Page 40 of Pieces into Place (Moonflower Cove Romance #16)

Isla

G etting to relax in absolute bliss after the craziness of the last twenty-four hours was exactly what Isla needed.

She was thankful that Blake was doing so well post-surgery and that Amelia was happy and healthy.

Amelia had spent most of the day being loved on by everyone in the room, but Isla made sure she spent the most time with Blake.

Isla would pry Amelia from Vera or Ellie to give her to Blake or Alexis so they could soak in all the newborn cuddles. They were the best, after all.

Isla was loving having all her family around.

It had been Christmas the last time they were all together.

Having all her ducklings under one roof would always be Isla’s favorite place to be.

Ellie, Everleigh, and Harper had arrived with dinner for everyone from the Pizza Parlour an hour ago.

She wished Brayden was there too, but Isla understood that he had school.

Maybe he could come home soon to meet his new niece.

Melanie had brought in a cake with some sparkling cider, but she’d been standing guard over the cake to a suspicious degree.

She stood by the cake, still in the Carlson’s box, as if it were a briefcase with the nuclear button inside.

Isla had been watching her the last few minutes as she typed away at her phone, grinning occasionally .

Must be talking to Cam , Isla thought as she put her hand on Vera’s thigh.

They were sitting on the couch by the window that overlooked the cove.

Having her wife be on the board of the hospital meant they had not only been given the biggest postpartum room, but the visitor limit had also been ignored for them.

Blake was sitting in the recliner nursing Amelia as Alexis and Ellie sat on the edge of the hospital bed chatting with Blake while Harper snuggled between them.

Isla couldn’t believe her eldest grandchild was going to be eleven next month.

Where had the time gone? Mason and Everleigh were sitting on the floor, much to Isla’s disgust, as they played a card game and joined in on the conversation as they wanted.

The room was full of chatter and love, and it was exactly what Isla needed.

She leaned her head onto Vera’s shoulder and sighed.

“I love this.”

“Me, too.” Vera put her hand on top of Isla’s on her thigh. “We just need Brayden here.”

“I tried FaceTiming him earlier, and he didn’t answer.”

“I did too. Did he have a game tonight that we forgot?”

“No, I checked the schedule.”

“Maybe we should call him again.”

As Isla reached into her bag for her phone, there was a knock at the door. She looked up and was happily surprised to see Brayden with pink balloons and a bouquet of flowers. He had a wide smile on his face as he looked around the room.

“The party can start now. Uncle Bray is here.”

“Brayden!” Vera jumped up to hug their baby boy. “I’m so glad you came.”

“I couldn’t miss meeting my new niece fresh out of the oven.” Brayden handed the balloons and flowers to Melanie as he walked over to Blake. Isla watched as he kissed her cheek and put his arm around her shoulder. “You did good, sis. ”

“Thanks, Brayden.” Blake kissed his cheek. “Do you want to hold her?”

Brayden nodded, and Blake carefully handed Amelia to him.

Isla’s heart melted at the interaction as Brayden sat on the armrest of the recliner and Blake put her arm around his waist. They looked more alike than Isla had really noticed before, and she thanked the universe for bringing Blake back into their lives.

“What’s her name?”

“Amelia.”

“Hi, Amelia,” Brayden cooed. “I’m your favorite uncle.”

“You’re her only uncle, goof,” Mason teased as Brayden stuck his tongue out at her.

“So, what’s her middle name?”

As Brayden asked the question, Isla realized Blake hadn’t told her that information yet.

She’d promised she would tell Isla later, but she didn’t know when later was.

Isla watched as Alexis and Blake looked at each other with sneaky grins, and it was then Isla knew they were up to something.

And that Brayden was definitely in on it. His goofy grin gave him away.

Same with Melanie. The four of them were definitely up to something.

Isla had been too distracted watching Brayden and Blake that she hadn’t noticed Melanie had moved the bassinet closer to Blake.

