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

33 | Thin Line

I love to hold you close, tonight & always

I love to wake up next to you.

-Zayn, "Pillowtalk"

Luke

Thursday night after our last dress rehearsal, I was relaxing on the couch watching The Hangover when my phone rang. I grinned when I saw the caller ID.

"Hey Dad," I said. "Thanks for calling me back."

"Hey Luke. No problem – sorry it took me a couple days; I've been swamped at work," he said, and I could hear how tired he sounded.

"It's okay, Dad. Listen, did you get to check on that employee I asked you about?" I asked, tapping my fingers on the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, I did. His name is Jacob Tate, and he still works for me. He's worked for the company for over twenty years, and is actually one of the best employees I have. Why did you ask again?" he questioned.

I was stunned into silence. "I – uh, no reason really. There's a girl in Miles' class that he remembered from Panama City, and that was where he thought he knew her from. I told him there was no way, but now I'll have to tell him he was right," I managed.

"Oh, well, all right then. Hey, Mom and I will see you tomorrow at the play. We are so excited to see you and Rachel perform!" he exclaimed.

I grinned. "Yeah, it's going to be awesome. Can't wait to see you guys," I said.

"Ditto. Love you, son. Give our love to Miles, okay?" he asked.

"Love you too. Travel safe," I said, disconnecting the call.

If Iris' dad still worked at Salazar Properties, there wouldn't be a reason for her to hate Miles or his father – I wondered idly if she even knew he was dead – which would make this an innocent crush. Which was good, right? Miles had been afraid that this was much more sinister, but this was a good sign that it wasn't.

Then why was I still a little freaked out?

Rachel

I was laying on the bed listening to music when Miles swept into the room with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Hey baby," he greeted me, sitting the wine and glasses on the nightstand and giving me a kiss on the forehead. "Sorry I'm late; Coach had us cleaning up the field and mowing until it was so dark we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces."

I sat up and kissed his lips. "That's okay babe," I responded. I motioned toward the wine. "What's this for?"

"Well, I know you've had a tough week, and this weekend is going to be so busy. I just wanted to make sure we got a moment alone together before the chaos begins," he said, sitting next to me and brushing my hair out of my eyes.

"Miles, why are you so good to me?" I whispered, leaning against him.

He kissed the top of my head and tilted my chin up so he could see my eyes. "Because you deserve the entire world. And I intend to spend the rest of my life ensuring that you have it," he murmured, bringing my face to meet his, his soft lips brushing against mine.

My breath caught in my throat when I realized what he had just said. The rest of his life? My heart sped up, but I played it cool.

"I love you so much, Miles," I said, and I felt him smile against my mouth.

"I love you too, beautiful. Now, let's open this wine."

As we sipped the white zinfandel, the opening notes of a slow ballad drifted through the speakers. He sat his wine glass on the nightstand and took mine out of my hand, sitting it next to his.

I cocked my head to the side. "Hey, gimme that!" I said playfully.

He stood up and held out his hand to me. "Dance with me, gorgeous."

Even after all this time together, butterflies invaded my abdomen as he brought me flush against him. We swayed back and forth to the beat, and I felt safer in his arms just then than I had since this whole Iris debacle had begun. His arms tightened around me as the song ended. He picked me up and lay me in bed, wrapping me in his arms.

We spent the rest of the night finishing the bottle and then lying in each other's arms, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

And long after he fell asleep, I lay awake replaying his words in my head: for the rest of his life.