One in a Million (Book 3 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

22 | Together Again

And now you're my whole life

Now you're my whole world

I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl

Like a river meets the sea,

Stronger than it's ever been

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then.

-Brad Paisley, "Then"

Panama City Beach, Florida

Brooke

"You knew about this and didn't tell me?!" Rachel exclaimed, and I held the phone out away from my ear while she fussed at me.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but it just wasn't my place!" I called into the phone.

"UGH!" I heard her groan. "That's exactly what your baby daddy said!"

I snorted and put the phone back to my ear; I could tell she was calming down if she was able to joke about it. "I know; we rehearsed our answers," I teased.

She laughed, even though I could tell she had tried not to. "You're right, Brooke... I just... I was just so blindsided," she admitted.

"I understand, Rach. There's no way you could've been prepared for that."

"Yes, I could have. I could've taken what he said to heart the day he told me it was a possibility... but I didn't. I just figured that every damn thing would work out perfectly." She scoffed. "I'm so naïve."

I started to contradict her, but she was actually right. "You are a little naïve, sweetheart, but that's one of the many things we love about you. Your positivity has saved me more times than you know," I said seriously.

"Thanks, B. I'll deal with it and it'll be fine. Right?" she asked, her voice small.

"Right. And Luke and I are always here. Don't ever forget it, okay?"

"Okay. I won't. Listen, Miles just got back from the gym. I'm gonna get off here."

"All right, Rach. I love you."

"I love you too, B."

She disconnected the call, and as I sat my phone on the counter, I had to wonder how all this was going to turn out - because as I've learned in the last few years, things rarely turn out as expected.

Tallahassee, Florida

Miles

I kicked my shoes off, and Rachel met me at the door, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hi baby," she said, and I grabbed her, leaning her over and planting kisses all over her face and neck.

"Ew!" she shrieked, trying to get away from me. "You're so sweaty!"

I did my best evil laugh and flung her over my shoulder, taking her kicking and screaming to the bedroom, where I lay her on the bed and commenced tickling her.

"Ahhh!" she squealed, swatting at me playfully.

I kept tickling her until she begged for mercy, and when I finally stopped, she was out of breath from laughing.

I smiled and pushed the hair out of her face, kissing her gently. "I love you, babe," I whispered against her lips.

"I love you too," she answered, tears filling her eyes.

That happened a lot lately.

"Oh, Rachel... don't... please don't cry," I murmured, pulling her into my arms.

"I'm sorry, Miles... I just... when I think about a whole year without you here, it just hurts so badly I can hardly breathe," she sighed, as if her words had been sitting on the tip of her tongue for days.

And they probably had.

I kissed her forehead and rocked her gently as she cried. "It's okay, Rachel... just let it out... you cry as much as you need to," I whispered, feeling tears prick my own eyes before I blinked them away, refusing to let her see me cry.

Panama City Beach, Florida

Luke

"Did you tell Miles and Rachel what time to be here on Thanksgiving?" Mom asked during our Sunday afternoon dinner.

I nodded. "Yes. They'll be here... they're coming in Monday, so they'll definitely see us before then," I replied, taking the last bite of the lasagna Mom had made.

"Jane, that was delicious," Brooke commented, resting her hand on her ever-growing bump.

I grinned at her, the love I felt for her and our baby multiplying every minute, even though I had thought I could never love her more.

***

A few weeks later, Brooke and I were sitting on the front porch of my parents' house, waiting for Miles and Rachel to show up.

I was drinking coffee, and Brooke was sipping a glass of orange juice. I glanced at her, and her eyes met mine. She grinned.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, turning toward me.

"You," I said simply.

"Why? You see me every day, Luke," she responded, an amused look on her face.

I leaned forward and put my hand on hers. "And every day, you are more and more beautiful," I whispered, picking up her hand and kissing her palm.

She flushed and leaned her face into my palm. "I love you, Lucas."

"I love you, Brooke."

Right then, we heard footsteps.

"Wow, sorry to bust in on this Hallmark moment," my brother joked.

"Oh, shut up man," I said, getting up and giving him a hug.

Brooke and Rachel squealed over each other and Brooke's baby bump, and within a few minutes, we had settled back into the comfortable rhythm of being together like we had never even spent any time apart.