“But-”
Emma added, “She’s right. It’s not pity, or anythin’ of the sort. Just concern. You are family now, sweetie.” She ran her palm down my hair with affection. “We love you. This is what family does in a crisis. We rally together. We lean on one another, offering support.”
“But-”
“I’m not gonna lie, Clara,” Sam continued, not giving me a chance to talk. “What you told us about Jon…well, it’s fucked up.” She snorted a laugh, but it wasn’t amused. “It’s really fucked up.”
“Samantha…” Emma chided. “You need to watch that mouth.”
“Am I wrong?!” She rolled her eyes at her mother and observed me again. “I don’t know how you survived it all, Clara. Honestly, I don’t. But hell, I’m proud that you did. You’ve got a will of steel to get through that and be the way you are.”
“You don’t find me disgusting?”
With that question, it dawned on me why I was having such an issue with their actions today. It stemmed from my shame and how they’d perceive me now, and I was worried that they’d judge me. It had nothing to do with pity, their concern, or even their hovering.
“Disgustin’?!” Emma exclaimed, horrified. “Of course not! What Jon did to you…”
“That’s on him, Clara. You were young and impressionable. You had no idea what was goin’ on.” Sam’s voice was harsh, passionate. “I find Jon disgustin’, not you. Don’t let yourself do that. Please don’t think that, because it’s not true.”
Tears welled in my eyes, but I wiped them away before they could spill over. “It’s something I deal with constantly,” I admitted softly. “I feel like it was all my fault sometimes. That if I would have just said no…”
Emma curved her arms around me and brought my head to her shoulder, stopping me. “No, sweet child. No. Don’t think that. That’s not true. None of it was your fault.”
“I know that logically,” I explained, sniffling. “It’s emotionally that’s the hard part. It happened so long ago, but it still catches me off guard sometimes. Knowing that you know…” I choked on another sob. “I don’t want you to think of me differently. I want to be the person you thought I was before you knew the whole truth.”
I felt Sam’s hand engulf mine again. “Clara, you are that. It won’t change. Ever. Now that we know the full story, we think more of you. You are one tough cookie, chick-a-di. I look up to you for goin’ through that and still havin’ the courage to laugh and smile every day.”
I sat back and stared at Sam, stunned. “You do?”
“Hell yeah, I do!”
A small laugh bubbled up and out of my chest unexpectedly. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh…” Sam hugged me and whispered, “There’s no way in hell we’d ever think less of you over that. I’m happy you are here, Clara. I’m happy we’ve become friends, and I’m really happy Grey has you.”
It was then that I burst into tears.
Chapter 23
Clara
Puffy snowflakes drifted to the ground as I watched. It was going to be a white Christmas this year, but that was expected in Bliss. My mind wasn’t on this, though.
The porch swing swayed under me as I waited for Galen to pull up, my anticipation growing by the second. When he said he was going to try and come sooner, I didn’t realize it would be the very next day.
But I wasn’t complaining.
I couldn’t wait to see him.
“You’re gonna freeze to death out here,” Grey remarked humorously. “You could easily keep an eye out for him from the window.”
I had a big blanket wrapped around me, so it wasn’t too bad. “I’m fine,” I assured him as I glanced over my shoulder. “Just anxious. It’s peaceful out here, watching the snow.”
He took a few steps towards me, saying, “Here,” as he handed me a mug. “Hot chocolate.”
“Yum.” I took it eagerly, and the heat seeped into my palms, warming me. “Thanks, honey.”
He walked to the swing and sat next to me. “No problem.”
“Bella still asleep?” I asked, taking a mouthful of the deliciousness from the mug.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Yep.”
“It seems like that’s all she does.”
“That’ll change soon, and you’ll be wishin’ for it again.”
“I know.”
I sat up when I heard a car coming, but it continued to pass the house. I deflated a bit against Grey, disappointed, and continued to sip my mug.
