“Each of us must toast. It is tradition,” he’d insisted.
With the group we had surrounding us, that meant there was a lot of drinking to be done. Most of the toasts were very short. Some of them were very touching as each family celebrated the team’s big win. But it was Luka’s toast that truly touched my heart.
“Mama, Papa, Aubrey. Thank you for all being here this weekend. It wouldn’t have meant nearly as much without having the people I love near,” Luka began. “It’s been a great year. I’m going to graduate soon. I have an amazing girlfriend. And now my team just won the Frozen Four—something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a little boy. I feel like I have the world at my feet and anything can happen.”
We all tapped our glasses together and quickly drank our shots. Once we were done, Luka’s father beamed across the table at his son, clearly proud of all he had accomplished.
“Now the only thing left is for you to find job.”
“Geez, Papa,” Luka sighed. “Let me enjoy this for a moment, okay?”
“And give me grandbabies,” his mom teased him with a sly look my way.
“Enough!” Luka barked out. “I’ll do my best to get a job lined up by graduation, but don’t expect babies any time soon.”
epilogue
aubrey
Today was graduation day. Time for me to leave my college years behind and head into the real world—or so my dad liked to say. Luka had talked to him about a job at the bank, and my dad convinced had him that he really could use his help, so Luka had accepted his offer. Little did my dad know, that meant the plan now was for us to move in together and work together. I didn’t think he’d thought about that part of it, and we hadn’t told him yet.
My parents had invited everyone over to my house for a cookout to celebrate our graduation. I looked around at the crowd and was happy to see so many people I loved. Lexi and her dad were here, just as they had been for any major celebration since we were little. Drake and his family joined us as well since he and Lexi were practically inseperable. My oldest brothers and their wives were here, and Jackson and Kaylie were due to arrive any minute. Luka’s family had joined us as well, so I’d finally gotten to meet all his siblings.
“Hey, baby sis,” Jackson whispered in my ear.
“Jackson!” I shrieked as I gave him a huge hug. “Where’s Kaylie?”
“She’s in the house, resting from the trip,” he answered.
“Well, let’s go inside so I can say hello, silly,” I teased. I pulled his arm and dragged him towards the house until he stopped just inside the door.
“We actually have a surprise,” Jackson told me.
“A graduation surprise?” I asked.
Jackson shook his head. “Not exactly.”
“So what is it then?”
“We already told mom and dad, but I wanted you to be the next to know,” he started. “Kaylie’s pregnant.”
Holy shit, that’s not what I expected him to say. “Ohmigod!” I shrieked. “I’m going to be an aunt! Where is she? I can’t wait to tell her how excited I am.”
“She’s up in my room, but you also need to know this means we are moving back to town. I talked to dad about working at the bank, and I want to make sure you know that I’m not trying to step on your toes with this. I know you stepped up when I decided to move to New York, and Dad said you’re doing a great job. There’s plenty of room for both of us. I just want to do what’s best for Kaylie and the baby.”
“God, Jackson. Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure it all out later. It will be a little weird working with my dad, my brother, and my boyfriend, but I’m sure I’ll survive,” I assured him. “But you have to promise to be nice to Luka. No pulling any big-brother crap in the work place. Save that for after hours, okay?”
“Not sure I can agree to that, Aubrey,” Jackson replied. “The dude is sleeping with my baby sister.”
As we laughed together, it dawned on me that this was going to change Kaylie’s world in more ways than one. “If you move back to town, what about Kaylie’s dancing?”
“The show she was in just closed its doors a couple of weeks ago, so the timing is good for her to make the move. Dance will always be a part of her life. She loves it so much, so I’m trying to talk her into opening a studio here so she can teach,” he explained.
“Lucky for you, I know a bank that would probably give you a loan for that,” I teased.