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Of course, knowing that she had wanted to be married, made him feel selfish to be glad she wasn’t. Because there didn’t appear to be much hope of a second chance for them, he should be kind enough to hope that she’d find love with someone else.
With forty-five minutes to go before the reception, Amelia got back into her dress, and they headed out to the resort. When he got there, Blake didn’t see any of the Halversons, but Jackson and his parents were waiting in the hotel's foyer.
“Is the bridal party here already?” Blake asked.
“Not yet,” Jackson said. “Gareth texted that they were on their way, though, so they should be here soon.”
Julia and Robert stood in a group nearby, chatting with people Blake recognized from the church. A few minutes later, Wade showed up, and after glancing around, he made his way over to them.
“Hey there, Amelia,” Wade said, holding his hand out for her to slap.
Wade was always good with Amelia, which was probably because he had a daughter of his own, though she was much older than Amelia. Jackson was good with Amelia too, but interaction with her didn’t seem to come as naturally to him.
Jackson’s phone chimed again, and after a glance at it, he said, “Gareth said they’re pulling up.”
Over the next half hour, the bridal party arrived, as did more guests. Charli and Layla disappeared with the family into the large ballroom.
A short time later, Blake and Amelia followed Jackson and Wade through the receiving line, then they were shown to their assigned table.
The ballroom had been beautifully decorated with the same colors as at the church. The large round tables had burgundy table clothes, and the centerpieces were made of greenery, candles, and flowers in fall colors. The chair covers were the same reddish-orange-y color as Janessa’s dress.
The large floral displays had been brought over from the church and stood near the long rectangular head table that was situated in front of the tall arched windows, that looked out over a forest of bare shade trees and evergreens. The lights in the ballroom had been lowered, and with the help of a ton of fairy lights, cast the room in a cozy glow.
The ambience brought a sense of intimacy and warmth to the large space. It was amazing what some money could do. His mom would definitely approve of everything, since she was so aesthetically oriented.
Each seat had a place card with a name written in elegant script. At the table he and Amelia had been taken too, he found his seat was between Amelia and Charli. Layla was next to Amelia, with Peyton on her other side.
Jay, Misha, Aria, Skylar, and Will were also at the table. The rest of the family were either at the head table or at another round table.
Blake hadn’t thought he’d be at a table with the family, but it seemed that even at this event, some matchmaking was going on. He might have thought it was for Amelia’s benefit if not for Charli’s assigned seat being next to his. They could have put Will next to him. But no, someone had put Charli there.
“This is so beautiful,” Amelia murmured as she stood next to the table, gazing over the ballroom.
Since no one else was sitting at their table yet, Blake remained standing as well. He searched the people until his gaze landed on Charli. She stood talking to a man that Blake didn’t recognize. They seemed to know each other well as they interacted with an easy familiarity. The sight gave him a sick feeling in his stomach, so he looked away.
Even though they’d gone for dinner, she hadn’t seemed to be interested in any contact beyond that one evening. He hadn’t pushed too hard so far, and he wouldn’t. However, right then, he wanted so much to once again have the easy, fun, loving times that he and Charli had shared.
He’d accepted that things were over for them—or at least, he’d thought he had. It was becoming fairly clear, however, that perhaps he hadn’t. Being at this wedding definitely wasn’t helping the situation.
“I need to sit down,” Misha said as she, Jay, and Peyton joined them.
Jay held the chair for his wife, then took the seat beside her.
“Where’s Ciara?” Amelia asked as Blake helped her into her seat.
“She’s with her grandma,” Misha told her. “My mom said she’d been at the most important part of this day, which, for her, was the ceremony, so she was more than happy to stay home with Ciara and Timothy.”
Blake was beginning to think that he might have been happier at home, too. But he was there now, so he couldn’t exactly walk out. Plus, he was pretty sure that the slight stubborn streak Amelia possessed would rear its head if he suggested they leave.
Layla and Peyton ran over to the table and, after searching for their names, dropped into their chairs. Gradually, more and more of the seats filled up, including the ones at their table.
Blake saw Charli headed toward their table. As she neared, Blake got to his feet and pulled out her chair. She gave him a quick smile and thanked him as she sat down. With her arrival, their table was full.
“That picture taking was… stressful,” Charli said with a sigh as she leaned back in her chair.
“I have to admit, the addition of little ones has made getting everyone looking in the same direction and smiling, a bit more challenging,” Jay said. “I’m not sure how Mom used to do it when we were all young.”
“With threats, as I recall,” Charli told him.