Grey chuckled, squeezing me briefly. “He’ll be here any minute, Clara.”
“I’m just excited.” I sighed, nuzzling my cheek against his chest. I breathed in deeply, taking in that signature scent. “You smell good.”
He pressed his nose to my hair, whispering, “So do you, darlin’. But you taste better.”
A familiar ache throbbed between my legs. “You can’t say stuff like that right before Galen gets here. It’s not fair.”
“Why? Are you wet for me, Clara darlin’?” His voice came out in a rumbly growl.
I was going to need a cold shower after that sound.
“You definitely don’t need to ask that. It makes it worse.”
His chest vibrated with mirth. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“You better.”
“You’re not gonna kick me out while Galen’s here, are you?”
I laughed, pushing against his chest to peer up at him. “Galen knows we’re together, and he’s not stupid, Grey. Plus, this is my house. He won’t tell me who can or can’t stay here.”
He flashed me those dimples, murmuring, “I’m happy to hear that.”
“If you wanted time away, all you had to do was say so,” I joked.
“Who said I wanted time away from you?”
“Good point.”
“Have you heard from him since he’s landed?”
I nodded and rested against him again. “Yeah, right before he left.”
His fingers combed through my hair leisurely. “That’s good.”
“You’ll be okay with him here? I really want you to give him a chance, Grey.”
“I don’t not like him, Clara. I just don’t trust him.” Grey wrapped his arms around me tighter and placed his chin on my hair. “You’ve told me many times that what he did was right. I don’t agree with that…but that’s my opinion. Mine. For you, I’ll give him a chance. I don’t wanna cause problems durin’ your time with him. You don’t have to worry about me. Promise.”
“Thank you, Grey. It matters to me that you get along with him, and vice versa. Besides Bella, you two are the most important people in the world to me.”
He pressed another kiss to the top of my head. “Okay, darlin’. I’ll play nice.”
“Thank you, honey.”
Crying came from somewhere close. I jumped, almost scolding us both with hot chocolate. I honed in on the sound and found it coming from Grey’s jacket. “Did you bring the monitor out with you?”
“Gotta be able to hear our girl.”
My insides warmed. “Thanks.”
“Let me up, darlin’. I’ll get her.”
I stood and handed him my mug. “No, it’s fine. I’ll do it. You do so much already, I sometimes wonder if I’m truly her guardian.”
“That’s total bull shit, Clara,” Grey replied, chuckling. “You take care of her better than anyone, and that child adores you for it.”
My face gentled as I tucked the blanket around me and gazed down at him. “That’s sweet to say.”
“It’s the truth,” he countered, quirking a brow at me, waiting for me to deny it.
But I wasn’t.
“I’ll be right back. If Galen shows up, tell him I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Thought you were excited to see him,” Grey teased.
“I am, but I have a little lady awaiting me.”
I left him with that and strolled into the house. I threw the blanket on the back of the couch as I pass
ed it and ascended the stairs rapidly, hearing Bella’s cries increase. When I opened her door, they quieted completely. I peered over her crib and found her kicking her little feet and waving her hands around, smiling. Her face was still red and there were tear tracks trailing down her cheeks, but she was ecstatic now that someone had come to get her.
“Hey there, baby girl,” I whispered, wiping away the wetness from her face. She gave me a big, toothless grin and held her hands up for me in response. “There’s my sweet girl,” I cooed as I picked her up and placed her on my hip, noticing her squishy, full diaper. “Need a change, don’t ya?”
I meandered to her changing table and started the process of replacing her diaper. I continued to talk to her, not really saying anything meaningful, but she was eating it up – she giggled and squirmed throughout the change. I heard the front door open and voices sounding from downstairs as I pulled Bella’s britches back on. I tickled her belly, saying, “Guess who that is, Bella? You’re papa’s here to see you, isn’t he?”
She let out a squeal and held her arms up again, ready to go.
