Page 41 of Lee

As Charli prepared to change Shiloh’s diaper, she handed the baby over to Blake. “Are you up to do a quick photoshoot?”

“A photoshoot?” Blake asked. “But my Hudson suit is at the cleaners.”

“Haha,” Hudson said, his voice laced with humor. “I’m not the only person who wears suits in your family. I’ve seen both Jay and Gareth in suits.”

“You don’t need a suit,” Charli told Blake. “I’d just like some nice, casual, summery shots.”

“If that’s what you want, I’m on board.”

“Thanks, hun. Love you.”

“You should get some dessert before they put you to work, Rori,” Janessa said.

Rori looked at her and smiled. “I’m still full from that huge sandwich. I think I included too much, but everything seemed so perfect for a sandwich. Well, except for maybe the onions.”

Janessa grimaced. “Oh, I agree about the onions.”

Rori hoped that the woman wouldn’t push her to go for dessert. There was no way she was going over there. She didn’t want Lee to feel like he had to introduce her to anyone, especially an ex-girlfriend.

Plus, never in her life had the crushes she had on guys, included meeting their high school sweetheart. So, if she could continue to avoid that, she’d be much happier.

“There we go,” Charli declared as she rested her hand on Shiloh’s tummy.

She bent over and smiled at the baby. Her love for her child was clear in her actions.

Rori tried to imagine her mom acting like that with her when she was a baby. If her brain had been a computer, there would be smoke coming out of her ears because the request for that imagine did not compute.

“I think I’d like to stand in front of that tree over there,” Charli said as she got to her feet, then bent to pick up Shiloh.

Rori stood up with her camera, trying her best not to look toward Lee. Thankfully, the tree Charli wanted to pose in front of wasn’t in his direction.

“How would you like to position everybody?” Rori asked when they got to the tree, hoping Charli had some ideas.

Sure enough, handing off the baby to Blake, the woman quickly got everyone organized. Rori watched her through the viewfinder, trying to see how to frame the photo and hoping that she did justice to whatever Charli had in mind.

“Everyone smile,” Charli commanded.

Rori pressed the shutter button a few times in a row, capturing multiple images. Charli had several more poses in mind, and her family patiently worked with her. Rori was actually impressed at how well the kids obeyed their mom.

“I think that’s good,” Charli said after about ten poses. “Am I able to see them on the camera?”

“Yep.” Rori switched modes and brought up the first picture.

Blake didn’t join Charli to look at the photos, but Layla and Amelia did.

“Those look great,” Charli said.

As they chatted about the best way for Rori to get the pictures to Charli, the girls ran to rejoin Peyton, and Blake came to stand with Charli.

“I’m so happy that we could do that,” Charli said as she leaned against Blake. “And it was so much less stressful than if I’d tried to plan it in advance.”

“I enjoyed it.”

“Would you do it for us as well?” Janessa asked as she and Will came up.

“Do the others want pictures, too?”

Janessa glanced at Charli. “I think maybe Aria wants some, but no one else said they did.”

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