"I've never seen so many people cry without tears," Carly mumbled.

"To be fair, most of them have so much Botox they can't cry," Luca commented a bit too loud, and one of the aunts heard, Maria, maybe? She turned to glare at Kit as if it was her fault that Luca spoke out.

They were all sitting together at the funeral as Leonardo's relatives took turns giving speeches. Everyone was dressed formally in black and telling stories about Leonardo that felt hollow and more for show than anything. None of them knew him, not the way the four of them did. Kit's stomach had been in knots all day.

The last few weeks leading to the funeral consisted of the four of them spending most of their time together. No one quite understood what Leo meant to all of them. Kit had officially moved in last week, and she was sure Stone and Jase were destroying the house, but she was finally letting stuff like that go.

"Let's ditch this and say goodbye to Dad his way," Luca suggested.

"We can't do that," Andre gasped.

"Why not?" Luca asked. "No one here gives a crap; it's all for appearances. Let them think about what they want. We'll see them at the restaurant later anyway."

They'd decided to have dinner to follow at the new restaurant. It was nearly ready for an official opening; they needed to hire staff and finalize a few more things.

"This is what we do," Carly whispered. "Kit and I will duck out first. Then you two leave like you were checking on us."

"Done," Luca agreed. "We'll follow you to the lake. That's where we say goodbye."

"I can't believe we're doing this," Kit said as she and Carly hastily walked out; luckily, as Luca said, no one seemed to notice. One of the uncles was giving a speech, and everyone was looking at him.

"I can't believe not one of those relatives came to see him when he was sick." Carly pointed out as she unlocked the car and ushered Kit to hurry and follow her.

"I know," Kit agreed. "Screw it; I don't feel bad for leaving."

They climbed in, and Kit glanced back to the backseat. "Oh good, you have poles."

"I had a feeling we'd do this today," Carly confirmed as she pulled out of the church parking lot.

"Can you make a quick stop before we go to the lake?" Kit asked.

****

Luca and Andre found the girls sitting on the dock waiting for them when they arrived. Luca was beyond relieved to leave that funeral. He couldn't believe how many people came out of the woodwork to pretend they gave a shit.

"I have the poles," Carly called out as they drew closer.

"We got bait!" Andre held up the little can of worms they'd stopped to buy.

"Did anyone try and stop you from leaving?" Kit asked as Luca came to sit next to her. Andre sat next to Carly, grabbed his pole, and cast it out.

"No, but we heard someone say, where the hell are they going, as we left," Andre chuckled.

"Who gives a damn about them," Luca dropped his line into the water. "This is where Dad would be. Every day if he could."

"He's here now, I bet," Kit said softly as she cast her line out next. "Waiting to see who catches the biggest fish!"

"That'll be me," Carly smirked as she cast her line out.

"We'll see about that," Andre teased. "I'm still the champion this summer."

"Challenge accepted," Luca said as he studied his bobber.

"Who's going to win it, Leo?" Kit asked out loud.

A soft breeze went through the air, and Luca felt it, him. "He's here."

"I feel him, too," Kit said as she squeezed his hand.

"I told him we'd all go fishing every year to honor him," Luca said, "hope that's okay with you all."

"More than okay," Andre agreed. "We'll make a trip out of it; it'll be fun."

"Speaking of trips," Carly looked at Andre and then glanced at Luca and Kit. "Andre and I are going to do some traveling. I don't know for how long. We're thinking a long road trip; we want to be spontaneous."

"Andre, do you even know what that word means?" Luca feigned a shocked expression, and Andre playfully shoved him.

"I'm learning it. It's time I do some impulsive stuff," Andre said with newfound confidence.

"When are you leaving?" Kit asked.

"Tomorrow," Andre said, "I mean as long as you two are good?"

"Yeah, man do your thing, we'll be busy with the restaurant," Luca jerked at his line but nothing was on it.

"Will you tell us the name already?" Carly demanded.

"When we get there we'll reveal it to everyone," Kit said firmly.

"So about the house then," Luca commented, "are you two fine with us staying there for now?"

"As long as you want," Andre agreed quickly. "Seriously, no rush. We might travel for a while."

Leonardo had left the house for Andre since Luca got the restaurant. The shares from the practice were split evenly between the brothers. In addition Leonardo gave each of the four of them a generous sum of money. Luca knew his dad had done that not to spoil them but to make sure that none of them felt pressured to make work a top priority. He wanted them to have time and moments, like this.

"I got one!" Kit called out gleefully as her bobber dove down into the water.

"I think it's going to be a big one!" Carly cheered as Kit stood up to reel it in.

"Don't fall on me again," Luca laughed as she stood to help her.

"I'm letting you help me this time!" Kit laughed out loud as the he helped her hoist the huge giant bass up. Luca got it unhooked from her pole and then Kit held it up to pose for photos.

