Page 13 of Pieces into Place (Moonflower Cove Romance #16)

Blake

T wo weeks had passed since Isla’s birthday and Blake had only seen her or Vera one other time since then.

It had been for Thanksgiving and, surprisingly, the day had been relatively uneventful, considering how their last family gathering went.

They had all had pleasant conversations and laughed around the table.

Isla had even handed Blake the basket of bread without giving her a glare that could kill her.

Maybe they were finally making progress.

Even if Blake knew they’d actually have to talk in order for the actual process of healing to begin.

The problem for Blake was she had no idea how to get that conversation started.

Did she just show up one day and tell Isla we need to talk and air out all her dirty laundry?

Or should she plan a time for her, Isla, Vera, and Alexis to all sit down and talk?

Alexis told Blake she would follow her lead, but so far, Blake had been stuck.

Although she was ready to start the healing journey with Isla, it scared her at the same time.

How could Blake tell her all the feelings inside her mind when they scared her to confront?

Sooner or later, Blake would have to answer that question .

For now, though, she’d planned a lunch date with Vera at Carlson’s Cafe.

Blake had assumed starting with a casual lunch date with Vera would be easier than diving into a hard conversation with Isla.

Well, that’s what Alexis had told her in order to get her to schedule the lunch date with Vera.

Alexis told her to ask Vera about the baby and her pregnancy as a way to show she was trying to connect with Vera and let her in.

Of course, Vera wasn’t the only person Blake wanted to connect with.

She desperately wanted to feel more connected to the baby inside of her that she’d be meeting sooner rather than later.

At eighteen weeks, Blake was almost halfway through her pregnancy.

Her baby bump was more noticeable now, but still able to be hidden by her winter attire.

She’d chosen an oversized sweater and yoga pants with boots for her lunch date with Vera.

She opened the door to Carlson’s Cafe and looked around the restaurant for Vera.

“Hey, Blake,” Maggie Carlson smiled at Blake from behind the counter. “How’re you doing today, sweetie?”

“Good, Maggie. Thanks.” She rubbed her belly bump with her hand. “How are you?”

“Cold,” Maggie laughed. “But I guess that’s what to expect in Maine in winter, hmm?”

“I guess so.”

The two chatted for a few more minutes until Vera arrived.

She had a huge smile on her face from the moment she saw Blake, and something about it made her feel safer than she ever felt before.

Vera held out her arm to Blake, going in for a side hug as usual.

But something in Blake made her hug Vera full on.

It was the type of bear hug Blake had seen Mason give Vera a million times before.

Blake couldn’t remember a time when she’d hugged Vera like that.

Much less a time when her pregnant belly pushed into Vera’s stomach .

“Oh, honey,” Vera gently put one hand on the back of Blake’s head. It was more comforting than Blake ever knew was possible. “I’m here.”

“Sorry.” Reluctantly pulling away, Blake lowered her gaze from Vera. “I don’t know why I did that.”

“I’m glad you did.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, Vera smiled at her. “Come on. Let’s order some lunch, okay?”

After placing their order at the counter, they found a booth and sat. Blake had to push the table away from her and toward Vera to accommodate her belly, which made her and Vera laugh.

“Sorry.”

“Honey, you’re okay,” Vera smiled softly at her. “I couldn’t sit in a booth if my life depended on it when I was pregnant.”

“I can’t believe I’m not even halfway through this pregnancy and I’m already showing this much.”

“Every body is different. Your mom showed early with Evie. Your Aunt Eden used to joke that she was carrying twins.”

“I couldn’t imagine carrying twins. You and Alexis are rock stars, just so you know.”

Vera took a sip of her coffee as she smiled at Blake. “I think all people who carry babies are rock stars, but then again, I might be a little biased because of my job.”

The pang of guilt reared its ugly head as Blake thought about how Vera wasn’t her doctor. But if Vera was upset about it, she didn’t act like it. Maybe she was just good at hiding her true feelings like Blake was. Thankfully, Vera kept talking to distract Blake’s mind.

“I’m glad you asked me to lunch. I’d been wanting to catch up with you since,” her voice trailed off slightly as a pained look came over her face. “Well, since the party. Your mom and I have been trying to give you space, but I need you to know how thankful I am to have this time with you. ”

“Me, too,” Blake said without hesitation as she smiled at Vera. “I wanted to ask you to lunch sooner, but things got hectic with the holiday.”

