Briana wore a white dress to the dinner at the Brosnan family home. She jumped down from the truck with a firm grip on Sean's outstretched hand.

Sean was seen carving out a smile all the way until now. What made him so happy? Was it because today was his mother's birthday?

Sean handed Briana the parcel he had brought as a gift for his mother. The girl received the special gift with surprise. "Why are you giving it to me?"

"I want you to give this gift to my mom," Sean replied. Briana smiled widely and nodded.

The two passed through the wooden fence and entered the spacious yard of the Brosnan family home. There were many green plants in the yard; obviously, Sean's parents loved gardening. While climbing the steps to reach the door, Sean placed one hand on Briana's waist. The girl's body responded to the touch shyly, but then she got used to Sean's large palm hugging her waist.

The door was knocked on by Sean, and soon Mark appeared behind it. He welcomed the two guests cordially and then opened the door as wide as possible while inviting them to enter the house.

"Where is everyone?" Sean asked his brother.

"Just go in the back," Mark replied.
Sean led Briana to the backyard. For some reason, Briana felt that Sean was nervous behind his silence. His face looked nervous, and his gestures looked awkward. Briana hoped Sean wasn't worried about meeting his parents soon, because his nervousness would be the biggest reason for Briana's loss of confidence tonight as a guest.
The two of them arrived at the backyard, which was quite crowded. Briana's eyes darted around to see the few people gathered there. Briana sighed, as the only one she recognized was Sarah. The girl was sitting amongst Sean's other family members. Sarah seemed to be engrossed in a story until she accidentally caught sight of the invited guest, and at once she shouted, "Sean, Anna! I can't believe you're coming."

Suddenly all activity came to a halt, and everyone turned their attention to the two guests. Briana felt confused by this situation; why were they looking at her and Sean like ghosts?

Is there something wrong with us? He thought.

"Sorry, I'm late," Sean said, breaking the silence. A middle-aged woman who looked a lot like Sean came up to them. Briana guessed she was Sean's mother, Mrs. Brosnan, whose birthday was today. Her eyes were glued to the figure of Sean, who stood at Briana's side, until she reached them. Her deep gaze never left Sean. Briana was astonished to find Mrs. Brosnan looking at her own son as if she were looking at a reanimated corpse.

"You came..."

Briana felt the deep longing behind her voice. Mrs. Brosnan's voice even sounded trembling. Soft, deep in her throat.

"Happy birthday, Ma," Sean said to his mother. Tears welled up in those eyes. Briana took a step back to make room for Sean and his mother, who seemed to miss each other. Mrs. Brosnan hugged her son tightly as if they had not seen each other for a long time. After making everyone feel moved by the meeting of mother and son, Sean brought Briana back to stand by his side. He held her hand tightly as he said, "Meet Briana."

Mrs. Brosnan's eyes fell on Briana. Of course the girl was nervous to death, but Briana tried to act normal by extending her right hand to Sean Brosnan's mother. Mrs. Brosnan welcomed the hand, but then she pulled Briana away and hugged her tightly.

"Nice to meet you, Briana," she said.

Oh.

"No, Mrs. Brosnan, just Anna, please," Briana said.

Mrs. Brosnan shook her head softly. "I'll call you Briana; it's a very pretty name," she said.

Ah, Briana knew why she refused to call her Anna, but she acted normally as if she knew nothing about her son's former lover.

"This is a gift from Sean to you," Briana said as she handed Mrs. Brosnan a parcel.

But Sean quickly interjected, "From us. Briana and I bought this for you, Ma."

"Oh, thank you, boys; you're so sweet." Mrs. Brosnan rubbed Briana's arm. "Let's join the others!"

Briana nodded and was about to follow Mrs. Brosnan, but Sean stayed where he was. Briana turned around and invited him over, but he said, "Go with my mom; I have to help Mark."

Oh, right.

Sarah was the first to greet Briana when she arrived at the table. She introduced Briana to everyone present as Sean's girlfriend, and it embarrassed Briana to death. Briana couldn't cool her heated cheeks just from hearing the little teases they gave her. Everyone at the dinner was a close relative of the Brosnan family. Briana got the chance to meet Sarah's parents as well as her little sister, Lisa.

"Oh, I miss my two twin sisters so much!"

"We are so sorry for what has happened to you, child. We wish you all the best in the future," Mrs. Brosnan said with great sincerity.

"Thank you for your prayers, Mrs. Brosnan. Thank you also for having me here."

It wasn't long before Sean and Mark emerged from the back door with a middle-aged man who Briana guessed was their father. Sean introduced Briana to her father, and the man was just as friendly as his wife. Mark was right; the only thing different in this family was his girlfriend, Sean.

Dinner began and was filled with laughter. No one mentioned Anastasia, let alone asked how Sean's frozen heart could move on to another woman. Well, maybe Briana was just overly concerned about this topic; clearly, they had all forgotten Anastasia had ever hurt Sean's heart.

After dinner was over, one by one the guests began to say goodbye and left only Briana, Sean, Mark, and Sarah in the backyard. Sean's parents had also gone inside to rest. The four of them sat under a shady tree, illuminated by moonlight and the help of a makeshift lantern. Chatting and joking like a group of friends. Briana was honestly happy to be here; hanging out and laughing with a new family was enough to cure her longing for her real family. But alas, the night was getting late, and Sean was relentless in persuading Briana to leave his parents' residence.

"Why don't you guys stay the night? It's so late it's dangerous to drive into the woods," Sarah suggested.

"We can't," Sean replied quickly.

"Sarah's right Sean It's better to stay here; the room you left a long time ago has no occupants at all," Mark said.

"No thanks." Sean's one arm began to wrap around Briana's waist. "I have to go home because I have a surprise for Briana."

"Surprise? For me?"

Briana glanced at Sean curiously, but he didn't say anything. Briana could do nothing but follow his lead to the truck. Briana couldn't resist Sean's urge to go home if he had a surprise for her at home.

Sarah and Mark drove the two to the front yard. Briana got into the car, followed by Sean. The car
The car sped away from Brosnan's yard. As they were about to enter the forest, Briana couldn't resist asking Sean, "What surprise are you talking about, Sean?"

"You'll find out later."

"Ah, Sean!" Briana was so excited. She wanted to bite Sean's lips as he teased her with that big smile. A smile that hid a secret.