Page 159 of From Now On

“We’re not just celebrating my brewery,” Phillips replies. “And this is the good shit. Show some respect.” He nudges one glass toward me and one toward Conor.

“Cheers to…” Aidan raises his glass and looks to me. He knows I alwayscheersto something.

“Cheers to…us,” I say. My throat is suspiciously thick, so I clear it quickly. “I’ll miss you guys.”

“Cheers to us,” Conor echoes. “I’ll miss you guys too.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Aidan sets down his shot before we can actually knock glasses, and then walks out of the living room.

I hear his heavy steps on the stairs a few seconds later.

Conor glances at me. “That was weird.”

“Very weird,” I agree.

“Uh, bottoms up?”

“Bottoms up.”

We clink glasses and then swallow.

“Should we check on him?” I ask.

Before Conor can reply, I hear footsteps on the stairs again.

Aidan reappears, holding two white envelopes. He scowls when he spots the two empty glasses. “What the fuck?”

“We didn’t know where you went!” Conor says.

Aidan downs his shot, then refills all the glasses. “You guys know about the shit with Jameson,” he starts. “How my brother is an asshole and a pain in the ass. If we weren’t blood-related, I’d never talk to the guy again.”

Conor nods. “And you and Morgan know the deal with Landon. He’s still trying to convince Harlow to break up withme. If it wouldn’t hurt her, I’d go back to pretending he doesn’t exist.”

I realize what they’re doing, all of a sudden, and this time the lump in my throat won’t clear.

“You guys have been there for me, through it all,” Hart continues. “And it means…” He clears his throat. “Well, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Hart,” Aidan says. “Someone had to carry the team while you were slacking.”

Conor rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, fine. I’ll be serious. I came here at a real low point. Probably would have gotten myself kicked off the team freshman year if not for you two. And I know I was late sometimes?—”

“All the time,” I interject.

“And caused some problems?—”

“With who?” Conor asks innocently.

Aidan slouches back on the sofa. “This is why I’m never serious, you dicks.”

I reach for my glass and lift it in the air. “Cheers to choosing brothers.”

Because that’s what we did. We’re a lot more than teammates. And we chose to be there for each other, especially when the people who were supposed to be there weren’t.

“Cheers to choosing brothers,” we all repeat, and then down the shots.

“Happy early graduation.” Aidan holds envelopes out to me and Conor.

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