"Yes."
The silence that followed was too long.
His mother dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. "Well," she said finally. "I see."
“Is it serious?” his father asked carefully.
Luke felt a sharp pain of regret. Yes, he thought. Yes, it’s serious.
"It's over,” he said instead.
His mother relaxed visibly. "Well. These things happen. Plenty of fish in the sea, as they say."
His father nodded. “Good to figure out it's not right early on and cut her loose.”
"How long did this go on?” his mother asked.Was it public,Luke translated.How bad is the damage.
“Long enough,” Luke said.
Another silence.
His mother exchanged a glance with his father—one of those married-couple telepathy moments that said a thousand things without words.
“Oh,” she said again, voice gentler now. "I'm sorry it didn't work out, sweetheart." She reached over and patted his hand. "It's probably for the best. You have to think about your future. Your career. The kind of life you want to build."
"A Hart," his father added, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t see how it could work longterm.
"She's not her family," Luke said.
"I'm sure she's a perfectly nice girl,” his mother added quickly. "But you know how this town is. And with your position?—"
"My position," Luke repeated.
"You're a Bennett," his father said, like that explained everything.
And it did.
It explained exactly why Luke had kept Grace hidden. Why he'd parked around the corner. Why he'd treated her like a secret he was ashamed of instead of?—
Instead of what she deserved.
"Luke?" His mother was watching him now, concern creeping into her expression. "Are you alright?"
"No," he said.
She blinked. "What?"
"I'm not alright." He pushed his plate away. "You asked if I'm alright, and I'm not."
His parents stared at him.
"It's over," Luke continued, voice tight, "because I messed up."
His mother’s eyes widened. His father frowned.
"I kept her hidden," Luke said. "I treated her like she was something to be ashamed of. Like she was a problem I needed to manage instead of—" His voice cracked. He swallowed hard. "Instead of being the best thing that ever happened to me."
His mother opened her mouth. Closed it.
