Page 35 of Pieces into Place
Alexis squeezed her hand. “Are you sure everything is okay? Your mind seems like it’s a million miles away.”
“Sorry,” Blake shook her head again. “Just got a lot going on in my mind.”
“Anything I can help with?” Alexis took a few steps in front of Blake before turning around and taking hold of the open ends of Blake’s jackets. It was too small for Blake to zip up over her stomach, but she liked the way Alexis pulled her closer in a sexy way with it. Her belly pressedinto Alexis’s as they both giggled. “I can’t believe you’re halfway through your pregnancy.”
“It’s been a crazy journey, that’s for sure.”
“How are you doing with the holidays stress and pregnancy stress all piling up together?”
Blake sighed, shrugging. “I dunno. I’ve been trying not to think about it, honestly.”
“That’s my little avoider,” Alexis playfully teased, but her eyes were more serious. “You know you can tell me anything, right? We promised no more lying or keeping things from each other, remember?”
“I remember.”
“Good.”
Taking Blake’s hand again, they followed the kids down another row of trees. Archer and Reese were trying to find Harper, who had disappeared into the labyrinth of trees. Of course, her giggles made it easy for her younger siblings to find her. And when they did, all three of them laughed as another one took their turn to hide.
Although Archer and Reese were only two, they both acted much older than their age. Blake assumed it was because they never played like babies because as soon as they could, they wanted to play with whatever Harper was playing with. When Alexis or Blake would read Harper books, the twins were always right there listening. They both knew the alphabet and could count to ten, and Blake had to keep herself from sharing that information with her friends whose kids weren’t as advanced at two.
“I was just thinking about my dad,” she admitted, not knowing why she brought up her dad. Alexis bumped her shoulder into Blake’s as they walked, letting Blake know she was listening. “We never had traditions like this. I’m glad we’re able to make them for our kids.”
“Me, too. And I know you miss your dad. That’s okay. I’m sorry if I haven’t made it seem like it was okay to misshim. I know your relationship with him was so complicated, and I’ve tried to respect and understand that.”
“You’ve done amazing, Lex. Trust me. It’s just hard to talk about him in the light ofeverythingI learned after his death. Like,” Blake crossed her arms over her belly, “why would he tell me Isla didn’t want me? Why would he keep her and Vera’s letters from me? I don’t understand. I was basically being held captive by his lies, so why don’t I hate him more than I do?”
“Because he was still your dad.” Alexis shrugged. “My dad and I were never close, but I miss him now that he’s gone. And it’s harder when you don’t have closure. I truly think if your dad was still alive when you found those letters, that you might have been able to get that. But now, I don’t know. I wish I did, though.”
“Me, too,” Blake sighed. “Thanks for not judging me for missing him.”
“Never, babe. Never.”
“You know,” she laughed at the memory forming in her mind, “he wasn’t much of a cook and didn’t care for holidays. But every Christmas he’d make us turkey sandwiches, and we’d watch Christmas movies together. It wasn’t much, but I still remember that.”
“I love that. Maybe we could do that with the kids. If you want. That way, we can bring a piece of your dad into our home.”
“I’d like that.”
“Then it’s settled.” Alexis leaned in and kissed Blake’s cheek softly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Mommy! Mama!” Harper came running over to them with a panicked look in her eyes. Archer was trailing behind her, but Blake didn’t see Reese. “We can’t find Reese.”
Instantly, Blake’s stomach dropped as her heart rate skyrocketed. She and Alexis bolted to where the kids hadbeen playing a few feet away as they called out her name. Blake could feel her palms sweating as she searched down several rows for Reese.
Where is she? Why would she run off like this? She knows better. What if someone took her?
With that thought, her stomach sank again. Blake felt like throwing up, but kept running through the rows of trees, looking for her baby girl.
Was this what Mom felt like when Dad took me?
Her memories of that time were so fuzzy. Blake couldn’t remember much of what happened before her father drove them across the country without looking back. But the thing she did remember was how tightly Isla hugged her the last time she saw her. Or Blake assumed it was the last time she saw her. She didn’t have any memories of her mom after that that she could recall.
That thought only added to the sick feeling in her stomach.
“Blake!” Alexis called out from several yards away. “We found her!”
