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Later, as she prepared for bed, Charli thought again of her first glimpse of Blake in twelve years. Over the years since he’d left, Blake had taken on attributes that supported what he had done to her. In her mind, he was a user. He was shallow and uncaring.
Those thoughts made it easier for Charli to accept what had happened.
But all of those supposed attributes were swept away as she’d watched him deal with his daughter. His gentleness. His protectiveness. The security he offered Amelia.
Charli remembered him being that way with her. How he’d treated her had been one of the reasons she’d fallen in love with him. He’d made her feel special. So loved. To the point where she was absolutely able to picture a future with him.
Even during the time when they’d only been able to communicate via phone or email, he’d been so caring of her.
Blake could have been with any girl. He’d been surrounded by plenty of beautiful young women at his college. But for some reason, he’d focused on her and had done his best to assure Charli that he was fully committed to her.
Everything she’d felt for him began to resurface now that her emotions weren’t weighed down by the negative attributes she’d assigned him because of the breakup.
Blinking, Charli blew out a long breath, trying to push aside her feelings and the what might have beens. They weren’t productive and would only lead to heartache.
She couldn’t let that happen for a second time.
CHAPTER FOUR
Blake walked to the steps leading to the front doors of the elementary school, Amelia’s little hand tightly gripping his. It was day five of school, and Amelia still wasn’t sure what she thought of it. Thankfully, they were almost at the weekend, and once this day was over, she’d have two days off.
Moving off to the side of the main door leading into the school, Blake lowered himself to one knee so he could look her in the eye. “Have a good day, okay, Berry?”
Amelia sighed with a frown. “Can’t I just stay with you?”
“School is where you need to be,” Blake said. “Plus, I have an interview today for a job. If I get it, then we’ll both have places to be each day.”
“Can we have ice cream tonight?” Amelia asked.
“Strawberry sundae?”
Amelia nodded. “And blueberries too.”
Blake smiled. “I’ll go to the store after my interview to pick up berries and ice cream.”
“And maybe we could make pancakes with berries tomorrow morning?”
“Sure. We can do that.”
That seemed to be enough to help her face the day. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug, then kissed his cheek.
“Love you, Berry. I’ll be here when school is over.”
Straightening, Blake led Amelia to the doors, then turned her care over to the people standing at the entrance who made sure the kids got to their classrooms. He stood, watching as her tiny figure disappeared inside, taking his heart with her.
Though Charli’s interaction with him on the first day had been that of a stranger, knowing that she was there for Amelia made it a little easier to let her out of his sight.
Once Amelia disappeared, Blake turned and left the building, jogging down the steps, dodging other parents and students who were making their way up to the door.
Since that first day, he hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of Charli, and Blake had mixed feelings about that. Seeing her again had reminded him of all the things he’d loved about her. Things he’d somehow managed to push to the back of his mind over the years.
She’d been a great listener, and the first person to really encourage him to forge ahead with a future different from what his parents wanted for him. Talking with her had been easy, and she’d opened up as well, giving him the opportunity to encourage her.
Their moments together hadn’t all been serious, however. Charli had a bit of a dry sense of humor, and there had been plenty of times when laughter had burst out of him unexpectedly because of something she said.
If things had unfolded the way they’d planned while sitting together at the edge of the nearby lake, he wondered where they’d be now. How many kids would they have? Charli had wanted a lot.
Jackson had said she wasn’t currently in a relationship, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have children. From what Jackson had said, it sounded like she’d been dating again fairly quickly after he’d broken up with her.
