AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As the couple left the table, Charli let out a huff of irritation. “He likes to stir the pot, but then he doesn’t stick around to taste the stew.”
Blake chuckled. “He probably already knows what it tastes like.”
“It’s spicy with my irritation.”
“You do know they thrive on your irritation, right?” Skylar asked.
“Yeah. I know.” Charli wished she could brush it all off with a lighthearted dismissal, but she had never been that good of an actor. Their manipulations were messing with her emotions in a way that they were totally unaware of, and because she didn’t want to explain it all, she had no choice but to deal with it.
“Try not to let them get to you,” Skylar told her, then gave a small laugh. “Look at me. Handing out advice like the older sibling.”
Skylar was right. She needed to just ignore them.
Charli glanced over at her sister and saw Skylar had pulled out her phone. Frowning, Skylar got to her feet, then said, “I need to go to the bathroom.”
Staring at her phone, she walked away, leaving just Blake and Charli at the table, since Aria had long since abandoned them for Gareth. Surprisingly, Charli didn’t feel as uncomfortable being alone with him as she might have when he’d first started hanging out with them, but she also wasn’t completely at ease.
“Would you consider going out on another date?” Blake asked, leaning close. He kept his voice low, like he was worried someone might hear.
She stared at him, taking in his familiar face and the way it had changed over the years. Where he’d once kept his face clean shaven, he now sported a light scruff that Charli’s hands itched to touch. There were lines at the corners of his eyes, a reminder that they both were older. “To what end?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why do you want us to date?” Charli asked, the memory of the heartache she’d experienced at his hands making her bolder than she might have been otherwise. Of course, she should be saying no instead of asking him why.
Yet again, she asked herself if she was willing to give him another chance. Did she want to take the risk of being hurt again?
“I know I hurt you before, and I am so very sorry for that.” Blake’s expression had sobered, but he kept his gaze on hers.
Charli had always thought she’d never be able to forgive Blake—even though she knew that would be what God wanted her to do—and yet, here she was, considering that very thing. But there was a big difference between forgiving him and agreeing to date him again.
Silence stretched between them. But when Blake’s gaze lowered to the cup of coffee he’d wrapped his hands around, Charli didn’t get the feeling he was waiting for her to reply. So she didn’t. Mainly because she didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve never felt about anyone the way I felt about you. I knew that what we had was special.” He glanced up, his gaze meeting hers for a moment. “But I didn’t know just how special it was until I’d thrown it all away.”
Hurt sliced through her as she recalled how she’d felt following the breakup. Being abandoned that way had made her feel like Blake had tossed her aside. It was a rejection that had shattered her heart.
The only thing that soothed the hurt a little was the fact that he was aware of what he’d done and the hurt he’d caused her. And he was sorry for what had happened.
“I know I don’t deserve it,” Blake said, looking up again, but this time, his gaze stayed locked with Charli’s. “But I’d really like a second chance. Is there any chance you’d give me that?”
And there it was.
The question that had been plaguing her since their dinner… their date… now needed an answer. Could she forgive him and give him the second chance he wanted?
Charli stared into his familiar gaze, the hope there filling her with warmth. Memories of all the times he’d looked at her like that before.
There was a huge part of her that very much wanted to take the chance. No one had ever made her feel as loved as he had. But also, no one had ever hurt her as much as he had.
It was a huge risk.
“How would we even date without getting the girls’ hopes up?” she asked. “I could probably take the risk of another heartbreak, but I can’t risk Layla having her heart broken. She’s at the age where if she found out we were dating, she’d get her hopes pinned on a future with you and Amelia in it.”
“How do single parents date?” Blake asked.
“Very carefully,” Charli said. “Also, they’re not usually trying to date someone in their friend circle.”
“So you’ve managed to date as a single mom?”
