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

35 | Extinguish

I'm twenty two for a moment

She feels better than ever

And we're on fire

Making our way back from Mars

-Five for Fighting, "100 Years"

eighteen hours left

Tallahassee, Florida

Rachel

When I woke up at Alex's this morning, he had still been asleep. I slid out of his bed without waking him, crept past Brittany to get my shoes, and slipped out the door unnoticed. I had appreciated Alex being there for me the night before, but I didn't want to face Brittany and her questions.

Nothing had happened between us, but Brittany would still make a big deal about it, and I didn't feel like listening to it today.

When I got home, I put the ringer on my phone to the highest setting and deep cleaned the apartment,  down to the baseboards and windows.

Hours passed with no missed calls, until 5:06 pm.

My phone rang, and when I saw the name on the screen, my heart leapt into my throat. 

Panama City Beach, Florida

Luke

Twelve hours. That's all that was left before my brother could be killed by terrorists in Iraq. And we had heard nothing.

I was furious, disgusted, and devastated. Even if Miles made it out of this, he was going to have some serious PTSD.

What gave these assholes the right to take my brother and ruin his life? Not to mention the lives of everyone who loves him.

I was on the balcony, listening to the waves as I ruminated on what I would do if I got my hands on one of those fuckers when Brooke lay her hand on my shoulder.

"Luke?" she asked gently.

I looked up at her and smiled, my heart melting when I saw she was holding Lily.

"Hi babe," I greeted her, standing up and kissing her cheek. "How was your day?"

"It was fine; Katherine took me to lunch and then bought Lily some clothes." She smiled as she continued. "She's obsessed with buying her little pink outfits."

I grinned and held my arms out, so she could give Lily to me. Being with Brooke and holding our daughter was the only thing keeping me sane for the past few days.

I held Lily close to my chest and sat back down, pressing my lips to her tiny forehead as Brooke sat down next to me.

"Have you heard anything about Miles?" Brooke asked, her voice quiet.

I shook my head, looking out at the water. "There's only twelve hours left, Brooke. What if they don't save him?" My voice cracked, and I let out the sobs I'd been holding in for days.

"Oh, Luke..." she cooed, wrapping her arms around me and Lily, enveloping us in her comforting embrace. "Don't give up, baby."

I lay my head against her shoulder and cried until I had no tears left.

As I lifted my head to wipe my eyes, my phone began to buzz.

three hours earlier