“That was a long run-on sentence about cheese.”
“Well, Harper loves cheese.”
“And I love Harper.” Walking up to the landing, Blake stood toe-to-toe with Sophia to prove that she could hold her own and wasn’t backing down. She was insanely excited about spending the day with Harper, and she had everything all planned out. The last thing she wanted was for Sophia to hover over them all day and make her nervous.
“I love her, too.”
“I know, and I’m not trying to replace you.”
“Oh, I am not worried about that.” Sophia scoffed as she waved her off and rolled her eyes. “What I am worried about is you getting close to my goddaughter and best friend and then leaving them when your job comes calling. It will be me who will pick up the pieces – again – and honestly, I am getting too old to get down on the floor.”
“I’m not going to hurt them.”
“Mhmm.”
“Look,” Blake put a hand on her hip, “Alexis knows that we don’t have everything figured out, but I am entirely committed to her. Whatever happens, we will figure it out together. I like Alexis a lot, and I am crazy about Harper. Dare I say that I even lo—”
“Don’t.” Sophia held up both hands. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
“Just because I don’t say it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.”
Behind them, Alexis’s door opened, and she stepped out into the foyer.
“What are you two doing out here?” She crossed her arms over the navy blue Straight to Ale polo she had on, and her dark blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “Sophia, what are you doing here?”
“She canceled her classes this morning because she doesn’t trust me.”
“Soph!” Alexis flipped Sophia’s arm as Sophia recoiled dramatically.
“Ow.”
“That so did not hurt,” she snarked at Sophia. “And Blake’s going to be perfectly fine with Harper today. Leave them alone and let them hang out and maybe – if Blake is up for it – you can make dinner for the two of them later and let them tell you about their day together. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Alexis nodded excitedly as Sophia and Blake looked at each other long enough that it felt like a silent truce had been made for Alexis’s sake. “Good.”
“I’ll see you two at seven for dinner.” Sophia nodded once at Blake before turning around and headed back into her apartment. Alone with Alexis, Blake extended the flowers with a slight bow.
“For you, my lady.”
“Aww, babe.” Alexis took the flowers and smelled them. “These are beautiful. You didn’t have to do this but thank you. I love them.”
“You’re welcome.” As Blake moved closer to kiss her, she resisted the urge to tell Alexis that she loved her. She was ready to say those words. They’d been on the tip of her tongue since the morning after Alexis brought her home from the bar. Blake hadn’t said them though, at the risk of scaring Alexis. She knew that Alexis wasn’t one to say those words flippantly, and Blake wanted to make sure Alexis knew how serious she was before she said them to her.
“So, are you excited to spend the day with Harper?” Following Alexis into the apartment, Blake watched her take a vase out from under the kitchen sink, fill it with water, and place the flowers inside. “You got these from Maddie’s shop, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” Blake leaned up against the counter. “Best flowers in town.”
“She’d love a Yelp review from you, I’m sure.”
“Yeah?”
“Totally.” Alexis wrapped her arms around Blake’s waist and pulled her close to her body, their lips meeting quickly. “I am so happy you’re going to get to spend time with Harper. She’s so great.”
“Well, she is her mother’s daughter, so of course she is wonderful.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, Blake Calloway.”
“Good to know.” Kissing Alexis once more, the two were lip-locked when Harper came into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door without a sound. Alexis pulled away from Blake and looked at her daughter, then back to Blake, and shrugged.
“Harp, honey, what are you doing?”
“Getting a juice box.” Her answer was so nonchalant that Blake half expected a ‘duh’ to follow at the end of it.
“Ok, well, I have all the numbers you could possibly ever need on the fridge, and as you know, Sophia’s right across the hall anytime you need her. The keys to my car are by the door. You can take that if you go anywhere because her booster seat is already in the back. And,” Alexis pointed a finger at herself, “you can call me anytime. I’ll have my phone on me, so don’t hesitate if you have a question or anything.”
