Page 6 of Sean
Chapter 2
Two weeks later
Sean stretched beneath the sheets, releasing a scent that was both comforting and confusing.With his face buried in the pillow, he drew in a deep breath, inhaling a mixture of flowers and sunshine that reminded him of home.But above the comfort of home, something sour stirred.
Brittany was allergic to scented laundry products.
He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his bleary eyes.The soft morning light filtering through the blinds illuminated the room.
Home.
He was home.
Not the home that he and Brittany had made, but his childhood home.
Shame stirred underneath the fatigue.He was a twenty-eight-year-old man who, instead of standing on his own two feet, had come running home to his parents like a whipped puppy.Would this move accomplish anything?Running from Ohio wouldn’t cure his grief.He’d just relocated it.
His gaze traveled the space that he’d been too tired to care about the night before.His old desk crouched in the corner of the room, a stack of books resting in the shadows.A five-drawer chest, its surface covered in trophies of all shapes and sizes.Walls papered in old sports posters and event flyers.
Sean sank back into the full-sized mattress and twisted.The thing still felt molded to his form after all these years.He stretched and yawned, surprised at how well he’d slept.The drive that should have lasted fourteen hours had taken him two days, thanks to juggling little Jace’s needs.It had been an exercise in patience.Jace was a good baby, but he was at the age where he wanted nearly constant attention.Sometimes his wants were really loud.
They’d pulled into his parents’ driveway in Garfield at eleven the night before.The second the car stopped, Jace screamed at the top of his lungs.
Mom and Dad had been waiting for them at the open front door, and even before Sean could free himself from the seatbelt and climb from behind the wheel, Mom had rushed to the furious little boy in the back seat.
“Come to Nana, sweet baby.”Mom fumbled with the straps, the unfamiliar task made harder by the straining little boy and the dim glow of the dome light.“Hush now.Let me get you out of this thing and we’ll go into the house.”
Sean slipped from the car and stepped into his father’s welcoming embrace, grateful to have the arduous drive behind him.
Dad thumped him on the back.“Good to have you home, son.”
“Good to be home.”Sean released his father as the cries from the back became more impatient.“Here, let me do it.”He gently nudged his mom out of the way.In a couple of practiced moves, the straps separated and Sean was able to scoop his son free.When he stood, his mom held out her arms.
“Give me.”She reached for her grandson.
But Jace burrowed deeper into his father’s arms.
