“That little girl isn’t the only one who’s happy,” David said, standing beside me. “I don’t remember ever seeing you this happy, not even when you won the state football game.”
“I don’t know, I was pretty damn happy that night,” I said with a laugh. “But you're right. This is a different kind of happy. The soul-deep kind I didn’t even know existed.”
“Well, it looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” I said, wrapping my brother in a hug.
I walked over to where Frankie stood. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey.” I put my arm around him and kissed him on the side of the forehead. We watched the kids play for a minute, and then I leaned down near his ear and whispered, “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For this. For everything. For being you.”
“You're welcome,” he said softly, turning in my arms to lean against me, right where he belonged.