Page 7 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“Yes.” I open the passenger door, anxious to be on my way. “I’ll find my way to the house when I’m done there. Tomorrow, I’ll work on renting a car.”

Jamie slips into the driver's seat. “Let’s go.”

I know seeing my parents will make me happy, but the first emotion I feel when I get out of Jamie’s car is shame. Everything has changed, and guilt consumes me that I wasn’t here when the changes happened. How could I have stayed away so long?

The front porch has been redecorated, and there’s a beautiful rose bush garden out front. It’s pretty, but it brings tears to my eyes, and I squash them back. “Thanks, Jamie.” I peek at him through the window. “I’ll keep you updated. Okay?”

“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later.” He waves at me before driving off. I walk up the driveway and jog onto the porch before knocking tentatively on the door.

“Who’s there?” My mom calls, and there’s the sharp prick of tears at the back of my eyes again. “Evie? Is that you?”

“No,” I croak, then clear my throat. “It’s me. Sean.”

“What?” There’s a rush of footsteps, and then the door flings open. My mother is standing in front of me in a casual floral dress, her brown hair held back in a tight bun. There are new frown lines on her face, but otherwise, she looks healthy and happy.

Her mouth opens in surprise when she sees me, and her eyes immediately turn glassy and start to overflow. My heart constricts. I feel the tears I’ve been holding back run down my face. I wipe them away.

“Sean?” She makes no move toward me, and I stay put, too, even though I desperately want to embrace her. My parents and I talk on the phone once a week, but that obviously can’t compare to the joy of standing in front of them. Then, like she snaps out of a trance, she turns her head and shouts into the house.

“Mark! Come over here! Come see who it is!”

Laughter escapes me, and I shake my head. “Mom. Can I come in?”

She lunges at me and wraps her arms around me, her body shaking as she dissolves into tears. “Oh, I can’t believe it’s you,” she cries, and I bite down on my lips to stop tears from falling again.

There’s movement at the corner of my eye, and I look up to see my dad shuffle toward the door. Our gazes meet, and he freezes on the spot, his eyes widening.

“Sean?”

“Yes, sir.” My mom pulls away from me and drags me into the house before shutting the door. I hurry toward my dad and hold out my hand to shake his, but he swats my hand away and embraces me. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, son.”

“It’s so good to see you too, Dad.”

“Come, come, are you hungry? We were just getting ready for dinner.” My mom leads me toward the dining table and presses me into a chair. It’s barely five, but I don’t mind that dinner is a little early. I miss my mother’s meals, and my mouth is beginning to water just thinking about it. Dad sits across the table from me as Mom begins to fill our plates.

“Evelyn is going to be so excited to see you,” my dad chuckles. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she arrives.”

“I already stopped by Bake My Day to see her,” I tell him with a laugh. “She was so excited.”

“Of course she was.” My mom hands me a plate of chicken alfredo and some fresh roasted vegetables. I immediately dig in. “We’ve all missed you so much. Don’t you ever stay away that long again. Okay?” She hands a plate to my dad and prepares hers.

“I won’t,” I say honestly. “I promise.”

As we eat, Mom and Dad make small talk, catching me up on what’s been happening in Willow Falls. I can feel the happiness and excitement radiating off them in waves at my return. As happy as it makes me, I also feel even more guilty that I put them through this. All the time I was away, they never complained or bothered me about my absence, but now I can tell how much they missed me. I can’t change the past. I’m here now, and I won’t leave for this long ever again.

“How’s Liam?” I ask, taking the last bite of my food. I wash it down with a glass of iced tea. My stomach is full and I feel a sense of contentment come over me that settles deep in my soul. There is nothing like being around family

“Do you want some more?” My mom asks, pointing to my empty plate. I contemplate it briefly before shaking my head. As much as I want to eat more of mom’s home cooking, I have to prioritize keeping in shape. It’s part of what makes me the rom-com actor Sean O’Connell.

“Liam is great,” my mom answers and lets out a sad sigh.

Liam, my younger brother by four years, is in the army and has been for quite a while. It’s surprising to see how different our careers as O’Connell siblings are, but we’ve all been very different, even as kids. While Evelyn and I were tame and refined, Liam was wild and intense. He never liked the easy way, and it didn’t surprise anyone when he showed interest in joining the army fresh out of high school. My mom balked and resisted, but there was no stopping Liam when his heart was set on something. So off he went.

“We don’t speak to him often because he’s never in one place for long,” Dad says. “But he always makes sure to call us whenever he can.”

“Good news is,” my mom flashes me a smile, “He’s not reenlisting and will be home in a few months, so we’ll see more of him.”

“Really?” I perk up. “That’s great.”

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