Chapter 15
Six days after the party and with only a week remaining until Christmas, the unpredictable Oklahoma weather blessed Garfield with a serious cold snap. Temperatures hovered in the mid-thirties, but that didn’t stop the operation in his new apartment.
“Lift your end just a little higher,” Sean said as he struggled to keep his gloved fingers from losing their grip on his end of the couch.
“Remind me why we’re doing this today?” Benjamin’s voice was ragged and breathless as he struggled with the heavy piece of furniture.
“Can we talk about this when we’re in the apartment?
Just one more inch on your end. What are you, a wimp?
” Apparently the mild insult was all the encouragement Benjamin needed.
Sean almost lost his footing as his brother put his back into the chore and surged forward.
They cleared the front door and set it down, both men breathing heavily. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Before Benjamin could answer, Monica and Kinsley materialized from the kitchen, where they’d been organizing cabinets. Monica motioned to the west wall while Kinsley looked, deliberately, at the south.
Monica frowned at her very pregnant friend. “Really, if we put it on the west wall, it’ll open the room up and make it look bigger.”
“Maybe,” Kinsley said. “But the south wall is longer, and there’s more room for the end tables.”
Benjamin groaned and bent to grasp the end of the couch. “Come on, bro.”
Sean pulled his gloves off with his teeth and tossed them on the couch. “I haven’t decided where I want it.”
“You’re kidding right?” Benjamin grunted as he picked up his end and swung it south.
“You forfeited your opinion the moment you allowed these women in the room. Now, we have to let them see it in both places so that they can come to an agreement. It’s one of those unwritten laws in the female handbook of conduct. ”
Things had been much better between Sean and Benjamin over the last week. His brother could still be an insufferable goofball, but Sean’s talk with Monica had cleared away a lot of his bitterness.
Ten minutes later, the couch sat in the middle of the room while the women, having seen both arrangements, discussed Sean’s living room decor among themselves.
The sofa had been the last big piece of furniture. The men carried in a few boxes, a couple of lamps, and the end tables Kinsley had been so worried about. On their third trip, they found the women sitting on the sofa with satisfied looks on their faces.
“Well?” Sean asked. “West or South?”
“Neither,” Monica said. “This room is so long that we’ve decided that you should leave it here, turned away from the kitchen. It’ll make a nice division between the spaces. I saw a coat tree and a small shelf in the spare bedroom. You should arrange those by the door.”
If he didn’t like it, he could always change it once the women were gone. He motioned to Benjamin. “Let’s get it done.”
They settled the sofa in place just as Bobbie and Caleb came up the hall from the bedrooms. Caleb tucked a pair of pliers and a screwdriver into his back pocket. “The crib and the bed are put together.”
“And I took the liberty of putting the linens on,” Bobbie said. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? Not even a little.” Sean looked around his new apartment.
It was a mess with boxes stacked against the wall and most of the furniture out of place, but it was taking shape.
With every piece that fell into place, he could see himself building a life here.
When he picked Jace up tonight, they wouldn’t be coming back to an empty set of rooms, they’d be coming home.
Monica stepped to his side and he draped an arm around her shoulders in comfortable companionship.
The warmth generated by her presence still surprised him, but he liked it.
He didn’t know where his life went from here, but he wanted to see how Monica fit into the puzzle.
As far as he was concerned, that was a huge step forward.
Monica nudged him in the ribs, and Sean focused on Bobbie. “I’ve recently been informed of the female rules where home organization is concerned.” He waved a hand. “Feel free.”
Bobbie rubbed her hands together and bounced up onto her toes. “Dangerous words, my friend, dangerous words.”
The bell rang, and Benjamin rushed to open the door. “That’s got to be the pizza guy. I’m starving.”
“You were born starving.” Sean laughed as he headed into the kitchen. He opened a few cabinets but didn’t find what he was looking for. “Monica, I’m gonna need a guided tour in here. Where are the glasses and the paper plates?”
***
MONICA STUDIED THE results of her handiwork.
She straightened an ornament and spread a little more tinsel in a bare spot.
