If you can believe it, the “This Is Us” season finale marks the *first* time Milo Ventimiglia appears on screen with the adult Big Three

After what felt like an eternity, This Is Us finally gave us what we’ve been yearning for this whole time — a walking, breathing Jack Pearson bonding with the Big Three. And not the tiny tots and teenage Big Three, but the ADULT Big Three, as in 37-year-old, present-day Kevin, Kate, and Randall. And seeing them all together in the This Is Us Season 2 finale was delightful and heartwarming and agonizing all at the same time.

If you’re a diehard This Is Us fan, then you might have also realized that this is the *first time* Milo Ventimiglia has appeared alongside ALL of the adult Big Three. He already had a moment with Randall in Season 1 (remember the mushroom incident?), and Kevin earlier in Season 2 (the alumni ceremony), but the finale was all about Katie Girl.

In the episode, Kate dreams about Jack and Rebecca renewing their vows, right around her own wedding day.

And apparently, the actors were just as thrilled filming that as we are watching it. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Milo revealed that the This Is Us dream sequence was special for him, in part, because it allowed him to act alongside actors he hasn’t shared the screen with much (if at all). “Selfishly for me, I got to share the stage with actors I don’t get to usually spend time with — i.e., Justin [Hartley] and Chrissy [Metz] and Sterling [K. Brown] and Susan [Kelechi Watson] and the kids, Eris [Baker] and Faithe [Herman]. It was fun, it was exciting, and I’m grateful for the opportunity that [creator Dan] Fogelman and the writers give me and all of us to be able to play those different possibilities for the characters.”

Chrissy Metz — the actress behind Kate — echoed on Twitter, "I’ve been waiting for two seasons!"

I’ve been waiting for two seasons! #thisisus @MiloVentimiglia https://t.co/mSOaJdHkgX

— Chrissy Metz (@ChrissyMetz) March 14, 2018

If you’re wondering why we didn’t get the chance to see Jack walk Kate down the aisle in the This Is Us finale, even if only for a “what could have been” moment, it’s primarily because the writers didn’t want to “twist the knife unnecessarily.” The plan was to incorporate Jack into the present day, but they did not want to cause fans further pain. Thanks, I guess?

“We decided pretty early on it would be the vow renewal between Jack and Rebecca, and we felt like it was the best of both worlds," EP Elizabeth Berger told Variety. "Seeing him as an older man but [without] laying it on too thick."

Although the Grandpa Jack and the adult Big Three moment is likely a one-off thing, it’s definitely something that we will replay in our heads over and over — especially now that we have a long time to wait until This Is Us Season 3!