"He loves books," Luke answers with a pleased smile, thinking of how much he enjoys reading to Jack and how proud he is when Jack can read to him in return. That pride is a little misplaced, he's not the one who taught Jack how to read and all that credit goes to his incredibly strong mother, but Luke thinks she wouldn't mind him feeling it on her behalf. It's good for Jack to hear it, too, to know people are proud of him and think he's doing well.

"He's six, but he can read a lot of books meant for slightly older children," he tells Liesel. "We live just upstairs, so it's nice to know we can come down here and grab a book to read whenever we like. It's an offer I'm happy to extend to my friends, too, if maybe they just ring the bell when they arrive."

He's still looking at the book in his hands when he speaks, but he smiles and then glances over her, making it clear he's speaking about her.