“I will, babe, but don’t worry.” Blake booped her nose. “I got this.”
“I know you do.” Grabbing her small bag off the counter, Alexis put it over her shoulder, walking into the living room where Harper was at the coffee table with tons of Star Wars action figures spread out before her. Of course, the TV was playing Frozen. “Harp, Mommy’s going to work now, so be a good girl for Blake, ok?”
“Yup.”
“Promise?” Alexis held out her pinky to her as Harper wrapped hers around it.
“Duh.”
“That’s my girl. I love you, Harper.”
“Love you, too.”
With a kiss on the top of her head, Alexis left Harper in the living room and rejoined Blake by the front door. She kissed Blake square on the lips, and the act of seeing the woman she loved off to work made her feel fiercely domestic. They were getting serious, and Blake was more than ready to see where they would go from here.
“I’ll see you later. Thank you again for watching her.”
“Anytime. I love…” Blake hesitated, and she watched panic flash across Alexis’s face before it softened to a shy smile, “I love Harper. Today’s going to be great.”
“It will be.” One more kiss before Alexis pulled herself away and headed out the door. Blake watched her walk down the stairs and out the door before heading back inside to join Harper at the coffee table.
“So, what are you doing, Harper?”
“Playing.”
“Ahh.” Blake nodded a few times as she sat on the couch. “That’s cool.”
“Here.” She handed Blake a R2-D2 figure. “You can play, too.”
The two played with Harper’s toys and sang along to Frozen songs until the movie ended, and Blake suggested they go on a fun little trip. Harper was excited to get out of the house, and Blake talked about the exciting adventure they were taking. She knew that Harper would love seeing the puppies and had wanted to keep their destination a surprise.
“Is Aunt Isla gonna watch me now?” Harper hopped out of Alexis’s car’s back seat and looked up at Blake with a furrowed brow. “I thought that we were gonna spend the whole day together?” She pouted, and it instantly stole Blake’s heart.
“We are, silly girl.” Blake tucked her dark blonde hair behind her ear then pointed toward the house. “I thought maybe you’d want to see the puppies again now that they’re bigger.”
They walked around the back of the house toward the covered patio in the back as the sounds of puppy barks filled the air. Harper gasped and ran to the patio door and quickly headed inside. The boisterous Golden Retriever puppies were inside a playpen Isla had set up for them and were playing rambunctiously with each other. Isla had one of the eight puppies on the table where she was weighing it and writing it down in a notebook.
“Hey, Harper Jude!” Isla’s enthusiasm for seeing Harper was matched only by Harper’s at seeing the puppies. She walked right past Isla straight to the playpen as the puppies fell over each other to her to get attention. Harper’s precious giggle filled the air, and Bake smiled contently. Her surprise idea had worked perfectly. “I’m only mildly offended she blew right past me.”
“Well, how can you compete with puppies?”
“So true,” Isla laughed. “I knew she’d love them as they got o
lder. She’s Alexis’s kiddo, that’s for sure.” Picking up the puppy off the table, Isla returned it to the playpen with its siblings. “She loves her some puppies.”
“Can I play with them, Aunt Isla?”
“Absolutely.” Isla scooped Harper up in a flurry of giggles and plopped her down among the litter. The puppies were immediately all over her, which increased the giggling as Harper tried to pet all of them. Blake couldn’t help but laugh at how silly the entire scene looked, and she took out her phone to snap a few pictures for Alexis. “So, how’s it been going today?”
“It’s been good so far. We played with her toys for a bit and watched Frozen, and we had a long debate about what she should wear today since she didn’t know where we were going.”
“She’s been around Sophia too long.” Isla laughed.
“Indeed.” Blake shook her head and laughed along with her as they sat at the table. In the playpen, Harper was running in small circles, letting the puppies chase after her. She leaned back in the chair and looked over at Isla. “So, um, Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“I wanted to say I was sorry for the other day.” She nervously tapped her fingers on the glass-top table. Blake hesitated a moment, sure that Isla would tell her not to worry about it or that it was ok. Instead, Isla nodded and waited for her to continue. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. I was a dick. I’m sorry.”
