Page 110 of Because of Blake
“Nothing. You look nice. And happy.”
“Thanks. I feel happy.”
“I hope you and Blake have fun tonight.”
My cheeks heat at the idea of what Blake I will be doing for fun tonight. “How did you know I’d be seeing him?”
“Oh, come on, Mom.” Sydney rolls her eyes so hard I’m surprised they stay in her head. “You never do your makeup like that. If you weren’t seeing Blake tonight, I’d think you’d gone crazy.”
“Thanks for your confidence.”
“I’m just saying, you look good, and I know Blake will think so, too.”
With a full heart, I pull my wonderful daughter in for a tight hug, thankful I have her to ground me. If I didn’t have her, I might be crazy by now.
The thirty minutes flies by, though Dylan would disagree. Michelle comes in for a quick minute to chat while the kids grab their things. Then it’s a hug and kiss and they’re out the door while I’m left to wallow in boredom while waiting for Blake to get home.
Now I know how Dylan felt.
When my phone finally dings, I practically jump out of my skin, I’m so antsy. Blake is home, showered, and ready for me. I grab my things and have to exercise some serious self-control not to run down the street. As I stand on Blake’s porch, I take a second to run my hand through my hair and adjust my shirt so it’s hanging just right. Then I knock.
Blake opens it within seconds, his eyes lighting up and then darkening as he looks me over. “You look… amazing.”
“Thank you,” I say, flipping my hair. “Can I come in?”
Blake blinks himself out of his stupor and swallows as he steps aside. I giggle, making sure to brush against him when I pass. He sucks in a breath, and I giggle some more.
He shuts the front door, and Oscar immediately starts barking in the backyard. Blake groans. “Sorry. The neighbors behind me got a cat and it’s been teasing Oscar. Let me go get him.”
I follow Blake into the kitchen, where there are about a dozen take-out menus scattered across the island.
“I’ll let you pick what’s for dinner while I get Oscar inside. And I don’t know if you’re in the mood, but there’s beer in the fridge.” He juts his chin over his shoulder, then disappears through the back door.
A beer sounds great. It’s Friday, after all.
I spin around to open the fridge, grabbing a brown bottle and twisting it open. Before I take a drink, I turn the bottle to look at the label and my stomach sours. My heart stops and my head spins.
Charlie’s beer…
The room around me fades away, darkness closing in as I stare at the label, my focus going in and out. I’m vaguely aware of Blake coming back in at that moment and ushering Oscar across the room to the garage. I don’t see him enter the kitchen as much as I’m simply aware of his presence.
“What did you decide for dinner?” He pauses, waiting longer than I’m sure he thinks is normal for a response before asking, “Maggie, you okay?”
“The… beer,” is all I can manage.
“Yeah, I thought it would be a nice way to honor Charlie. And it’s the first beer we ever shared, remember?”
I can’t stop my chest from heaving; the air around me is too thin. This is how it started.
“Maggie?”
I keep my eyes focused on the bottle, but things around me begin to clear, and I blink. “You stole Charlie’s beer.”
“I can assure you, I paid for it.” Blake chuckles, but it’s stilted, nervous.
“You’ve stolen everything.” I finally raise my head to find he’s staring at me with his mouth turned down. “You’re trying to replace him.”
Blake doesn’t move, doesn’t do anything except breathe, and I hear it shaking.