harry's kisses so much, even though we hadn't kissed very many times. It seemed that now, I couldn't get enough of him.

He held me so tightly and kissed me so deeply that I forgot everything else in the world. I forgot the fact that Harold was lying in a casket. I forgot the fact that Victoria had been so vicious and deceitful. I forgot all the months of agony, waiting for Harry to find himself and fearing that I had lost him. All I knew in that moment was Harry kissing me. Loving me.

He set me back down for a moment. He tucked his hand under my chin and lifted my face up to meet his gaze. "Lise," he whispered. Then he kissed me lightly and took me by the hand, clearly wanting me to follow him out of the kitchen. We walked up the winding staircase and when we reached the landing, he hesitated, but then kept pulling me along. We stopped by the door of my bedroom.

He opened the door, gently ushered me in, and then locked it behind us.

I was starting to realize what he wanted, and I couldn't bring myself to resist him because I wanted it just as much, and because he seemed to need me so desperately. As soon as the door was locked, he hungrily attacked my neck with kisses, breathing heavily into my ear. His hands roamed up and down my sides and I just closed my eyes and reveled in the attention he was giving me. Soon, one hand made its way to my breast and I squeaked a little from surprise. He laughed. "Sorry," he said.

Then he stood back and looked down at me. He cautiously moved his hands to the top button of my shirt.

"Harry, I don't think we should-"

"Please, Lise," he said, practically begging. Then he leaned and skimmed his lips over my ear, whispering, "Please."

I had no resolve left. I had missed Harry terribly, and he needed me. So I gave up any lingering resistance. I slid Harry's shirt off his shoulders and lifted his t-shirt over his head. We undressed each other in silence.

And then I let Harry make love to me.