Free His Sister's Wedding by Carol Rose

her own heart, the silly, stupid flicker of hope in her
     midsection. What she would have given for...someone...to say those words and mean them.
    "Lillie," Luke leaned toward her, the back of his hand brushing her face. "There's
     a fire between us. A big-time sizzle with enough chemistry to blow the state off the
     map. Something this good doesn't come along often."
    Her throat felt paralyzed, the thunder of her pulse ringing in her ears. Longing and
     anger tumbled together, churning in her chest.
    Luke didn't mean any of those soft, powerful words.
    Pulling back just enough to break contact, Lillie asked, "I'm supposed to listen to
     your advice on relationships? You're talking about sex, not love. What about commitment?
     Marriage and children? Don't they matter?"
    Luke straightened, annoyance visible on his face even in the poor light. "I believe
     in marriage when children are involved, but not the kind of marriage that blows up
     when one partner 'falls in love' with someone else. I think choosing a life mate on
     the basis of something as fleeting as feelings is poor judgment."
    "How detached and unemotional," Lillie mocked. "You wouldn't want to generate too
     much involvement in any marriage of yours."
    "My way is a heck of a lot more likely to promote happiness than the romantic roller
     coaster you want to ride."
    "The real truth of it is that you just want to party, moving from woman to woman without
     any kind of expectations or commitment." Her words rushed out, impelled by the cacophony
     of emotions he riled in her.
    "I think you should get to know me a little better before you make those kinds of
     accusations," he argued, his voice grim.
    "When a man like you wants to 'get to know' a woman, he always means it in the Biblical
     sense," she retorted. "I'm not interested."
    "Liar," he said. "And you're making assumptions about me that aren't true."
    "I suppose you're planning a cold, practical marriage because you believe in commitment
     and monogamy?" she snorted.
    "I believe in monogamy," said Luke. "I just don't think it's necessary to be sappy
     about it."
    "Sappy? You're calling love , the passion that has driven the world for decades, sappy?"
    Luke stared through the windshield for a moment, visibly struggling to shut down his
     irritation. When he spoke, his voice was level. "Can you honestly say that most marriages
     based on 'falling in love' are successful? Doesn't the divorce rate tell us that we're
     doing something wrong?"
    "There isn't any one thing that causes divorce," she refuted. She didn't have the
     answers to every break-up, but she knew they weren't caused by too much love.
    "Lillie," Luke's voice was soft now. "Romance is nice, all the ribbons and bows and
     sweet words, but those kinds of frills don't make for eternal bliss.  A man wants
     a woman he can trust, one he knows will be there for him even if he happens to forget
     their anniversary or is allergic to Valentine's Day cards."
    "You want an excuse to be inattentive," she retorted.
    Luke chuckled. "Honey, you and I could live together for a lifetime and you'd never
     have to worry about my being 'inattentive.'"
    "Sex," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "How long can that hold two people
     together?"
    "I'm betting at least as long as romance," Luke said dryly. "Love is overrated."
    Lillie stared at him. He was wrong. How many couples celebrating their fiftieth wedding
     anniversary claimed a great sex life had kept them together?
    "Love is not overrated," she denied. "It's worth everything. I can't give facts and
     figures to convince you because love isn't about logic. It's about caring for someone
     else as much as you do yourself. It's about laughter and joy. And pain, sometimes."
    She opened the car door. "Goodnight, Luke."
    He got out of the car and strode silently beside her up the walk to her door, the
     darkness enveloping them. She could feel his presence like a physical touch. It amazed
     her how much such a