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

25 | Departure

One more day, one more time

One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied

But then again, I know what it would do

Leave me wishing still for one more day with you.

-Diamond Rio, "One More Day"

Tallahassee, Florida

Luke

Brooke and I had gotten to Tallahassee in the late morning of New Year's Eve. We had flown, just because Brooke didn't want to sit in the car for an extended amount of time. The flight had taken twenty minutes. While it was true that Rachel and Miles had just been in Panama City for Christmas, we wanted to have a chance to see them, just the four of us, before Miles left for Iraq.

Shit. I still couldn't believe it sometimes - my brother was going to Iraq. For an entire year. If I'm being honest, I hadn't really thought of it much, because when I did, I got depressed.

But now that it was real - and happening tomorrow, I knew I had to face it.

"Babe, did you call Miles to come get us?" Brooke broke through my thoughts.

"I did," I responded, picking up the bag we shared off the conveyor belt. "He should be here in a few minutes."

"Okay," she said, kissing my cheek.

I smiled and put my arm around her, and the other hand on her belly. "How's our baby girl this morning? Active?"

She nodded. "She's been kicking me all morning."

I grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

She bumped me with her hip as we walked out the automatic doors to the loading area where Miles would pick us up.

A few moments later, Miles pulled up in his Jeep and honked once, waving at us and grinning.

"Hey brother!" I called as he put the Jeep in park.

"Hey bro, hey Brooke," he greeted us.

"Thanks for picking us up, Miles," she said as she started to crawl into the backseat.

"Wait, Brooke, sit up here," I insisted, patting the front passenger seat.

She grinned. "Well, all right, if you insist," she said.

I winked and crawled in the back, moving to the middle so I could speak to them easily.

"Where's Rach?" I asked Miles as he pulled away from the airport.

"Oh, she's at home making breakfast for us," he answered.

"Yas!" Brooke exclaimed, rubbing her belly. "Me and baby girl are starving."

"Y'all always starving," I teased.

She turned around and stuck her tongue out at me, and Miles laughed.

We went on like that for the rest of the way to Miles and Rachel's apartment, and when we pulled in, Brooke ran ahead of us to get to Rachel faster, and Miles grabbed my wrist.

"Wait, bro, I need to talk to you," he said, and his eyes were misty.

"Oh. What's wrong, Miles?" I asked, peering at him.

"Nothing, nothing, I just... I need you to do something for me," he said, gesturing to a bench under a tree in front of their building.

"Sure, Miles. Anything you need," I said, sitting down and turning my body toward his.