Later that evening, Jake comes back in the kitchen from setting the table in the dining room. He takes a sip from his glass of whiskey that he had left on the counter.
"Well, the house is impeccable and I set the table as best I could, hope it's enough for dear old Malfoy." I snicker at the reference to Aleister. "The food smells great too."
He picks up a single spaghetti noodle and drops it into his mouth. I swat at him with the spaghetti scoop, "Get out of here, thief!"
He smiles, evading my swing easily. "Thanks for grabbing a new bottle of whiskey for me, by the way, I was just about out."
We both turn as the door opens to reveal Diego, still embracing his shoulder-length hair and slight beard but much better maintained than when we were back on La Huerta. I quickly close the space between us and wrap him in a hug. He holds me tightly with one arm, his other carrying a grocery bag.
"I hope you don't mind, you know I'm not much of a cook, I just grabbed a fruit tray on the way here." Jake takes the bag from him, unwrapping the fruit tray, and then heading for the dining room.
"It's fine, I'm just happy to see you!" I pull him in to another tight hug.
"Sheesh, Hali, you would think you haven't seen me in ten years!" Diego laughs hugging me back again.
"I am bummed that I don't get to see my best friend every day anymore. I guess that was one of the only good things about college." Our hug ends as the front door opens again, Michelle and Sean followed by Craig and Zahra file into the house, each pair carrying some type of food with them. I greet each one with a hug as they come in.
"I forget how beautiful your house is every time I'm away, Hali!" Michelle says as she hugs me. "Where do you want the food?"
"In the dining room, we'll eat as soon as everyone is here!" I point over my shoulder in the direction of the dining room as Jake starts pouring drinks. He brings me a glass with a kiss on the cheek before turning and handing a glass to Sean and Craig.
"So, Cap, you better kick some ass this year, I've got you on my fantasy team." Jake jokes as he hands Sean his glass. They clink glasses together.
"I plan on it! Especially since Craig was traded to our team this year, should be able to do some definite damage!" Craig and Sean do a complicated fist bump.
"Hell yeah!" Craig takes a swig of his whiskey. "Aw, damn Jake, I forgot how strong your stuff is."
Raj follows Quinn in the door carrying three dishes of food. She closes the door behind him and then greets me with a kiss on each cheek. She skips into the dining room to set her food down before returning to greet everyone else. Raj beams as he sets his food down on the counter and starts wrapping each person in his reach in a hug.
"What's up, doc?!" He says as he hugs Michelle, then turns to me. "Hali! I couldn't decide what to make so I just made all three of my choices!"
"You know none of us are going to complain!" I laugh as he hugs me.
The door opens for the last time, as Grace, Estela, and then Aleister carrying a little girl with bouncy brown curls enter. Grace and Estela hug me as they pass through to set their things down. As Aleister moves into the house, the little girl turns to me and smiles brightly. My breath catches in my throat remembering the dream from last night, my heart beating a little faster. Grace and Aleister's daughter is a spitting image of Grace, except for the fact that as she aged her face has begun to resemble someone else more and more.
Their three-year-old daughter, looks more and more like Iris each time I see her. Iris was the Artificial Intelligence drone Everett Rourke had made in the image of his late wife, Aleister's mother Imogen, the namesake of their daughter. Little Imogen, or Imi as they call her for short, has the soft features of Aleister's mother but with the complexion and hair of Grace. Once within reach of me, Imi reaches out from her father, practically falling the height difference between us.
"Aunt Haaaaa-leeeeeeeeeee!"