“Let’s go see him then,” I told her as I picked her up again. She pulled on my hair, trying to shove a fistful into her mouth. I had to untangle myself as we descended the stairs. She thought it was a new game and kept doing it, giggling the whole time. Little things in life made me the happiest, like this moment with Bella, and I laughed along with her.
I located Galen as soon as I came out of the mouth of the stairway. He was standing next to the kitchen island, staring at Grey for some reason. “Galen!” I squealed and rushed toward him. As I passed Grey, he stopped me and took Bella from my arms so that I could go to Galen unhindered. I let her go and then found myself wrapped in Galen’s arms immediately. “God, it’s so good to see you.” I circled my arms around his middle, clutching him close.
“Same here, girly,” he whispered. “I’ve missed these hugs. No one gives them better. How’s my girl doing?”
“Better now that you are here,” I whispered back, feeling the peacefulness he’d always brought fall over me.
“Me too.” He leaned away and cupped my cheek. “Let me look at you.” His eyes roamed, and I beamed. “You look happy.”
“I am.”
Something painful flashed in his eyes, but he hid it quickly. “I’m glad. You’ve sounded happy before, but now that I see you…you’re radiant, sweet girl. Just radiant.”
I beamed again and took a step back, taking him in as well. He looked exactly the same, impeccably dressed, with the same salt and pepper hair, the same handsome face, and those navy-blue eyes that I loved. “You look the same,” I told him, laughing. “Absolutely the same.”
“I’d hope so,” he joked, the corners of his mouth tipping up a bit.
“Bella!” I exclaimed, turning to Grey. He was watching us closely, with his own smile curving his lips. “You haven’t seen Bella in forever. She’s gotten so big.” I held my hands out, signaling that I wanted the little darling. Grey passed her to me, and I pivoted back to Galen. “Isn’t she huge?!” I gushed, glancing down at Bella. “Bella, you might not remember him, but this is your papa.” I was still smiling when I looked back at Galen, but when I did, it dissolved.
His lips were pursed, and he had an unreadable expression on his face.
I didn’t understand this.
“Are you okay?” I asked, watching him closely.
“I, uh…what?” He blinked rapidly and shook his head. “What did you say?”
“You looked odd there for a second. You okay?”
Whatever it was, cleared, and he grinned at me again. “Yeah…fine. Perfect.”
“You sure?” I questioned, unconvinced.
He reached over and cupped my cheek. “Absolutely. Just the whole papa thing surprised me. Can I hold her?”
It was my turn to be shocked. “Oh, yeah… Of course.”
This was probably the only chance Galen had at becoming a grandparent. The thought never struck me.
He was a bit unsure as he held Bella, but he did so adoringly. I’d seen the look he had in his eyes before, when he was directing it at me. He was enamored, completely in love with Bella.
“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? It’s uncanny how much she resembles you, Clara,” he murmured, studying her.
Grey took two steps toward me and curled an arm around my waist. “They’re beautiful.”
Another piece of rightness shifted inside of me, aligning perfectly. Now that Galen was here, with Bella, Grey, and me, all was where it should be. My world was whole.
“Enough of that,” I decided, pushing away from Grey. “You’ve got to be hungry. Let me make you something.”
Still captivated, Galen said, “Don’t worry about it, Clara. I ate right before I left the airport.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” he returned, laughing. “You always want to take care of everyone, Clara. Never changes.”
“Whatever… Let’s sit. You can catch me up on all the gossip going on in the offices.”
His expression turned incredulous. “I’ve just gotten away from the office, girly, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh, you know what I mean. Come on,” I demanded, walking around the couches, assuming they’d follow, and settled against the corner, tucking my feet underneath me. Grey took the spot next to me and tugged on my feet, placing them over his thighs, solidifying our relationship in front of Galen. “Obvious much,” I whispered, fighting a smirk.
Grey shrugged as Galen took a seat on the loveseat, sitting Bella on his lap.
“So, what’s new?” I searched.
