State of Grace: A Moonflower Cove Romance

by Addison Clarke

  “Lex,” Isla’s voice cracked, and Alexis quickly set the tray down before she dropped it. Something was wrong. Something was wrong, and Alexis’s mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario. “What happened?”

  “Everyone is ok.”

  “What happened?” Alexis gritted her teeth as tears nipped at the corner of her eyes.

  “Blake and Harper were in a car accident.” Mindlessly, Alexis walked to the office to grab her bag. “They hit a deer, but they are both fine. Harper’s ok and Blake is ok, and everything is ok. Blake called me, and I’m going to drive you to them.”

  Panic.

  Fear.

  Terror.

  The emotions kept fighting for top billing as Isla sped to the site of the accident. Alexis hadn’t been able to take a full breath since Isla had told her what happened. She’d assured her Harper was fine, but Alexis’s brain couldn’t believe it until she laid eyes on her daughter and checked every inch of her herself. Her hands shook as the car’s headlights landed on the smashed front end of her car. An ambulance, a fire truck, and a police car surrounded the small back road, and Alexis opened the car door before Isla had entirely stopped the vehicle.

  Alexis ran over to the ambulance where Harper was sitting on the tailgate with her arms around Blake. When Harper saw her, she bolted for Alexis. Her arms wrapped so tightly around Alexis as she fell to her knees and held her close. She didn’t bother to stop the tears as they flowed freely from her eyes. Behind her, Isla placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed before walking over to Blake.

  “Are you ok, baby?” Alexis brushed Harper’s hair out of her face and looked her over. She had a pink Band-Aid on her forehead, but she couldn’t see anything else wrong. Wiping the tears from Harper’s eyes, Alexis kissed each of her cheeks.

  “I got a scratch on my head, but that’s it.” She shrugged nonchalantly, making Alexis laugh. Alexis dropped her head to Harper’s chest as she finally let her lungs take in a full breath.

  “Are you her mother?” A young EMT came over to them.

  “Yes, I am.” Alexis stood, putting Harper on her hip. “Is she ok?”

  “We did a field exam, and everything appears fine, but I’d recommend both of them going to the hospital to make sure.”

  It was then Alexis remembered the other person in the car.

  Blake.

  Alexis had been so focused on Harper that she hadn’t had time to think about Blake. Walking over to the ambulance, Blake stood and hugged them. They held each other tight as Blake sobbed in her ear.

  “Blake, baby, it’s ok. You’re both ok.”

  “I am so sorry, Alexis.” Blake wiped the tears from her eyes when she let them go. She rubbed her hand on Harper’s back. “I didn’t see it coming. I know it’s cliché, but it came out of nowhere.”

  “It’s ok, Blake.” She leaned in and kissed her quickly.

  “I ruined your car.”

  “I don’t care about the car.” Placing her hand on Blake’s cheek, Blake leaned into her touch as her teary blue eyes looked at her. “I only care about you and Harper. The fact you both walked away from that,” her voice caught in her throat as the image of the crumpled hood of her car flashed across her mind, “is all that matters to me. Do you hear me?”

  Blake simply nodded against her hand as Alexis pulled her in for another hug.

  Behind them, Isla sorted out the details with the police officer over what to do with the car before agreeing to take Blake and Harper to the hospital herself to avoid the ambulance fee. The emergency room at Taylor Memorial Hospital wasn’t crowded, thankfully, as Alexis checked Harper in.

  “You need to get checked out too.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Blake.” Alexis used her mom voice on her and raised an eyebrow. “Please. For me.”

  “Fine.”

  “Alexis.” Dr. Logan Mills came through the swinging doors, and Alexis breathed a sigh of relief. Of all the doctors that could have been on call, Alexis was relieved it was Logan. She’d performed Harper’s tonsillectomy a couple of years prior, and the two had developed a casual rapport since then. Logan led them back to an exam room, where she ran a series of tests on Harper before taking some x-rays while they examined Blake in another room. “Everything looks great, Alexis. The cut on her head is minor, and I don’t think stitches are needed. Some liquid skin should do the trick. She’s a fortunate little girl. It could have been a lot worse.” She looked at Alexis. “For both of them.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Mills.” Alexis shook her head as Logan exited the room. She walked over to Harper’s bedside and kissed the top of her head as Blake came into the room. Blake slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her in close. “I need to call Sophia before she hears it through the grapevine.”

