“That’s heavy,” Luke says kindly. “I… I understand parental expectations. Maybe not to such an extent, but there are a lot of us out there who know what it’s like to be a disappointment simply for existing.”
“Oh, no. You too, huh?”
His wry half-grin suddenly looks a lot less positive. “I also had to make my way without support.”
I swallow hard. Tentatively, I meet Luke’s eyes. He’s always been such a funny, friendly guy. I haven’t seen this side of him very often, but now, there’s an intensity in his gaze that no one has ever directed my way before.
He’s being vulnerable with me.
The realization rocks me back, and without thinking, I lift a hand and rest it gently on his cheek. The hair of his beard is surprisingly soft. I scratch gently over it, and he relaxes.
The reality of Luke s
