State of Grace: A Moonflower Cove Romance

by Addison Clarke

  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.”

  “I know.” Her eyes twinkled as Blake rolled her eyes. “We’ve had a second chance to get to know each other now, and, at least for me, that’s more than what I’d ever thought would happen.”

  “Me too.”

  “It’s time for us to look forward, not backward.” She tilted her head. “Don’t you agree?”

  Blake nodded. Her mom was right. She’d been holding on to the anger for so long that it was clouding her mind. She had to release that anger if she was ever going to move past that part of her life. After all, Blake had no ability to change the past. Forward was her only option. “I do.”

  Blake did. Her time in therapy following her father’s death had helped her realize that.

  “Good.” With a wink, Isla squeezed Blake’s arm before standing up. “I’m gonna go take a walk. I don’t need the Jeep today so keep it as long as you need. And pick up breakfast for Sophia and Emily too. Sophia will appreciate the gesture.”

  “Will do.”

  Without another word, Isla headed out the door. Blake took Isla’s advice and called Carlson’s Café to place her to-go order on her way out to the Jeep. She barely had to wait for the order to be ready and had avoided all small talk with Maggie, thanks to the café’s steady early morning crowd. Quickly paying the tab and leaving a hefty tip, Blake darted back to the Jeep and down the few blocks to Alexis’s apartment.

  Blake balanced the paper bag on her arm as she juggled the four coffees in the tray. Ringing the doorbell, Blake was surprised when it opened within a minute. It was still early for Alexis to be up, and usually, she greeted her over the intercom when she buzzed her in, which could only mean one thing.

  “Sophia.” Blake nodded toward the French woman at the top of the stairs. Her arms were crossed over her red pantsuit. The sleeves were rolled up enough for the elegant black silk liner to be shown. Sophia wore the same scowl of annoyance she had worn the night before at the hospital on her face. As Blake arrived at the top of the stairs, she was keenly aware of how Sophia had positioned herself between Blake and Alexis’s front door.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I brought breakfast.” Shrugging, Blake held up the bag and coffee.

  “I can make them breakfast,” Sophia retorted.

  “Well, now you don’t have to because I brought breakfast for all of us.” Blake forced a smile. She wanted Sophia to like her, to at least give her a chance. “Even you and Emily.”

  “Why would you do that?” Sophia seemed legitimately confused by the gesture.

  “Because I wanted to.” However, I’m beginning to wonder why now. “I know we’ve all had a long night, and I wanted to do something nice for you all.”

  “Is that all?”

  “It’s breakfast, Sophia. What’s with the interrogation?” With a snort, Sophia rolled her eyes as if Blake was clueless.

  “I don’t have any children of my own, but Alexis is basically my daughter, and Harper is my granddaughter.” Sophia’s jawline twitched, and she seemed unsteady as if something had shaken her resolve to be mean to Blake. “I am going to be protective of them until the day I die.”

  “I understand that and respect that, Sophia. But I hate to tell you that you’re not the only one looking out for them now.”

  “And that makes me feel so much better after the events that transpired last night.”

  “You cannot possibly believe that was my fault.”

  “I know.” Sophia’s angry resolve seemed to fade away. “When I heard there had been an accident, my whole world stopped. I just had to get to Harper and see her and know she was ok. I’ll admit,” she gritted her teeth before continuing, “that I said some things last night that I shouldn’t have, and I am…sorry.”

  Blake was flabbergasted at Sophia’s apology. She rapidly blinked a few times as if trying to convince herself that Sophia had actually apologized to her. It was huge; Blake didn’t have to know Sophia that well to know that.

  “Thank you, Sophia.” She contemplated hugging her but decided against it. “I would never intentionally hurt either of them. I hope you know that.”

  “I do.” Her eyes held a slight playfulness. “I may not like it, but I understand it. And thank you. For loving them and protecting them.”

  “Always.”

  The apartment door opened behind Blake, and their eyes shifted to the door.

