And … Arnie and Fisher. They were playing ping-pong with the kids as well as video games on the big TV.
Fisher missed the ball when he looked up at me.
“Champion!” Arnie declared, tossing his paddle aside and throwing his arms in the air.
I cringed, a silent apology for being a distraction and costing him the game.
Arnie looked over his shoulder at me. “Reese! Just in time. You’re my next competitor.”
“Me?” I laughed.
He snagged Fisher’s paddle and handed it to me.
“Scat.” He shooed Fisher away. “You lost. Go play with the kids.”
Fisher shook his head, grin huge and eyes on me. I tried not to stare too long, afraid everyone would see right through me.
After I beat Arnie three times in a row, he tucked his tail between his legs and headed upstairs for more cake.
Fisher handed one of his nephews his controller and made his way toward me as I hung back behind the sofa a few feet, watching the games on the big screen TV.
“Hi.” He grinned.
I rubbed my lips together, fighting to keep from showing him how thrilled I was to see him. “Hi.”
“You killed Arnie. He’ll never recover.”
I laughed. “He’ll manage.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d come.” He stood right next to me and touched his hand to mine on purpose in a way that no one would notice, especially since we were surrounded by a bunch of distracted kids. “But I honestly had no idea who they invited. My mom called it a small, cozy gathering.” He chuckled.
I laughed. “She might have missed the mark if that’s the case.”
“There you are.” Angie peeked around the corner.
Fisher took a step to the side so our hands no longer touched. “What’s up?”
She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug while kissing his neck. “Come upstairs with the adults. Everyone keeps asking about our wedding, and I don’t know what to say. What do you want me to say?”
Without a word, I slowly drifted away, up the stairs and back in the shadows of Rory and Rose. A few minutes later, Arnie stood on a chair in the middle of the great room and whistled with his thumb and middle finger up to his mouth. It was a loud and impressive whistle that silenced the room.
“Rock star always has to be the center of attention,” Shayla yelled, eliciting a wave of laughter from the room.
Arnie grinned, owning the truth. “Not today. It’s our dad’s big day. The man who showed us what it means to work from sun up to sun down. What it means to put family first. Patrick Mann is my hero.”
Emotion filled the room when Arnie got a little choked up. “He’s my rock star.”
A collective “Aw …” filled the space.
“And just recently,” Arnie continued, “he once again showed us what a real man does. When my brother fell off his little bike and got a boo boo on his head …”
Tears quickly turned into laughter. Arnie was a true artist. A true performer.
“Our dad was the voice of reason and the voice of hope. He knew, no matter the outcome, our family would get through this. He stepped up and filled Fisher’s shoes at work. He spent many nights at the hospital, right next to Fisher’s bed. He worried about us, our mom, Angie … just everyone more than himself. And as a side note, it is worth mentioning that we are all glad that Fisher came out with his life and at least part of his brain intact. And while he struggles to remember a few things like the girl he has loved since he was just a little boy racing to the potty before wetting his pants …”