“You dallying around is one thing. Pfft. But Caroline is different apparently. Your one-month anniversary is Monday? How do you even know that?”

“I just do. Even if she is different—which yeah, she is—Anne and I have been done for a long time. She moved on. I’m moving on with someone I really freaking like. I’m full-on having a thing with a woman who is intelligent, confident, ambitious, beautiful, and yet she’s funny and doesn’t complain about getting dirty out at the farm or the cat hair Spike leaves on her stuff.”

“Beth likes her.” And since the two were tight, it would probably weigh in Caroline’s favor. Then again, to a Murphy, family trumped all else, so if Anne wanted them to ice Caroline out they would. They’d feel bad, but they’d never choose an outsider over one of their own.

“Beth is pretty smart. And she’s apparently making her own mind up like you all should. I don’t think you’re the kind of person who’d judge someone they haven’t even met.”

Lily waved a hand. “Please. I’d totally do that for a friend. Hell, I have done that for friends. But Polly Chase can’t say enough about Caroline. And Beth says she’s okay. Trey and Jake seem to like her. Nathan said she’s kinda gorgeous. Joe agreed by the way.”

Nathan came down the hall, taking in his wife, his gaze lingering at her belly. “Oh my Lord, Lily, you have to leave the man alone.” He turned to Royal. “Come on back. There’s food and beer and everything you could need while sitting in front of a huge television.”

“Why don’t you guys come over for dinner this Saturday night?”

Nathan sighed heavily. “Stop meddling.”

She rolled her eyes at her husband. “I’m not meddling! I swear. I want to meet her. Is that so bad? I’m a nice person, Nathan Murphy. Did you think I’d invite her over and then stare at her without speaking all night? You said yourself that this was serious so all right. Royal is like family so I’m checking her out.”

They’d been standing in the front hallway for about ten minutes, and any time now someone else would come out to look to see where everyone had gone. He didn’t want to have this discussion anymore. Caroline would be embarrassed at being the center of this discussion. He needed to wrap it up.

“I’d be happy to accept that invite, but not if it’s going to be weird for her. It’s hard enough for her around Petal at times, I’m not doing it to her on purpose.”

Lily snorted. “Such a low opinion of me.” Her face softened. “I can’t imagine how hard it must be to constantly be the focus and for something so awful.”

“Sometimes the stuff people say to her, hell the stuff her grandparents say to her, makes me so angry.” He needed to be with her more. She needed the f**king backup when she was out or with her family. He hated that she had to deal with so much hostility at times and that her family wasn’t a safe place for her no matter how much she wanted it to be all right. “She’s worth knowing, Lily.”

Lily kissed his cheek. “All right. I believe you. It looks nice on you, by the way.”

“What?”

“You care about her. I like to see it.”

She went back toward the room where everyone else was.

“I just don’t see why it has to be weird,” he muttered to Nathan.

“You and Anne were together or about to be getting back together or just having broken up pretty much for six years. We all hoped she’d come to her senses and let you love her. But she didn’t. And I don’t know if Anne will ever be able to see a truly long-term romantic commitment as anything but a terrible trap.”

Royal sighed heavily. “No. Not even for me. It used to make me sad in a different way. I wanted her to love me like I loved her. And she just never did and I just couldn’t deal with that anymore. But I’m not angry at this point. I’m glad we broke things off. We’re much better as friends. I can count on Anne as a friend. I can trust her to put me first. But I am full of this…depth of feeling for the first time in years, and, Nate, she looks at me the way I know I’m looking at her. This is good. I’m f**king happy. So I’m sad Anne doesn’t have it. And that she’d never have had it with me anyway. One of these days I hope she opens herself up to love with a guy who gets to her in a way no one else can. At one time I wished it would have been me. But I know better now.”

What he had with Caroline was already deep, more intense by the day as they got to know one another better. The difference of being with someone who was as into you as you were them, with a partner who wanted more from him.

Nathan nodded. “That’s fair. I’ve only met her once, but she seemed nice and you like her so that’s f**king fine, okay? You don’t need to apologize to anyone for moving on and for really liking this woman.” Nathan looked back over his shoulder to be sure they were still alone. “Look, Anne sees it’s different. You let go and have truly moved on. She has to let go once and for all. It’s hard for her and she’s not being herself. But she’ll get there eventually. Letting go is hard.”

“She never really held on.” And that was the damned truth. She’d never fought for him or their relationship, and in the end, after years of hoping it would change, he accepted it never would and he’d truly broken away from her.

“Doesn’t matter. You know that. You were good to my sister during the time you were with her. You walked away, and in that, you respected her wishes and accepted her choice. I know it sucked, but very few people would have done that. Anne trusts you and she’s going to have to share you. You’ve given her all your attention for all these years.” One shoulder rose before Nathan reached over to pat his back a few times. “She’ll come around.”