State of Grace: A Moonflower Cove Romance

by Addison Clarke

  “I hope so too. It sounds like a great life.” Blake ran her hand slowly under Alexis’s chin and behind her neck. Their lips met softly, dreamlike, before Alexis pulled away.

  “So, what does this mean? Are you going back to Vancouver? When do they start filming again? What about the movie? Do you have to move somewhere else, or is it…”

  “Lex.” Putting her finger up to Alexis’s lips, she was able to get her to stop her rambling and focus on her. “I don’t have any of these answers right now. I wish I did, but until Salem calls me back with more details, I don’t know what’s happening. But I promise you this,” it was her turn to boop Alexis’s nose, and it made Alexis giggle, “as soon as I know, you will be the first person I tell. I promise you that.”

  “Thank you.” Loping her arms around Blake’s neck, Alexis resumed their kissing. Blake was pleasantly surprised when Alexis pushed her up against the counter and pressed her body into hers. Her hands gripped a fistful of Blake’s hair and pulled ever so slightly, causing Blake to release a moan that surprised her. Alexis seemed pleased with herself as she slightly moved her knee between Blake’s legs. The added pressure against her center made Blake’s breath hitch in her throat. She ran her hands under Alexis’s robe and up her back, then back down as her hands cupped her ass.

  “Mommy?” Harper’s voice caused them to separate faster than lightning. She walked over to Alexis and rested her chin on Alexis’s stomach. “When can I go to the zoo?”

  “I’m not sure, baby. Why don’t you go across the hall and ask Emmy?”

  “Ok!” Running out the front door, Harper disappeared across the hall into Emily and Sophia’s apartment as Alexis looked back at her.

  “So,” Alexis’s eyes sparkled as she pulled Blake back to her body, “you were saying something about wanting kids?”

  “Yeah, maybe I’m starting to second guess that.” Teasingly, Blake winked at her before they resumed their kissing. The fact of the matter was that the entire morning was making Blake long to be a part of it every day for the rest of her life. She could only hope Alexis continued to feel the same way.

  Chapter 22

  With opening night less than two days away, Alexis was sure she had more butterflies in her stomach than existed in all the world. She knew her lines, she could hit every note of every song without a hitch, but still, there was a nervousness that washed over her each time she stepped into the spotlight. Being in the spotlight wasn’t something Alexis was used to, whether on or off the stage. She’d always been more comfortable in the background.

  But despite that, Alexis was glad she’d taken the lead role in the musical and was starting to get excited about the opening night. Her friends had bought out the theatre’s entire front row, and Sophia had threatened to make signs as if they were at a Taylor Swift concert. Sophia had even taken Harper shopping for something to wear to the opening night because she was convinced it was the equivalent of a Broadway production and needed to be treated as such.

  “You all were fantastic!” Bryce ran up on stage as she hugged each of the cast members. They were all sweaty and exhausted, but the thrill of once again performing the whole show flawlessly made them all giddy with excitement. “Seriously, you all are going to knock it out of the park on Friday, right Blake?”

  “Absolutely.” Walking up on stage, Blake nodded and winked at Alexis. It was a sweet gesture that everyone else easily missed in the crowd of people since no one outside of her close friend circle knew about them.

  It had been a blissful few weeks since she and Blake had decided to give dating a try, and Alexis couldn’t have been happier. They’d gone to game night each week at Sophia and Emily’s, they’d taken Harper to the park every Saturday, and they’d had more movie nights that turned into intense make-out sessions after Harper was asleep than she could count. There had been several nights that Alexis thought their kissing would lead to something more, but each time, she’d stopped it under the pretense of Harper being in the next room.

  Blake had understood. She never pushed Alexis farther than she’d wanted to go and seemed perfectly content to make out on the couch. But Alexis wanted more. That thought scared her, but it was true. Alexis hadn’t been with anyone since before she had Harper, and after the events that had led to Harper, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever want to be with anyone that intimately again.

