................... I couldn’t wait for the next week to be over so we could get on the plane on Friday afternoon and fly down to Florida Matt was driving us both to the airport I’d decided that I wasn’t going to go to B’s parents until we’d decided on a house. We walked to the gate Matt put his arms round me and hugged me.
“I’m trusting you guys into making the right choice for the house where we’ll be living”. He said with a grin.
“Dude that means you going to come to college down there” Drew smiled patting Matt on the back.
“Yep I can do sports science down there so it’s all good” Matt nodded “And I’m not ready to let my sister have all the fun in the sun”.
“What if B can’t come” I asked.
“That is something I’m hoping not to think about” He shrugged as our flight was called “Look go and have a good weekend and I’ll be here Sunday night to pick you both up”.
“Okay love you” I said as Drew took my hand.
“Love you too guys” We got on the flight.
“Just think a few hours and we’ll be looking at one of those houses” Drew said smiling at me.
“I know I still can’t believe it’s real” I grinned.
“Yeah wait till you see the huge house Cassie and Joe live in” he sighed.
“I don’t care I just want to be in our own little house” I said snuggling up to him…………………………
………………… We touched down and walked through the airport we heard a squeal as Drew’s little cousin Tori jumped on him.
“Yay you’re here at last” she giggled.
“Told you we would be” Drew laughed “You remember meeting Autumn don’t you”.
“Yeah she was the one Uncle Mike was yelling at” I started to laugh Drew shook his head as Cassie and Joe walked over.
“Out of the mouth of a 5 year old” Cassie laughed “Sorry about that Autumn.
“It’s okay” I grinned as Cassie hugged Me.
‘Nice tan Mexico was good I take it”
“That’s faded” Drew said hugging his Aunt. “And it was the best vacation ever Dad up graded us”.
“I know your Mom called and told me” she smiled “See he’s not always a mean old grouch”.
“I know and the flowers he sent as well” I laughed as Drew and Joe picked up the bags and we headed for the parking lot.
“he sent flowers as well” Cassie said raising her eyebrows, I nodded “Wow he must really be sorry” We got in the big SUV and Joe drove us away from the airport into a gated community of hugs mansion type houses we pulled up in the driveway of one the looked almost as big as our school we got out Tori ran up to the front door and walked inside.
“This is amazing” I said looking at the house.
“One of the perks of being married to the guy who built it” Cassie smiled linking my arm.
“Yeah a long way from the tiny 1 bed apartment we moved in to after high school Joe smiled as we went inside” I looked at him “Oh at one time we didn’t have two nickels to rub together, but hard work pays off” he looked at Drew. “Come on I’ll show you to your room let the girls chat” Drew winked at me and walked up the stairs with his Uncle.
“Come on we’ll go in the kitchen” Cassie said walking down the hallway I followed her.
“So you guys have been together since high school” I asked sitting on one of the stools at the breakfast bar.
“Yep 22 years altogether since we were 16” she smirked “None of the Family apart from Drew’s Dad like him told me I was wasting my time with him and he’d never make anything of himself and them when I got pregnant in my senior year my parents kicked me out of the house and didn’t talk to me for 4 years.
“I know how that feels rejected by the people you’ve loved forever” I sighed as she handed me a cup of coffee.
“I know we both have different stories but at the end of the day we had only our selves” I nodded “Even Joes parents wanted him to stop seeing me and offered to pay for me to have and abortion”.
“So you got it from both sides” I smiled.
“Oh yeah but I dropped out of school to have the baby and bring him up and Joe scrapped through graduating and instead of going to college to become an architect he joined a local construction company and learned that from the ground up excuse the joke but he found he loved that more than to designing”.
“Wow that’s so cool” I smiled,
“Yeah by the time Trent was 7 we had managed to save enough to start our own little company and it snow balled from there, I finally got my high school diploma and started working for Joe then we found out 6 years ago I was pregnant with Tori so I quit working because we’d had 5 miscarriages after Trent was born” she looked down.
“I’m sorry” I said squeezing her hand.
