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“Shall we go,niña?”

“Yeah, let's go.”

The two of us went down the stairs of the house and were greeted by my uncle and Derek, who were each drinking a glass of whiskey.

“Wow, stunning!” Uncle Drix praised, offering his hand to Aunt Isabel at the bottom of the stairs. She held her and the exchange of looks between them was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Their love was so beautiful, so genuine. It was, deep down, the kind of love I wanted for myself. He placed a kiss on her cheek and she took the glass from his hand, taking a sip of the drink. “Hey, and who's going to drive now that the three of us have been drinking?”

I took a deep breath and looked up before raising my hand.

“I drive…”

“Ah,cariño, thank you for offering yourself.” My uncle's mockery was clear, but I was in a good mood. Everyone seemed excited for the dinner offered by the Bryant Hospital. Who would I be to ruin the night when it had just begun?!

We all went in my uncle's car, which was a very large SUV. The journey was short and, luckily, there was still no snow on the streets, even though it was the end of November.

It was fifteen minutes to the events center that belonged to the hospital. Along the way, I felt light as we laughed and sang along to the songs on the radio, but nervousness took over me as soon as I stopped the car in front of the door.

I handed the key to the valet and climbed the short stairs after my aunt and uncle. Derek dared to go ahead of everyone, but he waited for us at the door. We were welcomed by event staff and dropped off our jackets at the cloakroom before heading into the hall.

The place was huge.

The events center was the largest in the city and always received the most important people. Even the mayor loved to hold his delegations there. And on that particular night, the decor was even more impeccable in shades of light orange and marble. It was all in very good taste. The potted plants blended in with the bright fabrics and the dining space with tables was dazzling to the eye, complete with candles floating on the water as a table arrangement.

A few meters away from the entrance, there was the Winfrey couple. Nicholas and Mackenzie, Kendra's parents.

He had his practically white curly hair styled while sporting a big smile. Mackenzie looked impeccable with a half-up, half-down hairstyle and a red dress that matched the confidence she had in her eyes.

We approached them, after all, they were the hosts of the night.

“Ah, Hendrix Kroes!” Nicholas Winfrey seemed excited to see my uncle.

“Winfrey.”

“Honey, this is the man behind the construction company Kasas Kroes, the person responsible for the hospital expansion work.” Nicholas introduced.

Mackenzie, cordially, greeted him:

“Well, it's great to finally meet you. I'm Mackenzie Winfrey, one of the heirs and owners of Bryant hospital. My husband was full of praise talking about your work, Mr. Kroes.” Her politeness was enviable.

“I appreciate all the compliments, Mrs. Winfrey. This is Isabel Torres - Kroes, my wife.” My uncle continued the introductions. “And these are our nephews…”

“Derek?” Someone called my brother and soon Colleen was walking towards us. She stopped next to her aunt and looked at us with confusion. “What… what are you doing here?” She meant me and him.

“Well, apparently our nephews already know each other…” Nicholas commented, making fun of the situation. We all ended up laughing, but it was nervous laughter.

“Oh, of course! Derek, we met in Texas, right?” Mackenzie asked, my brother confirmed it. “But your last name isn’t Kroes…”

“No, it's Torres, like mine.” Aunt Isabel interjected. “My maiden name, they both use their father’s surname, my late brother.”

Mackenzie agreed to the newly discovered information.

Colleen was quick to share that Derek and she were dating and that she, Kendra, and I were on the same cheerleading team at university. My uncles and the Winfreys thought it was all a huge coincidence.

“Well, it's a pleasure to have you here with us tonight, I hope you enjoy it.” Mr. Winfrey finally declared. “I'm going to ask for four more dishes to be placed on our table, it will be a pleasure to talk to you more. Even more so now that we share nephews who are dating.”

“That's very kind of you, Mr. Winfrey, but there's no need to worry...” Aunt Isabel tried to argue, but Mackenzie cut her off.

“We insist, Isabel, please.”