Page 27 of Enduring Christmas

Luke relaxed when Xenobia stroked the hairs on his bare chest, sure that the worse of the storm had passed.

"True. But a man needs a woman to ground him to keep him focused. Shiloh keeps me responsible. But, being the best father that I can to her doesn't mean I'm a good man for a woman."

"I think you are."

"That's important to me." More than he could verbalize. "When Cheyenne and I got married, she never stopped seeing her high school sweetheart. Once I found out. And I shouldn't even say found out once I accepted that my wife was unfaithful, it caused an even bigger problem. Because I began to question if my only child my beautiful baby girl was my own flesh and blood."

"Luke," Xenobia said shocked, "Shiloh loves you."

"I love her too. It's the reason why I never got the paternity test. She's mine," firm in his resolve. Cheyenne had caused his little girl enough pain.

"Is that the reason why you don't like her to spend time with that name that shall not be mentioned?"

"I don't want her to recognize something good in him that's lacking in me." Cheyenne had.

"Luke. I've never met a more devoted father. Shiloh will never look at another man with more love in her eyes compared to when she looks at you."

"Thanks, Sweets. It means a lot."

"No thanks needed. It's the truth."

"And that ex-husband yours? You ready to move on?" Hopefully, with him.

"He cheated," she said thoughtfully.

"You sound unsure." But Luke wasn't.

"I'm sure that he cheated. But in retrospect, he may have cheated on them...with me. I'm not excusing his actions, but the other women came before me. Somehow, I distracted him for a brief time from the women, parties, and random sex. Rook never belonged to me."

Whereas Luke would be lost without her.

"Does Ramsey know your secret?"

"No," she said with surety. "Just me and my dead husband."

Luke wasn't so sure about that.