Page 24 of Blame It On the Secret Santa

Sixteen

Sean

My body was tense andrigid as I sat at the table, unsure how to act around my brother’s wife and two little girls as they joined us for dinner. I found the missing decorations my mom had been looking for and helped her finish putting them up while Declan worked with my dad to restock the wood for the fireplace.

Stephanie and the girls arrived a few hours ago, but I’d purposely made myself busy to avoid having to interact with anyone. When my mother said my brother would be coming to town for Christmas, she could have mentioned that he had a family he was bringing with him. I knew that she had wanted to keep her distance from the fight we had going on between us, but this was important information, and I hated being blindsided by it.

“Can you pass the gravy?” my mother asked after handing the bowl of mashed potatoes to Stephanie. I reached for it at the same time as my brother, pulling my hand away before he could touch it.

“Daddy, can you open this for me?” Jocelyn asked, handing me her bottle of apple juice.

“Umm,” I said, frowning as I looked at it. I didn’t mind opening it for her, but I didn’t want her to continue thinking I was her father.

“That’s Uncle Sean,” my mother replied, not bothering to ask if I minded that they called me that. Sure, I was technically their uncle, but that didn’t mean I was ready to wear the title. “And yes, he can open it for you, Jocelyn.”

I pushed out a quick breath and then gently took the bottle from her little hands. Once it was opened, I gave it back, watching to make sure she didn’t spill it before setting it on the table beside her food.

“Why does he look like daddy then?” Carly asked, pointing at me.

“Because he’s your daddy’s twin brother. They are identical twins, which means they look a lot alike. Just like you girls,” Stephanie explained, brushing a strand of brown hair out of her daughter’s face.

“How are we supposed to know who is daddy then?” Jocelyn questioned, her curiosity valid.

“Well...” Stephanie started, looking at my brother with pinched brows.

“You just call me daddy, and I’ll answer,” my brother replied before taking a bite of his food.

“Or, you can look at their eyes,” my mother added. “Your daddy has a small mole right by his left eye, and Uncle Sean does not.”

Both girls turned to look at their dad’s face before turning to study mine. I could only imagine how confusing it was for them to find out that their dad had a twin brother and seeing me for the first time. Stephanie seemed to know about me, but I had no idea what all Declan had told her about why we weren’t close anymore or if he had told her the real reason for our falling out twelve years ago.

“So,” my mother said, changing the subject. “Your father and I are heading over early to get seats for the parade tomorrow. Sean, you’re welcome to ride with us if you’d like to. I’m sure you remember how busy it used to get when you still lived here, but it’s even bigger now, and parking is hard to find.”

“Yeah. Sure. Sounds great.” I took a bite and tried to swallow but nearly choked when she continued.

“Declan, you guys can meet us here and then follow us over. That way, we can all sit together for the parade.”

I closed my eyes and tried to hold back the groan that desperately wanted to come out. I knew my brother would likely want to take the girls to the parade so they could see the reindeer and Santa, but I didn’t expect us to be doingeverythingas a family. It was hard enough pretending to like him when no one was around, but it was pure torture to put on a fake act for his daughters.

Once everyone finished with dinner, I volunteered to do the dishes so I could avoid having to be around Declan. I was filling the sink with hot water when I noticed someone standing beside me at the sink.

“I know that you need space from everyone, but would you mind if I helped you with dishes? I could really use a break right now,” Stephanie said with a heavy sigh.

“Umm. Sure.”

I didn’t know her well and didn’t want to be rude by telling her no.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, my innate desire to fix everything rising to the surface from the sound of distress I recognized in her voice.

“Yeah. It’s just hard this time of year, know what I mean?” She pushed the sleeves of her sweater up and looked at me as we stood side by side at the sink. “Sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “Of course you don’t know what I mean. You didn’t even know we existed until a few hours ago and now some strange woman who’s married to your brother wants to babble on about the stress of the holidays with two small children.”

She laughed nervously and reached for the stack of plates sitting on the counter.

“How about I wash and you dry?” I offered, noticing how out of place she looked and not wanting to cause her any more stress.

“Okay. I can put things away, too, if you let me know where they go.”

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