Finding Bliss (Bliss #1)

by Cassie Strickland

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Electronics, I can do. Give me a TV over furniture any day.”

  Great. There went that punishment.

  I laughed and waved him off. “All that stuff is in the sitting room. After you’re done with that one, you can mount the flat screens in the rest of the rooms.”

  His mouth dropped. “More than one?”

  “Uh, yeah. There’s one for my room, Bella’s room, and the guest bedroom.”

  He gave me a full smile that transformed him from a cocky bastard to the boy next door. No wonder women threw themselves at him – I almost took a page out of Paige’s book and fanned myself.

  “Awesome. This will be fun.” He turned his attention to Grey when he waltzed back into the room. “Hey, wanna help me set up all the TV’s?”

  Grey’s face lit up. “Really? Sure.”

  Who knew electronics could do that to a man?

  They rushed off to the sitting room to see what I’d bought, leaving me alone with Paige, Violet, Sam, and Emma. Chelsea and Justin disappeared upstairs sometime during Adam’s and my exchange – I could hear them moving things around.

  “What’s next?” Sam asked.

  I would normally feel very uncomfortable by ordering people around, but when I didn’t earlier this morning, it was chaos.

  “All the dishes need to be washed and put away,” I replied, thinking about what was left.

  “On it,” Violet voiced and picked up her trash, bustling to the kitchen.

  “There are all sorts of things in the spare bedroom that need to be unpacked and put somewhere. Just look around and put whatever wherever that looks good. If I don’t like it, I’ll change it later. As long as it’s out and about, where I can see it, I’m good.”

  Emma turned to Paige and Sam. “Wanna help with that?” They nodded, but Paige seemed distracted.

  I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of that mess. It wasn’t like Paige to keep things from me. She was in your face about anything and everything.

  Everyone disappeared soon after, and I was left at the dining room table, alone. Taking a deep breath, I figured it was time I got back to work, too.

  I was about to stand when Chelsea ambled into the room. “Hey, Clara.” She seemed a bit uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other. “Uh, Justin isn’t feelin’ all that great…said he thinks he’s gettin’ a migraine. I’m gonna have to drive him home. I’m so sorry. I can come back, though.”

  A migraine?

  Riiight.

  “Don’t worry about it, Chels. It’s fine. Get him home safely.”

  “Are you sure? I feel bad.”

  “It’s fine. You’ve done me a huge favor as it is.” I stood and gave her a hug. “Seriously, thank you for today. You’ve been a big help.”

  She pulled back and held my hands in hers. “I’ll call you later this week. Maybe we can do lunch.”

  “I’d love that,” I replied, giving her fingers a squeeze.

  As Chelsea pulled away, Justin dawdled in, muttering, “Sorry, Clara.”

  “No prob. Just get to feeling better.” I offered them a warm smile and a wave before they walked out the front door, but once they were gone, I sighed, torn.

  What in the hell is going on?

  Needing to get back to work, I shrugged it off and headed for the kitchen. Violet acknowledged me with a grin as she loaded bowls into the dishwasher.

  I heard Grey saying, “No, it goes like this.” He held up the wall mount for the television, presenting Adam with a part of it.

  “Dude, that’s all wrong. Look at the instructions.” Adam flipped a page on the pamphlet and showed it to Grey, almost shoving it in his face.

  “I know,” Grey argued, slapping it aside in annoyance. “I read them. It said to do it like this.”

  Violet and I shared a knowing smile. I shook my head at them and headed upstairs, listening to their argument continue. Paige and Emma were pulling items out of bags and laying them on the bed when I walked into the guest bedroom.

  Noticing me, Emma held up a candelabra, gushing, “This is beautiful, Clara.”

  “Isn’t it? I found it at Teal and Lace the other day,” I told her, referring to one of the little stores on Main Street. “Once everything is unloaded and put away, I’m going to go back if I need anything else. They had too much to choose from.” I strolled to another big bag and unwrapped two gorgeous wall sconces I’d bought. “Look at these. Aren’t they gorgeous?”

