Page 11 of Sean

“Can I touch them? Ride them?” Lucy asked, her voice barely a whisper now.

“Horses spook easily around strangers so you’ve gotta be careful, but I’m sure we can find you a nice, calm horse to pet.” The family always kept some horses that were used for kids’ riding lessons. They were older animals known for their gentle and calm natures.

“Are we going to stay here?” Amos asked. Julia had gotten him out, and he was perched on her hip.

“For now. Isn’t it pretty?” She was taking it all in, and he wondered what it looked like from a photographer’s perspective. To him, it was both home and some place unfamiliar, which weirded him out.

“I guess,” the boy said as he rested his head against his aunt’s shoulder.

“Who are they?” Lucy asked from beside Sean. He swung his head to see his family coming from the house. His parents and his sisters. Three little girls, still in pajamas, followed them out. Those must be his nieces. The last time he’d seen them, the youngest had only been a baby.

“My family,” he said as Emmy broke free from the others and rushed toward him, her arms out wide. Before he knew it his younger sister had engulfed him in a hug. He didn’t have much choice but to hug her back, but it was…hard. Particularly with Emmy, JP’s twin. She was such a clear reminder of what the family had lost.

“You’re home.” Emmy released him and stepped back. “So happy you’re back. I’ve missed you.”

“It’s a surprise to see you,” Tara, his other sister, said. She’d always been the emotionally controlled one. She wasn’t unkind, just cautious, in the same way that Sean was.

“Good morning,” he greeted his family, trying to keep his voice calm. “I’d like you all to meet Julia, Lucy, and Amos.” He stuck to first names only. “They need a place to crash for a while.”

“Julia, kids, these are my parents, Joe and Kelly, and my sisters, Emmy and Tara.” He pointed them out as he made the introductions. “And Tara’s girls, Eden, Ally Mae, and Alice.” Tara shot him a glance as if surprised he knew her daughter’s names. He may have separated himself from his family, but he hadn’t forgotten them.

“Glad you made it here,” his father said. “Any trouble on the road?”

“None,” Sean answered. He understood what Joe was asking. Had they been followed? Had Sean been cautious not to lead danger to their door?

“Good,” Joe said, his tone gruff, before turning to Julia. “Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for allowing us to come,” Julia said. She put Amos on his feet, since the boy was squirming to get down. Sean’s nieces had already approached Lucy, and it seemed Amos wanted to meet the other kids, too. Soon, they were all chatting with each other.

“Dad told us you were on your way, but he didn’t say why.” Tara looked between Julia and Sean, waiting for a response. “Why now, Sean?”

“I…” Julia attempted to answer and trailed off with a glance at Sean.

“The man Julia and the kids were living with turned out to be dangerous,” Sean explained. “They need a safe place to be for now. There’s no safer place than here.”

“You’re right about that.” Tara turned from him to Julia, her hard edge softening. Despite her issues with Sean, at least it looked like she wouldn’t be taking it out on Julia. “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” Julia said.

“Looks like your girl is as horse crazy as mine are,” Tara commented. Eden was talking enthusiastically and gesturing to the horses in the pasture while Lucy stood, open-mouthed with amazement.

“She is.” Julia smiled, but it was shy and fleeting. Sean was trying to think of something to say to ease the moment when his mother jumped in.

“Why don’t we all get breakfast? I was just about to make pancakes for everyone. Come on inside.” Kelly gestured for them all to follow her and led the way into the house.

Once inside, he and his dad found extra chairs and put the leaf in the large farmhouse-style table, then the kids set it. Julia poured cups of orange juice and milk while his sisters helped with the food. They weren’t one big happy family, but it was better than standing in the driveway staring awkwardly at each other.

As he took a seat next to Julia and forked pancakes onto his plate, he flipped through his mind for safe topics of conversation. He couldn’t bring up JP or the SEALs. He didn’t want to talk about himself at all. A silence fell, even the kids were quietly eating. His dad was looking anywhere but at Sean, and his mother’s gaze was shifting between her husband and son.

“Has…um…the weather been nice here?” he asked, knowing that his question was inane and desperate sounding. But he was feeling desperate, desperate to leave, desperate to have his privacy—and yet, at the same time, desperate to help the woman who sat next to him. Julia was taking tiny bites of food, keeping her focus on her plate.

“Who cares about that?” Emmy responded to him. “Tell us how you two met and how long you’ve been together.”

“We’re not together,” he said quickly.

“It’s not like that,” Julia added with a glance at him before she averted her eyes.

“I’m just helping Julia out. Temporarily.” Sean wanted to be clear on that. His family didn’t need to be reading anything into a situation that wasn’t there. He felt compelled to protect Julia and the kids, and he couldn’t deny he was attracted to her, but under no circumstances was he going to act on that. He didn’t form bonds with others anymore—that was a sure way of getting hurt. He’d keep her safe until the danger had passed and go back to his solitary life. That was going to be tough, since his family probably thought that he was looking to get back into the fold. He wasn’t. This visit wasn’t about re-establishing a connection he’d severed. It was purely for safety for Julia and the kids.

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