“Then why the hell would you do that to Harper?”
“I didn’t do that to Harper! She was the one that built this whole pretend life —”
“Pretend? So she didn’t love you? She didn’t love us? She didn’t love this whole fucking town?”
“Of course she did.”
“Then why did you take that away from her? For Karen? For you?”
Luke put his hands on hips.
“It’s a completely different story if you didn’t love her, Luke. But if you love her and threw away that life that she built for both of you, you’re a fucking idiot.”
Luke stared at his feet. He felt his throat tighten. “Of course I love her. How could I not? I just don’t know how to be with someone who isn’t Karen.”
Aldo grabbed him in a bear hug and slapped him on the back. “You’re such a stupid asshole.”
“Learned it from watching you.”
Aldo released him but kept a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Do you know that Harp puts flowers on Karen’s grave every week?”
“That’s Harper doing that?”
He nodded. “You aren’t choosing between them or replacing Karen with Harp. You’re allowed to love them both. How do you think parents have more than one kid? They don’t just love the first one.”
“I just assumed that’s what my parents did,” Luke joked.
“No, if they would have stopped at one perfect child like mine did then you’d be right. The human heart can love more than one person. You love your parents, don’t you?”
Luke nodded.
“Soph? Josh? James? Obviously you love me, otherwise you wouldn’t idolize the shit out of me. You have room, and just because you love someone else, doesn’t mean you’re wiping the slate clean.”
“Thanks, Moretta. Sometimes you’re not a complete idiot.”
“No need to be a dick when I’ve been holding back my comments on how fucking creepy it is that you have the lives of two women boxed up in your house. I didn’t want to crush your fragile feelings.”
Luke’s gaze tracked to the boxes. Shit. That was creepy.
***
Luke stopped the truck at the tree-lined curb. The cemetery rolled on to his right. He always parked here. The slow walk to and from Karen’s grave was as much a part of the ritual as him standing quietly over her headstone. He usually came at night when the chances of running into anyone else were slim.
He could see her plot from here. She had a visitor.
Luke felt his heart stutter at the familiar flash of blond hair. She was wrapped up in a cheery red scarf, but no coat. Probably forgot it in the car or at the office.
He watched as Harper carefully laid something on the grave. She was kneeling next to it, shoulders hunched to the cold.
The vulnerability burned in his gut. He had hurt her, purposely out of fear, and now they both were paying the price. Luke reached for the door handle. But a movement from Harper caught his eye and stalled him.
He watched her straighten her shoulders, kiss her fingertips and lay them lightly on the stone. Luke felt his heart shatter into a million pieces.
Harper stood briskly and brushed off her knees before disappearing.
Luke waited a beat before approaching the grave.
There was a small arrangement of evergreen sprigs and holly wrapped in a checkered ribbon resting against the cold granite. He ran his fingers over the K.
