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“Baby brother! How the hell are you?” Liam says as he unfolds himself out of the backseat.
“Are you ever going to let that two and a half months go? I’m good! How are you, man?”
“Not too bad. Glad to be here and can’t wait to see what Portland has to offer, if you know what I mean?” He says with a wag of his brows.
Liam is good looking, and knows it. He’s just as tall as I am and he looks just like his dad—minus Mr. F’s Buddha belly. Liam took after his dad’s side of the family and his dark Samoan skin, brown eyes and black hair get him a lot attention from the ladies. He looks exotic, I guess. That’s what the girls always said when we were growing up. All I know is he has used this to his advantage and Liam Fanua always has a date. He’s also a pain in the ass, but I love him like a brother!
“Still a dog.”
“Woof!”
“Liam, you are just gross! Now move, so I can give my better big brother a hug!” Kate yells from behind him.
I give her a big squeeze and then ruffle her long brown hair like she hates and say, “How’s my little sister these days? Anybody I need to beat away with a stick at the moment?”
“Nope, I have a boyfriend and he’s amazing. No beating him off . . . wait . . . oh that sounded so bad! Shit! Sorry dad . . .” her light skin turns red with embarrassment but she recovers quickly. You have to if you want to survive in this family.
“In one ear and out the other, just like your mother always says. Bring it in, son,” Mr. F says as he heads my way and in moments I’m enveloped in a hug so full of fatherly love that it almost chokes me up. I didn’t realize how much I missed the four of them until they all finally got here.
“Hey Mr. F, it’s so good to see you. Thanks for coming all the way out to Oregon to visit. It means a lot to have you guys here,” I say with one last pat to his back and then he releases me.
“Of course, we couldn’t wait to meet our first grandchild. Where is this Frances we’ve heard so much about?”
“Ha! Don’t give me grief about grandkids when Liam is the oldest. He should be procreating first, but Frances is excited to meet you guys. She’s a sweet old girl. Let’s get your bags and head in.”
After they get settled in their rooms, have had a tour and been introduced to their furry grandchild, we settle in. Since it’s late for them with the time difference, I order some pizzas and we hang out and play a wicked game of Catch Phrase. We always play boys against girls and the guys just take turns sitting out each round. This is a game we’ve played for years. We’ve moved from the old school one, that is better in my humble opinion, to the new electronic version and it’s amazing that it’s still in one piece after Kate has had her hands on it. She gets so fired up during the game that she practically throws it to the next person once she’s done. She’s nuts, but I love her.
It’s crazy to see how Liam and Kate both take after their parents in the looks department. Kate looks just like her mom with light skin, green eyes and brown hair. The only thing she did get from her dad is her height. At 5’9” she’s tall for the women in Fiona’s family. Kate is a younger, taller version of her mom just like Liam is of his dad.
After pizza, beer and five rounds of Catch Phrase the girls decide to call it a night. Robert, Liam and I head out to the back deck to sit around the fire pit and have another beer or two.
“So, J are you going to tell dad about Emily?”
“Emily? Who’s Emily, son?” he says with a sly smile on his face. Just the thought of me possibly having a girlfriend seems to have perked him right up from that jet-lag.
“Well, not sure if Liam ever told you about the woman I met before my last deployment?”
“He did son, but I’ve never heard the story from you. Why don’t you tell me about it?”
I spend the next thirty minutes telling our entire story from the first moment I saw her. Okay, I don’t tell them everything but they get the picture. They understand that I instantly fell in love with her and that nothing has been the same since. I have gotten all the way up to where Courtney entered the room and I was given the ‘let’s just be friends’ line.
For a few moments nobody says anything. Then Mr. F leans forward and scoots to the edge of his chair and gets a very serious look on his face.
“Do you still love her or do you love the idea of her and what you had that week?”
“I love her, Mr. F. I’ve had a dark cloud hanging over me since she walked away, then I lost Matt and then Mom. The moment I saw her, the clouds started to fade away. Yes, she’s beautiful but she is also kind and funny and seeing her with Ireland is amazing. As glad as I am that I didn’t have a child out there that I didn’t know about, seeing them together almost makes me wish I had been Ireland’s dad. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.”
“You know, the fact that there is a child involved takes this to an entirely different level, right son?”
“I do know that, but I also know that she’s the one.”
“That’s a big deal, Jonathan.”
“It is. But she just wants to be friends.”
“So, you’re saying that she’s ‘the one’ but you aren’t going to fight to change her mind?”
“Of course I am, but I have to go about it the right way. She has trust issues and has been screwed over so many times. After living through what her father did to their family, and then Ireland’s dad and his disgusting behavior, I get it. I know that I have to do what I can to make her see that I’m not them but I also don’t want to scare her away. The fact that we’re texting every day is just the first of many steps, I know, but it gives me hope.”
