I nodded, but I knew it was more than that. My family was fully aware of my tendency to avoid upsetting anyone, especially myself. It was only a matter of time before they all started interfering. “Okay, should we go? I have to set the alarm.” I started to head for the door.

He caught my hand and tugged gently. I felt that touch, the small pressure of his hand in mine and I felt it everywhere. Removing my hand from his grasp, I faced him.

“Let’s talk first. Please?” He tried to catch my eyes.

But I managed to avoid his gaze. Every time I caught his eyes, I could see things I wasn’t ready to face. “We can talk. For a bit.” I moved across the store and chose a table away from the windows, near the couch in the back.

He sat across from me in a chair. “Why is this so hard?” A sad smile crossed his face, and I felt guilty for making this so hard on him.

“Because it means so much? I haven’t made this easy for you. I’m sorry, Luke.”

“Don’t apologize to me, Lily. I don’t deserve that. This should be hard.” His jaw clenched, as his eyes burned into mine.

I looked down at the table, snatching up a napkin, I twisted it into a nervous spiral. Gah! Wasn’t I supposed to be fearless? “I’ll start.” I looked up to find his eyes on me. “The Luke I grew up with, who I fell in love with, would have talked to me, explained his reasoning. He wouldn’t have abandoned me without a word. Make me understand it, Luke, so I can move on.” There, I’d said it.

“Move on? From me?”

I cringed at the look of sorrow in his eyes. Crap, that didn’t come out right. I grabbed his hand and held it. “No, from the hurt in my heart when I see you. I can’t completely forgive you when it still hurts. Make me understand, so I can bury that pain.”