Jackson laughed at my joke. “That you do. Although the head honcho may be a little pissed at me.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because Kaylie and I decided we don’t want a big wedding. She wants simple, and I want my ring on her finger as soon as possible. I don’t think Dad will care so much, but Mom is not going to be happy that we don’t want the traditional wedding and reception thing,” he said.
I thought about our family vacations to Mexico over the years and inspiration struck. “Beach wedding,” I whispered.
“What?” Jackson asked.
“Remember when I was in fifth grade and you were going into middle school and we took that trip down to Ixtapa?” I asked. Jackson nodded his head, so I continued. “And we watched from our patio as a couple got married on the beach. The sun was setting and it was so romantic.”
Jackson’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Best of both worlds. Kaylie and I can get married at the beach and she can have her first vacation with us as a family. Fucking brilliant idea, Aubrey.”
“And the parents won’t be mad at you because they will absolutely love it,” I said, pointing out the obvious. “Plus, it will make a great post-graduation trip for Luka and me so you can get to know him better.”
“Aubrey, the last thing I want to do is get to know your boyfriend better during what would technically be my honeymoon,” Jackson disagreed.
“Honeymoon?” my dad said as he joined us.
I listened as Jackson talked to our dad about my idea for him and Kaylie to get married in Mexico before he went upstairs to check on Kaylie. It was probably going to be awhile before they came back down because he now needed to convince her that this was a great idea since my mom walked up in the middle of the conversation. There was no way out of it now.
“I hope you know that, even though we’re happy about the baby and Kaylie and Jackson’s coming back, your mom and I are just as excited about your graduation,” my dad told me.
“I know, Daddy. But you have to admit this changes things a little, and I should talk to Luka about what he wants too. He knew how much I wanted to be here to help you, but now Jackson will be able to do that,” I explained.
Luka joined us, and I filled him in on everything I’d just learned. When we’d talked about what to do after graduation, he’d struggled with the decision we’d made. He’d only agreed because he knew how much it meant to me. Now that the situation was different, I owed it to him to consider other options.
“Well, sir,” Luka said. “If Jackson being here means that Aubrey can be more flexible about where we live, I’d like her to at least consider Chicago since that’s where my family is. I’m not saying that’s what we’ll decide is best for both of us. Just that I want to have a serious conversation about it. Later. When we’re alone.”
“Did I hear you say Chicago?” Luka’s dad said from behind me.
Luka sighed before turning around to face his dad. “Yes, Papa. I want Aubrey to think about us coming back since she doesn’t need to stay here now that her brother is home to help her dad at the bank. I know it’s a change of plans since we both had jobs lined up here, but—”
“Luka,” his dad barked out to interrupt him. “You both come to Chicago. We will figure it out.”
My parents both glared at us, but I knew they’d agree with whatever decision I made—just like they had when all my brothers graduated. Luka and I had lots of different options and families who would support us no matter what we decided. We could stay here and work at my dad’s bank or go to Chicago to find new jobs to be near his family. Although we’d started the day with one plan for our future that now might change, we knew one thing for certain. Whatever we did, we’d do it together wherever we ended up.