The O'Brien Way by Carol Lynne Page B

Mom. You could’ve called me. I would’ve done anything to help you.” Moby slid off the couch and knelt beside
Virginia
’s chair.
    Sean realised mother and son needed to be alone. He rose and put a hand on Moby’s shoulder. “I’m going to let myself out so the two of you can talk.”
    Moby rose and whispered something in his mother’s ear. After her reassuring nod, he turned to Sean. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
    Before heading to the door, Sean addressed
Virginia
. “Thank you again for dinner, and think about my offer.”
    “I will, and come back anytime,”
Virginia
answered.
    Moby stepped into a pair of boots beside the front door before opening the closet. He passed Sean his coat before shrugging into his own.
    “You don’t have to walk me out,” Sean said. “No sense in both of us freezing.”
    Moby shook his head and smiled. “I want to.”
    Bundled up, Sean led the way out of the house. Moby closed the front door and pulled Sean into his arms before he had a chance to reach the porch steps. “I have no idea what’s happened this evening, but I feel like I’m on the edge of something, and I need to figure out what it is.”
    Sean brushed his lips against Moby’s. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. Just promise that you’ll call me later if you need to talk.”
    Moby nodded and buried his face against Sean’s neck, giving the skin a kiss before pulling away. “Thank you.”
    “Thank me by working things out with your mom.” Sean couldn’t believe how strongly he felt regarding Moby’s relationship with
Virginia
. It only took a few hours to see how different the two were from Ryan and his mother.
    He offered one last wave to Moby as he pulled out of the driveway. It hit him about halfway home. He more than cared for the man. Dammit , he didn’t know how it happened, but Moby had worked his way under Sean’s skin straight to his heart. The prospect of being in love both frightened and thrilled him.
    The further he travelled towards home, the less it felt like a home. Instead of returning to a pub, he wished he’d have stayed at Moby’s house. Pulling as far off the road as he could, Sean gripped the steering wheel. He needed to get himself under control. There was simply no way he could love Moby after such a short time together. Maybe he was once again transferring his need for a real family to a lover. Had he offered
Virginia
a job to be closer to the woman? Was he also trying to replace the mother he never had a chance to know? Whatever the reasons, he had more to figure out before he’d confess his feelings to Moby.
     
    * * * *
     
    It was well after closing time when Moby arrived at the pub. He parked in the alley outside the stairs leading to Sean’s second-floor apartment. Wiping his eyes once again, he pulled out his phone and called the one person he needed most.
    Sean answered after several rings. “Moby?”
    “I’m in the alley. Can I come up?”
    “Of course.” The bedding rustled in the background as Sean obviously threw back the covers. “Let me throw on a pair of sweats.”
    Moby almost told Sean not to bother, but he was after comfort and understanding not sex. “I’ll meet you at the back door.”
    “Don’t hang up. Tell me what’s going on?” Sean asked.
    “I needed to get out of the house for a while and the only place I wanted to be was with you,” Moby admitted. “I hope you don’t mind?”
    The door opened and a bare-chested, sleep-tousled Sean stood before him with open arms. Moby didn’t waste a second. His emotions were raw and he no longer had the strength to hide them. He immediately shed his coat and threw it to the floor as he stepped into the apartment. The moment the door shut behind him, Moby grabbed onto Sean as though the man were an anchor in a storm.
    Moby buried his face against Sean’s shoulder.
    “What happened?” Sean asked.
    It wasn’t until Moby heard the echo of Sean’s voice from the phone in his hand