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The answer comes so easily it catches me off guard.

Like there isn’t another option.

He glances down at his watch before looking back up.

“You sure you’ve got the time?” I arch an eyebrow.

His eyes follow mine to his watch and he chuckles.

“Oh, yeah.” He taps the face of it with one finger. “I just need to leave around three to pick Bo up from school.”

My heart does a little somersault.

Not because of what he said.

Because of how casually he said it.

Like rearranging his afternoon around his little brother wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Growing up, I always thought having an older sibling would’ve been nice.

Someone who’d already figured life out.

Someone who looked out for you.

It seems like Bo got exactly that.

I take a slow breath.

“The short version is...” I begin, “I grew up in church.”

Luke nods, listening.

“I loved it.”

The words surprise me a little.

Not because they aren’t true.

Because I haven’t said them out loud in a long time.

“I really did. I loved learning about Jesus. I loved being there whenever the doors were open.” I smile faintly. “For a long time, I thought everyone experienced church the way I did.”

“But?”

He doesn’t rush the question.

He just lets it exist.

“But...” I look down at my coffee. “People are people.”

He nods once.

“They’re messy.”

“They are.”

“My family went through some really hard things when I was younger.”