"It's bigger then the one Andre caught!" Kit cheered. "New champion!"

"The day is not over yet!" Andre said in a light tone as he admired the fish she'd caught.

"For you, Leo!" Kit tossed the fish back in the water.

"I think we should always toss the biggest one back in for him," Carly suggested.

"I love that, hon," Andre squeezed her arm.

"You two gonna get married on your road trip?" Luca asked and enjoyed seeing Andre's eyes pop out of his head. "What? You said spontaneous."

"You can't just ask people that!" Carly scoffed, and he noticed she was blushing hard.

"You're all red!" Kit exclaimed. "You are, aren't you? You two are going to elope!"

"We might.." Andre clarified, "If we happen to drive by a chapel."

"We're trying not to plan it," Carly added, "we want it to feel like fate or something."

"That's so sweet. I'm so happy for you!" Kit's eyes welled with tears as she walked over to embrace Carly.

"Yeah, me too, Andre," Luca squeezed his brother's shoulder.

"Thanks, Luca," Andre's voice broke a little. "I'm going to miss you, big brother."

"Alright, that's enough sappy shit," Luca groaned as he playfully ruffled Andre's hair. "I'm going to miss you too."

They fished late into the afternoon, releasing everything they caught for Leonardo. It was a calm and relaxing day.

Luca comforted himself, knowing his dad's presence would carry on in all of them. They'd all learned something from him that summer and were better for it.

**

Kit was a bundle of nerves when they pulled up to the restaurant. This was the first time they'd be hosting anyone here, and it felt like a trial run before they did it for real.

"It's so strange to see cars in the parking lot," she noted as she and Luca got out.

"Let's hope that's a temporary feeling," Luca laughed lightly.

"Right," she giggled as he took her hand to lead her in.

"You that nervous? Your palm is all sweaty."

"Sorry." She pulled her hand away, but he took it right back.

"Everything will be fine; it's just a bunch of annoying relatives." He did his best to assure her, but nothing was going to settle her nerves

They walked inside, and everyone turned to look at them. Kit avoided eye contact with Luca's aunts; they all gave her harsh looks, and she could tell they disapproved of her. Or maybe it was Luca and her by proxy; either way, she was anxious for them to leave.

They did, however, look impressed by the restaurant. Many of them were admiring the décor and murmuring. She and Luca spent a lot of time perfecting the look; they wanted it to feel like both a date place to fall in love and a place to take your family for great memories. They kept the dark wood floors as is, but they painted the walls deep mahogany and decorated them with tons of food and wine pictures. The lighting was left dim and calm. They'd replaced the booths with tables topped with white linens and black napkins.

They made their way behind the bar, where they'd hung up tons of pictures of Leo. The place's name would soon be hung above the bar and outside.

Luca cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "First off, I guess; uh, thanks for coming to say goodbye to my dad."

Kit nudged him; he wasn't even trying to sound sincere. She didn't blame him though none of the relatives were genuine either.

"Anyway, this place is the last legacy he wanted to leave behind. And that's why we named it Leo's e famiglia. Leo's and family. Which, in the end, was what my dad was all about. I want this to be a place where memories can be made. So anyway, there's food, wine, have at it!"

A few people clapped and mumbled, and others ran to the buffet for food.

Carly and Andre sat with Stone, Jase, and Jess at one of the big round tables, they smiled and waved them over, and Kit and Luca sat to join them.

"What do you think about the name?" Luca asked.

"It's perfect," Andre said with a smile.

"I just wish he was here," Kit sighed softly.

"He is," Luca said, resting a hand on her thigh. "He's always going to be here for the big stuff."

"The little stuff, too," Jase added. "Sometimes you'll just be doing something random and feel them."

"Such a wise one, this kid," Stone ruffled Jase's hair affectionately.

"Aw, are you two bonding without me there?" Kit teased.

"Nah," Jase shrugged off, but she had a feeling they might be. Letting go a little and knowing they were okay was a free feeling.

Carly and Andre joined Jess and Jase to go up and get food while Luca poured everyone a glass of wine.

"This place is great," Stone told them. "I'm so proud of both of you!"

"Thanks, Dad," Kit smiled proudly, and so did Luca.

"Proud enough to come to work for us?" Luca asked again.

"I told you. I like to slack off too much; you'll fire me," Stone said. "Besides, someone's got to serve the underagers at the Grill."

"Dad!" Kit groaned as Luca laughed.

Stone chuckled again as he stood. "Let's go get some food before it's all gone."

The food was a hit. Everyone loved it. Luca had prepared most of it the night before and hired a few chefs to prepare it. They had about four different types of pasta and salads, along with breadsticks and pizzas.

Despite everything going great, Kit's nerves didn't settle; she knew they wouldn't until everyone was gone, and it was just her and Luca.

