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

|| Epilogue - Seven Years Later

"Uncle Luke! Come here!"

"Yeah, hurry up, we have something to show you!"

Luke smiled and flipped the burgers on the grill one more time before handing the spatula to his father. He brushed past Miles, who gave him a clap on his back, and made his way to the pool where the voices were beckoning him.

This had been Luke's life for the past ten years: happy, fulfilled, blessed, loved. Nothing could bring him down anymore.

As he came through the pool gate, he was attacked by his daughter, Lillian, and his niece and nephew, twins Cora and Brody.

"Uncle Luke, you have to see what Lillian taught us!" Cora yelped excitedly.

"Well, I'm here now, squirt, so show me," Luke said, ruffling Brody's sandy curls.

Grinning from ear to ear, the three children lined up at the end of the pool and took a running start, splashing everyone in a three-foot radius with a triple cannonball.

Luke applauded the children as they all came up for air, flipping their wet hair out of their faces. "How cool was that?!" Brody shouted.

"Pretty dang cool, Bro," Luke called, and when he turned around, his brother was right behind him, a sneaky smirk on his face.

"Hey, brother of mine," Miles said, stepping toward Luke menacingly.

"Um, get that look of your face, and don't even think about doing what you're thinking about doing," Luke warned, holding his palms out toward Miles.

"Oh, come on, Lucas, where's the fun in that?" Miles taunted, and before Luke knew it, he was hurtling backwards into the pool, making a spectacular splash.

Luke swam to the surface and swept his hair out of his eyes. "Jerk! I'll get you for that!" Luke shouted, but he couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice.

"Hey, what can I say; some things never change!"

Luke bit the inside of his cheek as he spotted Rachel sneaking up behind Miles, her index finger pressed to her lips.

"That's true," Luke conceded, scoffing under his breath.

"What?" Miles said, his eyebrow dipping. "What's funny?"

Rachel stepped one step closer and pushed him forward into the pool, howling with laughter. "This is!"

Miles burst out of the water, huffing and puffing as he looked up at his wife. "What'd you do that for, Mrs. Salazar?"

Rachel put her hands on her hips and shrugged. "It just seemed like the thing to do," she said, and Brooke appeared behind her with a tray of drinks in her hand.

"What are you clowns doing? I brought us some lemonade, but it looks like our husbands are otherwise occupied." She set the tray down on a nearby table. "Why are they in the pool with their clothes on?"

Rachel shrugged. "Boys will forever be boys."

Luke put his hands on top of Miles' head, dunking him under the water, and when he came back to the surface, Luke wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders. "I told you I'd get you," he said, and Miles shook his head in amusement.

The four of them had each other. And that's all they had ever needed.