  “I can stay here with Harper if you want to step outside and call her.”

  “Yeah, ok. That’s good. And listen,” Alexis tried to laugh, but it fell flat, “I’m going to tell her I got off work early and I that I was driving.”

  “I’m not lying to Nonna.” Harper pouted as she crossed her arms. Alexis knew she was tired and on the verge of a full-blown temper tantrum, and the last thing she wanted was to have to deal with a tired and cranky Harper in addition to an angry Sophia. Which she knew was coming as soon as she picked up the phone.

  “I don’t want her to know Blake was driving.”

  “Blake was driving?” Sophia’s voice behind them caused a shiver to course through Alexis’s spine. Slowly, Alexis pulled away from Blake’s embrace and turned to face Sophia. She was strategic in her position in front of Harper to shield Sophia from seeing the cut on her head right away.

  Standing in the doorway in a blue floral top and black slacks, Sophia had her hands planted on her hips as her face said more than any words ever could. Her face was an array of emotions from terror to anger, and Alexis held up her hands slightly to keep her from overreacting.

  “She’s ok, Soph.”

  “If she were fine, she wouldn’t be here.”

  “It’s precautionary.” Alexis took a cautious step toward her. “The EMT checked her out in the field, but wanted to make sure they didn’t miss anything.”

  Taking a step out of the way, Alexis watched Sophia’s eyes dart past her and land on Harper. She let out a sob of relief as she ran over to her. Sophia pulled Harper into a hug before covering her in kisses. Alexis noticed Sophia’s finger brush over the cut on Harper’s head as tears streamed down her face. As she looked over her shoulder, Sophia’s voice was angry when she spoke again.

  “What happened?”

  “A deer came out of nowhere,” Blake answered as Sophia snapped her head toward her.

  “I didn’t ask you.” Sophia snapped as she turned her attention back to Alexis.

  “Soph, let’s not do this here.” Nodding toward the door, Alexis was thankful that Sophia didn’t protest. She and Blake followed her out into the hallway as Alexis shut the door behind them. A long, slender finger pointed at Alexis.

  “I told you I didn’t want her watching Harper.”

  “This wasn’t my fault!” Blake was on the defense, but Alexis held up a hand to get her to stop talking. She knew Sophia; she knew that Blake arguing with her was worthless and would only end badly for all of them. Sophia was right even when she was wrong. It was something she’d learned to deal with when it came to her best friend.

  “You know this wasn’t Blake’s fault.”

  “She was driving when it happened.”

  “They hit a deer. Blake couldn’t have controlled that.”

  “This wouldn’t have happened if you had let her watch her.” Sophia should have had steam coming out of her ears for how red her face was as she glared at Alexis. “And, not only did you not tell me Harper was in an accident, but then you tell my goddaughter to lie to me about who was driving?”

  “I thought you’d make a big deal about it if you knew it was Blake.” Alexis crossed her arms over her stomach.
“Sorry, my bad.”

  “Now is not the time for jokes, Alexis.”

  “I know.” She swallowed hard and nodded. “I know, Sophia. I’m scared too. But this wasn’t Blake’s fault. It could have happened to you or me or Emily or Maddie or anyone. It was an accident.”

  “I don’t trust her.”

  “I’m standing right here.” Blake threw up her arms in frustration.

  “Only because I haven’t honed my mind powers yet,” Sophia snarled back at her.

  “Look, I get that you don’t like me, but surely you can’t believe this is my fault.”

  “Don’t tell me what I believe.”

  “Sophia, Blake, please.” Alexis ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She hated confrontation. She hated it more when it was between two of the most important people in her life. For a moment, Alexis contemplated locking herself and Harper in the exam room and leaving Blake and Sophia outside to duke it out however they saw fit.

  Unfortunately that wouldn’t solve anything, but neither would yelling in the hospital hallway.