... Which took forever, but finally, the last relative left the restaurant, and Luca locked the door.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" He asked instantly as he turned around.

"What do you mean?"

"Kit Kat. I know you; you've been all quiet and jittery all night. I assumed it was the funeral this morning, but you've been like that all night too. Did you even drink any of your wine?"

"Well, um, no. I didn't," she felt her heart thundering in her chest and thought she might pass out, so she sat down quickly.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"I'm late," she exclaimed. "I realized it last night.. not by more than a few days. But I'm never late, like ever."

"Late?" He froze, and then his eyes filled with realization. "Oh! But, we're always careful."

"Not always," she bit her lip. "That night after..."

"My dad died," he finished for her. "Fuck, Kit, I'm sorry."

"It takes two," she reminded him, "I forgot too. We were grieving. We needed each other too much that night to think about it."

"Still," he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm supposed to protect you; I know you're so scared...right now. I can see your hands shaking."

"Not...scared like that. I guess I was nervous you'd flip out."

"Me?" He questioned. "Baby, you just turned twenty-three. You're supposed to freak out, and I'm supposed to tell you everything will be okay."

"My mom was only twenty when she got pregnant with me," Kit noted.

"Yeah, I recall the text about not letting anything hold you back," he spat out. He'd taken that text very personally, as he should've.

"She was an idiot," Kit said bluntly. "Getting pregnant wasn't her mistake; it isn't a mistake for us if we are. Her mistake was leaving; it was thinking her own needs and wants mattered more than love."

She paused for a moment feeling her nerves starting to ease up.

"Your mom and your dad taught me what matters. It's love, and it's family. Your mom said love is the most important thing in the world, and she was so right!" Kit cried out. "So if our future is coming faster than we expected, it's okay."

"More than okay," Luca agreed, and she gasped slightly.

"Are you?"-

"Saying I hope you are?" He finished for her, and a tiny smile started twitching his lips. "Yeah, baby, I am. You said you're never late? So it's pretty likely?"

"I think we better take the test before we start getting our hopes up." She grabbed a little box from her purse and headed to the bathroom.

"What can I do? Do you need help?"

She cracked up laughing as he followed her right into the bathroom. "I can pee on the stick myself, babe. You wait here."

She left him standing at the sink as she ducked into a stall.

"You know I'm going to ask you to marry me, right?" Luca asked as she was in midstream, and she nearly dropped the stick.

"Luca!" She cried out. "First, warn a girl. Second, I can't handle a funeral, taking a pregnancy test, and a proposal all at one time. I might die of emotional overload or something."

"The dramatics," he laughed. "Someone spent their summer with me."

"Well, I'm serious!"

"Not right now," he clarified with a chuckle. "I meant I'm going to at some point, probably soon. When I do, it will not be in a bathroom!"

"You told me you loved me for the first time in a bathroom," she pointed out.

"No. It was our spot on the lake," he clarified.

"Sort of. You had said in another time you would have loved me." She excited the stall with the stick in hand and then set it down, so she could set a timer on her phone.

"But I was already long gone by then," he pulled her into his arms, and she melted into his embrace.

"Me too," she confessed.

"So when are you going to do it?" She asked as she nuzzled into his chest.

"I'm not going to tell you; it'll be a surprise," he said as he kissed her head.

The timer went off, jolting them both; her heart started to flutter again. "I can't look, Luca, you look!"

"We'll look together," he assuredly, "ready?"

"Ready." He released his hold on her, and they both peeked at the test; the two pink lines filled her heart with joy.

"Is that?"

"It's positive," she confirmed. "We're pregnant, .. we're... oh my god!"

"We're .. we're going to have a baby," Luca had tears streaming down his face as he lifted her into his arms and whirled her around. They were both laughing and crying at the same time.

"You better put me down, I might throw up," she said when she started getting dizzy.

He set her down gently, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she gazed into his teary eyes.

"These last few weeks have probably been the hardest of my life. Losing my dad after years of not speaking could've turned me into a bitter and empty man, but it didn't because I had you." Luca spoke softly, gazing down at her. "At the end of his life, he brought me to you, and that's the best gift he ever could've given me. Until now. Now you've given me something even bigger, and I'm just so.. there aren't even words for how I feel right now."

"Oh, Luciano," she sniffed back her tears. "I feel like, in a way, this is his last gift to us."

"I bet he's so happy right now," Luca smiled wistfully.

"Oh, he is!" She agreed heartily, "he's dancing around with your mom, celebrating!"

"Then let's join them," he said as he took the hand and pulled her to the middle of the floor.

They danced around the empty restaurant. The only music was the sound of their beating hearts as he whirled her around the room. Until they finally came to a stop to gaze into each other's excited eyes.

"I love you, Cricket Hart."

"And I love you, Luciano Donato."

~ The end

Stay tuned for the epilogue!