The Christmas tree was perfect. Lights twinkled around Sean’s eclectic collection of ornaments.
They’d been packed with such care, it was apparent they were more than just decorations.
Her hands had shaken a bit as she’d handled some of the more delicate pieces, afraid that if she broke one, it would be impossible to replace.
But now that she was finished, the tree looked amazing in its spot beside the fireplace.
The room was still mostly disorganized. But the box of ornaments hadn’t been all that she’d found earlier. There’d also been a box with Christmas themed pillows and a few snowmen. She’d placed those in strategic spots as well. Sean could always move them around if he chose.
Her girlfriends had come and gone, but Monica lingered, wanting to make this first moment special for Sean and Jace.
She heard a key in the lock. She turned, and with the tree as her backdrop and her nervous hands clasped in front of her, she waited.
The door swung open and before she even saw Sean, she heard his puzzled voice.
“Monica, why are you still here?”
She remained silent. She’d known that her car in the parking lot would give her presence away, but she wanted to maintain as much of the surprise as she could. When Sean stepped through the door, there was definitely surprise on his face, but it wasn’t the pleasant expression she’d hoped for.
Sean stared past her, then turned to look at the rest of the room. He set Jace on the couch, removing his coat before he unzipped his own. It seemed as if time slowed to a crawl during those seconds. Monica didn’t have to be told that she’d overstepped.
“You’ve been busy. How did you get back in?” The tone of his voice fell somewhere between displeasure and disbelief.
Monica twisted her fingers. “Um...your mom gave Kinsley the spare key, a grocery list, and her credit card. She told us to go to the grocery store once we were finished unpacking and get everything needed to stock your kitchen.” Her voice was nervous and unsure as she continued.
“I hope you’re not mad at your mother. She meant it as a surprise.
While we were at the store, I saw this tree and I remembered the box of ornaments and other decorations.
I wanted to surprise you with something special.
” Monica dug in her pocket, retrieved the spare key, and held it out to Sean.
“Once we unpacked the groceries I stayed to decorate the tree.”
Sean took a few slow steps forward and gazed at her handiwork.
When his back was turned, Jace climbed down from the couch and ran toward Monica with his arms outstretched.
“Ma.”
Monica caught the little boy and held him close. She was afraid to look in Sean’s direction, but she had to. “I can see I messed up,” she whispered.
Sean stroked one of the delicate ornaments. He closed his eyes, and the pain in his expression took Monica’s breath away.
Why can’t I get one thing right with this guy?
She bundled the baby a little closer. “If Jace’s ready for bed, I’ll go lay him down.”
Sean reached for his son. “I’ll do it. I need you to leave.”
Defeated, Monica relinquished the baby, crossed to the coat tree next to the front door, and slipped into her jacket.
Her mind was a jumble of emotions as she remembered their pleasant day and her good intentions.
Before reaching for the doorknob, she turned.
“I’m sorry.” She opened the door to leave, surprised when she felt Sean push it closed before she could step out.
“Just...wait right here.” Sean stepped back. “Please.” His sigh was ragged as he bent his head over his son. “It’ll take a few minutes to get him settled. Did that grocery list include anything to drink?”
“Yes.”
“Iced tea.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “I think you know where everything is. Help yourself to whatever you’d like. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Monica took heart in the small joke. She fixed glasses of tea and placed them on the small kitchen table.
Since all that divided the kitchen area from the living area was a half wall, the light from the Christmas tree brightened this room as well.
She positioned Sean’s tea so that his back would be to the living room.
Despite her efforts to help she’d done the exact opposite.
It hadn’t been her job to put up the tree.
He’d been married, he obviously had traditions and she wasn’t a part of those.
Hopefully he would tell her what she could do to undo her mistake.
***
NORMALLY, PUTTING JACE to bed was an exercise that required all of Sean’s attention.
Tonight, the chores were accomplished with a mechanical thoroughness that only came from nightly practice.
Having another difficult conversation with Monica was not the way he’d intended to spend the first night in his new home. As he patted his son’s back and murmured soft words, his mind was focused on the woman in the other room.
What had she been thinking?