“I understand, honey. I’m glad we get to do it now.”

As Maggie brought over their food, they ate and chatted about the kids and Alexis for a while until their salad and sandwich were gone.

Blake was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Vera.

Sure, they’d kept the conversations easy and light, but still.

Small talk wasn’t Blake’s favorite thing in the world and yet she found herself loving chatting with Vera.

She made Blake feel so cared for and loved by how attentive she was to everything Blake was saying.

It made transitioning to the real reason she’d asked her to lunch much easier.

Taking a deep breath, Blake pushed her empty plate to the side as she clasped her hands on the table.

“So, I have to admit, I asked you to lunch for a reason.”

“Oh,” Vera wiped her mouth on a napkin before stacking her empty plate on top of Blake’s, “okay. Everything okay, Blake?”

“Yeah,” she responded out of habit more than anything. Blake silently scolded herself as she shook her head. “I don’t know why I said that. Everything’s not okay.”

Blake felt the all too familiar burning of tears in her eyes and was thankful the cafe wasn’t busy.

She didn’t want to cry, especially not in public, and especially not with Vera.

But it was clear she wasn’t going to have an option when Vera reached out across the table and squeezed Blake’s arm.

Without thinking, Blake covered Vera’s hand with her own.

“I’m here, honey. Take your time.”

“I’m sorry.” Blake wiped a tear from her eyes. “I only just told Alexis a few weeks ago. After the party, actually, so it’s still hard for me to say out loud. But Alexis told me if there’s anyone who could help, it would be you. ”

Vera nodded for Blake to go on. Looking down at her belly, Blake rubbed it as she spoke.

“I’m really struggling to connect with the baby.”

“Oh, honey.”

Without hesitation, Vera moved out of her seat and sat by Blake. She put her arms around her as Blake let herself be loved by Vera for probably the first time since she met her. Blake buried her head in Vera’s shoulder as she held onto her arm for support.

“You have no idea how common that is.”

“Really?”

“Really.” As Blake sat up, Vera tenderly caressed her cheek as she wiped a few tears away with her thumb.

“For some women, it’s not until they hold their baby that they connect with them.

For others, it may be later in pregnancy before they connect.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to pregnancy and everyone is so different.

I’m so sorry you are feeling this way, but I’m glad you told me. Thank you for trusting me with that.”

“Thank you for not judging me.”

“I would never judge you, Blake. You’re my daughter. I’m here to help you however I can. And this,” Vera softly placed her hand on Blake’s belly, “I can definitely help you with.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Because the same thing happened to Mom when she was pregnant with Evie.”

“Really?”

Blake felt like her eyes were bugging out of her skull. Isla—the most amazing mom on the planet—struggled to connect with her baby during pregnancy? She had seen Isla and Everleigh together and knew that, clearly, that wasn’t the case now and that gave Blake hope.

“Really,” Vera nodded. “Mom doesn’t like to openly talk about it. Honestly, other than myself, I don’t think anyone else knows until now. But I know she’d be okay with you knowing.”

“What changed for her? I see her with Everleigh now and there’s no doubt those two are insanely connected.”

“It took some time. It wasn’t until she felt Evie move that she really connected with her. That and a detailed ultrasound reassuring her that everything was okay seemed to calm her nerves a lot and help her with the connection.”

“Why was she nervous?”

“Well,” Vera swallowed hard, “the last time she was pregnant, you were in her life.”

Vera paused for a moment, letting her words sink in with Blake.

“We both wanted another baby, and I had offered to carry again, but Mom really wanted to have another. She was forty-three when she had Evie, which is a far cry from nineteen when she had you.”

“I still can’t believe she had me at nineteen. I didn’t know who I was at that age. Hell, I barely know who I am now.”

“You’re a beautiful woman, inside and out.

That I know for sure.” Vera patted Blake’s leg.

“You know, if you wanted to, I can sneak us into the office and do an ultrasound. I can show you the baby and maybe that will help? I know with uncomplicated pregnancies we don’t do many ultrasounds, but I will gladly do one for you if you think it would help you. ”

“Can you do that? Since…” Blake couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought and point out that Vera wasn’t her doctor.

“If it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me. We can have Alexis come too, if you want.”