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Something clearly had happened after they’d left to get the drinks.
“Hey, Kayleigh,” Jackson said as he stepped into the row next to her. He held out a couple of sodas to Janessa and Will. “For you guys.”
As Janessa took the cans and handed one to Will, she said, “Thanks.”
“The Diet Coke is for Charli,” Jackson said, directing his comment to Blake.
Blake held out one of the cans he held. “Here you go.”
Charli’s fingers brushed his as she wrapped them around the cold can. “Thank you.”
“Did you ask for apple juice for Layla, Charli?” Jackson asked, holding up a couple of juice boxes.
“Yes.”
“And for Amelia?” When Blake nodded, Jackson held up the remaining box and looked at Misha. “Orange juice for Peyton?”
“Yep. He likes apples, but not in juice form.”
“Oranges are already juicy,” Peyton said as he took the box. “So it tastes the same as the juice.”
“Makes sense to me, buddy,” Jackson told him.
Whatever had upset Jackson had apparently passed, but Blake remained a silent presence at Charli’s side. He’d opened his soda and taken a drink, but now he just held it between his hands, head bent.
Against her will, Charli’s curiosity was roused. It seemed that whatever argument they’d had, Jackson had recovered from it already. Or maybe it was just that he was able to hide whatever had annoyed him better than Blake.
She really, really wanted to ask Blake what had happened, but took a sip of her soda instead. It was getting harder to stay distant from him, especially since they’d had a conversation about what had happened twelve years ago.
Charli still wasn’t sure how she felt about what he’d revealed, and she hadn’t told him that she forgave him. That was mainly because she wasn’t sure that she had. She was also hesitant to do so because of what forgiving him would signify.
Would it mean she wanted him back in her life?
If it weren’t for Layla, she might… might… have been willing to consider that. But she did have Layla, and she wasn’t ready to share her. She might never be.
It still surprised her that Blake had apparently not figured out that Layla was his. If he suspected that she was, he certainly wasn’t sharing those suspicions with her or with Jackson.
Blake wasn’t dumb, but perhaps he was clueless. At the very least, he should have known that she wouldn’t run out and sleep with another guy so soon after he’d left her.
He’d known she was a virgin, and she’d told him why she wasn’t sexually active when a lot of girls her age were. So, in a way, it hurt that he thought she’d move on that quickly. It was like he hadn’t known her at all.
Or maybe he’d just forgotten that about her. So when Jackson hinted that Charli had had a relationship after he’d broken up with her, Blake hadn’t even questioned Layla’s parentage.
“You have more cookies, Charli?” Will asked, leaning past Janessa to eye the container in Charli’s lap.
“Yep.” She handed the container to him, then watched as the kids turned around to beg for more.
“Am I going to be the favorite uncle if I let you have some?” Will asked.
Layla looked over at Charli, a questioning look on her face. Charli nodded, though normally she didn’t like Layla having too many sweets.
“Can I have more cookies too, Daddy?” Amelia asked.
“Sure, Berry,” Blake said.
Amelia gave Blake a big smile, then waited for Will to hold the container out to her before taking a cookie. When she’d made her choice, she thanked him, her shyness showing in the tiny smile that accompanied her words.
The teams were filing back onto the court, and soon the noise level rose again. Blake kept his attention on the game, but Charli could sense that he wasn’t really paying attention. She hated that she knew him well enough to be able to tell that. Even after all these years.