“its okay we decided that noting was going to go wrong with this one and I stayed home going insane” we both started to laugh, “So one if my girlfriends was getting married and asked me to throw the shower so I did organizing everything from the couch in there” she pointed to a huge comfy looking couch in the family room. “So I had the wise idea that I could start party planning and let’s just say I was only a few thousand dollars less in earnings last year than Joe was” I felt my mouth drop open.
“SO do you do weddings. “I asked.
“I do them all Weddings, birthdays, showers I’ve even done two funerals as you can see the people round here have money to burn and they are too lazy to organize even dinner parties for themselves so when I started up they thought it was wonderful” she laughed “Most of them still look down on a small town girl working for them but I have the biggest house” she winked.
“I hope I have half as much drive as you” I smiled.
“From what I’ve seen and heard you have more” she said as Tori walked in wearing her bathing suit.
“I’m going out to the pool Mom” she called out “Autumn why don’t you come as well”.
“Because Daddy and I are taken Autumn and Drew to see some houses for when they move here” Cassie smiled.
“How about I come in with you later” I asked.
“Okay” she skipped out of the doors.
“Drew told me about what happened to your college fund” Cassie said turning back to me.
“Yeah Dad couldn’t afford all the bills so in the first few months after the accident he decided that because he thought it was my fault what had happened to Mom and Sarah that he would take my future from me so he managed to use my college fund to pay the medical bills and some of the funeral costs” I shrugged as Tori walked back in to get a drink.
“I understand why you wanted to get so far away and I’m glad we could help” Cassie said looking at me. ‘What are you planning on doing down here”?
“I was going to find a job probably waitressing and try to save up enough to maybe go to college next year” I smiled “Thanks to you and Joe letting us have one of the houses”.
“That’s a no brainer honey it’s about time someone gave you a break and considering I saw a lot of me in you when I first met you and the fact you slapped my big brother for having a big mouth” I groaned as she laughed “I liked you right away, and my Handsome nephew” she grinned as Joe and Drew walked in laughing and talking football.
“Talking about me” Drew laughed batting his eyelashes as he sat on the stool next to me and kissed my cheek.
“I was just about to say that my handsome nephew has fallen in love hook line and sinker” Drew blushed.
“Do I make it so obvious” he laughed.
“Hell yeah” Joe smiled “You look like I did when I was your age”.
“No honey Drew has a better body than you did” Cassie grinned.
“That because I broke my leg and couldn’t play senior year” Joe protested putting his arms round his wife as Tori made retching noises.
“Sure Baby” Cassie smiled making us all laugh.
“So what else were you talking about” Drew smiled.
“Autumn’s going to work at Hooters” Tori said jumping off the stool and heading for the door again.
“What” Drew smirked.
“Honey, Autumn said she was going to look for a waitress job” Cassie groaned.
“Yeah well I love the wings at hooters and I could get to see Autumn ever time we went there” Tori shrugged walking out. I looked at Drew who was grinning.
“Drew Joseph Donovan. Stop thinking of your girlfriend in the uniform” Cassie said clipping him round the back of the head.
“I can’t” he shrugged I put my head on the counter and groaned. The front door opened and a younger version of Joe walked in.
“Dude you made it” Trent grinned folding Drew into a hug. “Sorry I missed the fun and games at thanksgiving sounded intense”.
“It was” Drew nodded turning h is cousin round. “Trent met Autumn. Autumn my big cousin Trent who opens his mouth before his brain begins to work:”.
“He gets that from his mother” Joe teased ducking a smack round the head from his wife.
‘Sorry but” he dropped to his knees “Marry me” I raised my eye brows Drew shook his head laughing. “The only other people I know who would do something like that to Uncle Mike is Mom and Grandma” I started to laugh.
“Dude get your own girl she’s mine” Drew chuckled as Trent got up laughing.
“Nice to meet you Autumn” Trent grinned.
“You too” I nodded.
“Okay watch your little sister we’re going to show these two the houses” Cassie said grabbing her purse.
“No problem catch you guys later” He walked out to the pool as we walked out to the garage……………………………..
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