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.

He sighed and looked at the sky before meeting my eyes again. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything, brother, you know that," I said, clapping my hand on his shoulder.

He looked at me seriously. "If something happens to me, I need you to take care of Rachel... make sure she doesn't spiral off the deep end." I opened my mouth to speak, but he shook his head. "Please, let me finish." He took a deep breath. "Where I'm going, there will be battle. There will be IEDs...this deployment isn't without danger. There is a chance something could happen, Luke, and going into it knowing that you and Brooke will be there... it just makes me feel better."

I swallowed, blinking back tears. "Miles, you know Brooke and I would never abandon Rachel. Especially during a time like that - but bro, nothing is going to happen," I insisted, but even as I said it, I knew that wasn't something we could say with any accuracy.

Because we never thought he'd be deployed to Iraq either, and here we were.

Rachel

"Rach?" Brooke asked, poking her head into the bathroom where I sat on the toilet lid in my bra and panties with my head in my hands.

"What, B?" I asked, not looking up.

"The pizza will be here soon," she said cautiously, and I knew she was leaning on the countertop by the way she appeared next to me and crossed her legs at the ankles.

"Okay," I sniffled, not looking up.

I felt her hand on my shoulder, and she drew soft circles on my bare skin with her thumb. "Rachel... talk to me."

Sighing heavily, I looked up at her, and her perfectly sculpted eyebrows knitted together. "Brooke, I don't know if I can do this."

She squatted in front of me and put her hands on my knees to steady herself. "Do what, honey?"

A tear slid down my cheek. "Say goodbye to him again."

She tilted her head to the side and brought her palm to my cheek softly. "Well, babe, you have to. You don't really have a choice in this matter."

"I know... but it was so painful, just for 16 weeks. This is over 3 times as long, Brooke," I said, wiping the tears from my face.

"You can do this. I'm here for you. Luke is here for you. You've got Jessica and Parker, and your parents. I know we aren't all here all the time, but you're not alone in this, okay?" she insisted, wiping my tears away with her thumbs.

I sighed and lay my head on her shoulder. "Brooke, what if something happens to him? What if he doesn't - " My voice broke. "What if he doesn't come back?"

Brooke shook her head. "You can't think like that, Rachel. Just put that out of your head," she commanded.

I nodded and exhaled heavily, looking up at the ceiling.

"Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay now?"

"I think so, why?"

"Because I really need you to help me get out of this position," she croaked.

I laughed and stood up, grabbing her hands and pulling her up into a hug. "Thanks for everything, Brookie."

"No thanks needed, Rach. That's my job," she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "Now get dressed so we can celebrate New Year's."

***

And celebrate we did. Everyone except Brooke drank a whole lot of champagne, and when the ball dropped, we all shared kisses and then went to bed. Brooke and Luke left, Brooke as the DD, with the promise to pick Miles and me up at 2:00 pm to get to the airport for his 4:00 pm flight.

I went into the bathroom, pulled off my sweater and jeans, and slid into bed next to Miles. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead as I snuggled into his chest.

We lay there in silence for a few moments before I spoke. "Miles?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Are you scared?"

He didn't say anything for a couple seconds and then I felt him nod, his face in my hair. "Yeah. I am."

This admission made my heart constrict as if someone were squeezing it in a metal vice. Tears filled my eyes, but I willed them away; I was determined to be strong for him.

"Me too," was all I said.

He turned me over on my back and climbed on me, one leg on either side of my hips. He put his hands on my cheeks and his blue eyes searched my face.

"Rachel, I swear... with everything in me... that I willcome home to you. When that tour is up and it's December 31st again, I will be home. In your arms. Right here. I put that on everything," he whispered, brushing my messy hair off my forehead.

I nodded and leaned up to kiss him, brushing my lips against his gently until he inhaled sharply and clenched my lower lip between his teeth.

I gasped, and my hands immediately went into his hair, and he wrapped his arms around me, lifting me further off the bed.

"I love you so much," he breathed against my lips.

"I love you too, Miles," I whispered back, and he lay me down, my hair spilling over the pillow.

He ran his hand through my hair, down my cheek and neck, across my collarbone, and down the curve of my hip.

"Let me show you how much," he murmured in my ear, and I grinned, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him against me.

Miles

On New Year's Day, Rachel and I woke up early and spent as much time together as humanly possible. By 1:55, when Luke and Brooke showed up, my bags were sitting by the door and ready to go.

But I wasn't ready.

And nor was Rachel.

Neither of us was ready for the goodbye we'd endure at the airport.

If saying goodbye for Fort Leonard Wood was painful, this was excruciating.

I told my brother and Brooke goodbye, which was hard enough, but when I turned to Rachel and saw her grey eyes full of unshed tears, the lump in my throat was too big to swallow over.

I gathered her into my arms and held her against my chest for at least three straight minutes. When she finally lifted her head, my t-shirt was soaked and her makeup was smudged.

"Miles, please... be careful over there... don't take any unnecessary risks," she said, and I smiled.

"I won't, Rach. I swore to you I'd be back here on December 31st. And I will be," I answered, kissing her forehead.

She nodded and put her hands on my cheeks, looking up at me. "I'm proud of you, Miles Salazar," she said, and I leaned down to kiss her, our tears spilling onto our lips, salty and heartbreaking.

When I turned to leave her with one more "I love you" and wave over my shoulder, I watched as Luke and Brooke wrapped their arms around her.

I wished more than anything I wasn't causing her this pain.

But in 365 days, I'd be back in her arms.

And I'd never leave her again.