Page 55 of Luke

She put her arm across his waist. "You were remembering our breakup. That's why there were shadows in your eyes. I hurt you."

"You did, but in some ways the anger drove me. I was determined to prove that you'd made a mistake by not sticking by me."

"You've been very successful."

"So have you. I'm proud of you, Lizzie. You set your goals, and you reached them." He paused. "But I think I'm even more impressed by your willingness to take on the incredibly huge and important task of raising your niece. You've changed your entire life around. You forged a new frontier, with a lot of guts."

She bit down on her lips, her eyes blurring with tears. "That means a lot coming from a man who forges new frontiers every day."

"Sometimes a simple choice to move or change jobs is just as big as jumping off of a mountain."

"I wouldn't tell your fans that," she said lightly.

"I think they would understand, because that's the real message of my movies. It's about finding the strength within. Fighting the fear. Being everything you were meant to be."

"You've always had a lot more depth than people realize, Luke."

That was probably true, but she'd always seen him. That's why it had been so painful when she left. He'd missed her understanding, her counsel, her laugh, her kiss—so many things…They'd had so much more than just physical attraction; they'd had real love. He hadn't even really realized that until just this second.

"I'm proud of you, too, Luke," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "You inspire people and in a world that can be far too cynical, that is worth a lot." She drew in a breath and let it out. "I just…don't know where we go from here."

"Maybe breakfast?" he said lightly.

"You know what I mean."

"We don't have to decide right now. There's a lot to think about."

"More for you than for me," she said. "But you're right. And today isn't the best day for decisions anyway."

He frowned at her words, seeing new shadows fill her eyes. "Why? What's today?"

"It would have been my sister's thirty-sixth birthday."

"I'm sorry." He leaned over and kissed her. "I know the focus is all on Kaitlyn, but you lost your sister, and I know how much you loved her."

"I did love her, but I can't talk about her, because it bothers Kaitlyn."

"I know that feeling. I always wanted to talk about my mom, but my dad didn't want to hear it. We all grieve in different ways."

"I try to remember that. But lately Kaitlyn's anger and her accusations that Kelly's and my relationship wasn't what I remember have been making me a little crazy. I'm afraid one of these days I'm going to snap at her and say something that will only set her back or make any relationship between us impossible."

"I don't think you'll do that. You have too much love for the kid, even when she's yanking your chain."

"I hope you're right about that. Shari and I were thinking of doing something in Kelly's honor today, making my sister's favorite meal, but we're afraid of how Kaitlyn will react. Maybe reminding her that her mom isn't here on what would have been her birthday isn't a good idea."

"It might not be," he said frankly. "You might need to have your own personal celebration and not involve Kaitlyn."

She sighed. "You always tell me the truth, Luke, even when I don’t want to hear it. That used to annoy me, but I found I missed it over the years."

"The hard truth has saved my life a few times. I live by it."

"I should go back to the house before Kaitlyn gets up. I need to take a shower and get dressed."

He wasn't quite ready to let her go. "Why don't we take a shower here together?"

"You know where that will lead, and we don't have any more protection."

"We'll improvise. I have a few ideas."

Her blue eyes sparkled as she laughed. "I bet you do."

He grinned back at her. "Is that a yes? I promise to make it worth your while."

"Do you even have to ask?" she returned, as he rolled out of bed and pulled her along with him.

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