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Charli shook her head. “She took it really hard when Bella died. I think that made her think twice about having a dog.”
Blake had considered getting a dog once they moved to Serenity. Though Amelia probably would love one, Blake had decided to wait until they had a house with a yard.
“Peyton has started asking for a cat.”
“A cat?” Charli asked. “None of us have cats. Why does he want a cat?”
“He says it gets too cold in winter to have to walk a dog,” Misha said with a laugh.
“Oh, well, I’d have to agree with him on that,” Charli said.
This was the most Blake had heard Charli talk. She’d always been reserved during the pizza nights at her place. That night, she seemed more relaxed as she sat beside him, eating ice cream.
He wasn’t complaining. These moments gave him glimpses of the young woman he’d known all those years ago. And they were a reminder of why he’d fallen in love with her.
Laughter flowed around the table as the siblings and Jackson continued to talk. Blake didn’t contribute much. He’d spoken enough earlier. He’d much rather listen right then. Plus, he’d always been more on the reserved side when he was in a group.
His more reserved nature had bugged his parents—especially his dad—who wanted Blake to be able to charm people the way he did when dealing with them in the business world. His two sisters had been much more outgoing. They’d also been able to read people quickly and cater their conversation to the person they were talking with.
Lauren had been very gregarious, drawing people to her. Blake being one of them. It had only been after they’d been together for awhile that he’d realized that she wasn’t always so upbeat and outgoing.
It wasn’t that he’d expected her to constantly be up, but rather than just withdraw a bit, Lauren seemed to swing in the complete opposite direction. As often as she was up, she had moments when she was down—very down—where her withdrawal into herself had been concerning.
And it was during one of those times that Blake had become aware of her drug and alcohol use. He’d come to realize that she preferred to medicate herself that way than to take the prescriptions she’d been given.
Amelia had been so withdrawn when he’d taken custody of her that he’d worried she had similar tendencies as her mom. She’d always been a bit reserved during the times he had visitation with her. But after her mom’s death, her withdrawal had seemed to deepen.
On the surface, it had made sense. She’d lost her mom, after all. But when he considered what Lauren had struggled with, Blake felt like he had a right to be concerned.
Thankfully, since being in Serenity, he’d seen Amelia come out of her shell, and he was grateful to Charli and Jay’s kids for helping make that happen. He thought that the stability of their home life had also helped.
Did he believe she’d come through everything unscathed? No. Unfortunately, she’d had a front-row seat to her mom’s struggles. But so far, she resisted any attempt to be drawn into a conversation about it. She may have been a quiet child, but she was also a stubborn one when she wanted to be.
So, he kept an eye on her, and hopefully, if Charli, as her teacher, had any concerns, she’d let him know.
He was so glad that she was Amelia’s teacher, even though the situation had made things awkward. Blake knew that he could trust Charli to care for Amelia while she was in her classroom, and that Charli would understand the importance of communicating any worries she might have to him.
That was a real blessing and an answer to prayer. At least for him. He was aware that Charli might not feel the same way.
As they sat there, more people came into the ice cream parlor, some of them greeting the Halversons or Jackson. There weren’t a lot of tables in the space, and they’d tied up a couple of them, but most customers just came in, got their ice cream, then left.
“We should probably get home,” Jay said after they’d been there for about an hour. “We have to be up early for the clinic tomorrow.”
When Jay and Misha got up, Blake prepared to stand as well, but no one else moved. Well, no one except the girls. Layla and Amelia abandoned the counter and slid onto the chairs left empty by Jay and Misha.
“Mom, can we play games on your phone?” Layla asked as she smiled at Charli.
Charli pulled her phone out of her purse and handed it to Layla. The girl clearly knew her mom’s password because she tapped on the screen without hesitation. Then she motioned for Amelia to come closer, and the girls bent their heads together over the phone.
Blake stared at them for a moment, then glanced at Charli to find her watching them too. He was glad that whatever feelings she might have toward him, she didn’t carry them over to Amelia.
“Are you going to the gym these days, Blake?” Will asked.
“Not very often,” Blake said as he leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest.
It was something he missed, but getting to the gym while having Amelia was a challenge. His aunt had volunteered to watch her in the evening once or twice a week, but when a guy was used to working out daily, it didn’t feel like enough.
“Don’t feel bad,” Janessa said. “Not all of you can be buff gym bunnies like me.”
