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“Oh Rocco, that’s wonderful! Get a black truck, they’re very manly looking,” Grandma Beverly said, clapping.
“And you need those steps on the side to help shorter people get in, like Bev and me. Oh, and Hannah too,” Grandma Ruth added.
The big Italian blushed and nodded at Beverly and Ruth. “They’re called running boards. And yes, I’ll make sure to get them. But Luke, the 1500 is what I had my eye on.”
Luke would make sure Rocco’s 1500 had all the bells and whistles. Hell, by the time he finished with the dealership, they’d probably throw in an Impala at no extra cost. Luke was pleased Rocco agreed to let him help him out with a new ride. “All right, a fully loaded 1500 it is. What do you say?”
Grandma Beverly patted Rocco’s leg and nodded in encouragement.
“Thank you. I can’t wait,” Rocco said with a nod of his head.
Excellent. One down. One to go. Luke looked over at Jake and Cassie. Cassie glanced back at him curiously. Jake just frowned and cursed under his breath. Tough shit, big brother.
“As far as prepaying for a Harvard degree, baby Tyler might want to go to Yale or Princeton,” Luke said.
“Damn it, Luke,” Jake exclaimed and ran a hand through his hair.
Luke pressed on. “But we’re arguing about something that’s years away. And if I want to pay for the baby’s college education, I will. And like you just agreed to with everyone else, you’re just going to let me and say thank you. And on graduation day, I’ll be sitting right next to you during the ceremony, proud as hell.”
Jake blew out a breath and Cassie looked at her new husband with love and encouragement. “Fine. But you’re right, it’s a long way off. We can discuss it, not argue about it then, agreed?” Jake sighed in relief.
Luke nodded. He had Jake right where he wanted him. “Agreed. Right now, though, the more pressing issue is little baby Tyler. So I want to buy you and Cassie a house.”
Cassie squeaked and her eyes widened.
“Fuck, Luke, really? A house? You want to buy us a fucking house? Just like that?” Jake looked distraught but Luke was sure he could convince him without much arguing.
“Just hear me out. Your two-bedroom condo will work for a little while, but you’ll need more space soon. So why not let me buy you a place here in Elmhurst where you’re already living, before the baby comes? It’ll be a lot less stressful for all of you. Think of it as a belated wedding gift or a pre-baby shower gift?” Luke turned to Darren for support. His dad smiled back at him encouragingly. Abbey held his hand tight and her eyes glistened with tears.
“You could use Mr. Gleason to find you someplace nice in town. We met him last night after the reception,” Abbey suggested. “Luke, do you still have his business card?”
“If Alfred Gleason is working for you, you’ll be in good hands,” Jake’s father said.
Luke retrieved Alfred Gleason’s business card from his wallet and held it up. “What do you say, Jake? You’ve said you’d just say thank you, remember?”
Cassie gently kissed Jake and gave him a reassuring smile. “It’ll be all right, you know? And Luke’s right, we’ll need the extra space soon. We all agreed to be gracious with Luke and Darren’s generosity, babe.”
Luke sensed the moment Jake relented. He knew his big brother, though. Luke understood Jake’s reluctance. “Buying you this house does not mean I don’t think you can take care of your family. I’m trying to help make things a little easier for you, that’s all. Like you’d do for me, right?”
That did it. Luke knew Jake was on board.
Jake nodded and Cassie beamed. “Yes, and thank you. But a regular house, nothing crazy. Three or four bedrooms, two and half bathrooms, a nice backyard for kids to play in. That kind of a house. Agreed?”
Yes! “Agreed.” Luke made a quick call to Alfred Gleason while the family discussed what Cassie and Jake should look for in their new home. Gleason agreed to find a regular house for Jake and Cassie in Elmhurst and something that Jake would probably consider crazy in a nearby gated community for him and Abbey. Luke was offering all cash purchases and picking up the seller’s moving expenses to speed up the process.
With all of that settled, it appeared Jake was back on the war path. Here we go.
“Now, back to the secrets. Don’t think a new truck and a house will distract me from the real reason we’re here.” Jake turned his attention to Abbey. “Office Supply Galaxy laid you off? You were the onlyperson who supported your system. What the hell is that?”
Abbey stiffened beside Luke. He held her hand and waited for her to organize her thoughts.
“Apparently, there was a reduction in force of about fifty people. I suspect that my former manager Tim Webber, who is relatively new at OSG, wanted to get rid of me so he could bring over someone he worked with at his previous company. He had already brought two of his people over. He needed my headcount to be available to bring over his third. Being the asshole he is, when the system went down during the wedding, he called me, expecting me to fix the issue, even though I didn’t work there anymore. As you now know from Tom Murphy, the Support Desk Manager, I ignored their calls for help. I was told my skill set wasn’t needed any more—so fuck them.”
Luke and the rest of the room clapped. Abbey deserved better than what OSG did to her. For ten long years she’d worked her ass off.
“You should work for us, Abbey. Don’t you agree, Luke?” Darren asked.
“We’ve already discussed it. We’ll see where Abbey feels most comfortable in the organization or the foundation. There are plenty of opportunities for her.” Luke kissed her softly. He felt her smile against his lips. His cock twitched. Down boy, not now.
