Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (29 page)

“I’d
rather
talk
abo
ut
dates.
Start
with
months?”
she
suggested.

“Ok.”
He
hesitated
then
sighed.
“December
is
out.
If
we
can’t
do
it
next
weekend,
then
the
following
one
is
too
close
to
Christmas
and
then
there’s
New
Year’
s
at
Uncle
Christopher’s.”

“January
is
out.”

“Ok,
any
particular
reason?”
Luke
sounded
disappointed.

“Well,
we
can
do
it,
but
if
I
can’t
get
married
next
Saturday,
then
I’m
going
to
do
it
‘right,’
and
that
means
I
need
a
little
more
time.”

“February
then.
We
can
do
the
cheesy
Valentine’s
Day
thing.
I
can
tell
everyone
it’s
because—”
He
stopped
mid-sentence
as
tears
splashed
onto
Aggies
cheeks
and
she
shook
her
head.
“What’s
wrong,
Mibs?”

All
of
her
mental
preparation
failed
her
at
the
mention
of
Valentine’s
Day.
Although
she
wanted
to
pretend
the
day
would
be
salvaged
by
a
happy
memory,
Aggie
had
no
doubt
that
the
pall
of
the
first
anniversary
of
her
sister’s
death
would
kill
the
festive
spirit.
Trying
to
explain
it,
however,
proved
to
be
harder
than
she’d
anticipated.
“I
want
people
to
cry
for
happiness
at
my
wedding
if
they
must
cry—not
because
it
is
also
a
sad
day
for
the
Milliken-Stuarts.”

“I
don’t
understand.”

“Valentine’s
Day
will
be
the
first
anniversary—”

“Oh!
I
forgot!”
Luke’s
jaw
slowly
tightened
as
he
worked
through
his
thoughts
and
put
them
into
discussable
order.
“I—oh
,
I’m
so
sorry.”

“It’s
fine.
Let’s
just
skip
February,
ok?”

“Then
the
date
is
March.
Name
the
day,
but
it
is
March.
”

Aggie
dragged
the
laptop
back
off
the
table
and
flipped
it
open.
Thanks
to
her
good
buddy,
Google,
the
calendar
appeared.
“Seventh,
fourteenth,
twenty-first,
or
twenty-eighth.”

“Not
the
fourteenth.
I’ll
take
the
others,
but
that’s
too
close
to
the
‘Ides
of
March.’
It
feels
ominous.”

“
How
about
the
seventh?”

“Far
enough
away
from
Valentine’s
Day?”

There
was
no
doubt
in
her
mind
when
Aggie
shoved
the
laptop
back
onto
the
table
and
grinned
up
at
him.
“Definitely.”

“Can
you
do
the
wedding
thing
that
fast?”

“
You
better
believe
it.”
Rain
pelted
the
house
even
harder
than
ever,
and
the
thunder
rattled
more
than
the
windowpanes.
“I
want
hot
chocolate.
Want
some?”

“Are
you
afraid
of
storms,
Aggie?”

“
Afraid
is
a
bit
extreme.
I
just
really
don’t
like
all
the
elements
at
once.
One
or
two
at
a
time,
great.
All…
not
so
much.”

He
jumped
up
to
help
her,
grinning
like
a
kid
who
just
won
a
new
bicycle.
“I’m
going
to
love
this.”