(Holden's POV)

Next week we are leaving for Florida. Mr. Lakes or Daddy Jim and his girlfriend broke up. It hurt him and Luc a lot because Luc feel responsible. No matter how many times Jim and I both tell him it wasn't him that did it. Jim broke up with her because their relationship wasn't going anywhere and he would like to find someone that will marry him and enjoy the rest of their lives together. I can't blame the man. I have found someone I want to do the same with so I understand.

"Did you finish making the list of things you need for the trip?" My mom asked coming in my room. I just got off work and it is a night that Luc works so Brook and I have made plans to spend sometime together. I am going to miss her when she leaves and we only have a week left. Her and mom are leaving the same day we are so it's not like me leaving is taking time away from her and I spending time together.

"Yep, Brook and I are going out so we will pick it all up." I said smiling at her.

"Spending time with your sissy?" She cooed. 

"Yes, I am. And I am very proud of that too." I said holding my head  up high.

"I am so glad my kids got a long and love each other like you two do." She said hugging me.

"I love my sister." I said holding in tears. I didn't want mom or Brook to see them. 

"I know you do sweetheart." She said sniffling.

"No crying mom, there is no crying allowed. Now smile and be happy." I said putting on a big smile for her.

"Yes, sir. Now how much money do you think you are going to need on this trip?" She asked going into mom mode.

"I'm not sure but I have money in my account. Plus I don't really need much just some more shorts and a few more shirts or tanks." I said.

"Well make sure that when you get there you buy some sun screen and no tattoos or drinking while you are there. Stay away from drugs and gangs also." She said making me laugh.

"Deal, and I promise to wear my floaters when I go swimming too." I said.

"You better because you have never been in the ocean." She said frowning.

"Mom, I promise to be good and be careful. I will call you everyday and I will be texting and calling Brook." I said hugging her again.

"Fine, I hate this my kids are getting older and it is pissing me off." She said sounding mad as hell. 

"Mom you will always be our mommy and I promise not to ever go to far from you for too long." I said smiling at her.

"Good, at least I will have you here for another year." She said with a sigh.

"Are you ready, little brother?" Brook asked from the door.

"Yep, do you need anything while we are out?" i asked mom.

"No, I'll be fine." She said frowning.

"Did you want to come with us?" Brook asked.

"Maybe we will all go do something tomorrow." She said.

"Dinner and a movie." I said smiling at them.

"It's a date." Mom said smiling now.

Brook and I left and headed for the mall. She was getting some clothes for school and I needed stuff for the trip. Plus I needed to get some clothes for Luc. 

"So have you told him yet?" Brook asked.

"Nope, I think I am going to tell him on the trip. That way he can't run away from me." I said.

"Do you really think he is going to run away from you just because you say you love him?" She asked.

"Maybe, I mean Luc is still a little jumpy and he still has trouble trusting people." I said.

"Not you he doesn't he loves you. I can see it. Mom can see it so he isn't going to run. Cry maybe but not run." She said as I pulled into the mall Parking lot.

"He trust me but it wouldn't take much for that trust to be broken. And it's not something he can control so I have to make sure that it doesn't happen again." I said parking the car.

"What do you mean again?"She said looking at me like she was going to kill me.

"When we first started dating I forgot about some plans we had and left him sitting at home while I was out having fun. That almost ended us. He was so hurt from it I had to beg for another chance." I said with a sigh. 

"Well don't ever do that again." She said getting out and slamming the doors. I wasn't about to tell her I ditched him for her because then she would feel really bad about it and I didn't need her reminding him about it.

"Everything I do I do it for him because I love him. But people make mistakes but I am going to do everything in my power to never make any again with him like that. Sooner or later he will trust me fully." I said with a sigh as we walked into the mall. 

"Okay enough about Luc for now. Let's go SHOPPING." She yelled making me laugh.

"Do you have your list of shit you need?" I asked.

"It's all up here, baby." She said pointing to her head.

"I need clothes mostly. Luc is picking up some books to read on the plane. I don't think the plane ride is going to be that long but he seems to think that having something to read will help pass the time." I said laughing.

"You found yourself a smart one." She said laughing.

"He is almost  to smart. But I think that makes me try harder. I think next year he will push me to do better in school and if we do go to college together then I think that he is going to have me to smart for my own good." I said chuckling.

"What is it you are going to school for?" She asked.