  “Hey, Blake.” Emily cheerfully walked out into the foyer as Sophia took the slightest step back from Blake. “I thought I heard you out here. What are you doing?”

  “I brought breakfast for all of us.”

  “Aww, that was nice, Blake.” Emily looped her arm around Sophia’s as she pulled the woman toward her. “Thank you.”

  “Yes, thank you, Blake.” Sophia offered a quick smile before sashaying into her apartment. She shut the door behind her, leaving Emily and Blake out in the hallway.

  “I’m sorry if she was mean to you. She’s on edge.” Emily’s eyes were on the door. She looked torn between staying with Blake and going after Sophia. Slowly, her green eyes pulled away from the door and focused on Blake. “She doesn’t handle situations the best sometimes, and last night scared her.”

  “Everything is fine between us now, I think.” Blake shrugged. “She apologized for snapping at me last night and blaming me for the accident.”

  “Whoa, that’s big. Sophia doesn’t usually apologize, even if she knows she’s wrong.” Emily’s smile grew wider. “And you have to understand that Alexis and Harper are Sophia’s family. I mean, she has me, obviously, but those three are linked in ways even I don’t understand. Sophia was there for Alexis throughout her pregnancy. She was there when Alexis had a home birth for Harper in our guest room. She was there for every milestone in Harper’s life, and that’s all made them inseparable. They get each other in ways that no one else does, and if you’re going to be in Alexis’s life, you’re going to have to accept that. Sophia is always going to be a part of Alexis and Harper’s lives. If you want to be, too, you’re going to have to find a way to make peace with her.”

  “I want to, but I feel like Sophia hates me.”

  “She doesn’t.” She paused. “You intimidate her.”

  “Psst.” Her laugh reverberated around the foyer. “I do not intimidate her.”

  “You do.” Emily firmly shook her head as she took the coffee tray out of Blake’s arms before opening Alexis’s front door. “You stand up to her, and you don’t back down. Sophia is used to getting what Sophia wants. You don’t give in to her, though, and she doesn’t know how to handle that.”

  “She could try by getting to know me instead of assuming she knows everything about me because she’s read about me on the internet.” Blake pulled out the to-go boxes labeled with their names as she sat them on the table. She sat hers, Alexis’s, and Harper’s to the side and handed Emily’s to her. Picking up the one labeled ‘Sophia,’ she shrugged and held it out to Emily. “Here.”

  Emily opened the box as she quietly gasped.

  “What? Did they get the order wrong?”

  “These eggs are poached.”

  “Yes?” Blake waited for her to continue.

  “And this is turkey bacon.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “You listen.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I can’t believe you remembered how she liked her eggs and that she’ll only eat turkey bacon.” Emily’s eyes were soft, as if she appreciated someone had listened to Sophia. “Yo
u listen when people talk. You listen when Sophia talks.

  “It’s not that big of a deal.” Blake rolled her eyes dramatically, and she was thankful that Emily dropped the conversation. She’d heard Sophia talk about her favorite breakfast items at game night one night, and it had stuck with Blake. Random things like that made their home in Blake’s mind for reasons she didn’t understand.

  Quietly walking down the hall, Blake tapped on Harper’s bedroom door and opened it. Alexis was curled up on the bed beside Harper, who was spooned so perfectly in Alexis’s embrace that Blake hated to wake them. Blake gently placed her hand on Alexis’s shoulder. A smile formed wide on Alexis’s face when she opened her eyes and looked up at Blake.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?”

  “I brought breakfast.” Leaning down, Blake kissed her on the lips. Alexis reached up and ran her hands through Blake’s hair.

  “You look pretty.”

  “So do you.” They kissed again. “Come on. Let’s eat while it’s hot.”

  Pulling Alexis to her feet, the two tightly embraced as Alexis sighed contently into Blake’s chest. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

  “Me too.” Blake kissed the top of her head. “Me too.”

  There’s no place else I ever want to be.

