Chapter 27

MCKINLEY P.O.V

We decided to give our engagement a couple of days before we announced it. I hated having to put the ring back in the box but we both decided that we wanted Michael and Lynn to have their time with Cade before we announced.

A week after Cade was born, we were all headed there so that I could make everyone dinner. I was at the food store with Luke, my ring proudly on my finger, buying food for tonight. We had decided on a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy along with some corn. I was also planning on making a salad. For dessert we were going to make cookies and get some ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches.

"McKinley." I heard from behind me. Luke had gone off to look at the beer while I was deciding on what chips we should get. My eyes widened as I turned.

"Liam." I looked at him. "You look great." I smiled a little.

"Yeah, you too." He commented. "Having a party?" He asked looking at the four chip bags in the cart.

"No. Uh. A friend had a baby so I'm going there to make dinner for the group."

"Who? That guy Louis?" I almost chuckled knowing what he was doing.

"Luke." I answered throwing in another bag of chips. "And no. Michael and Lynn. I think you met them." That's when he noticed the ring. I mean it was pretty hard to miss. It was huge and sparkly.

"What is that?" He asked. I turned it on my finger before looking up at him.

"An engagement ring." I answered. "Just happened a few days ago."

"To who?" Now that I was afraid to answer. The entire time we were seeing each other I had been comparing him to Luke. At the end of the day, no one compared to Luke.

"Um." I rocked from one foot to the other, nervous to tell him. But then I didn't have to. Luke came over and placed the beer in the cart before resting his hand on my back.

"Huh." Liam scoffed. "Should have figured that." He commented. Luke didn't look at all alarmed.

"Luke, you remember Liam." I commented leaning into him a little. "He came to one of your parties." I commented.

"Uh, I was pretty drunk the entire time you guys were together." Luke commented. I rolled my eyes. The dick measuring contest was happening right in front of me and Liam was going to lose.

"Well, congrats on your engagement. I hope you get divorced." Liam walked away and disappeared around the corner. Of course that was my biggest fear. Getting married just to get divorced a few years down the road.

"Well, okay then." Luke chuckled beside me. We finished up our shopping quickly after that. As we got closer to Michael and Lynn's, I started to worry. I didn't worry so much that they wouldn't be happy for us, I knew they would be. This was years in the making. I was worried that they were going to think that we were upstaging Mike and Lynn. Of course nothing was more exciting than your best friends having a baby but I knew that these two events happened on the same day and I didn't want anyone upset.

Luke pulled into their driveway and quickly got out. He couldn't get enough of seeing Cade. Of course we got picture updates all day long but Luke got a lot more than the rest of us. I loved watching Luke with Cade but I also loved seeing his friendship with Mike fix itself over night. Things had been tense between them for a while. It worried me. He nearly ran inside and left me to carry in all the bags.

By the time I got inside and got everything settled, he was already holding Cade and telling him the story of how "we ran into Auntie Kinny's ex-boyfriend and beat him up". Lynn met me in the kitchen.

"Hey." She smiled. She looked so exhausted.

"Hi." I smiled pulling things out of bags. "How you feeling? You look tired. Wanna go rest for a little while?"

"Yeah. Just wanted to make sure you didn't need anything first."

"No. I'm fine." I waved her off. She gasped before grabbing my hand.

"What is this?!" She shrieked. I smiled.

"That's an engagement ring." She held my hand as she inspected the ring. "Took him long enough huh?" I laughed.

"What's with all the shrieking?" Michael asked coming into the kitchen. Lynn held up my hand to show the group. I smiled.

"Luke proposed." Cheers moved through the group and we all hugged each other. We went over the story of our engagement. Of course they all asked questions. Ashton was shocked that it happened so soon.

"I mean like, I knew it was going to happen just not that fast." He said. "I'm so happy for you." He wrapped me in a hug. I held him tight. He was the one who helped me through the heartbreak. He was the one who was crawling into my bed every night to make sure I was okay and that I wouldn't go to bed lonely. He was an amazing friend and I wanted him to know how much I appreciated him.

I was in no rush to get married. Probably within the next two years we would but I wanted Ashton as involved as possible. We hadn't discussed who would be in the wedding party aside from Cade and Emmett and my cousin Audrey.

After we chatted for a little while longer, Lynn went upstairs to take a nap while I cooked. The boys were all in the living room watching tv and passing Cade around. When I got everything prepped and turned the oven on, I made some dip and brought the chips into the living room.

While they dug in, I held Cade. He was sleeping peacefully relaxing on my chest while I leaned back and rubbed his. Luke was looking at me and I smiled at him. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. We were ready for this. We were ready to get married and start a family. It wasn't something that I ever thought would be possible for us, but I was ready for it.

*LUKE P.O.V*

I was beyond excited that everyone was happy for us. I knew they would be. But the events of the last few years were filled with so much chaos that now that things were finally falling into place, it seemed fake. It seemed like something was going to come down from the heavens and take it all away from me.

Watching her hold Cade and coo at him and calm him when he fussed; I wanted it. I wanted it all with her. She was an incredible woman and there was no way in hell I was going to ever let her go again.

When dinner was ready. I helped her cut the meat and put it on a plate for everyone before bringing it to the table. Ashton quickly got the salad together while she mashed the potatoes. Michael went to get Lynn and Calum poured us each a glass of wife.

As we all sat down at the table together, in silence, we were all feeling the same thing. It didn't matter what any of us were going through and where we were in the world. We were a family and we always would be.

I glanced sideways at McKinley, laughing and joking with our friends and I had no idea why I ever let her go in the first place. Yes, I moved away for my job. A job where I was just trying to further my career and she supported me in that no matter how much it broke her. But when she moved to L.A I should have jumped back on the train. She should have been mine all along.

And maybe she had always been mine. I mean, I did promise her that no matter what we were going to get married. It was something that we had gone back and forth on for a while. We weren't sure if we really wanted to do the whole wedding thing, the whole marriage thing. When it came down to it. I did. I wanted it all no matter what. I wasn't in a rush to get married. I wanted something super small with just friends and family. I wanted a life with her, I would take whatever came with it. Whatever she wanted, she got.

"What?" She smiled looking over at me. I wasn't sure how long I was staring at her. I smiled at her and couldn't help the tears that came to my eyes. "Honey, it's okay." She whispered resting her hand gently on my face.

"I'm just so thankful for you." I said choked up. I felt stupid for crying about it but she moved to sit on my lap and I felt multiple hands patting my back. I laughed at myself but it came out all slobbery right into McKinley's neck. "I'm such a baby."

"You're not a baby. Just been through a lot and now you get your happily ever after." Ashton commented. I was so looking forward to my happily ever after.