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Unlike Blake’s dad, Robert was content for his business to remain small. He didn’t spend all day at his job, only to retreat to his office in the evenings. He seemed to feel that his wife deserved his time and attention at the end of the day.
“I’ll take her down to the classrooms,” Julia said. “The adults are meeting in the sanctuary. Jackson and Rob are already there.”
Blake watched Amelia walk away with Julia, not even looking back at him. His feelings about that were a mix of pride and worry.
When they disappeared down the stairs, Blake sighed and turned toward the doors leading to the sanctuary. The part of him that didn’t enjoy going into new situations wanted to leave the church and go to a coffee shop until it was time for the service. But before he could even consider putting that plan into action, he saw Jay and his wife coming through the doors with their kids.
When Jay spotted him, he grinned, then said something to Misha. Nodding, she took Ciara from him, then headed to the stairs with Peyton.
“Good to see you here,” Jay said as he approached Blake, his hand out.
Blake took his hand in a firm shake. “Amelia was quite insistent that she wanted to come.”
“Sometimes children will be the ones to lead us.” Jay tilted his head toward the doors to the sanctuary. “Want to head in?”
So much for an escape. “Sure.”
They walked into the sanctuary, then Jay led him over to where Jackson stood talking with Wade.
“Hey, cuz,” Jackson said with a grin. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Yeah. Fancy that.”
Blake listened as the men talked, not entering the conversation, since he still didn’t really feel comfortable with any of them but Jackson. The camaraderie of the men reminded him of his buddies in the army. He missed them, but they were in different parts of their lives now. His focus had to be on Amelia, while theirs was still on their positions in the army.
As he settled on a pew with Jackson and the others, Blake reflected on the path that had brought him there. A path he’d vowed he’d never take because he’d thought returning to Serenity wasn’t an option considering how things had ended between him and Charli.
Yet, here he was, having put the needs of his daughter above his reluctance to face Charli again.
A few minutes after Blake sat down, Charli slid into the pew in front of him with Janessa and Will.
Charli glanced over her shoulder, and their gazes met for a moment before she turned her attention to the front of the sanctuary. A man took his place behind a small podium that stood on the floor in front of the section where they sat, greeting them with a smile.
Blake had gotten to the point where days—even weeks—could go by without him thinking about Charli. He’d accepted that, because of his own bad decisions, he’d have to carry on his life without her.
But now, every day, he was thinking about her again. Maybe if Amelia hadn’t ended up in Charli’s class, that wouldn’t be the case.
Or maybe she still would have dominated his thoughts, just because he was back in the place where they’d made so many memories. Where they’d made plans for a future together.
After the man said a brief prayer, he began the lesson. Blake unzipped his Bible cover and slid out the notebook and pen he kept there. As the man spoke, he handed a woman in the front row a stack of papers to pass among the attendees.
For most of the class, Blake’s attention was split between Charli and the man leading the class. She didn’t seem to have a similar issue. It was as if his presence there didn’t impact her at all.
Which shouldn’t matter to him. But for some reason, there was an ache inside him as his heart remembered all the promises they’d made to each other.
Promises that had shriveled up and died when he’d made a snap decision and run away from his future instead of trying to figure out how to reach for the life he wanted with Charli.
His gaze drifted to Charli again, taking in the gentle curves of her profile. He’d once had the right to cup her cheek in his hand. To kiss her soft lips. To hold her in his arms.
Realizing that thinking about their previous relationship wasn’t productive or appropriate, Blake forced his gaze away from Charli to the man at the podium. Blake really hoped that no one gave him a pop quiz on what the man had taught that day, because he’d get an F for sure.
He had to try harder to keep that from happening in the future.
“Do the kids join us up here?” Blake asked Jay when the class ended. “Or do I need to go down and get Amelia?”
“I’m sure Julia will bring Amelia to you,” Jay said.
“I guess I should have asked her.” Blake glanced toward the entrance of the sanctuary. “Just to make sure.”
