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Charli leaned over the counter, resting on her arms as she played over her conversation with Jackson. It was definitely an unexpected turn of events, and she hoped that Jackson wouldn’t inadvertently spill anything.
But now that she’d had this conversation with Jackson, she needed to reply to Blake’s email. It was important to approach him the way she’d approach any parent who contacted her, concerned about their child.
Straightening, she grabbed her phone and pulled up the email from Blake. It wasn’t long, but she could read the worry in his words, which made even more sense after talking to Jackson.
It would be normal for her to assure a parent with similar concerns that she’d be on the lookout for any issues that might arise with their child. But for some reason, it felt weird to write those assurances to Blake.
It was important to view him as Blake, Amelia’s father, not Blake, the man who had gotten her pregnant and walked away. Or the man she had once loved with all her heart.
No matter how she might feel about Blake, Amelia deserved her best efforts to make sure she felt safe and supported in Charli’s classroom.
After checking on Layla, who was curled up on her beanbag chair reading a book, Charli went to her room and changed into her pajamas, then sat down in her favorite chair. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the small table next to her.
By that point, she had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to say, keeping it short and to the point.
Amelia has been quiet and reserved this week, but she has done her work without any issues. I will certainly keep an eye on her, and let you know if I have any concerns.
Normally, she would tell a parent to feel free to contact her if they had any further concerns, but she just couldn’t bring herself to offer that to Blake. She had a feeling that he’d email her again if he was worried, whether she asked him to or not.
So she was going to go with the or not for now.
Before she could dwell too much on what she’d written, Charli hit send, then clutched her phone in her lap as thoughts of Blake tumbled through her mind.
Before he’d returned, it had been awhile since she’d last thought all that much about him. Over the years, she’d been able to separate Layla from the man who fathered her. She’d even been able to separate Jackson from his cousin.
Blake existed as a solitary entity in her mind, disconnected from her, Layla, and Jackson. But now that he was back, his connection to Jackson had solidified once again. She didn’t want that to happen with Layla.
As she sat in her chair, her gaze went to the door leading into her walk-in closet. Tucked in the back was a small wooden chest. She hadn’t opened it in years, but it contained all the things that had touched her heart back when she and Blake had dated.
She’d pressed and preserved some of the flowers he’d given her. Then there were all the cards and notes he’d written her. But the thing she’d valued most, at the time, was a gold ring with a slender band and a small diamond.
A promise ring, he’d said.
Even though her feelings for Blake had died years ago, she’d kept everything. Maybe she’d give them to Layla someday and tell her about the man Charli had fallen in love with. She’d had doubts that that man had actually existed, but in her heart, back then, he had.
Charli had wanted to be able to tell her daughter that her father was a loving and caring man, but his actions after he’d left Serenity hadn’t backed that up. So for years, the chest had stayed in the closet. And it would continue to stay there for the foreseeable future.
With a sigh, Charli set her phone aside, then got up and headed out of her room. Layla’s bedroom was right next to hers on the main floor. They had their own secluded set of rooms in the house, with the rest of the bedrooms being on the second floor, which was where Janessa and Will had their room. For the time being.
“You need to get ready for bed, sweets,” she said.
Layla looked up, then glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand. “But I can still stay up and read, right? Because I’m at a really good spot in my book.”
“Yep. It’s the weekend, so you can stay up. You just need to be in bed.”
Getting up from the beanbag, Layla put her book on the bed, then changed into her pajamas, chatting about the book as she did so.
She hadn’t always been a huge fan of reading, but over the past year, she’d begun reading longer books, and discovered how very much she enjoyed them. She’d read through the Little House on the Prairie series, and while she’d liked them, she’d fallen in love with the Narnia series.
Charli had always loved reading, so she was glad that her daughter shared that with her now. They’d both spend the evening reading, though Charli would be staying up even later than Layla.
When Layla returned from brushing her teeth, she jumped on the bed that Charli had turned down, making it bounce and shift. “How late can I stay up, Momma?”
Charli laughed as she sat down beside her on the bed. “Same as every Friday. Ten-thirty.”
As she snuggled under her comforter, Layla grinned. “Just checking.”
Layla held out her hand, which Charli took, then they prayed together.