Brayden set Amelia inside as he and Melanie stood around the bassinet looking at Amelia with their backs to everyone else.

“What’s going on?” Isla narrowed her eyes at Blake as they both slowly smiled. “What are you up to?”

Blake nodded her head toward the bassinet as Brayden and Melanie stepped away. Isla could see a handpainted sign in the bassinet and she cocked her head at Blake. Alexis helped Blake stand as they stood by the bassinet.

“Why don’t you and Mama check out her name? ”

Looking at Vera, it was clear she was just as clueless as to what was happening as Isla was. Hand in hand, they walked over to the bassinet. Isla’s eyes read over the sign.

And her heart nearly exploded with joy.

Because the sign not only revealed Amelia’s middle name, but her last name as well.

Amelia Elizabeth Mackenzie.

Mackenzie.

Isla couldn’t pull her eyes away from the last name as tears filled her eyes. She braced herself on the bassinet as she cried tears of pure joy and happiness. All the years of heartache and hurt seemed to be washed away with each tear that fell.

“Is this real?” Vera asked through tears as she immediately went to hug Blake. “This better not be a joke.”

“It’s not, Mama.” Over Vera’s shoulder, Blake looked at Isla. “We changed our last name. It was final a few days ago, so I guess Amelia just got really excited about that and had to come a few weeks early.”

Isla could barely see through the tears in her eyes as Blake walked over to her. She couldn’t get Blake into a hug fast enough as she held onto her as they both cried. Remembering Blake’s incision, Isla tried not to hold too tightly onto her. But it was damn near impossible.

“You changed your name?”

“We did.” Blake nodded as Isla wiped the tears from her face. “I realized I’d never been a Mackenzie, and when I brought that up to Alexis, she suggested we change our name. So we did.”

“What about Reese?”

“We changed her middle name from Mackenzie to Marie.”

“You didn’t,” Isla sobbed again, realizing they gave Reese her middle name. “Blake.”

“We wanted to honor you and Mama with our girls’ names. ”

It was then that Isla registered Amelia’s middle name. She’d been so focused on the last name that she hadn’t noticed the significance of the middle name.

“They gave Amelia my middle name.” Vera’s voice cracked as she pulled Blake back into a hug. “Thank you. This means so much to me, Blake.”

“We had the name picked out as soon as we found out it was a girl. But after everything you did for us yesterday,” Blake’s voice cracked, “it was all the more fitting Amelia carries your name. Thanks for everything, Mama.”

“You’re welcome, honey.”

Vera kept one arm around Blake as she held the other out to Alexis. She held them tight and motioned for Isla to join in on the hug. It wasn’t long before everyone in the room was huddled together. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as Isla soaked up the precious moment.

It had never crossed Isla’s mind that Blake and Alexis would change their last name to Mackenzie.

The gesture meant so much more to Isla than just a name change.

Changing her name meant Blake was finally letting herself be a part of the family that has loved her for so long.

Being a Mackenzie meant Blake had another connection to her parents and siblings that she didn’t have before.

Isla was beyond grateful that she and Alexis had decided to do that and to surprise Isla and Vera with it.

And judging by the fact everyone else was crying too, they had done a damn good job of keeping it a secret.

Isla felt Harper pushing her way to the middle of the circle as she looked up at Alexis. “Is it time for cake now?”

Harper’s comedic timing made them all laugh as they dispersed from the circle.

They all wiped tears away as Melanie took the cake out of the box to reveal why she’d been so protective of it.

In bright pink letters on the light pink cake was written welcome the newest Mackenzie.

Isla hugged Blake again as she rubbed her back.

“Thank you. ”

“Thank you for never giving up on me. For welcoming me back into your life without hesitation. For loving my kids and Alexis. For everything, Mom.”

“Always, Blake.” Isla kissed her cheek. “I love you so much and I’m so honored that we get to share the same last name again.”

