She hoped Luke appreciated the way she looked tonight and didn’t think she was trying too hard. Up until now, he’d only seen her in jeans, tank tops, and T-shirts. She wanted him to see there was more to her than what he’d seen so far.

“You pretty, Mama,” Nick assured her with a soft, sweet smile before he buried his face in her neck again.

Sarah looked down at Jack, standing with his back straight as a soldier beside her, holding the flowers she’d brought for Luke’s mother. He gave her a reassuring smile and nod.

Footsteps drew closer to the door. She took a deep breath and waited, hoping they liked her.

Luke opened the door wide and stepped to the side, revealing his parents.

“You must be Sarah,” Luke’s mother said with a soft smile. “We’ve heard a lot about you and your sons. Come in. Come in.” She waved them forward. “That little guy must be heavy.”

“He’s shy. You must be Luke’s parents. I’m sorry, he never told me your names.”

Luke’s father took his wife’s hand. “I’m James, and this is Lila.”

Sarah shook hands as best she could holding Nick. She smiled, her anxiety easing at the warm welcome.

Luke took after his father in looks, but instead of blond hair, James had light brown hair that had turned gray at his temples. As tall as Luke, he had the same lean build. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and his gray slacks were elegant but casual. He had a charming face with crow’s-feet at his eyes and laugh lines by his mouth. Sarah imagined he laughed often and enjoyed life.

She especially liked the way he looked at his wife and had his arm around her waist. They looked comfortable with each other, like they shared something most would envy.

Sarah wanted that with Luke.

Where James radiated a quiet dignity, his wife glowed with beauty. A few inches shorter than her husband she had lovely blue eyes that softened when she gazed upon the boys. Her face was oval with beautiful, flawless skin. Her deep brown hair softly curled to just below her chin. Her peach silk blouse made her skin glow.

Sarah was pleased to see she had dressed appropriately because Lila had on a pair of black slacks almost identical to her own.

“These are my sons, Jack and Nick. Nick is the shy one.” She kissed him on the head.

“Are you Luke’s mommy?” Jack asked, taking a step closer to Lila.

“Yes, I am. It’s nice to meet you, Jack.”

“My mommy bought these flowers for you.” Jack handed over the flowers and dashed into Luke’s arms.

Luke scooped him up and held him close. “Hi, big guy. What took you so long to get here?”

“Mommy was busy on the email.” Jack let out a long-suffering sigh.

Sarah’s face heated with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’m just glad you’re here.”