Eighteen | Sean
Eighteen
Sean
“O kay, where to next ?” I asked as I looked down at both of my nieces holding my hands. I had no idea how I had gotten roped into this, but I also found that I didn’t mind one bit. While my relationship with my brother was strained, there was a love deep inside of me for these two little girls and I wasn’t about to let my issues with him taint my new relationship with them.
“Can we go feed the reindeer again?” Carly asked, looking up at me with blue eyes that mirrored mine.
“I think the reindeer are too full to eat anything else right now,” my mom said from behind us.
I glanced over my shoulder to find her with her phone pointed at us as she took a picture.
“I’m tired of not having the memories I want to cherish,” she explained with a stern look, not that I was going to object. If anything, I would be sure to find somewhere festive where the girls and I could sit so she could get a better picture. Then, I would bug her until she printed a copy for me to hang proudly in my house.
“We could go get some lunch,” Stephanie suggested as she and Declan walked beside my parents.
It felt weird being at Frosty Fest in general, but even more so being there with my entire family. We had plenty of people stop us to say hi and meet Declan’s girls, but it was almost as if the past twelve years had passed in the blink of an eye.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Declan agreed. “They turn into little monsters when they get hungry.”
The girls started giggling as he reached forward and tickled their sides.
“I’ll get Joceyln, and you get Carly. Whoever gets there last is a rotten egg,” he said, nodding to me. I had no idea what he was talking about, but then he reached down and pulled Jocelyn onto his shoulders. She laughed even harder as he held onto her hands to keep her steady.
“Oh, we’re racing now?” I said, surprised by the joy that was pushing a smile across my face. “You ready to beat them?” I asked Carly, looking down at her as I realized I was unsure how to get her on my shoulders without hurting her.
“Here, let me help you,” Stephanie offered, clearly seeing the dilemma I was facing. I bent down, waiting as she carefully put Carly on my shoulders. Following Declan’s lead, I held onto her hands and made sure she was steady.
“On your mark. Get set. Go!” my mother said, squealing as I almost bumped into her to get around my brother.
It was too packed in the mall to be doing this, but the way the girls were laughing kept me from caring. We zoomed in between tables, neither of us sure where to go.
“Over there,” Carly instructed, pointing to a sign with a chicken wearing a hat.
“You got it!” I held her tightly as I weaved around a few tables and then jumped into the line before Declan could.
“Sucker,” I teased, glancing over my shoulder as he came up behind us, out of breath like I was.
“You cheated.”
“How so?”
“You knew where the chicken place was.”
“Not really. I don’t come to the mall often, and this was never here when we were growing up. I just went where Carly told me to go, so you’ll have to be mad at her for us beating you guys.”
Declan bent down and helped Jocelyn off of his shoulders before pulling Carly down from mine. The girls stood in front of us as they talked about what they wanted for lunch. I wasn’t sure what yummy sauce was, but they knew for sure that they wanted it.
“Thanks for being nice to my girls,” Declan said quietly with a soft smile. “I know you don’t care for me much, but I’m really grateful that you’re not letting my girls see it.”
I felt my jaw tense as I thought about how to respond to him. It had been over twelve years since our falling out, but that didn’t erase seventeen years of him being my best friend.
“They deserve to get to know their uncle,” I replied, keeping my focus ahead of me instead of looking at him. “Even if I missed the first four years of their lives.”
“It wasn’t like you would have answered your phone to talk to me if I would have called to tell you about them.”
“Probably not. But I still would have liked to know.”
“I’m sorry.”
I nodded, letting a slow, deep breath leave my lungs.
“For everything, Sean. I’m sorry for all of the hurt I’ve caused and for ruining what you had with Cassidy. I was stupid back then, and I should have done the right thing. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret what I did. If I could go back in time and make it right, I would.”
The line started moving, giving me the space I needed to process what he said while he ordered food for his family.