  Chapter 26

  The exhilaration of the opening night was palpable from the rise of the curtain to the final curtain call. As Alexis ran out on stage to take her final bow, the audience erupted into the loudest applause. She made eye contact with all her friends on the front row, but her eyes stayed locked with Blake’s the longest. Blake looked so damn proud of her, and it made her heart explode. Alexis had been so close to telling Blake that she loved her countless times before. Usually, that would have scared the shit out of her.

  But this time, it was the most natural feeling in the world.

  As the house lights came up, Alexis ran backstage to change out of her costume before going straight for her friends who were still waiting for her in the theatre. Sophia intercepted her first with a huge hug and a bouquet of gorgeous roses and more compliments than Alexis could register. She quickly said hello to Maddie, Emily, Patrick, and Jordan before Harper jumped into her arms. Alexis swung her around excitedly as Harper framed her face with her hands.

  “You were the bestest, Mommy!” Harper’s compliment was the absolute best of them all.

  “Thank you, baby.” Kissing her cheek, she sat Harper back down on the ground and walked over to Blake. They stood a few feet away from each other for a few moments while Alexis took in the sight of her. She looked beyond stunning in the light grey pantsuit she’d purchased for the evening. It was tailored to her perfectly, and the black shirt she was wearing underneath showed enough of her cleavage to pique Alexis’s interest. “So, how did I do?”

  “You were wonderful, babe.” Blake pulled her close, and Alexis ran her hand under her suit jacket and around her waist. Their lips met slowly and softly, and Alexis smiled. She didn’t care that people were around anymore, and she was glad that Blake felt the same way.

  “Thank you.” She soaked up Blake’s complement, surprising herself. Typically she would have said that Blake was wrong, but she was flying high and didn’t want to spiral into her usual rabbit hole. Turning around to face her friends, she caught a glimpse of the last person she’d expected to show up.

  Her mother.

  Walking toward them, Alexis could swear she caught a glimpse of pride on Moira’s face.

  “Hello, everyone.” Moira nodded her greeting to the group. Beside her, Alexis was keenly aware that Blake’s hand was still on the small of her back. Sophia took a step closer toward her as if to protect her from whatever Moira was going to say. Harper moved closer to Alexis, holding onto her arm tightly. “Alexis, you were wonderful, sweetheart.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” her voice slightly cracked. “I’m happy you made it.”

  “I am too. It was nice to get out of the house.” Moira looked tired, more tired than Alexis remembered seeing her before. She knew that her father’s illness was taking a toll on the rest of her family, but her mother was clearly taking the brunt of it. Alexis wanted to match her gesture of showing up at the play and decided to introduce her to Blake.

  “Oh, Mom, I’d like you to meet Blake.” She smiled up at Blake before looking back over at Moira. “Blake is my, um,” the words were on the tip of her tongue but were stuck for some reason, “girlfriend.”

  “Oh, hello.” If Moira was surprised, she didn’t show it. In fact, there was little change in her uncomfortable, tired facial expression at all. She extended a hand out and shook Blake’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Blake.” Her eyes slightly narrowed. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

  “That’s a loaded question.” Blake’s laugh was nervous.

  “Blake is on the TV show The Things We Left Behind, but I’m sure you haven’t…”

  “Oh! That’s it.” Moira snapped her fingers and pointed at Blake. “My eldest granddaughter watches that show. I’ve seen a few episodes. It’s not bad.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Holland.” Was Blake blushing?

  “Well,” she let out a long breath, “I should get back home. The home health aid is already staying over, and I don’t want to monopolize her whole night. Alexis,” Moira swallowed hard as their eyes met, “thank you for the tickets. You were wonderful. I am…I am proud of you.”

  Not giving Alexis any time to respond, Moira turned around and headed toward the exit. Alexis stood stunned as her arm dropped from around Blake’s waist. She pulled Harper close to her, and a wave of emotion washed over her. In her twenty-seven years, her mother had never said she was proud of her. Alexis wasn’t entirely sure how to process the whole thing. Looking at Sophia, Alexis shook her head and laughed.

