Lila touched her arm. “Thank you for the flowers. They’re just lovely. They remind me of the roses I had in my wedding bouquet.”

“You’re welcome. I thought you might like them because of the rooms you decorated upstairs. They’re romantic and lovely. You put a lot of heart in them. The way Luke talks about you and this house . . . He loves you very much. You left a lot of love here to keep him company.”

Luke’s mother did something Sarah never saw coming. She handed the flowers to her husband and then hugged Sarah. She put both arms around her and Nick and held her so tight she thought she might shatter from the love she felt coming from this woman she’d only just met. She couldn’t remember her own mother, or anyone, ever holding her so closely, or with such reverence.

Tears clogged her throat and threatened to spill from her eyes, the display of emotion embarrassing her even more.

Lila stepped back, but held Sarah by the shoulders. “Luke didn’t do you justice when he said you were incredible. That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“I like her, Mommy. She hugs like you.” Nick had finally pulled his face out of Sarah’s neck.

“I like her, too.” That earned her another warm smile from Lila. Sarah swallowed back the unexpected emotions and looked down at Nick. “Do you want to go down yet?”

“No.” He buried his face in her neck again.

Sarah smiled at everyone and moved away from the door, so Luke’s father could close it. Luke moved toward her carrying Jack. He leaned down and kissed her and held it for a few seconds. The soft kiss held a lot of promises.

Luke cocked his head toward the living room. “Come meet my brother and his wife.” He leaned down and kissed Nick on the head. “Hi, buddy.”

Nick looked up, grabbed Luke’s shirt, and pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek. He turned back and buried his face again. Nick’s show of affection completely surprised Sarah. It proved how much he had become attached to Luke.

Luke’s gaze met hers and they shared a moment of connection that said clearly how much Luke appreciated Nick’s love and how much he wanted to hold on to her and this.

So did she.

And the boys obviously wanted Luke to be their dad.

Luke introduced her to the rest of his family. “This is Jason, Michelle, and Emma. Guys, this is Sarah and her boys, Jack and Nick.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Michelle gave her a warm smile. “Luke tells me you’re an extraordinary businesswoman. He says you put my husband’s work hours to shame. I don’t know how you do it with two boys. I have only one daughter and still haven’t managed to get back to work. I miss the challenge,” she added.

“I haven’t figured out how to make the day longer,” Sarah confessed. “I split up my workday between them and my office. I work from home a lot. It’s good to be the boss. No one can fire you for going to the school play or a Little League game in the middle of the afternoon.”