  “Definitely. I love that store. They’ve gotten more than a pretty penny from me over the years.” She held up the candelabra again. “I think this would go perfectly in the dining room.”

  I nodded my agreement. “That’s what I was planning. These two,” I held up the sconces, “are going in there, as well.”

  “Here.” She held out her hand. “Hand them over. I’ll take them downstairs and have Grey or Adam hang them once they’re done.”

  I gave them to her and smiled. “Thanks.” She took off as soon as she had them in hand. I didn’t know who was more excited, her or me.

  A few minutes later, I realized that Paige and I were alone. She was being more than quiet, averting my gaze. “So…” I started carefully. “Are you going to tell me what happened with Justin, and why he took off so soon?”

  She sighed and scooted some things over so that she could sit on the bed. “Close the door first.”

  I rushed to shut it, peeking out first to make sure we were upstairs alone. I joined her on the bed and waited. She didn’t leave me hanging for long.

  “Remember the other night at Bobby’s?”

  “Yeah,” I replied, recalling what Grey said about it.

  “Remember how I went to the bathroom after we first got there?” I nodded. “Well, on my way back, I ran into Justin…literally ran into him. I was coming out of the bathroom while he was passing, and I smacked right into his chest. He was hot, you know? I thought I’d hit the motherlode. At least I thought so at the time…”

  She pulled her hair over her shoulder and started toying with the ends, a sure sign that she was agitated. “We talked for a minute in the hall next to the bathroom. He really put on the charm and got me to agree to give him my number. He said he wanted to meet up while I was in town. God, Clara, he was so charismatic, I was totally sucked in.”

  “No,” I whispered, horrified.

  Chelsea.

  “Yeah.” Her face held regret. “I had no idea he was Grey’s friend. Later, when I was sitting at the table with Grey, I realized he was dancing with Chelsea. They looked really, really close, so I was curious. After I’d asked Grey who he was, Grey told me that they were married.” She pressed her lips together, forcing down her temper. “When he saw me at the table with Grey, he must’ve realized he’d made a huge mistake. I got away from him as soon as I could and avoided him the rest of the night.”

  I could imagine.

  Poor Chels.

  “Did you confront him? Was that what earlier was about?”

  She leaned against the headboard and sighed warily, shaking her head. “I was in here, looking through different bags, when he cornered me. He said that I needed to keep my mouth shut about it.”

  “Did you say that you were going to tell Chelsea? Is that why he threatened you?”

  “No.” She started rubbing her temples, squeezing her eyes closed. “I like Chelsea. She seems super sweet, and I hate that she’s married to a jerk like that. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do since that night, especially after I’d gotten to know Chelsea better. I didn’t want to get you involved in this mess at first. You’re just building a friendship with these people, and I didn’t want to screw it up. It wasn’t until you overheard us that I decided to tell you.”

  “But did he threaten you?” I asked again.

  “Not really. He told me what I’d be doing if I told Chelsea. He was nervous that I’d say something. He was going on and on about how much I’d hurt her. I told him it was him that hurt her,
not me.”

  “Okay… What are you going to do about it?”

  “I don’t know!” she cried miserably. “She worships him, Clara. Do you see the way they look at one another? He obviously loves her…but if he does, why is he trying to hook up with other women?” She put her head in her hands and groaned.

  “I agree. They seem madly devoted to one another,” I admitted, hesitantly. “The first time I saw them together, I was envious.”

  “See! Why do you think I haven’t said anything to you?”

  If I were Chelsea, I’d want to know. And now that we were friends, I felt obligated to tell her. “This is going to destroy her,” I whispered, hating the position I was in.

  “I know!” She looked just as glum as I was.

  “I’ll talk to Grey…see what he says.” It was the only obvious answer I had.

  She was horrified by my idea. “You can’t do that!”

  “Why not?” I asked, stunned.

  “I don’t…I don’t know, okay?! He just… That’s his friend. I don’t want you getting in the middle of this. This could cause problems for you two.”