  “Did that really just happen?”

  “I believe it did, mon amour.” Out of their friend group, Sophia knew the rocky relationship between Alexis and Moira better than anyone.

  “What’s the big deal?” Blake looked back and forth between them. “What am I missing?”

  “My mom has never said she’s proud of me.”

  “Aww, baby.” Pulling her in close, Blake kissed the tip of her nose. The rest of their friends seemed to fade away as she relished the glow of Blake’s attention.

  “Are we all still going to the bar for drinks to celebrate?” Emily asked, interrupting their quiet moment.

  “You all can, but I’m going to take Harper home.” Sophia picked up Harper and put her on her hip. They both looked like they were about to fall asleep at any moment. Alexis told them goodbye as they all headed out to the parking lot. They piled into the cars, and Alexis was thankful that she and Blake had ended up in her car alone.

  “You were so great, babe.” Blake ran her fingertips up and down Alexis’s bare thigh. She’d chosen to wear the dress she’d recently purchased because Alexis rarely had an occasion to dress up, and at that moment, she was beyond thankful she’d decided to wear the cotton fabric dress. Alexis struggled to concentrate on the road as Blake’s finger inched dangerously close to her warm center. She gripped tighter onto the steering wheel, driving well over the speed limit to get to the bar.

  A local band played on the small stage as they entered the restaurant and took seats at a table near the stage. Despite Alexis’s best intentions to focus on Emily, Maddie, and Mason, she was keenly aware of Blake’s hand still on her thigh. She didn’t care how obvious it was when she’d insisted they leave after only two drinks. Little protest came from their friends, and Alexis knew her intentions had to be noticeable.

  Once again, Blake’s hand found its way up Alexis’s thigh as they headed to the farmhouse. It had been too long since she’d ever let anyone touch her like that, and never in her life had she wanted anyone to touch her more than she wanted Blake to. There was no chit-chat as Alexis parked the car, and they headed up the stairs to Blake’s apartment.

  As soon as the door was closed behin
d them, their lips met as if they were magnets. Their kissing intensified significantly; and Blake’s body pressed firmly into hers. Alexis pulled her head back slightly, looking into Blake’s blue eyes as she framed her face with her hands.

  “You ok?” Blake tilted her head in concern.

  “Yeah, you?” She was breathless and torn between freaking out over what was happening or going with the flow and throwing her insecurities to the wind. The latter won out at the sexy look in Blake’s eyes.

  “Yeah.” Blake ran her thumb along Alexis’s bottom lip. “What do you want?”

  “I want,” Alexis paused and licked her lips where Blake’s thumb had been, “I want you.”

  “Come on.” Taking hold of Alexis’s hand, Blake slowly walked her backward toward the bed. When the mattress pressed into the back of her knees, Blake lifted her and laid her on the bed. Alexis was pleasantly surprised that Blake stayed right on top of her, their lips never losing contact with each other. Blake’s knees were on either side of Alexis’s hips, and she could feel the weight of her body on top of hers.

  Alexis pushed herself farther up onto the bed as Blake moved with her. Having already discarded the jacket when they’d arrived at the party, the sleeveless black top Blake was wearing gave Alexis a stunning view of her breasts. Her hands reached out involuntarily and took hold of each of her full breasts. Blake’s back arched at the touch, and she lowered her hips onto Alexis’s body. She kneaded Blake’s breast slowly to gauge her reaction as Blake’s hand slipped under her dress.

  Pulling herself from Alexis’s grasp, Blake moved down her body and lifted the hem of her dress up. Panic washed over Alexis’s body so quickly that any sexy feeling that had been coursing through her body was replaced by a chill that she couldn’t fully process with Blake’s hands all over her body.

  “Blake.” Alexis reached out for the hem of her dress to pull it back down. Blake backed off slightly as she tilted her head in confusion.