Page 21 of Charlotte

Jay held out his hand. “Nice to see you again.”

The little girl sitting in the crook of his arm grinned at Blake, and he realized that she and the little boy must be Jay’s kids. His mind was still kind of stuck on the fact that the little girl was Charli’s.

“This is my daughter, Amelia,” Blake said.

“Hi, Amelia.” Jay rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “This is my son, Peyton, my daughter, Ciara, and that’s Charli’s daughter, Layla.”

“Amelia’s in my class,” Charli said.

Jay smiled at Amelia. “You have a great teacher then.”

Blake watched as Layla held out her bag of popcorn so Charli could take some. He was curious about Layla. Jackson had said that Charli wasn’t currently in a relationship, so he wondered what had happened to Layla’s father. Was she the result of the rebound relationship Jackson had hinted at? Or was she… his?

That didn’t seem likely since Jay hadn’t had a son when Blake had been there last time, and given his size, he appeared to be older than Charli’s daughter. He also couldn’t see anything of himself in Layla the way he could in Amelia.

Though regret over what might have been flared up again, he ignored it, determined to not let it overshadow what was supposed to be a fun time for Amelia. Instead, he focused on Charli, taking the opportunity to observe her in a way he hadn’t been able to on the first day of school.

She wore a pair of fitted denim capris and a floaty blouse with a pink floral pattern that ended a little below her hips. The loose sleeves went to her elbows. And her hair—which had been long when he’d last seen her—was now cut in layers to frame her face, just reaching past her shoulders.

Her physical softness had been what had drawn him to her initially when they’d first met. Though he’d worked out regularly to hone his own body, he’d found her curves appealing. But it hadn’t just been her body that had drawn him in. It had also been the genuineness and gentleness of her personality.

As they’d spent time together online and later, in person, she’d quickly become the most comfortable and important part of his life. With the demands constantly put on him by his parents, to have a relationship in his life that wasn’t demanding had been new and so appealing.

He should have found a way to keep in contact with her. To keep their relationship alive. If only he’d been able to stand strong. If only he’d valued their relationship the way he should have. The little girl sharing popcorn with Charli could have been his, and maybe they’d have had even more children.

The very moment he thought that, however, his heart rebelled. He couldn’t wish away Amelia. His precious daughter had given him purpose and direction, and now that he was her sole caregiver, he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

Charli’s face lit with laughter as Layla jerked the popcorn bag away from her when she reached for more. “Brat.”

“Beth would give you your own bag,” Layla retorted.

“So how are you settling into life here in Serenity?” Jay asked, drawing Blake’s attention away from Charli.

“Pretty good. Jackson and his parents have been a big help.”

“Have you got a job?”

Blake nodded, bending to put Amelia down when she wiggled in his arms. “I’m working at Stan Wilson’s garage.”

“So you like cars?”

“I do. It wasn’t what I went to college for, but I got extensive vehicle maintenance training and experience in the army.”

“You enlisted?”

“Yep. I was in for twelve years.”

“Momma, can we go on the slide?” Layla asked. “You can have the rest of my popcorn.”

Charli chuckled as she took the half-eaten bag. “Sure.”

Layla turned to Peyton. “Want to go, Pey?”

Peyton’s mouth was full of popcorn, so he nodded.

“Do you want to go too, Amelia?” Layla asked.

Amelia looked at Blake, a tentative question on her face. He could see that she wanted to, but she was also uncertain because she didn’t know the two kids.

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