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As the others around them got to their feet and began exiting the rows, Blake also stood up and took Amelia’s hand.
“Did you like the wedding, Amelia?” Charli asked as they walked together.
“It was soooo nice. I loved Layla’s dress and the bride’s too.”
When they reached the foyer, people were milling around the area as others lined up to shake hands with the bride and groom. Layla hurried over to them, a big smile on her face.
She gave Amelia a hug, then said, “You look beautiful, Lia.”
Blake had never called her that, but whenever Layla did, Amelia beamed.
“Thank you.” Amelia looked down at herself, then reached out to touch Layla’s dress. “You look beautiful, too. Your dress is so nice. Do you have makeup on?”
Layla gave her mom a quick smile. “Yep. Mom said I could wear a little bit.”
“And just for the wedding,” Charli added. “Remember that part.”
“Yeah.” Layla sighed. “I can’t wait until I can wear makeup all the time.”
“Stop trying to grow up so fast,” Charli admonished her daughter. “Besides, you’re beautiful without it. It’s old people like me who need it to cover the circles under our eyes.”
“You’re not old, Mom,” Layla said. “And you look beautiful today.”
Blake had to agree with Layla. Charli looked very nice in her dress, which was nearly the same color as Amelia’s.
“Well, a lot of that is thanks to having my makeup done professionally,” Charli said with a laugh.
“Are you ready to go?” Skylar asked as she joined them. “Mom is rounding everyone up.”
Charli sighed. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“Are you going to be at the reception?” Layla asked Amelia.
Amelia looked up at Blake. “Are we?”
“Yes. We’ll be there.”
“Yay,” Layla said. “I hope we can sit together.”
Amelia reached out to take Blake’s hand. “Me, too.”
A few minutes later, they watched all the Halversons move toward the doors leading out of the church, and Blake fought against the disappointment he felt at not being part of the group. He should have been, but he had no one to blame but himself that he wasn’t.
They had over two hours to kill before the reception, so they had time to go back to their apartment for a bit. Blake took Amelia by the coatroom to pick up their coats, then they left the church.
There was a bit of a chill in the air, but the sun was out. So as long as people weren’t in the shade, it was probably tolerable. He didn’t think he was acclimated to the weather in Serenity just yet though, because shade or sun, he still found it chilly.
Once home, Blake had Amelia change out of her dress so it wouldn’t get wrinkled or stained since she wanted some berries. He put on an episode of her favorite show, then sat down with his phone.
But rather than engaging his mind, however, all he could think about was the wedding. Not necessarily Hudson and Kayleigh, but just the reality of sitting next to Charli at a wedding.
They may have been sitting side by side, but there had been so much distance between them. Distance that he wasn’t sure how to bridge.
He’d known that he was responsible for losing Charli twelve years ago, but it was only recently that he’d been faced with the devastating loss it had truly been for him.
In the weeks and months following his enlistment, he’d been too caught up in his new life to really experience the heartache that followed the breakup. In boot camp, he’d been put through the wringer physically, leaving him with no time to dwell on what had happened. He’d fallen into bed each night exhausted, which meant he’d fallen asleep quickly and hadn’t had time to nurse his broken heart.
Now, he was being faced with the result of his actions twelve years ago. The only thing that could have possibly made the situation worse would have been if he’d returned to discover that Charli was married.