  “I understand that right now, emotions are super high for all of us, and I think we all should calm down before we carry on any conversation.” She looked back and forth between Sophia and Blake, neither of which looked her in the eye. They both looked as scared as Alexis felt. Blake nodded once before turning around and heading back into Harper’s room.

  “I knew something was going to happen. I felt it in my bones.” Alone in the hallway, Alexis studied Sophia. Mascara was running down her face, and her brown eyes were bloodshot. Letting out a deflated sigh, Sophia covered her face with her hands.

  “You have to stop blaming Blake. You know this wasn’t her fault.” Alexis tried hard to hold her ground with Sophia. She was used to Sophia overstepping, but this time, it wasn’t justifiable. “Blake loves Harper and would never hurt her. You and I have both driven that road with Harper in the backseat countless times. It could have happened to any of us, and I won’t have you saying that it’s Blake's fault, especially not in front of Harper.”

  Sophia opened her mouth to say something, but Alexis held up a hand to stop her.

  “Harper is my kid, and it’s my call who watches her.” She could tell Sophia didn’t like what she was saying, but she kept quiet. “I trust Blake as much as I trust you with Harper. You have to start accepting my judgment with what’s best for Harper. She’s my daughter, and you know I’d never do anything that would hurt her.”

  “I know.” Sophia’s voice was quieter than Alexis ever remembered hearing it. She quickly brushed a tear off her cheek, curling her lower lip inward before taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry. When I heard there had been an accident and that Harper was in the hospital, I panicked.” Her voice cracked as Alexis’s heart broke. Sophia loved Harper as if she were her own, and she knew Sophia was scared. Alexis had already experienced the cycle of crazy emotions, and it was Sophia’s turn to process everything.

  “Yeah, me too.” Alexis playfully flipped Sophia on the arm, which made her smile. “But she’s ok. It’s just a small cut.” Alexis reached out and took hold of Sophia’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Dr. Mills said it shouldn’t scar, but you know Harper. She’ll think it’s cool if she has a scar.”

  “You’re right.” Sadly smiling, Sophia held out her arms and Alexis went to her. They needed each other for comfort. Harper was the sun that their worlds revolved around. Neither of them could ever imagine their lives without her. The mere thought of losing Harper was enough to make Alexis’s empty stomach want to revolt.

  Alexis and Sophia stayed locked in each other’s embrace until Isla arrived back at the room with three coffees. She handed one to each of them as they headed back into Harper’s room, where Isla gave Blake the other coffee. Alexis noticed how Sophia and Blake stayed on opposite ends of the room the whole time they waited for someone to patch up Harper’s cut. They were like the opposite sides of magnets that were physically incapable of being near each other.

  By the time Harper was discharged, it was past ten, and they were all exhausted.

  Alexis buckled a sleeping Harper into the booster seat in Sophia’s Tesla before closing the door. Standing a few feet away from her, Blake reached out to take her hand. She let herself be enveloped in Blake’s hug while she thanked whatever god was listening that both she and Harper were ok. Blake rubbed her hands up and down Alexis’s back, an exceedingly comforting gesture.

  “Do you want me to come home with you?”

  “No,” Alexis shook her head and she pulled away. “Sophia needs some time to chill out, and Harper’s tired, and I am mentally and physically exhausted, and I have to overcome all of that to perform in the play tomorrow, and I’m just overwhelmed right now.”

  “Oh, my god, I forgot about the play.” Blake dramatically dropped her head back before rolling it back and forth a few times. “I could talk to Bryce and postpone the show if you want.”

  “I’ll be ok, Blake.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise. The play will give us all a chance to focus on something other than the last few hours.” Looking over her shoulder, Alexis saw Sophia tapping her fingers on the side of the car as she waited impatiently for them to finish talking. “We all clearly need a distraction.”

  “She needs a chill pill.”

  “She’s upset.”

  “Everything’s fine.” Blake scratched her arm as she looked past Alexis to Sophia. She looked angry still, and Alexis wished the two of them would drop whatever beef was between them. Blake took hold of Alexis’s hands and held them tightly as she looked into her eyes. “I would never ever put Harper in danger. I need you to know that.”

  “I do know that.”

  “And I’m going to take care of the car.”

  “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 neede
d 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.”