  “I don’t see any other option. He knows all parties involved. Hopefully, he can come up with a solution.”

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this, Clara. Maybe we should just forget it happened.”

  “No.” I shook my head adamantly. “I can’t, in good conscience, do that, sweetie. What if you aren’t the first? What if he’s been fooling around on her? I can’t let this go.”

  Paige groaned again in frustration. “Shit.”

  That was my thought, exactly.

  ♥♥♥

  The day had been very busy, so thoughts of Chelsea, Paige, and Justin went on the back burner. Everything was put in place – pictures hung, televisions ready to go, dishes in the cupboard. I was able to breathe easy knowing that I was finally settled. There were a few blank walls that needed pictures. There were other odds and ends that I’d need to get, but all in all, I was officially home.

  Once everyone left and Paige and Logan went to bed in the guest bedroom, Grey brought me to bed and took his time making sweet, slow, passionate love to me.

  Grey and I were lying in bed together, our breathing returning to normal as we cuddled close. Even though I was content and more than ready for bed, I needed to talk to Grey about what Paige told me. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep if I didn’t get it off my chest.

  “Do you remember when you asked me about Paige and Justin earlier?” I asked quietly.

  His chuckle was barely audible, but I felt it against my cheek. “I don’t want to talk about Paige or Justin right now, darlin’.” He tweaked my nipple to drive that fact home.

  I slapped his chest lightly. “Stop that. I’m serious.”

  He groaned and then rolled me onto my back, his powerful frame resting between my legs. “Okay, darlin’, I’ll bite. What’s goin’ on with them?”

  I chewed on my lip nervously. “Well, remember when I told you I overheard something?”

  “Ah, yes. You were about to tell me when Sam rudely interrupted.”

  I grinned at that. Sam loved to rib her brother. “Yeah.”

  “Well, what happened?”

  “See, um, the thing is…” I needed to say this diplomatically, but the words were evading me.

  “Out with it, Clara. You can talk to me.”

  Everything in him said sincere, so I explained what I’d heard, telling him what Justin said to Paige. “So you can see, I was confused, and then you saw how they were. Justin and Chelsea left almost right after that.”

  Grey stared at me with confusion. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would Justin-”

  I stopped him before he could say more by covering his mouth with my hand. His brows quirked up, but his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Let me get it all out before you say anything.”

  He nodded his head, telling me to go on.

  I let go of his mouth and brushed some hair from his face. “I cornered Paige a bit later, and she finally spilled. I was hoping you could help me figure out what to do with this.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Justin hit on her,” I blurted out.

  His head jerked back, and then he burst out laughing. “You had me goin’ there, Clara.” He shook his head and rolled off of me, his laughter never dying.

  I sat up and clutched the sheet to my chest, glaring at him. “Why would I joke about this?”

  He grabbed his boxers off the floor and pulled them on, glancing back at me with a smirk. “You can’t be serious, Clara. This is Justin. Justin. Justin has been in love with Chelsea for a long time. He’s a good guy – he wouldn’t do that.” He laid back in bed and propped some pillows up behind his back.

  “I understand why you don’t want to believe that, but Paige told me what happened. It was the night at Bobby’s.” I cringed at the next part. “He hit on her when she was coming back from the bathroom. He got her number, and said he’d call so they could meet up while she was here. Then she saw him with Chelsea. She said that you told her they were married when she asked.”

  All humor leaked from his face, and he frowned. “She did ask me that.”

  “Can you see why? Cheating is a big no-no for her.”

  He studied me and then shook his head. “I can see why she doesn’t like that. Hell, I don’t either. But I don’t see Justin doin’ that.”

  “So you’re calling her a liar?”

  “No, not at all. Maybe there was some type of miscommunication?”

  “How do you miscommunicate that? He flirted with her and then asked to get together while she was in town.”

  He heaved a heavy breath. “I don’t know, Clara. I don’t. I just don’t see it. You’ve seen him with Chelsea and how great they are together.”

