Chapter 243 Lulling You to Sleep

Chapter 243 Lulling You to Sleep

"Dad!" Liam rushed over and wrapped his arms around his legs, tilting his little face up with his eyes curved into happy crescents. "Mom and I made so much yummy food today! There's your favorite honey slow-braised ribs, honey mustard chicken strips, and my favorite creamy corn chowder!"

Sean bent down and scooped him up, bouncing him a little. "You've been home eating and sleeping with Mom every day. You've definitely put on some weight."

Liam had been taking time off school lately, spending his days at home with Susan doing nothing but eating and sleeping, and had gotten noticeably rounder.

"No I haven't!" Liam threw his arms around Sean's neck, then leaned in and sniffed his shoulder, scrunching up his little brow. "Dad, you smell like a hospital. Are you feeling sick?"

Sean's body went slightly stiff.

Kids were always extra sensitive to smells. He'd just come from the testing center, and his clothes had inevitably picked up the scent of disinfectant.

"Went to the doctor this morning to pick up some medicine." He tossed out the lie casually, carried Liam inside, and handed him the bag. "Got you some cookies."

Liam grabbed the bag, his eyes lighting up immediately, his earlier question completely forgotten. "Are they chocolate?"

"Yeah."

"Dad's the best!" Liam clutched the cookie box, slid out of his arms, and went pattering off into the living room to tear open the packaging.

Susan poked her head out from the kitchen.

She was wearing a light gray loungewear set with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, still holding a spatula, her face flushed pink from the steam.

"You're back? Go wash your hands and get ready to eat. The last dish is almost done."

Her smile was warm, her eyes catching the soft yellow glow of the kitchen light.

Sean stood in the entryway watching her, and felt something squeeze hard inside his chest.

This life — he'd worked so hard to get it back. And now, because of that thing, it was all about to fall apart again...

"What's wrong?" Susan noticed him staring, turned off the stove, and walked over, tilting her head at him. "You've been acting weird today. Did something happen at work?"

"No." Sean looked away, swapped his shoes for slippers, and stepped inside. "Just a little tired."

Susan watched him for a moment, then let it go without pushing further. She reached out and took his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack. "Then get some rest after dinner."

At the dinner table.

Liam sat in his little chair, still not quite getting the hang of chopsticks. He tried to pick up a rib twice and dropped it both times, until Susan finally just put it in his bowl for him.

He gnawed on it with grease all over his mouth, chattering away between bites about the fun they'd had cooking together that day.

"Mom got flour everywhere — even on her face! She looked like a big spotted cat!" Liam giggled. "I called her a spotted cat and she called me a little dirty piggy!"

Susan tapped the rim of his bowl. "No talking with your mouth full. You'll choke."

Liam stuck out his tongue and went back to chewing on his rib.

Sean sat across from them, watching the two of them bicker, a faint smile on his lips — but it never quite reached his eyes.

He ate slowly, barely making a dent in his bowl after a long while.

Susan noticed. She picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it in his bowl. "Is the food not doing it for you today? I thought you used to like this."

"It's really good." Sean smiled and ate the piece. "I'm just tired, honestly."

Susan didn't say anything more, but her eyes lingered on his face for a moment.

After dinner, Sean cleared the table without being asked, washed the dishes, and wiped down the kitchen counter.

Susan leaned against the kitchen doorframe, arms crossed, watching him. "Sean. Come here."

He set down the cloth and turned around.

Susan walked up to him, stood on her tiptoes, and cupped his face in both hands, pressing her thumbs gently between his brows and rubbing.

"You've had your brow furrowed since the moment you walked in." Her voice was quiet. "What's really going on? Don't tell me you're just tired. I won't buy it."

Sean looked down at her. Her eyes were so clear and bright, like still water, the kind that could reflect everything back at you.

The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. He couldn't get a single one out.

If he told her, she'd leave. He was sure of it.

If he didn't, they could keep things the way they were — at least until it all blew up on its own.

"I really am just a little tired." He took her hands from his face and held them in his, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Didn't sleep well last night, and work's been a lot lately. Don't overthink it."

Susan looked at him, quiet for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Okay. Get to bed early tonight then." She slipped her hands free and pulled him toward the bedroom. "Go shower first. I'll warm you up some milk."

By the time Sean came out of the shower, Susan had already gotten Liam to sleep.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed with a book in her lap, the warm yellow glow of the bedside lamp falling across her profile, tracing a soft curve along her face.

When she saw him come out, she closed the book and set it on the nightstand, patting the spot beside her. "Come here."

Sean walked over and lay down next to her.

Susan turned on her side, propped her head up with one hand, and started patting his shoulder with the other.

"Close your eyes."

Sean blinked. "What?"

"I said close your eyes." Susan pulled the blanket up to his chin and kept patting his shoulder. "I'm going to put you to sleep. Just like I do with Liam."

Sean almost laughed. "I'm not a little kid."

"When you're being difficult, you're not that different from Liam." Susan smiled. "Now close your eyes, or I'm stopping."

Sean looked at her bright, shining eyes, and slowly let his close.

Susan kept patting his shoulder in a steady rhythm, not too hard, not too soft.

She started humming a tune — soft and gentle, like a lullaby his mom used to hum when he was small, or maybe some other old song he couldn't place. He didn't know the name of it, but it was beautiful.

Her voice was soft, with a slight hum to it, flowing through the quiet room like a warm current, moving slowly through every part of him.

"Go to sleep... stop thinking so much..." Her voice grew quieter and quieter. "Whatever happens, I'll be right here with you..."

Sean lay there with his eyes closed, his breathing gradually slowing and deepening.

Susan thought he'd fallen asleep. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, then reached over and turned off the light.

In the dark, she rolled over, her back to him, and soon the soft sound of her steady breathing filled the room.

Sean opened his eyes.

He turned over, slipped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close against him.

She was warm and soft, carrying the faint scent of her body wash — the smell he knew better than anything else in the world.

He buried his face in the back of her neck.

He didn't sleep all night.

The next morning, when Susan woke up, his side of the bed was empty.

She reached over and felt the sheets. Cold. He'd been gone for a while.

On the nightstand, just like always, he'd left a note reminding her to eat breakfast.