Page 57 of Pieces into Place
Even Brayden had been surprisingly open to Blake being in his life. Blake and Alexis had gone with Isla and Vera to two of his college hockey games, and after the first one Blake had taken him out for ice cream alone. They were able to talk and connect in a way Blake had only dreamed about before. Her little brother was so funny and smart and so different from Ellie. Brayden was quieter, more reserved in his emotions and speech. Despite that, Blake was able to form the start of a connection with him and looked forward to when he would randomly text her throughout the week.
Everleigh had been her biggest hold out.
Her youngest sister constantly seemed skeptical of Blake. She kept her distance, not overly getting close to Blake at any family function. Not that Blake could blame her. Everleigh was only eight when Blake arrived in town. She’d never met Blake before and Blake thought it was safe to assume that Everleigh didn’t understand the complexities of the situation.
So when Everleigh had finally agreed to spend a day with Blake, Blake had jumped on the chance. She’d planned the whole day, but was getting nervous as the time approached for her to pick Everleigh up.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“For the hundredth time,” Alexis sighed as she made breakfast, “yes. Evie wouldn’t have agreed to go with you if she didn’t want to go. You know her.”
“Do I, though?” Blake plucked a piece of bacon from the tray Alexis pulled from the oven.
“Be careful. It’s hot.”
“Thanks,Mom.” Her teasing got her an eye roll and a smirk from Alexis. “I just hope she has fun.”
“She will. Your siblings love you.”
“Mason and Ellie? Absolutely. Brayden? I think he mostly tolerates me. But Everleigh? I can’t read her.”
“Well, maybe today will change that. Take it from the youngest sibling who always wanted attention from the older ones. They adore you.”
Alexis and Blake got each of the kids a plateful of eggs, toast, and bacon as they sat at the dining room table together. Blake loved her mornings with her little family. Archer and Reese were always talking and playing around while Harper would fill them in on the happenings of her classroom. They were going to be growing butterflies from caterpillars, so it was a big day in the fifth grade.
Blake had no idea how their baby girl was going to be in middle school next year. It felt like only yesterday that Blake was meeting the cute five-year-old that stole her heart. Harper was the best kid and the best big sister. She was smart and creative and so loving. Her siblings adored her, and Blake couldn’t wait for her to meet her new baby sister.
Each night before bed, Harper would cuddle with Blake with her head on her belly as she talked to the baby. Blake and Alexis joked the baby was going to know Harper’s voice better than their own. Not that they cared, though. It was entirely too sweet for both of them to watch.
“Mom, why is our last name Holland?”
The innocent question caught both Blake and Alexis off guard. They looked at each other across the table, unsure of which was going to say something first. While she and Alexis had talked about the name change and had the paperwork submitted, they hadn’t told anyone else. Especially not Harper. Their precious child would have already told half the town.
“Well,” Blake cleared her throat, “that was Mommy’s last name before we got married.”
“But you’re supposed to change your name when you get married.”
“Well, Mama did,” Alexis jumped in. “Her last name was Calloway.”
“But why wasn’t it Mackenzie? That’s Nana and Grammy’s last name, and you’re their daughter.”
Blake bit her lip as she looked at Alexis. Harper’s sudden curiosity about their last name was new, but her random rapid-fire questioning at the breakfast table was not. More often than not, Harper would ask them the most random questions as if she’d been thinking about them all night.
“Well, that’s true.”
“Like my last name is Holland because I’myourdaughter.”
“That’s right.”
“So, why aren’t we Mackenzies?” Harper’s borderline annoyed look made Blake have to stifle a laugh. Thankfully, Alexis stepped in and told Harper they would continue the conversation later. A solid move by her wife to give them more time to think about what to tell her.
As they had been doing most mornings, Blake took Harper to school while Alexis stayed home with the twins. Their routine was reversed for a while before Alexis had the twins, then they switched back. Now that Blake was closing in on her due date, she struggled to take care of two crazy toddlers by herself. She had no idea how other moms of multiples did it.
Kissing Alexis goodbye, she was thankful her wife reminded her once more that she was going to have a good day. She dropped Harper off at school before backtracking to the Mackenzie house. Harper’s words still played in her mind as Blake tried to contain the excitement over their name change. Their lawyer, Blaire Anderson, had all the paperwork submitted so they were just waiting on a judge to approve the change.
Blake parked the SUV in the driveway as the front door opened. She was surprised to see Everleigh waiting for her as she came down the front steps. Her service dog, Willow, was right by her side. Everleigh’s diabetes stressed Blake out slightly as she hadn’t been the sole person with Everleigh before. But she was confident that she knew what to do after years of watching her parents, Mason, and even Alexis help Everleigh with it.
Everleigh opened the back door of the SUV and let Willow inside. Blake had already put a blanket down earlier for the retriever, trying to make everyone comfortable. As Everleigh got into the front seat, she grinned at Blake.
