Page 11 of Pieces into Place
“You’re right.”
“I know I am.” Alexis looked more serious than Blake could ever remember seeing her. “And I also know that I’mso mad at you right now that I want to scream, but we’re in a library, so I can’t. I love you and I’m going to be here for you always. I just need some time to… process.”
“I get it. I’m so sorry, Lex. I love you.”
Standing, Alexis wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her jacket.
“Maddie is with Archer and Reese. I’m going to pick up Harper from school, and I’ll get dinner on the way home.”
“Do you want me to come home tonight?”
Alexis looked taken aback by Blake’s question. She nodded her head before putting a hand on Blake’s shoulder.
“Of course, Blake. It’s your home. It’s where you belong on the good daysandthe bad days. For better or for worse, remember?”
Reaching up, Blake put her hand on Alexis’s arm. She squeezed softly, hoping she understood how truly sorry she was. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll see you at home.”
“See you at home.”
Watching Alexis walk out of the library was one of the hardest things Blake had ever experienced. Unable to process all the emotions coursing through her body, Blake buried her face in her hands and cried.
Chapter 5
Isla
Straight to Ale had hit its late afternoon lull, and Isla was debating calling it a day. The bar operated perfectly fine without her constantly hovering around the place, anyway. She’d spent the morning approving the prior week’s payroll before mingling with the patrons and her staff. Isla missed when Alexis and Emily were her main employees. While Alexis had quit after getting pregnant with the twins, Emily was still on maternity leave after having Finley. Emily had plans to come back and Isla couldn’t wait.
Not that the rest of her employees weren’t amazing. They were. Her staff made Straight to Ale one of the top places to eat in the Cove. Several people had weekly lunch or dinner dates at the bar, while others would drive from out of town for one of the bar’s themed nights. Isla was beyond proud of herself and her entire team for what they had created.
Having worked at the bar since she was in her mid-twenties, Isla couldn’t imagine her life without it. The bar had been a second home to her family as they grew up. Mason and Ellie had worked at the bar. Brayden took his first steps in the kitchen. Everleigh used to draw on the wall behind the bar that Isla still hadn’t been able to paint over. It meant so much to her that Isla couldn’t stand the thought ofever stepping back.
Even though she knew eventually, she’d have to.
Vera had already taken a step back from work to spend more time with Everleigh since they started homeschooling her. Isla had noticed a major shift in both of them for the better. Everleigh was no longer dreading getting out of bed to go to school and Vera seemed to thrive with only working three days at the hospital. She was on-call once a month, which wasn’t bad at all to what it had been when they were first together. The new chapter in her family’s life was a blessing, and Isla loved every minute of it.
Well.
Almost every minute.
Until Isla could fix her relationship with Blake, she knew her heart would never be truly at peace. It ached for Blake to want her to be her mom. That was all Isla had ever wanted. To be a mommy to Blake.
Isla had been so scared when she first found out she was having Blake. She was only eighteen and not married to Ben yet. Hell, they weren’t even engaged. Her parents were devout Catholics and called her a disgrace when she’d told them she was pregnant. They told her she had to get married to Ben or they would shun her from the family.
So she married Ben.
She loved him, yes. They had been high school sweethearts, even if he was a few years older than she was. He was a nice enough guy though and began working at his father’s insurance company soon after graduating. And Isla knew from the moment she told him she was pregnant that he didn’t want a baby.
“I’m pregnant,” Isla had nervously told Ben as they sat in the empty subway car on the way back to her house. She hoped he would be happy, but Ben just sighed.
“Are you going to keep it?”
“Wh—what?”
“The baby.”
“I know what you meant.”
