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“Not at the moment. I tried to let him know when I got pregnant, but he’d disappeared.”
“You are crazy if you think this isn’t all going to come around and bite you at some point in the future.”
In the past, Charli would have brushed that statement off. However, this time, she could see that it was entirely possible.
Both the situation with Layla being his child and her previous relationship with Blake were confusing her.
In the past, she’d felt like he didn’t deserve to know. He’d left her without a backward glance, and when she’d asked him to explain what was going on, to have a conversation about everything, he’d ignored her.
What if she told Blake about Layla, and then, at some point in the future, Blake decided to leave Serenity again? He’d take Amelia, of course. But if he knew about Layla, would he want to take her too? Would he want to share custody with her?
Charli didn’t think she could handle that. She didn’t want to share custody with anyone. Even Layla’s father.
Was it a control issue? Probably. But she wasn’t convinced that anyone but her would know what was best for Layla.
“Well, it’s possible that Blake is interested in you now,” Janessa said. “Perhaps your crush might develop into something more.”
Charli rolled her eyes. “My crush has been long over.”
“So you two are going to be a weird version of star-crossed lovers?”
“What?”
“You loved him back then, but he couldn’t stay. Now he’s back and has feelings for you, but your love for him has died.”
“A crush isn’t love.”
“True. But it can turn into love.”
“What are we talking about?” Will asked as he walked into the kitchen. “Love?”
Janessa grinned at him as he came to stand next to her at the counter. “Yep. Charli has a crush on Blake.”
Will’s brows rose, making Charli scowl at her sister. “Had. I had a crush on Blake. Like many, many years ago.”
“Oh, dear,” Will said. “Janessa isn’t going to let up on that.”
“Tell me about it,” Charli groused. “You can entertain her now, Will. I’m going to my room.”
With that, she left the two of them, rolling her eyes as Janessa’s laughter followed her out of the kitchen.
Charli poked her head into Layla’s room. Unsurprisingly, her daughter was once again curled up on her beanbag, her nose buried in a book. She’d changed into a pair of pajamas and looked very cozy under a fluffy blanket.
Layla looked up and smiled at her. “Can I have popcorn, Mom?”
Though Charli didn’t want to have to go back to the kitchen, she nodded. “Do you want milk or apple juice?”
“Milk.”
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few.”
She went to change into her favorite loungewear first, hoping by the time she went to make the popcorn, Will and Janessa would have gone upstairs.
Thankfully, when she stepped into the kitchen a short time later, it was empty.
While the bag of popcorn was in the microwave, Charli poured Layla some milk into a cup with a lid and straw. She also grabbed a can of diet soda for herself.
Once the popcorn was done, she dumped it into two bowls, then carried everything back to Layla’s room. She got her settled with the snack before heading to her own bedroom.