“You’re allowed to be upset, you know?”
“Pardon?”
“You didn’t have any control over the events of your life, and you missed out on a lot. We both did. It’s ok if you’re upset. I’d rather you take it out on me than anyone else.” Isla nodded as she tapped the pen in her hand on the tabletop. “I love you so much and never meant to hurt you. Never. I’m sorry if I said anything that upset you.”
“You didn’t; I was upset and said things I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” Isla’s eyes looked misty. “I’m sorry I didn’t try harder.”
“Mom, don’t…” Blake shook her head and scooted her seat closer to Isla’s chair. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It was all Dad’s doing. You had no control over it, and I understand that now. I mean, I may not like it, but I get it.”
“I don’t like it either, but I am so, so happy that you are here now, Blake.”
“Me too.” She offered Isla a sad smile. “Want to call a truce?”
“Deal.” Reaching across the table, Isla held out her pinky finger and Blake wrapped hers around Isla’s. They each turned their attention back to Harper, who was still giggling away in the playpen. The puppies had all ambushed her and were licking her face as she tried to pet them all.
“She needs a puppy.”
“Alexis has wanted to get her one, but she always talked herself out of it.”
Blake leaned back in her chair and laughed to herself as Isla looked over at her.
“What was that for?”
“I was thinking about the look on Alexis’s face if we brought one of these home tonight.”
“Oh, that’s a gamble. It will either go one of two ways. Alexis will either be insanely happy or super angry because she didn’t have time to prepare for a new arrival. When she was pregnant with Harper, she was crowning and still worrying that the crib she’d gotten wasn’t rated highly enough for a baby.”
“I can totally see her doing that.”
Crossing her legs, Blake leaned back in the chair and thought about how easy it would be to gather all the supplies Alexis would need for a new puppy. Harper would love to go to the pet store, and Blake would be more than willing to foot the bill. She could even help Alexis with the puppy.
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“I can see your brain working like mine does, and that’s something you need to ask Alexis about before you do it.”
“Maybe I could borrow a puppy for tonight and gauge her reaction?” Blake leaned on the table and did her best pouting face like she’d seen Harper do. Across the table, she could tell Isla wanted to say yes but was making Blake work for it. “I know you were saying the other day that you needed to start finding foster homes for them, but here I am telling you I have a permanent home for one of them.”
“Well,” Isla tilted her head from side to side, “I had been hoping to find my pick of the litter a perfect home because he’s above and beyond the best puppy in any litter we’ve ever bred. Vera wanted to keep him to breed later, but we don’t need a puppy right now. The twins will be in high school in the fall, and between their after-school activities and Everleigh’s horseback riding lesson and both of our jobs, we’re pulled in enough directions as it is. The pups are fun for a few weeks, but I’m happy to see them go to their foster or forever homes.”
“And how great would it be for one of those homes to be Alexis’s?”
“Blake?” Harper called over to her as Blake and Isla looked over at her. She had a puppy cradled in her arms like a baby, and the puppy was licking her face excitedly as it remained super chill in her arms. “Can I have this one?”
“Shit,” Isla mumbled under her breath as Blake looked over at her. “That’s the pup I was talking about.”
“Oh, it’s a sign.” Reaching out over the table, Blake excitedly patted Isla’s arm repetitively. “Please, Mom? Please? I’ll ask Alexis if that will make it better.”
“If you can get her to approve it, then sure.” She shrugged and smiled. “Why not. They still need one more round of shots, so I don’t want you to take it home now, but I can stick a reserved sticker on the one you want.”
“Bless you.” Taking her phone out of her pocket, Blake walked over to the playpen. “Hey, Harper, let me take a picture of you and the puppy to send to your mommy.”
