Still the One (Book 2 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

39 | Thankful

"I – uh, well..." she started, and Adam put his arm around her.

"Don't be mad at your mother, but... she invited Katherine and Brooke to dinner as well," he said.

I bit my lip to keep from grinning and elbowed Miles. He winked at me.

Luke's mouth dropped. "Mom! Really? Why would you do that?"

"Come on, Luke," I said, patting his shoulder. "Katherine and Brooke don't have any other family. All they have is each other... wouldn't you rather them be with people who love them on Thanksgiving? I mean, Brooke is still my best friend, and I know you still care about her at least in that way," I pointed out.

"Did you put her up to this?" he asked me, crossing his arms.

"No, she didn't," Jane said. "It was my idea, and you can be mad at me if you want to, but I thought it was the right thing to do. They've had a hard few months too."

Luke sighed and picked up his bag. "Fine... I'm going to go put my bag in my room," he mumbled, leaving the four of us on the driveway.

Miles draped his arm around my shoulders. "Thanks for covering for me, Ma," he said, and I looked up at him in disbelief.

"What? This was your idea?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah. It was... I mean Ma agreed immediately, but I brought it up."

"Why?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

"I didn't tell you this, but the other night when you went out with Jessica, Luke joined me at the second bar you guys went to," he said, leaning against the Jeep.

"What? He did?"

"Yeah. And," he looked at Jane apologetically before he continued, "he had a little bit too much to drink. He told me that he and Jessica hadn't taken the step to being actual 'boyfriend/girlfriend,' and when I asked him why,  he told me everything he and Brooke discussed at the play that day. And he told me that he admitted to Brooke that he was still in love with her."

"What?" I exclaimed, looking at Jane and Adam. It was clear that Miles had already told them as much.

"Yeah, did she not tell you that?" he asked.

"No, she just told me that she wanted him to stay with Jessica because she could tell he was happy. She didn't tell me anything about him admitting that," I said, shaking my head.

"Well, he did. And as we all know; kids and drunk people tell the truth. So... while I like Jessica, and I do think she's good for Luke, I can't let my brother make what could possibly be the biggest mistake of his life and give up the woman he really loves. So... I wanted them to have one more chance... and I figure if they can get through this weekend without having a serious conversation, then maybe they really don't belong together... but I had to try. Ma agreed to help," he said, shrugging.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes. "Miles, that's.... my God. That's..."

"Are you disappointed in me? Did I go too far?" he asked, putting his hand on my waist and looking down at me, his blue eyes suddenly fretful.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "No. That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. You're amazing, baby," I murmured, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him.

Adam cleared his throat. "We'll be inside," he said, and I could hear the grin in his voice.

Miles smiled against my mouth. "I love you, Rachel," he whispered.

"I love you more," I answered, and he shook his head.

"Don't even start," he said, and I giggled.