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“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair as he stared out the window of the apartment, absently noting that it had begun to snow. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He was far from fine, and he was sure his aunt knew that, but thankfully, she didn’t challenge him on his statement.
“I’m going to text you Selena’s number and leave it up to you whether or not you call her.” Julia hesitated. “But I think perhaps you should. I understand why you haven’t had contact with your family for so many years, but you don’t want to have regrets later for your lack of actions now.”
Blake was all too familiar with regrets, and he really didn’t want to add to the ones already present in his heart. “I’ll think about it.”
“Rob and I will be praying for you,” Julia assured him, her voice gentle. “And if you need to talk, give either of us a call. We’re here for you and Amelia.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
After they said goodbye, Blake turned from the window and tossed his phone onto the couch, ignoring it when the text alert went a few seconds later.
He was glad that Julia had waited to call him until after Amelia was in bed. Blake wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that, even at her young age, Amelia was very perceptive. She would have likely picked up on the fact that he was upset.
And yes, he was upset. The very opposite of fine.
Though he wanted to spend time thinking over his family history, Blake knew that if he didn’t rip the bandage off and call his sister right then, he probably never would.
He reminded himself that he was an adult now. Independent and able to take care of not just himself, but Amelia as well. There was nothing they could offer him that he didn’t already have in his life.
Exhaling roughly, he picked up his phone again and opened the text from Julia. He copied the number into a contact, adding Selena’s name. Not that he really wanted to have any contact info for his family saved, but that was a juvenile reaction. One he would have acted on twelve years ago. Now, he needed to be mature in his dealings with them.
Selena was the middle child, sandwiched between their older sister, Nicola, and Blake. Because she hadn’t been as determined to step outside the role their dad had for her, Selena’s relationship with their parents hadn’t been as stressful as the one Nicola and Blake had with them.
Nicola had wanted to run the company. Blake hadn’t. But their dad hadn’t cared about what either of them wanted. That meant that Nicola had resented Blake, hating that he was being handed the job on a silver platter, simply because he was a man.
“Hello?” The sound of his sister’s voice momentarily froze Blake’s vocal cords. “Hello?”
“Hi, Lena,” Blake said. “It’s Blake.”
“Blake!” She sounded excited and happy to hear from him. “I’m so glad you called. Julia said you might not.”
“I considered it,” Blake admitted. “And if it had been any other family member but you who’d called, I might not have.”
“I understand.” And from the tone of her voice, it sounded like she might be telling the truth. “How are you doing? Julia wouldn’t give me any information about you and what’s been going on in your life.”
Yet again, Blake appreciated his aunt’s discretion. She might have felt that he should get back in contact with his family, but she hadn’t manipulated him or given away any information about him.
“We’ve moved back to Serenity,” he said.
“We?” Selena asked. “You have a family now?”
“Yes. I have a daughter named Amelia.”
“No wife?”
“Nope. Never married. I ended up with sole custody of Amelia after her mom passed away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Selena hesitated, then said, “What are you doing for work?”
“I’m working as a mechanic at a garage here.”
“Maybe don’t tell Dad that,” she said. “He might have another heart attack.”
And now they’d arrived at the whole reason Selena had contacted Julia. “How is he doing?”
“He is beyond frustrated,” Selena said. “Which is worrying Mom, of course. And since he can’t go into the office, he’s hounding Nicola like crazy, which is making her mad.”