"I was thinking about going into some kind of construction management. I liked working on that clearing and helping design all of the different elements that we put into it." I said stopping at one of the stores having a sale of their summer wear.

"Isn't Landon going into construction?" She asked walking up to a display of tank tops.

"Yep, and Luc is going for graphic design while Lacey is thinking about going into teaching. Are you still going for your accounting degree?" I asked.

"Yes and no. I think I am going to major in accounting but I am thinking about also getting a degree in teaching but for math. Lacey wants to be an English teacher. I could do both. I could get a few accounting clients and still teach." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Maybe once we have all graduated we can go into business together. Well everyone but Lacey that is. You could be our accountant, Luc could be our designer and Landon and I could run the construction part of the whole thing." I said smiling at the idea.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I could still teach." She said loading her arms with different colored tank tops.

"I am going to go look to see what they have on sale for guys." I said wondering off to the guys section.

I found about everything I was looking for in that one store. I even found somethings for Luc to wear. Brook did manage to pull me into about six more stores before we stopped in the food court to eat. 

"So did you get everything you needed?" She asked after biting into her pizza.

"Yep I even found some clothes for Luc." I said munching on my pretzel. 

"I still need to find some hoodies. I don't want to have to buy stuff once I am there. I mean I know I will pick some shit up but the less I buy while I am there the less I have to pack up next summer. Mom bought me a bunch of those bags that you suck out the air and they flatten and some totes that will fit under my dorm bed and everything. I am taking only two weeks worth of clothes for each season but that is still a bunch of clothes." She said boring me to death but I am going to deal because it will be awhile before we can do this again.

"I have a couple old hoodies if you want them. I was going to give them to Luc but you can have them." I said smiling at her.

"Really, cool. I will take them that way I have something of yours with me." She said smiling but I could see the sadness.

"Maybe Luc and I will come see you for a weekend." I said liking the idea more and more because that meant a hotel room.

"You better, I plan on coming home for the holiday's but most of them are short ones so that sucks." She said.

"If Luc wants to we might be able to come up around Halloween or something. I am sure there will be some kind of party we can all go to." I said not really thinking Luc would want to party or anything but maybe by then he will.

"No partying, we could maybe go to a club or something for under 21 people. I know Luc wouldn't want to hang with a bunch of drunk ass people." She said knowing my baby so well.

"Once you get there you'll find something for us to do." I said finishing off my pretzel.

"Did I tell you that I got a tattoo when I was in New York?" She asked looking excited.

"Hell no you didn't. Were? What? And did it hurt?" I asked.

"On my side, it's a hart with daddy in it and it hurt like hell." She said lifting her shirt and showing me her really pretty tattoo with daddy written in it.

"I still want one but I don't know what I would get. I was thinking about maybe just dad's name and dates or something on my back or shoulder. I don't think I want anything with color yet." I said not really sure what I wanted.

"Mom doesn't know about it yet so don't tell her. I will next summer." She said laughing. Chicken shit.

"I wouldn't tell her but I don't think you should where you bikini or a light colored shirt until your in college." I said chuckling.

"You don't even know how hard it is to keep it hidden. She walked in on me changing the other day and thankfully I had just put on my shirt." She said shaking her head.

We continued to talk for awhile even though we were done eating. When we left the mall we headed to the beach where we watched the sunset. It was nice just spending the day with my sister. We were leaving to go our own ways soon and I was going to miss her.

When we left the beach I took Brook to Luc and I's diner. He thought it would be a good place to take her on our little date. He said he would drive by to see if we were still here when he got off and join us if we were.

"Table for two?" May asked giving me a weird look.

"Hello, May this is my sister Brook. We need a table that might hold three if Luc gets off in time." I said smiling at her now smiling face.

"Nice to meet you, Brook. Welcome to our little diner." She said grabbing only one menu.

"Thanks, I think." Brook said giggling.

"Follow me." May said. We followed her to a booth by the windows so if Luc came in he would see us.

"Thanks, Luc gets off at nine so we will problibly still be here if you want to have his order ready for say 9:15 or so." I said smiling.

"You got it sweetie. What can I get you to drink, hon?" She asked Brook.

"Um... I think I will take an ice tea with lemon." Brook said looking over the menu.

"I will be right back with your drinks." She said leaving us.

"Someone thought that someone was cheating." Brook sang.

