Page 12 of Pieces into Place
“Well?” Ben turned to look at her. “Are you?”
“I am.”
Sighing, Ben leaned back in the seat and looked up at the ceiling. “Well, I guess we have to get married now.”
It wasn’t the proposal that Isla had dreamed about, but it was all she was going to get. Over the next few months, she and Ben got married and moved into an apartment his father owned. When Blake was born, Ben was at work and didn’t leave the office to be there with her or see their baby be born. Isla never told anyone, but she still harbored hate toward Ben over that.
Over the years, Isla often wondered what would have happened if she chose not to marry Ben back then. Would she have made it on her own, just her and Blake? Isla knew she could, but that one decision would have changed so much about her life. There would have been no Mason. No Vera. No Ellie or Brayden or Everleigh. No Moonflower Cove. Everything in her life would have been totally different if she hadn’t been so scared back then.
You were only eighteen,Isla reminded herself for the millionth time. She couldn’t imagine Ellie or Brayden having to make the decisions she had to make at their age. They were too young, too innocent to have those decisions thrust upon them.
Sighing, Isla turned off her computer and gathered her things. She needed to get out of the office and out of her own head. Her bad thoughts had a tendency of overtaking her mind these days and she knew she had to be careful. Vera had prescribed her some medicine for it, but Isla hadn’t started taking it yet. She’d made it fifty-six years without needing antidepressants. Isla didn’t need to start now.
At least that’s what she kept telling herself.
Sneaking out the back door, Isla climbed into her Jeep as she pulled out of the back parking lot of the bar. She made her way down Main Street, unsure of where she wanted togo. It was cold, which was typical for mid-November. The gloomy day matched her attitude, which Isla hated. Especially since her birthday was the next day and Vera had planned an entire party. As per usual.
Isla was indeed excited about the party, as she was every year. She loved having her family all together, no matter the occasion, but she selfishly enjoyed it when they were all there forher. Her kids always made the day extra special, with Vera providing the cherry on top of the cake at the end of the night. Isla’s body was already ready for Vera to touch her as they celebrated her birthday in her favorite way.
Pulling up to a stop sign, Isla noticed a familiar face walking down the street in her direction. Blake had her head down, looking at her feet as she walked. Her baby bump was slightly visible under her sweatshirt. But it was the tears streaming down her face that Isla immediately noticed. Isla’s mom instincts kicked in as she parked the Jeep and opened the car door.
“Blake.” Isla waved at Blake, who looked up at her like a deer in headlights. Blake stopped in her tracks, wiping the tears from her face.
It didn’t take a genius to know something was wrong. And as her mother, Isla knew her daughter. They may not have grown up together, but Isla had seen the same look Blake had reflected back at her in the mirror before. She was hurting, and it was Isla’s motherly instinct to go to her. To hold her. To let her know things were going to be okay.
But it was clear from Blake’s body language that she didn’t want any of that. She crossed her arms over her stomach as if trying to shut Isla out. Isla felt her heart breaking even more than it already was over her eldest. Shaking her head, Blake lowered her gaze from Isla’s.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“I’m sorry.” Blake shook her head, keeping her eyes from Isla’s. “I can’t. Not right now.”
Every bone in Isla’s body wanted to pull Blake into a hug as she walked past her. She wanted to take her in her arms and tell her that whatever was bothering her it was going to be okay. Isla wanted to tell her she loved her and was there for her.
Always.
But Isla watched her go.
As Blake turned a corner toward Main Street, Isla lost sight of her. If it had been any of her other four kids, Isla would have been hot on their tails to make sure they were okay. She would have held them as they cried and told her about whatever was bothering them. But Blake wasn’t like her siblings. Blake didn’t want what Isla so desperately wanted to give her.
And Isla’s heart broke even more at that realization.
Pulling her jacket tighter around her body, Isla crossed her arms over her chest. It started to rain, which was fitting for her mood. She got back into the Jeep and made a beeline to the one person she knew would hold her while she cried over Blake. After all, Vera had done exactly that for nearly three decades.
The drive home felt like a blur. Isla parked the Jeep in the driveway and headed inside. She saw Everleigh in the home office, staring at the laptop. Although Everleigh had her headphones on, Isla kept her steps quiet so as not to let her know she was home yet. Walking into the kitchen, Isla found Vera sitting at the table working on her laptop. As soon as Vera made eye contact with Isla, she closed the laptop and stood, pulling Isla into her arms.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” Isla sobbed into Vera’s shoulder.
“Talk to me, baby. I’m here.”
“I saw Blake today.” She tried to compose herself enough to tell Vera what happened. As she spoke, Vera tenderly caressed her cheek with one hand as she tucked her hair behind her ear with the other. “She was crying andlooked so upset. I stopped to talk to her but she just,” her voice quivered, “doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“Oh, honey.” Tears formed in Vera’s eyes as she listened to Isla continue.
“Part of me wonders if I should quit trying with her. It’s been five years. She clearly doesn’t want the same thing I do out of our relationship.”
“Isla,” Vera gently scolded.