“Nothing different from the last time we talked,” Galen replied, watching Bella as she played with the buttons on his shirt.
“How’s Tom?”
“Getting closer to retirement every day.”
Bella got bored with the buttons and started fussing and squirming in his lap.
“She’s probably hungry. You two can catch up while I get it,” Grey offered, guiding my legs off of his lap.
“I can do it,” I declined, starting to stand.
Grey grabbed my hand and gave me a pointed stare. “I’ve got it, Clara. You haven’t seen him in a while. It’s fine. Enjoy yourself.”
“Oh, all right,” I muttered, rolling my eyes, but I grinned at him. “Thank you, Grey.”
He kissed my cheek and heaved himself off the couch. Galen took Grey’s spot next to me, handing Bella over as he watched Grey.
“Is he always so bossy?” he questioned.
I laid Bella in the crook of my arm as I fed her the pacifier, somewhat appeasing her. “Only about the important stuff. He likes to take care of me. Actually, he likes to take care of everyone close to him. He has one of the best hearts I’ve ever known.”
“That’s good,” Galen murmured, contemplating this.
“Please try with him. I know you two didn’t have the best introduction. Grey’s agreed to stand down and get to know you. Honestly, the only reason he was like that was because of me. He thought he was protecting me.”
Galen took my hand in his and kissed it. “I’ve already figured that out, girly. I came here with an open mind. Besides, if he’s the one that makes you shine like this, then I’m all for it.”
“See…the reason I love you,” I whispered and settled my head on his shoulder.
His arms wrapped around me. “And I love you, Clara.”
“You’ll meet the rest of his family tonight. We are going out to dinner with them to celebrate your arrival,” I told him.
Pressing a kiss to my temple, he murmured, “Can’t wait.”
“You’ll love them.”
“I’m sure I will.”
Grey’s voice sounded in front of us, breaking the moment. “Here, darlin’.”
I glanced up at him and found the bottle waiting in front of me. I gave him a smile in thanks and took it from him. As I began to feed Bella, Galen and Grey switched places
. Galen settled on the loveseat and watched the three of us in approval. That was all I needed from him to know that everything between Grey and him would be fine.
“I guess we need to get this out of the way,” Galen informed us, switching into his lawyer mode. “Have you heard from the detective?”
“A bit,” Grey answered. “My father showed him Jon’s house yesterday afternoon and handed over all of the pictures and the computer.”
Galen nodded, his mind working. “That’s good.”
“What are you so worried about?” I questioned, remembering our conversation from the yesterday.
His response was immediate. “I’m not sure just yet. Intuition, maybe.”
“You think somethin’ bad will happen?” Grey inquired, frowning at Galen.
“Not bad…just something. I don’t know.” Galen stared off to the side, still contemplating. We gave him a few moments to say whatever was on his mind. “Has anyone from town heard about this?”
Ah…
I could see where he was going with this.
“No,” Grey and I answered in unison, but Grey went on. “We’ve been very hush-hush about the whole thing. Detective Wilde assured us that he’d use discretion. I made it a point that the town wouldn’t react to well to this.”
“That’s good. Thank you, Grey.”
Grey nodded, not commenting further.
“Is that what’s worrying you? The town’s reaction?”
“It was just a thought, Clara. I’m sure Detective Wilde will keep it from getting out,” Galen assured me.
“Let’s hope so,” I murmured.
“Why don’t we forget about that for now,” Galen recommended, grinning. “How about a tour instead?”
♥♥♥
My stare pinged between my plate and the sleeping baby in my arms. How in the world was I supposed to cut my steak?
“Here, I’ll help,” Grey offered, amused. He pulled my plate close to his and started cutting my food into small bites.
Relieved, I murmured, “Thanks.”
“She’s worn out,” he stated, his eyes smiling.
“Yeah, you’d think she’d be used to all the excitement.”
Finding Bliss (Bliss #1) Page 35