  Things were different with Blake, though. Although their future was uncertain, Alexis trusted her. Blake made her feel safe and loved, even though it was way too early in a relationship for that four-letter bomb to drop. She wanted to enjoy the ride she and Blake were on, no matter how limited their time might be. After all, Blake could get a call the next day that would send her back to Vancouver and far away from Alexis for god knows how long. Alexis wanted to live in their state of grace as long as she could.

  Pushing all that aside, Alexis gathered her things from backstage and headed out to the car. Blake was waiting for her, as had become their routine, and Alexis wrapped her arms around Blake’s waist as their lips met perfectly. She loved the way their bodies fit together like two puzzle pieces that’d found their place. Alexis was a few inches shorter than Blake, which made her head rest perfectly under Blake’s chin when they embraced.

  “You were amazing tonight, babe.”

  “Yeah?” Alexis tilted her head and booped Blake’s nose. She’d started that after their morning make-out session in her kitchen, and Blake seemed to find it endearing. “You know what’s weird? I had been nervous until tonight, and, I don’t know, I feel like we got this. I feel like I got this.”

  “You do.” Blake kissed her forehead. “You were perfect, and the whole cast was great. Opening night is going to be great. I can feel it in my bones.”

  “That’s good because I’m sure that Sophia’s already made extravagant signs for the play that say shit like ‘we love you, Lex’ and ‘that dress would look better with more cleavage, mon amour.’” The comment made Blake laugh, and Alexis pulled away from her as they got into the car. Reaching out across the console, Blake rested her hand on Alexis’s thigh as she often did when they drove together. Alexis loved the simple gesture; she loved how the simplest touch from Blake made her insanely happy.

  “She’s not wrong about the dress.” Blake winked at her again. Both Blake and Sophia had gone with Alexis to pick out the dress to wear during the show’s final numbers. While Alexis had chosen a gorgeous pink knee-length dress with a scoop neckline, Sophia and Blake had wanted her to get a deep V-neck cut dress with a slit in the side nearly up to Alexis’s hip. It had been too revealing for Alexis’s comfort, but she had to admit, she looked damn good in it. So good in fact that she’d gone back to the store and bought it to wear to the wrap party the weekend after the play was over.

  “I have a feeling you might see that dress at some point in your life.” Alexis picked up Blake’s hand and kissed it before returning it to her thigh. She pulled into the driveway at the farm and parked the car in front of the garage apartment.

  “I think you look gorgeous all the time, but that dress,” she gave a low whistle, “made you look hella hot, babe.”

  Leaning across the center console, Blake ran her hand up through Alexis’s hair as she pulled her close. The move drove Alexis crazy, and she knew that Blake knew that, which was why she did it every time they were together. Blake’s tongue pushed past Alexis’s lips and deep into her mouth. Alexis moaned as her stomach tightened in the best way she’d ever experienced. She cupped her hand around Blake’s breast and squeezed, causing a shiver to course through Blake’s body.

  Alexis unbuckled her seatbelt as Blake did the same. The damn center console prevented them from getting as close as they both wanted to be, and for a brief moment, Alexis contemplated climbing over it to be in Blake’s lap. She needed Blake to touch her. She needed that more than she had ever needed it, and that scared her as much as it exhilarated her.

  “Do you want to come inside?”

 
“I want to, but…”

  “No,” Blake shook her head as she framed Alexis’s face in her hand, “no buts.”

  “I should go home.” Removing her hand from Blake’s breast, Alexis ran her thumb over Blake’s bottom lip as her breath hitched. “I work a double tomorrow to be off this weekend, remember?”

  “I know, but still.” Twirling Alexis’s hair around her finger, Blake kissed her once more before pulling away from her firmly. Alexis knew if she didn’t, they’d spiral back into a make-out session once more only to repeat the conversation they’d just had over again in a few minutes. “Hey, who’s watching Harper tomorrow? Doesn’t Sophia have summer classes?”

  “She does. Emily’s watching her in the morning, and then Sophia’s watching her when Emily goes to work.”

  “Why don’t you let me take her for the day?”

