Page 73 of State of Grace

“You are not.”

“I am.” Pulling their hands behind her back, Blake let her lips graze over Alexis’s briefly.

“We’ll argue about this later.” She playfully booped her nose before she let go of Blake’s hands and walked over to the Tesla. She blew Blake a kiss before climbing inside the black car. Alexis bit her tongue on the drive back to the apartment to stop herself from providing commentary on how slow Sophia was driving. Clearly, the events of the evening had gotten to her, and Alexis understood that. Placing a hand on Sophia’s leg, Alexis was relieved when Sophia covered her hand with her own and squeezed.

When they arrived home, Sophia took Harper out of the booster seat and carried her up to her room. She changed Harper into her pajamas as Alexis did the same in her room. When she returned to Harper’s room, Sophia was already cuddled up in bed beside her. Alexis didn’t say anything; she simply climbed into bed on the other side of Harper. The last few hours had drained her, and she was thankful for a quiet slumber with two of her favorite people asleep beside her.

At least for now, everything was ok.

Chapter 25

Sleep had eluded Blake. She’d tossed and turned for hours before finally deciding to go for a run. But even that had done little to get her mind off of Harper and Alexis and the accident. Blake had wanted to go home with Alexis and Harper; she’d wanted to make sure they were ok. She wanted to apologize to Alexis again, although they both knew it was an accident. But she knew it was best to go on home for the night.

Pacing the garage apartment, Blake tapped her fingers on the back of the couch. She had to get out of the apartment, but she knew Alexis well enough to know that it was too early for them to be up. It was barely a quarter to seven, and Blake had already run four miles, showered, straightened her hair, and dressed in her favorite t-shirt and yoga pants.

Heading down the stairs, she jogged across the driveway and carefully opened the back door to the house. The keys to Isla’s Jeep were in the hook by the door, and she took them. They jingled in her hand as the kitchen light flipped on. Isla cocked her head at her as Blake’s shoulders dropped.

“You said it was ok if I took the Jeep if I needed it.”

“I know,” she nodded over her coffee mug. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Yeah, but you’re giving me a look that says I am in trouble.”

“You’re not in trouble.” Isla jutted her chin toward the kitchen table, and Blake sat down opposite her mother. Blake’s back tightened in protest. It was a reminder that although she’d walked away from the accident without a scratch, her muscles were paying for it. “You doing ok?”

“The doctor gave me the all-clear.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I’m fine, Mom.” Blake forced herself not to raise her voice. Not only was it entirely unwarranted, but she also didn’t want to wake up the rest of the family. “I’m tired, and I want to be with Alexis and Harper. That’s why I came over here. I wanted to go get them breakfast.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

“Hey.” Isla reached out and tapped her fingers on Blake’s arm. “This wasn’t your fault.”

“I was driving,” her voice was soft as she sat back in her seat. “I’ve never been more scared in my entire life. I couldn’t get to Harper fast enough, and I only wanted to make sure she was ok. I keep playing it over and over in my head trying to figure out what I could have done differently.”

“It was an accident, Blake.” She gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “There was nothing you could have done differently. In fact, the police officer at the scene said you were fortunate.” Isla tilted her head. “He said it looks like you swerved to hit it.”

“I did.”

“And that’s what saved you and Harper.”

“What? How?”

“By swerving the way you did, the passenger’s side took the brunt of the impact. If you’d hit that deer head-on, it would have gone through the windshield right in front of you. So, it’s because of your smart, quick thinking that you’re both ok.”

“It was instinct.” Blake let out a sigh.

“I know.” Squeezing her arm one more time, Isla picked up her coffee cup and headed over to the coffee pot for a refill. “Don’t beat yourself up, honey. You did everything right, and both you and Harper are ok.”

Isla sat back down at the table and leveled Blake with a serious look.

“I want to say one more thing. You have to let go of the things you can’t control. Like the accident and being mad at your father…you can’t hold on to those forever, because they will do nothing but weigh you down.” Isla paused, she seemed to expect Blake to say something, which she did not. “Blaming yourself and being mad at your father for the way things transpired won’t do anything for you now.”

“You’re right.”

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