Page 45 of Born To Be My Baby

Gloria swallowed the large knot that just formed in her throat. She inhaled and held her breath for a moment and then exhaled slowly. She looked into Sean's eyes. She loved looking into his eyes.

Looking into his eyes was like being transported back into time. Like things had never changed.

He had a few lines around his face, a few around his eyes, his mouth. But he was still, maybe even more, handsome now. Yes, for sure, more handsome now. He'd filled out. He wasn't the boy he was before. He was a man, a sexy, incredible, handsome man. And they had history.

She nodded her head. "I want to forgive you also. I've had a twenty-four-seven reminder of you for the past twenty-five years. Longer if you count the pregnancy. And I've never stopped loving you, either."

She saw a tear slip down Sean's cheek. He brushed it away quickly.

And then he froze like he was afraid to move, afraid to break a spell, afraid of something. She bit her bottom lip and swallowed again. The emotion continued to fill her throat.

She slowly turned to Mina. "I guess I should ask you the same question, Mina. Are you willing to forgive me?"

Mina's tears were instant. They flowed from both of her eyes. She grabbed her napkin next to her tray and wiped out her eyes. She sniffed. And she swallowed. And when she looked up at her, her eyes were red rimmed, her lips quivering. She said, "Yeah, I want my family together. And I can't do that if I'm going to continually be mad at you. So yeah, I can forgive you. But like Dad, there are going to be times when things are going to make me angry because I feel like I've missed something, or we should have something together. And then maybe I'll go take a walk too. I’ve never written a song, but I might sing one of Dad’s."

Gloria froze.

Mina's eyes landed on her father's, and they stared at each other for a long time. And then her lips turned up into a smile.

And Sean chuckled.

"Touché, Mina girl, touché."

She let the air whoosh from her lungs. Maybe they were close to healing after all.

Mina said, "When I get released tomorrow, where are we going to go?"

It was the first time Sean moved in a while. He said, "I'd like you to come to my house."

And he looked over at her, "Both of you. I'd like you both to come to my house. I'd like us to spend some time together and have the opportunity to talk without the daily grind and reporters and worrying about certain things. I'd like us to be together. But I have a problem. And that problem is right up here." He tapped his noggin with the first two fingers of his right hand.

"I have words to songs flowing through my brain like they're rushing from a fireman's hose. Jami called me while I was downstairs, and I told him I'd meet him at the Barn at noon tomorrow to get some of these words out of my head. And so here's the problem. I want to spend time with you ladies, but there are just times that the music starts flowing and I have to get it out. And I'm going to need your patience while that happens because, honest to God, I can't think of much else while that's all going on. And so if I can promise to only be gone for a few hours, give you two time to settle in, take a nap, watch a movie, I promise to be home early enough that we can eat together and talk some more. And such is the life with the creative. Are you both ready?"

Gloria smiled. "I think maybe under the circumstances that would be all right, all of us being under the same roof twenty-four-seven might not be a great idea so soon. So having you leave for a little while might not be a bad idea. And while we're both still so sore, maybe it will be good to lay around and watch some movies and not do much of anything. Mina, are you with me?"

Mina smiled, and it was bright and it was beautiful and his heart beat so fast when he saw the happiness on his daughter's face.

"I want to see Dad's house."

Sean shook his head slowly and looked at the floor. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you, it's not much. I mean, it's got great bones. It's a nice house. I have done zero with it. Zero. I mean, I moved some furniture in and that doesn't even match. But I'm home so little and it never really felt like my home. So it was a place for me to go and sleep when I wasn't sleeping in the Barn."

Mina's head turned to Gloria's. "Mom, let's decorate Dad's house."

Gloria started laughing. "Oh, my God, Mina, we better just give your dad a couple months to get used to us being around first before we start changing up his entire life."

"Okay." She pushed her bottom lip out in a pout and he grinned.

35

They arrived back at Sean's house at eight-fifteen according to her watch. They'd visited with Mina for a couple of hours, until she fell asleep, then she and Sean made the trek back home. He drove slowly and carefully, almost to the point that it irritated her. She just wanted to get back home. To Sean's. Being jostled around in the car and wearing the seat belt rattled her nerves. The seat belt pressed on her bruises, the cars coming at them made her nervous, and every time Sean looked up in the rearview mirror, she tensed up. Plus, she was tired of being nervous. She was exhausted, actually.

He held the door for her, and she smiled. Really, it had been so long. But even in his college days, he was chivalrous, and that always thrilled her. The house still smelled of lasagna, and though it was delicious, she wasn't hungry. She slowly neared the brown leather sofa and sat down gently. The smell of the leather, one she'd always loved, wrapped around her. She leaned back and closed her eyes. "Oh, my God, I'm so tired."

Sean sat next to her, the dip in the sofa and the sound of the leather beneath him a giveaway. "Me, too. Do you want to watch television for a little while? Do you want to go to bed? What do you want to do?"

She opened her eyes and bit her bottom lip. Going to bed meant sleeping together. Maybe. She wasn't sure. Although they had napped together today, it was nice being wrapped in the cocoon of his arms. Suddenly feeling awkward, she hesitated.

Sean sighed. "Look, if you don't want to sleep in the same bed with me, I have a guest bedroom. But I'm not an animal. I know you're sore and so am I. I'm in my fifties, Gloria. I don't think I need to explain that further. I simply like being near you."

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