Brooke looks staggeringly beautiful in her wedding gown, standing in the bridal suite, waiting to walk down the aisle to her future husband. Luke flashes back to six years ago, at prom, when he locked eyes with Brooke as they danced with their respective dates. Maybe that was the first time he felt something in his heart that went beyond friendship. Now, she looks into the floor length mirror and her eyes find his staring intently at her.
"Luke, what are you doing here? The wedding is about to start! How did you get past my dad?" she asks, spinning around so fast her dress flares out around her.
"Sorry, I told him I just had to see you," Luke says.
"Really?" Brooke studies his expression; all her attention is on him. "What's so important?"
"Well, I thought I'd do the chivalrous thing and give you one last chance to get out of here before…"
"Before…what?"
"You promise til death do you part to Chase and all that other nonsense," Luke laughs uneasily.
"It's not nonsense Luke."
He swallows hard. "Right, I know," he says, not meeting her gaze.
"So? Tell me, why are you really here?" Brooke comes over to him and straightens his tie. He knows it's probably necessary, considering how many times someone has come to fix his tie before an NBA press conference.
"Thanks," he murmurs as she takes his breath away. "I guess no one is going to seem good enough for my best friend."
"Don't make me cry," Brooke whispers, still standing close.
"You really love him?" Luke asks, feeling out of line and not caring.
"Of course," Brooke smiles.
"And he's the guy you can't live without?"
"Lucas, if this is your idea of being overprotective you can stop," she says, without really answering.
"Okay, you're right. I want to give you something," he says, pulling out a delicate silver charm bracelet with a heart on it.
"Oh, it's beautiful, you didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to," he tells her, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.
Brooke smiles, "I'm glad you're here, we don't see each other much anymore."
"I know, I've lost touch with a lot of people." At 20 after two years of college, he was drafted into the Bobcats franchise and his world got a lot bigger and a lot busier. He was across the country a year ago, when Keith died from a heart attack that broke his mother's spirit.
"Will you put it on me for good luck?" she asks, holding out her wrist.
"Sure," he easily slides it on, and adjusts the clasp.
"Amor vincit omnia," Brooke reads the inscription on the heart. "That's Latin, right? What does it mean?"
"Love conquers all," he says, looking into her hazel eyes.
"I love it," Brooke hugs, him tightly.
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A short while later, Luke watches from the bride's side of the church, as Emma Scott makes her way down the aisle tossing flower petals. With blond hair and green eyes, she's a carbon copy of Peyton. Peyton and Nathan look delighted waiting at the front of the church as best man and maid of honor, as their little princess smiles and waves at them. Within a year of following Peyton to L.A. and her breaking his heart, she was married to Nathan and expecting their son, Noah. Noah, two years older than Emma, escorts his little sister down the aisle as the ring bearer.
Chris and Hailey sit next to Luke with their arms wrapped around each other. A few rows in front of him, Karen and Dan are holding hands, snapping pictures and looking adoringly at their grandchildren. While Luke's own mother Deb, is getting sober in rehab. Keith's absence has taken a steep toll on his family. It's hard to pretend things are fine when they aren't.
Finally, everyone stands as Brooke is escorted down the aisle by her father.
For a second, Luke almost thinks Brooke looks at him as she passes by their aisle. Although he loves her it's not enough. Chase graduated law school at the top of his class, he can give Brooke the life she deserves. Lucas can't offer her any stability, his own life consists of basketball, training, contracts, press conferences. No matter how much he gives of himself to the game it's never enough. No matter how much money he makes it will never be enough to bring Keith back.
"Hey bruh, aren't you standing in the wrong spot? Shouldn't you be the one up there?" Chris whispers, gesturing to where Chase stands.
Lucas turns away from his twin, pretending not to know what he's talking about. Whatever could have happened with Brooke will never happen now.
This only makes Chris lean in further. "We're dying to know, are you going to object?"
Luke shoots him a scathing look this time.
"Shhh," Hailey whispers, putting a finger over Chris's lips and he leans back against her.
Brooke makes it to the front of the church and her father and Chase share a moment before the ceremony proceeds.
Maybe if he realized sooner that she was always more than a friend, it could have been him up there right now wearing the tux. But it's too late and he's made too many mistakes.
Brooke smiles with tears in her eyes as she and Chase exchange wedding vows. It's a beautiful moment, but Luke knows in his heart that it's wrong.
At the reception, Luke has to look away as Chase spins Brooke on the dance floor. Brooke tosses the bouquet and Millie screams with delight as she catches it. Hailey giggles as she wipes frosting off Chris's chin. His father, Dan, dines with Karen and their son Nathan and his family. The only son he ever really wanted. And he knows, Chris was always their mother's favorite. Chris moved Hailey into their house, after her parents left town in an RV and never looked back. Luke and Nathan had inherited Dan's athletic ability, while Chris joined the Wreckers and holds a management title at Dan Scott Motors, blatant nepotism on Dan's part. Hailey also toured with Chris's band during college, but was now in her second year of teaching middle school English.
"Don't look too excited," Skills says, coming over with Bevin just as Luke had averted his eyes from Chase kissing Brooke, seemingly in slow motion.
"Here, drink this," Bevin offered, her hand resting on her stomach, "three months to go."
"Don't forget you want to breastfeed, baby," Skills told her.
"Aww," Bevin whined, without looking too disappointed.
Skills is now the high school basketball coach and he and Bevin are expecting their first baby. Luke is grateful for the distraction when Skills launches into rapid fire questions about his life in the NBA.
Later when Luke is standing in line waiting for a drink refill, Peyton walks over.
"You look like you're going to vomit," she says.
"Thanks," he replies.
"Want to talk about it?" she asks.
"No," he says, abandoning his place in line to escape her questions.
As he walks through the crowd dodging Brooke's parents, who are now immersed in some discussion with Chase about new legislation, he runs into Nathan.
"Hey man, how'd you like my best man toast?" Nathan grins arrogantly.
"Oh yeah, real profound," Luke says, though he mainly remembers Chase wearing a smug smirk with his hand possessively draped over Brooke's chair during Nathan's speech.
"Did you like that part about Chase crying over his imaginary girlfriend breaking up with him?" Nathan chuckles. "Hey have you seen Peyton around? The kids have to go to the bathroom."
"Can't you take them?" Luke asks.
Nathan stares at him as if waiting for some sort of punchline. "Never mind, I see her," he says taking off.
Luke goes outside to get some air. Even though it's dark out, there is a small terrace area lit up. He sits on the ledge of the stone wall. He's alone with his thoughts until Brooke shows up.
"Hey, you," Brooke says coming over to where he is, "it's nice to sit down for a minute," she says leaning her head against him.
Luke nods, "I suppose they can live without you for a few minutes in there."
"Let's hope so. You promised me a dance tonight," she says playfully.
"I don't dance, remember?"
"Please, please," she begs. "Just one, okay?"
He sighs and takes her in his arms, they start slow-dancing to Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran playing from inside.
"Congratulations," Luke says for lack of a better comment, wishing he could hold onto this moment with her.