Page 103 of Fighting

“What did you do?” she asks on a laugh.

I remove the protective sheet to give her a clear view. In the open space below my existing quarter sleeve, Lee added a perfect, simple Loch Ness monster surrounded by tiny ripples of water.

“You are stuck with me now, little monster.” I wink.

She places her hand gently against my bicep and plants a sweet kiss on my lips. “I kind of love it, kind of hate it.” She shakes her head, but she’s grinning, her blond hair flowing around her, picking up bits of the lighting overhead. She looks like an angel for a split second before something darker flashes in her eyes. “You really wanted to mark yourself permanently with an image that represents me?” she teases, lightly scratching across my arms, chest, and down my stomach. As her hand grazes the waistband of my pants, someone calls our names from downstairs.

“Shit.” I pick up my discarded shirt and give her a quick kiss. “I’ll go first. Wait a minute before you follow,” I plead. I do not want to get into the “not under my roof” business today.

She nods in agreement, and with a kiss, I step out and close the door quietly.

Shit. I just left Nessa to snoop through all my embarrassing relics from high school.

With a shake of my head, I jog downstairs.

I find my dad in the kitchen. “Your buttons are uneven, son,” he chuckles as he fills a glass for me.

“It’s pretty impressive, Mateo. You may not have gone into the medical field, but you managed to bring home a doctor. Now you just have to do your best to keep her.”

A bark of a laugh behind me has me spinning. When I do, I find said doctor wearing my old varsity jacket with a long forgotten fitted hat. She saunters by and grabs the microphone at the perfect moment to cosplay as me and sing about having no worries.

Gabe approaches, glass raised to clink with mine, and we watch her performance together. He leans over and says, “I don’t give unsolicited advice often?—”

“Liar!” Shae squeals.

“Okay,” he chuckles. “I give unsolicited advice all the time. But if you’re with Nessa, then you’re one of my kids now. As the man who has kept the original version of that woman happy for the last almost forty years, let me make this clear: do not retaliate.”

Unfortunately, I’ve never been considered a smart man.

When the movie ends, I cue up a hilarious Meghan Trainor song, one she sings to her future husband, and dance around like it’s the Short n’ Sweet Tour. Thankfully, Liam and Christian jump in, and our impromptu boyband shifts the focus to their marriage.

Though it’s impossible to miss Nessa’s salty smile. She’s going to scratch me up good for this one.

forty-seven

Nessa

It’sNew Year’s Eve, and tonight, I’ll use comically large scissors and cut a ribbon in front of the library as the incoming Executive Director of the Peacock Springs Community Center. Construction won’t start until the spring thaws the ground, but this truly feels like the start of a new life. As much as I’ll miss Ruth Anne, I’ve learned to put myself on the to-do list. Though I don’t often make it anywhere close to the top.

The women have all gathered at the house Delia and I share to get ready for tonight. It reminds me of Stef’s wedding day and a sorority party rolled into one. I cherish the moment, realizing how infrequent they’ve become for us.

We take turns in the chair Delia has dragged into the living room, getting our hair and makeup done, laughing and discussing our celebrity doppelgängers.

There’s a knock, and Shae appears at the front door. Her gown is in hand and she gives a gregarious hello to all. We’ve found a good path forward these last few months.

“I’ll have you know, this is now your official Chanukah present.” She points to the blanket on the couch.

“Fine.” I shuffle over and pull her into a hug. “I’m sorry it took me so long to acknowledge your growth. But it’s on a podcast, so it’s really real now. Forgive me?”

“Always,” she says, holding out a hand to ruffle my finished hair.

I dodge her before she can mess it up.

“No!” Delia says sternly, pointing the curling iron her way.

My phone goes off in my pocket, startling me. I nearly kick Wyclef, who’s winding himself between my feet. I dig it out and reading to myself.

“Shoot!” I call out. “Mateo and the boys will be here in a few, are we almost all ready?”

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