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She didn’t expect him to stop loving her. That was unreasonable. She just didn’t want to always be reminded that Shellie had been his soulmate. There had to be a way for her to work through this. But unfortunately, the only way she could see this happening was by making Luke talk about her—something he’d already demonstrated he had no desire for.
Allie might simply have to live with this knowledge and be satisfied that Luke was with her now and that the past was the past.
A hand captured hers, and she glanced down at it. Warm fuzzy feelings spread from his touch, all the way up her arm and into her chest. She lifted her chin and gazed at the man she’d always loved.
He flashed a smile at her, and her legs went numb. All it took was that grin and she could forget her fears, her insecurities. All she needed was Luke.
His focus shifted toward the group of kids where his daughter was chatting with other girls her age. The smile he wore faded.
She brought her other hand to cover their clasped ones. “This was quite the turnout, don’t you think?”
Luke’s eyes flitted toward her and he nodded, though his smile was still dimmed. “Selling the trees this year couldn’t have gone any better if I had been able to figure out a way to guarantee it. And I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
Allie leaned into him, reveling in the way he could make her feel so loved with so few words. “I loved every minute of it. Does this mean you’ll be selling trees again next year?”
Another nod, though his gaze remained locked on his daughter. “I’m going to have to look at the logistics of it all, but I fully intend on doing this every single year from now on. The folks here and in the surrounding towns seem to love it as much as we do.”
“I think you’re right,” she murmured. Allie shifted her attention to Molly. Though he was participating in their conversation, she couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t entirely present. She nearly asked him if he was feeling okay, but he beat her to it.
“I’ve been watching these kids with their mothers during the last few weeks.”
Allie stiffened. Had Molly told her father how she felt about Allie being part of their family?
“Molly’s missing out on so much.”
Her chest squeezed but she smiled. Perhaps they were all of one mind. This was the next step.
Luke’s voice lowered further, almost to a whisper. There was a yearning to it this time. “She’ll never know her mother like she should have, and I really hope that doesn’t make things hard for her growing up.”
All at once Allie’s heart shattered. He wasn’t talking about giving Molly a mother. He was talking about missing Shellie, about Molly being given the short end of the deal. Allie’s stomach swirled and her free hand clenched tight enough for her nails to dig into her palm.
Hadn’t Luke said he didn’t want to discuss Shellie? That was their agreement. His relationship with her was in the past. That was where he wanted it to stay.
Flushed and fuming, Allie did her best to bite her tongue. No need to start an argument right now. This wasn’t the time or the place.
“You okay?”
Her head snapped around and she glanced at Luke, the blood draining from her face momentarily. He’d probably caught her glaring. “Sure,” she muttered quietly.
“Doesn’t sound like it.”
All her resolve to keep these thoughts from destroying their happy moment flew out the window. “All right, here’s the deal. I’m not okay.” She turned her attention away from him, praying that would be enough to keep her cool.
But that prayer wasn’t meant to be answered.
Luke faced her, his expression void of any emotion. Of course that’s how he would behave after bringing up his late wife when he’d insisted on keeping her out of it. “What’s the matter?”
“There’s no point in talking about it. Clearly the rules don’t apply to both of us.” She wished she hadn’t made such a retort, but it was out there now and she’d have to deal with it.
“What are you talking about?” His frustration immediately bled through.
“You demanded we leave Shellie out of our relationship. Did you forget?”
He had the gall to look confused, which only stirred her fury.
Allie tugged her hand from his and pointed a finger at him. “When I brought up my insecurities about stepping into a role that had previously been filled, you didn’t want anything to do with that. You said you’d always love her but that she was part of your past. Well, it appears that you’re just as bad at keeping her there.”
Luke’s scowl wasn’t a surprise. She’d expected this to be an issue, which was why she’d wanted no part of this conversation. Not here. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked away from her. “I’m just… unsure. How am I supposed to help Molly know where she came from when I’m bringing another woman into our lives? She never knew her. All she has are my stories.”
