“Quit your daydreaming and get moving, Aubrey,” my dad growled from behind me as he lugged in some more boxes, knocking me back into reality.

“Sorry, Daddy,” I replied, flashing him a big grin as I started to empty out clothes into the closet.

“Do you think you packed enough stuff?” my mom worried aloud as she walked in behind my dad.

“Enough stuff?” he muttered under his breath.

“I heard that,” my mom replied in a singsong voice.

“I’m sure you did,” he grumbled back as he walked back out the door to grab the rest of my things.

I busted up laughing and couldn’t stop my giggles even when my mom turned to level me with a lethal glare.

“What? I worry about you, my baby girl,” she said defensively.

“And I love you for it,” I reassured her, speaking the absolute truth.

I’d grown up with no doubt about how much I was loved by my mom, dad, and three older brothers. I had been showered with love my whole life, and I was smart enough to know how lucky I was to have been blessed with an amazing family.

“Awww, now you’re gonna make me cry,” my mom wailed as she pulled me in for a hug. “I can’t believe my baby is going to graduate from school soon.”

“Mom,” I sighed. “I have a whole school year to finish before graduation.”

“All my boys have left home, and here you are, growing up so fast. And living alone this year,” she carried on as though she hadn’t heard me. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Yes, Mom,” I answered.

She leaned back to peer in my face. “Because you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I know it would be a pain, but you could just stay at home. Or take Lexi up on her offer to move into the apartment with her and Drake. Or I’m sure the school could find you a lovely roommate. Maybe with one of your other friends? I could make some calls and—”

“Mom,” I growled, interrupting her before she could carry on anymore. “There’s no way in hell I’m living at home for my senior year. No. Way. And I’m not going to move in with Lexi and Drake right after they got engaged. They need their space and I don’t want to be a third wheel all the time. And you absolutely will not make any calls to anyone at the school to pull strings or bully your way into getting me the perfect roommate.”

“But, darling,” she argued, “I just want you to be happy.”

I took a deep breath before responding. “I’m actually looking forward to living on my own this year,” I said, lying my ass off.

“Stop pestering Aubrey and help me with this stuff,” my dad huffed at my mom as he walked back into the room carrying the last two boxes and a shopping bag.

Oddly enough, I would have fully expected it to be my dad having a conniption fit over the idea of me living by myself instead of my mom. He’d started to treat me differently ever since I’d started working at the bank this summer. Every once in a while, I’d catch him looking at me with a question in his eyes like he was trying to figure something out about me. As long as it wasn’t what had finally motivated me to take life seriously, then it was fine by me.

The last thing I ever needed in my life was for my dad to know about my pregnancy scare last year. I was his darling girl who could do no wrong, and I was pretty sure that he thought the reason my relationships had short shelf lives was because I wasn’t ready to have sex with anyone and was still a virgin. It wasn’t that I was terribly promiscuous. I hadn’t slept with every guy I’d dated—not even close. Hell, I hadn’t even lost my virginity until my senior year of high school with the boyfriend who’d lasted the longest—a whole nine months. But I definitely played the field. I liked the thrill and excitement at the start of a relationship, but then I always found myself terribly let down when things started to feel mundane and the guy turned out to not be who I thought he was. Bottom line was that I didn’t think I’d ever met the right guy for me. Maybe eventually.

“Are you absolutely, positively sure you’re okay?” my mom asked again, giving me a worried look. “You’re just so quiet when you’ve usually got so much to say.”

“It is a big change, Mom. I know that, but I’m ready.”

My dad pulled my mom into his arms and gave her a big squeeze. “Relax, honey. Our baby girl is growing up. It was bound to happen eventually.”

“Daddy,” I huffed in exasperation.

“Hey, all I’m saying is it’s nice to see you taking things so seriously for once,” my dad explained. “You raise your kids so they can stand on their own two feet, but I’ve got to admit that I may have pampered you just a bit and worried a little in the last couple of years if that might have been a disservice to you.”