"She loves Luc, and I think she might have killed me if you were someone other then my sister." I said laughing.

"I like her she seems so sweet." Brook said smiling.

"I wonder if she is single. I think she would be prefect for Mr. Lakes." I said wiggling my eye brows.

"No match making for you. You could however bring him here for dinner or something and if cupid wants them to be together so be it. I honestly think he would be good for mom. But I don't know if I am ready for her to move on like that yet." Brook said looking out the window.

"Your right he would treat her so good but could you really see them together?" I asked.

"I could see them together but I don't know if I would like it once they were. I mean I love mom and I think she should be happy and not alone anymore but I don't know if I could handle it. I love dad and miss him so much." Brook said wiping a stray tear that was making its way down her cheek.

"I agree but if Jim could take away some of the loneliness and make mom happy won't it be worth it?" I asked.

"I guess I mean next year your moving out and I will be in less then a week. When that happens she will be all alone. I don't want our mom to become a cat woman or anything." She said with a sigh.

"Let's make a pact. If mom find someone we give that person a chance. If we see that she is happy we let her have that happiness. If we don't think he will make mom happy then we talk to her. We both no this guy who ever he is will never replace dad in any of our hearts but we also know that dad wouldn't want mom to sit around alone waiting to die so she can finally be with him." I said holding out my hand for her to shake it.

"Okay, I guess I can deal with that." She said shaking my hand.

"Have you decided what you want to eat, hon?" May asked Brook.

"I'll take the BLT with extra mayo and cut in half, please." She said smiling at May.

"Great choice. I put in Luc's order and Carl said he would make sure it will be just finishing up when he gets here." May said before walking away.

"She didn't take your order." Brook said looking back to where May went.

"She already knows what I want." I said laughing.

"You guys must come here a lot." She said looking confused.

"We come here once a month and have since the first night I knew I wanted him." I said closing my eyes and seeing my sad Luc. I wanted to punch Harvey so much back then and still do but he isn't worth it. I got the best thing because of him being so selfish. I got Luc.

"So is the food here any good?" She asked.

"The best. Luc took me to that really expensive restaurant here in town and I am telling you I would rather eat here. They have the best steak that is covered in mushrooms and onions and a double stuffed baked potato that I have ever had." I said my mouth watering the whole time.

"Why didn't you tell me about this steak and stuff?" She asked pouting.

"You want me to order you that too? We could take your BLT home with us." I said.

"Yeah, maybe mom will eat the BLT." She said now smiling again.

I found May and had her change the order plus added another too go steak dinner for mom. I could eat the BLT for lunch tomorrow.  When I got back to the table Luc was there smiling at me as I sat next to him.

"Hey babe, how was work?" I asked him.

"Slow, I don't even know why they stay open until nine. I think the last person that bought anything came in at six and after that the store was empty. I had all the cleaning and restock done before eight. I spend the last hour reading." He said with a sigh.

"Well at least it's a job. And you get paid to read." I said chuckling.

"Yeah but there are so many things I could think of that would be a whole lot more fun." He said blushing causing Brook and I both to laugh.

"Here you go sweeties. Enjoy. I will have your carry out order ready for you when your finished eating." May said setting our food down in front of us.

"I have been thinking about this all day." Luc said cutting his meat up. 

"It must be good." Brook said doing the same. I was already done cutting up my meat and eating happily.

Dinner with Luc and Brook was great. I love that they get along so well. It made things a lot easier. Brook hated Jefferson and it would cause us to fight all the time. But with Luc, she can laugh and joke around with him like he was her brother. This was what I have always wanted. I hope who ever she finds I can do the same with. For awhile I hoped it would be Landon but he said she needs to do the whole college thing and so did he if they were meant to be they would find each other again. I believe that I have to say I was a little surprised to hear it come from Landon but he can be filled with surprises sometimes. I am going to miss my sister but her leaving is part of growing up I guess. 

A/N: Well we say good bye to Brook. Sad but it is a part of life. OMG can you believe it is almost over? Three more chapters to go. Next chapter Florida. Then we have the back to school party and sadly last but not least the epilogue. I have never done a sequel to any of my stories but if you want one let me know. On any of them you may have read. I am still working on Friends and Legends and have come up with another story idea I am thinking about calling it Split or Two halves of a messed up coin. I'm not sure yet but watch for it, it will come out after Legends. I only publish one story at a time so it will be awhile.