  “What?” Alexis squished her nose in confusion. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but I want to.” This time, Blake booped Alexis’s nose, which made her smile. “Please? I can take her to the park and work on her LEGO set with her, and I can bring her by Vera and Isla’s house to see the puppies again, and despite my minimal expertise in the kitchen, I can make a damn good grilled cheese. Which I happen to know is one of Harper’s favorite meals, like her mother.”

  “Well,” she pretended to hesitate when in reality, she’d thought about asking Blake to watch Harper but didn’t want to inconvenience her, “if you are sure, I guess that will be fine. Emily and Sophia will be around all day, so if she becomes too much or anything, you can drop her off there.”

  “I’m sure that she’ll be fine.” Blake kissed her once more before putting her hand on the door handle. “What time do you go to work?”

  “Eleven.”

  “I’ll be there at ten-forty-five.”

  “Ok, sounds great.”

  “But right now, I am going to go because if I don't, this night may never end.” With a wink, she stepped out of the car. Alexis rolled down the passenger side window as Blake leaned onto it. “Have a good night, Lex.”

  “Good night. Oh, and Blake?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Make sure she doesn’t come back with a puppy, ok?”

  “No promises.”

  As Blake took a step back from the car, Alexis put it in reverse and reluctantly headed back home. Her heart wanted to stay with Blake, but her mind told her to leave before things escalated. There would be a time for that soon, Alexis was sure of it, but she needed to focus on getting through the next two weekends of four shows a weekend. That should give her enough distraction to keep from constantly thinking about her hands all over Blake’s body.

  Alexis punched in the code for the door and jogged up the stairs two at a time as she headed into Sophia and Emily’s apartment. Emily and Harper were in the corner of the room at Emily’s sewing machine. Harper was on her lap, carefully helping her with whatever project she was working on. On the couch, Sophia was intently working on a crossword puzzle. She pulled her glasses off her nose and put them in her chestnut hair.

  “Bonjour, Alexis. How was rehearsal?”

  “It was good, great, actually. It went off without a hitch, so this will be good.” Sitting down on the ottoman, Alexis put her hands on her lap and looked over at Emily and Harper before looking back at Sophia. “So, I need to tell you something, and I need you not to freak out, or judge or anything else like you normally do.”

  “Oh, what did you do?”

  “I didn’t do anything.” Alexis held her hands up. “Blake asked tonight if she could watch Harper tomorrow while I work, and I told her that was ok with me.”

  “I thought Emily and I were watching her?”

  “Well, you were, but this will give you a break.”

  “I don’t need a break from Harper.” Sophia was on edge, and it caught Alexis off guard. She’d always been protective of Alexis and Harper, but Alexis thought she’d be happy to have a night alone. “Blake doesn’t even know the first thing about taking care of Harper. I, however, have done it for five years and am an expert in all things Harper.”

  “Yes, I know that. But Blake is going to take her to the park and play with LEGOs and make grilled cheeses for lunch.”

  “I love grilled cheese!” Harper interjected from the other side of the room.

  “Lex, are you sure this is a good idea?” Sophia’s brown eyes were skeptical.

  “Yes, I am.” She firmly nodded. “Blake’s been around Harper for the past couple of months, and they get along great. I mean – Harper, you like hanging out with Blake, right?”

  “Yup, I love Blake. She sings Frozen with me, and she gives me her fries.”

  “Oh, well, how can I compete with that? I only helped birth her and raise her and took care of her when she had her tonsils out.” Sophia waved her off dismissively but a sly smile formed on her lips. She tended to pretend she didn’t want them all around when in reality Sophia wouldn’t have it any other way. Alexis reached out and put her hand on Sophia’s knee.

  “I told Blake that Emily would be home during the day and you’d be home after classes, so she knows that if she gets overwhelmed or needs help or anything, that you two will be there, ok?” She waited for Sophia to nod. “This will be good for them. Especially if…”

  Alexis stopped herself, but it was too late. Sophia had caught her drift on where her sentence was about to go, and there was no turning back now. Standing up, Sophia grabbed her hand as she pulled her into the kitchen out of earshot of Emily and Harper.