  “I know. They love one another. Still, that doesn’t discredit what she said happened.”

  He seemed dubious. “Would she lie?”

  “No!” I shouted, outraged. “Never!”

  He rubbed the back of his neck, agitated. “Look, if you told me this about Adam, I’d believe it. Justin though…he’s always been loyal. Always. They’ve been together for ten years, Clara.”

  “So you don’t believe me?” I gritted out, so mad I was about to spit fire.

  “I believe that you believe her. Maybe Paige is jealous? They are clearly head over heels for one another, and she’s a single mom. Maybe she’s tryin’ to start trouble. She seems a bit…”

  “A bit what?” I demanded angrily.

  “Full of herself. A bit selfish.”

  I threw the blankets off of me and jumped from the bed, turning to him furiously. “I cannot believe this. Yeah, she can be about herself a lot of the time, but she’s not a liar. When she tells me this happened, I trust her. She doesn’t do things like this to cause problems, Grey! You should have seen how worried she was about it. She didn’t know what to do!”

  I stomped to my dresser and pulled on some pajamas, muttering under my breath about men being such assholes. I heard the blankets rustling and then his feet on the hardwood floor as he walked up behind me. I whirled around before he could get close. “Stop right there, mister!”

  He held his hands in the air, surrendering. “Look, Clara, Paige is your friend, just like Justin is mine. I can see why you’re so riled to defend her. I’m feelin’ the same way about Justin. I don’t want to admit he’s capable of that, because it would mean he was keepin’ secrets.”

  I went to argue, but he continued, “I don’t want to bring this up, Clara, but I have to. I’ve just faced the fact that one of my best friends was a monster. You sayin’ this is bringin’ up all of that for me. If the roles were reversed, you’d be feelin’ the same way. I cannot, without checkin’ it out myself, believe I had not one but two friends lie to me.”

  I deflated at his explanation. “I can see that.”

  “I’m not sayin’ you’re wrong, but I think we need to sit on th
is for now. I admit Justin’s been actin’ funny lately. He’s been off. I’ve been meanin’ to ask him about it, but I haven’t had a chance. Still, I don’t think he’d cheat on Chelsea.”

  “Paige wasn’t lying, Grey.”

  “Okay… She wasn’t lying.” I could tell he was placating me. I barely resisted the urge to slap him. I was about to yell at him when he went on. “Hopefully, there is an explanation for it all. Let’s not put the cart in front of the horse in this.”

  I blinked. “Cart in front of the horse?”

  He raised a brow at me teasingly. “Never heard that one?”

  I shook my head. “Uh, no.” I pointed to myself. “Chicago here.”

  He chuckled, shaking his head like he didn’t know what to do with me. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How ’bout I talk to Justin tomorrow?” He took a step closer to me and tentatively extended his hand out to me.

  Slowly, I started to lay mine in his. “Fine…but something’s up, Grey. He was so quick to get out of here earlier.” I pulled my hand back at the last moment, teasing him a bit. “But you can’t be mad at me if you find out that I’m right.”

  He snatched my hand and tugged me to him. “If I find out that somethin’ is wrong, I won’t be mad at you for lookin’ out for Chelsea. She’s a friend too, Clara. If somethin’ is goin’ on, Justin deserves an ass beatin’.” He cupped my chin and leaned in to touch his mouth to mine, whispering, “Now that that is out of the way, can we go back to bed?”

  I smiled against his lips and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I think we can do that.”

  Chapter 19

  Grey

  “How’s the ball and chain doin’?” Adam asked.

  “You’re such an asshole sometimes.”

  “True, true.” There was a smile in his voice. “Clara enjoyin’ the fruits of our labor?”

  “Can you ever be serious?”

  “Who are you talkin’ to?”

  “True,” I muttered, laughing. “And yes, Clara is very happy. Thanks for that”

  “She should be. I don’t think my back will ever be the same.”

  “Because you had to carry a couch?”