fix it, or even understand. His deadbeat mother had taken off when he was a kid, but he’d had Aunt Rose. She was as steady as the Mississippi and healthy as a horse. Luke wasn’t always easy on her—even now—but he couldn’t imagine a life where she was gone. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.”
Maybe, but her feelings about the whole thing obviously hadn’t faded over the years. Even though he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t pry until she was ready, he couldn’t help asking, “Is that why you’re over here? Because of your mother?”
“Partly.” Alexis wiped at her eyes, and because she was trying so hard to pretend there weren’t tears there, he followed her lead. She tucked the picture back into her bag. “My mother was so strong and in love with life, all the way up to the end. Some people go through cancer treatments and become bitter and angry, but not her. If she could hold on to that happiness even when she knew she wasn’t going to make it, it kind of puts a lot of things into perspective, you know? I should be able to do the same thing.”
“What—”
“I’m not dying.” She gave him a half smile. “But I used to be a lot more like her, and in the last few years, I’ve let…stuff…weigh me down until it felt like I was underwater. So I’m reclaiming myself, a little piece at a time, with the added bonus of feeling closer to her.”
She might not be pouring her heart out to him, but she was giving him a glimpse of what she’d been thinking coming over here. And hell, he’d judged her too quickly. If Aunt Rose died, wouldn’t he want to hold her memory close in any way he could? It wouldn’t require a trip halfway across the world, but this journey wasn’t his. It was Alexis’s. “So, Cork?”
“When my sister and I were little, my mom used to read us Irish fairy tales. It might seem kind of silly now, but with the way she told them, it was hard not to believe in magic and faeries and good-luck charms.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder and absently started braiding it. “The Blarney Stone, in particular, always fascinated me. I’ve always wanted to be able to speak up and say the right thing in any given moment. It’s not one of my skills.”
Luke snorted. “You could have fooled me.” When she frowned, he said, “Darlin’, you’ve been speaking up and putting me in my place since the day we met.”
“That’s different. You’re different.”
“Or maybe you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” He moved on before she could argue with him. “And the cliff?”
“My mom wasn’t afraid of anything.” She shrugged. “There were probably simpler ways of going about it, but I stumbled across a picture of Pulpit Rock last year, and even that was enough to lock me up in fear. I made it my screen saver. I promised myself I’d go there one day, climb it, and touch the edge.”
God, this woman was amazing. She’d systematically picked out parts of herself that she found lacking and done what she felt necessary to change them. He shifted up to the bed, since the floor was hurting his knee, and considered pointing out that she’d already started conquering her demons before she’d ever gotten on a plane. “Where to next?”
She hesitated and then reached into her bag and pulled out the picture. “Here.”
It made sense that she’d want to visit the last place she had evidence of her parents being healthy and happy. It made his heart ache a little. “Want some company?”
“What?”
“Well, I’ve always had a thing for The Sound of Music.”
Alexis laughed. “You are such a liar.”
Yeah, he was. He’d seen the movie once, under protest, and been dragged to the live play another time by his auntie. But he liked that Alexis was now grinning and the shadows were gone from her face. “You’re coming across very judgmental right now.”
“You’d know.” She sobered. “Luke—”
It was now or never. “Look, darlin’, I know I might have a funny way of showing it sometimes, but I like you. I think you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, and you’re sexy as fuck.” He took a deep breath, feeling curiously like he was walking on a tightrope. “I’m not ready to end this. So if you’re okay with it, I’d like to come with you to Austria.”
She searched his face, and