  “How serious are things between you and Blake?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged but couldn’t help but smile. Things had been getting serious with Blake, but Alexis had been too scared to say it aloud. Her track record in relationships was horrible, and she didn’t want to mess things up with Blake. Alexis cared too much about her to ruin whatever they had going between them. “I mean, I like her, and she likes me too, and…I don’t know.”

  “Lex, you know more than anything that I want you happy. But,” Sophia paused, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, “be careful, ok? You’ve only known Blake a couple of months, and things are happening fast between you two.”

  “Fast?” Alexis scoffed. “We haven’t done anything but make-out on the couch, and we haven’t even had a real date considering Blake doesn’t want to go out alone in town at the risk of someone seeing us together.”

  “Uh-huh.” With her hand on her hip, Sophia waited for her to go on.

  “I like Blake, Soph. If she’s going to be in my life – in Harper’s life – then I need them to be comfortable around each other. I need to know that Blake can handle Harper on her own and that Harper is comfortable around her. Otherwise,” she let out a laugh although nothing was funny, “I don’t know if this relationship can work.”

  “And I want you two to work.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” Sophia nodded before she rolled her eyes and laughed. “After all, if you have a woman in your life and your bed, perhaps I can spend more time with Emily in our bedroom.”

  Alexis playfully shoved Sophia’s shoulder as the two laughed. She was beyond thankful to have a best friend like Sophia. Someone who understood her and loved her, and cared about her more than Alexis felt like she was worth. In Sophia’s presence, Alexis always felt safe. Taking the magnetic notepad off the refrigerator, Sophia scribbled down something before tearing off the paper and handing it to Alexis.

  “Here. Make sure Blake has my number and Emily’s and tell her not to hesitate to call me, oui?” A raised eyebrow told Alexis she meant business. “And tell her I will be checking on her throughout the night, and if she wants, I can make her and Harper dinner since Blake doesn’t strike me as a cook.”

  “I’ll tell her about the offer. Thank you, Soph.” Heading back into the living room, Alexis walked over to Emily and Harper. Harper jumped off Emily’s lap and wrapped her arms around Alexis’s legs.
“Are you ready for bed, baby girl?”

  “Not really.” She shrugged. “Can we watch a movie first? Like we do with Blake?”

  “Sure thing.” Scooping Harper up, Alexis put her on her hip as she looked back at Sophia. “See, everything’s gonna be great.”

  “We shall see, mon amour.”

  We shall see indeed.

  Chapter 23

  Ringing the doorbell at the apartment, Blake was surprised at the nearly instantaneous sound of the deadbolt unlocking. Typically, she had to wait for Alexis to unlock the door, which sometimes took a couple of minutes. Not today, however. Blake headed up the stairs but was stopped at the top by Sophia coming out of her apartment.

  “Hey, Sophia.” She didn’t like to admit it, but Sophia intimidated her. Sophia was Alexis’s best friend, and Blake knew that there’d be no chance in hell for her and Alexis if Sophia didn't like her. Sure, Sophia had been cordial every time they’d been together, but Sophia always seemed to give her a look that said she wasn’t sure. Her hair was pulled back with a clip, leaving a few strands loose around her face, and she was wearing black slacks and an emerald green, scoop neck top. The dark brown eyes looking back at Blake told her that she meant business.

  “Blake.” She nodded toward the flowers in Blake’s hand. “Those for Alexis?”

  “Unless you want them.” Blake laughed, but Sophia simply crossed her arms over her chest. Taking another step up, Blake was half expecting Sophia to push her down the stairs to get rid of her. “I thought you had classes today?”

  “I canceled them.”

  “Of course,” she mumbled under her breath and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

  “This is your first time watching Harper. You need someone available who can help you when she has a temper tantrum or when she won’t eat your grilled cheese because you used cheddar cheese because you don’t know that she hates cheddar cheese and prefers you use a blend of shredded cheeses versus slices because it, to quote Harper, it makes it cheesier.”