Harper smiled up at her with the biggest smile Blake had ever seen as she snapped the picture. She sent it off to Alexis before typing out her message.
Mom said this is the best pup of the litter, and Harper agrees. If you want him…my treat.
Blake anxiously waited for the Delivered notification under the message change to Read and waited a few more minutes for the three dots to appear. Then disappear. Then reappear.
Well, how on earth can I say no to those two adorable faces? :)
“Ha!” Blake held out the phone to Isla. She took the phone, held it out from her face so her eyes could focus, and shook her head. “She said yes.”
Are you sure?
Yes. I’d been talking to Vera about getting one anyway, so this is perfect.
“She said she was talking to Vera about getting one. Did you know that?”
“No, but that doesn’t surprise me. Vera’s wanted her and Harp to have a dog for a while.”
“Well, now they do.” Walking back over to the playpen, Blake tapped Harper on the head as she grinned up at her. “Harper, I talked to your mommy, and guess what?”
“What?”
“She said that once the puppies are a little older, we can take that one home.”
“Really?!”
“Really!” Blake reached into the playpen and took the puppy from Harper’s hands before picking her up. She put her on her hip as the puppy licked her neck. “Is this the one you want?”
“Yes, he’s the fluffiest.”
“He is soft.” She nuzzled her face against the puppy’s golden fur.
They spent another hour at Isla’s with the puppies before Blake loaded up Harper in the backseat to head to the pet store, and Isla headed off to the bar. She let Harper pick out what she wanted for the puppy, and, not surprisingly, most of the items were Star Wars and Marvel-themed. The entire shopping experience was insanely fun for both of them; they picked out leashes and collars and bowls and a Millennium Falcon-shaped bed.
She introduced Harper to Dolly Parton on the drive back to the apartment and loved how she bobbed her head along to the music. Blake watched her in the rearview mirror, feeling content when Harper smiled back at her. They’d had such a perfect day togeth
er that Blake hoped dinner with Sophia would go as great. She wanted to impress Sophia; she wanted to show her that she was worth being in Alexis and Harper’s lives.
The deer that ran out in front of them, however, had different plans.
Blake slammed on the brakes as quickly as she could, but it was too late. The buck collided with the front of the car. The airbags deployed and the windshield shattered in what felt like less than a second.
Harper screamed from the backseat; Blake beat the airbag with her hand and jumped out of the vehicle. She yanked open the back door and pulled Harper from her booster seat, lowering herself to a squat as she held her close as if to protect her still. Harper wrapped her arms and legs around her body.
“Harper, are you ok?”
“What happened?” Harper cried in her ear as her body shook in fear.
“We hit a deer.” Blake carefully knelt as she helped Harper stand up. She looked her over, and nothing appeared broken. A sliver of blood formed above Harper’s eyebrow, but Blake didn’t want to draw attention to it. “Are you ok? Does anything hurt?”
Harper shook her head quickly before wrapping her arms around Blake’s neck again. Blake picked her up, holding her tightly as she fished her phone out of the car’s center console and called 9-1-1.
“I want Mommy.”
“I’m calling her right now, baby.” Blake dialed Isla’s number next, knowing she’d be at the bar with Alexis. She quickly explained what happened to her and Isla promised to drive Alexis over to where they were. Until then, Blake held Harper in her arms and tried to calm her down, all the while thanking her lucky stars things hadn’t been worse.
Chapter 24
The bar was more crowded than usual for a Thursday night, and Alexis regretted picking up the double shift. But she needed the money, especially after cutting her hours short the last few months to accommodate the play’s rehearsal schedule. Evening shifts were the best shifts for tips though, so she was thankful she’d garnered a few good tips that night.
“It’s crazy out there,” Alexis commented as she pushed open the kitchen door with her hip. She was immediately approached by Isla, who looked like she had seen a ghost. “What’s wrong?”
State of Grace: A Moonflower Cove Romance Page 21