Page 123 of Forever

And no one said anything when Bee didn’t take a sip. I really hoped she got pregnant soon too.

It was so strange. These women knew the Untouchables now. And Kennedy and I knew them better from high school. I loved hearing stories about the four of them.Except about the time they drifted apart. I hated that. But they were all back together now.Happily off doing God knows what at a bachelor party.

“I don’t know how you did it,” Daphne said. “Being uprooted from your life and being forced to live with a father that your mother didn’t want you to know. You’re incredibly brave, Brooklyn.”

I hadn’t felt brave then. “I wasn’t. The only thing that kept me going while I was living with my father was Miller. He made me feel safe. He wasn’t cruel like my father.” I’d given Miller a piece of my heart as soon as he’d shared his ice cream with me. I felt tears welling in my eyes.

The wave of grief hit me hard. Sitting here with my friends that were celebrating my new relationship felt…heavy. I was still mourning Miller. And I was bad at hiding it. This was why I didn’t want Matt to leave me tonight. Because I knew this would happen.

Daphne grabbed my hand. “It hits at strange moments, I know.” She squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to hide how you’re feeling around us. Ever. Okay?”

I nodded.

And then she pulled me into a hug.

How had I ever lived without a friend as understanding as Daphne?

“I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have brought up your hot daddy and all that,” Justin said and hugged my other side.

I laughed through my tears.

“Let it all out, gorgeous.” He kissed my cheek.

“Group hug!” Kennedy yelled and slammed into my side. Penny and Bee joined in too.

I couldn’t help but smile through my tears. Miller had held me together after everything. But now I had so many people to lean on. It was like Miller had known that if I came back here, it wouldn’t just be because I needed Matt.It was like he wanted me to have all these people in my life. To hold me when I cried. Since he couldn’t.

It was strange to feel so unlucky but so lucky at the same time.

“I love you guys,” I said.

“We love you too,” Penny said.

“Well, I love you most, since I knew you first,” Justin said.

“Justin, I knew Brooklyn first,” Kennedy said.

Justin pulled back from the hug. “Semantics. If I was straight, Brooklyn and I would already be married and we all know it. That’s true love. Which is more powerfully than best friend love.”

I laughed and wiped away the rest of my tears.

“What do you find funny about that?” Justin asked. “Don’t make me mouth kiss you again.”

The power cut out and Justin screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Justin, let go, I can barely breathe,” Penny said with a laugh.

“Sorry, gorgeous, but I’m not moving until the power is back on.”

I would have been freaking out, but everyone was laughing. It was hard to be scared when I was smiling.

“Do you know where the circuit breaker is?” Daphne asked.

“I honestly have no idea. Should we go look for it?” I reached out for her in the darkness and found her hand.

“Yeah, we can definitely fix this,” she said.

“Maybe you can. I have no idea how to. Let me get my phone so we can see.” I rummaged around for my phone on the coffee table. I hit the flashlight feature. The room lit up. And standing behind the couch were six men with black ski masks over their faces.

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