“My biggest regret.” Luke’s eyes dimmed as he slid it back into his wallet. “Met her on a plane. We had a long delay. Hung out the whole time.” He rested his fist in his other hand, but he didn’t slam it like before. Instead, he sat back and stared past her. “She gave me her number. But I never called. I wasn’t good enough for her. But I still think about her.”
He blew out a hard breath and stood.
“Don’t let Will become your regret. Because if you do, it will haunt you.”
Once he’d left, Aly was frozen in shock. Was she making a mistake? Could insecurity be holding her back? Regardless, Luke was right. If she gave up, she’d regret it.
CHAPTER27
“He’s coming back for dinner?”Will turned from the tomato he was chopping to look across the kitchen at his sister-in-law.
Trish shrugged. “That’s what he said.”
“Because he had to help on the dairy farm.”
“I think he was blowing off steam. He seemed upset.” Trish turned back. “Will you finish the salad?”
He nodded and went back to the food, trying to shake off the guilt. He’d been harsher than was fair with Luke. His twin might butt into everything, but he did it out of love. Part of him worried that Luke was being his usual asshole self and had gone after Aly. Especially since he’d been gone all day. When he finished the salad, he pulled out his phone.
Will: Where are you?
At the sound of a throat clearing behind him, he spun around.
Luke stood by the door to the mudroom. “Right here.”
Will craned his neck to peer around him. Aly wasn’t there, of course.
Luke smirked. “Hoping I have your girl?”
“No.” he clipped. But he had secretly hoped, hadn’t he?
“Good, because I don’t.”
Damn, that admission hurt. But Luke was the one who lifted his hand to rub his chest.
“Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve. You going to call her?” his brother asked.
He shook his head and swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I’ll have Andy call on Christmas if she doesn’t call him.”
Walking past, his twin rested his large palm on Will’s shoulder. He gave it a squeeze before he left the kitchen.
* * *
The kids had decorated cookies,and everyone had gone to the four thirty Christmas service, but Will felt half there.
Like part of him was missing. Without Aly, he wasn’t complete.
He shook the thoughts loose and headed upstairs, yanking at the tie that choked at his neck. After throwing on a T-shirt and a pair of sweats, he made his way to the steps, but froze at the sound of Andy’s voice.
“What are you doing here?”
By his tone, the visitor could only be one person. Will moved down the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, but he came to an abrupt stop on the landing. There she stood in the center of the room, sweet as ever in leggings and a hoodie. Never the fashionista—just Aly. His heart felt like it was trying to crawl up his throat.
There was a moment of awkward silence, which was virtually impossible when his family was involved, but finally, Aly answered.
“I-I came to talk to you,” she said, but her attention moved from Andy, and she scanned the room. She was probably looking for Will, but he was behind her.
Selfishly, he wanted her to be here to talk to him, not Andy. But they were family, and Aly should be here to see her brother. As much as it hurt, Will knew what he had to do.