“Me, too,” Blake smiled, wiping a few tears from Isla’s face. “That means the world to me.”

“Ditto, baby.”

“Isla, Blake, let me grab a picture of you two.”

When Molly Jaymes had entered the room, Isla didn’t know. She was a local photographer and a friend of the family. Isla assumed Blake and Alexis had arranged for Molly to be there to document the moment and Isla was beyond thankful for that. They posed for a picture as a knock came from the door.

Avery poked her head into the room and immediately looked overwhelmed by everything that was going on. Isla knew she was most likely making her rounds before leaving for the day and wasn’t expecting a full-blown party. She locked eyes with Isla’s as she froze by the door.

“I’ll come back later.”

“Wait, no.” Isla grabbed the door to keep it from closing. “Come on in and celebrate with us. You’re basically family now.”

Something in Avery’s eyes looked sad, and, for the first time since meeting her seven years ago, Isla felt guilty for never getting to know Vera’s coworkers.

Isla knew everyone that Vera worked with except Avery.

Why, she didn’t know. Avery just never seemed as willing to have a friendship with Vera outside of work from the way Isla saw it.

Maybe she tried to keep her work life and personal life separate. She could respect that.

Avery accepted a piece of cake to go after checking on Blake and Amelia and promising to see them the next day. As she left the room, Isla contemplated following her for a moment to make sure she was okay. Something about the look in her eyes told Isla she was struggling.

But her mind was pulled back to her family in the room as they all posed for pictures for Molly like it was a magazine photoshoot.

Her kids ate up the attention as Isla and Vera laughed, watching them all have a fun time together.

Even Blake seemed more relaxed than she ever had before as she and Alexis took goofy pictures with Harper.

By the time visiting hours were nearing their end, Isla kissed Mason, Ellie, Brayden, Everleigh and Harper goodbye.

Molly left soon after capturing a few calmer pictures of Alexis, Blake, and Amelia.

She was planning on coming back the next day for a newborn photoshoot with Amelia, and Isla already couldn’t wait to see those pictures.

“I’m surprised you kept this a secret.” Isla playfully bumped her hip into Melanie’s as she packed up the cake.

“That patient-nurse confidentiality agreement is ironclad.”

“How long have you known?”

“Weeks, Isla,” Melanie laughed. “I’ve been dying to tell you, but I’m glad you both were surprised by it.”

“Surprised, shocked, elated. I’m feeling it all right now.”

“You deserve it.” Winking, Melanie picked up the cake and kissed Isla on the cheek. “Is it okay if I put the rest of this in the break room?”

“Absolutely. Thanks, Mel.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

With Melanie gone, the room was back down to the five of them.

Blake was back in bed nursing Amelia as Alexis and Vera stood on either side of the bed watching her.

The sight was so beautiful and one that Isla never thought she’d get to witness.

So much had happened over the last three decades that Isla felt as if she could finally breathe again.

“Lex, do you want to go fill up our water bottles with me? ”

Isla knew it was Vera’s subtle way of giving Blake and Isla some time alone, which Isla was grateful for.

As the two of them headed out of the room with four reusable water bottles, Isla kicked off her shoes and got into the bed with Blake.

She put her arm around Blake’s neck as Blake snuggled into her.

“Thank you for today, honey. It means so much to me and Mama.”

“It means so much to me and Lex, too. We’ve been so excited. I’ve almost told you a hundred times.”

“I’m glad you waited because today was perfect.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Blake sighed contently as she looked down at Amelia. “She’s perfect, isn’t she?”

“The most perfect little Mackenzie baby.”

“I thought that was me?” Blake cocked her head up at Isla, making her laugh.

“Oh, you’re so a Mackenzie.” Isla put her arms around Blake and kissed her cheek. “I’m so happy.”

“Me, too, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Blake Mackenzie.”

“Mmm, I love the sound of that.”

“Me, too, baby.” Isla kissed her once more, never wanting to forget that moment. “Me, too.”