Finding Bliss (Bliss #1)

by Cassie Strickland

  Oh, thank God!

  “Hey, Oliver,” I replied, my voice wobbling a bit.

  Hearing it, he asked, “What’s wrong? Is Bella okay?”

  He didn’t know.

  He didn’t know!

  Hope bloomed in my chest.

  “Bella’s good. I mean, she’s perfectly healthy, but we’ve received some news that involves her.”

  Confused, he questioned, “What? What’s going on?”

  “Your family is suing for custody of Bella, as well as the rest of Jonathan and Stacy’s estate.”

  “Please tell me you’re joking,” he growled, infuriated.

  “No. I was served this morning. I tried calling your mother. I don’t see her having anything to do with this, but she didn’t answer.”

  “Jesus! That man never ceases to amaze me.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “It’s Dad, Clara. Mom wouldn’t be involved with this. She was going on and on about you all the way home. She loved you.”

  “That’s good,” I replied, relieved.

  “No, Clara. None of this is good. When my father has it in his mind to do something, he goes all out.”

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “He can’t take Bella from me, Oliver.”

  “He won’t,” he vowed. “I’ll give Mom a call and see what she can do. I don’t know if she can stop Dad, but if she can’t, you can use me as a character witness against him. Bella can’t grow up in that house, Clara. Why do you think Abby ran away? He’s a cruel man.”

  “We’re going to fight it no matter what, Oliver,” I assured him, now even more terrified.

  “I am going to kill him. I can’t believe he’d do this. He cared nothing about Bella while we were there.” He exhaled roughly into the phone. “You said they want the money, too?”

  “They can have it for all I care. I haven’t touched it.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole charade is about the money, Clara. He’s greedy. Gretchen and Clyde are the same.”

  “Maybe if I offer…”

  “Don’t,” he snapped, surprising me. “I’m sorry. Just… If you show any weakness to them, they’ll exploit it. You don’t know them like I do.”

  “Okay…”

  “This is going to get ugly,” he murmured, more to himself than me.

  “We’ll do what we can. Maybe we can settle this between us.” Even as I said this, I knew the possibility was slim to none.

  “You’d be wasting your time. You only had a small taste, Clara. The three of them are wicked. I don’t know how Mom stands them. They treat her like shit all the time.”

  My heart broke for Teresa. The position she was now in must be devastating…that is if she knew.

  “I’ll let Galen know that you’re willing to help. I’m sure he’ll call you with questions. Thank you so much, by the way. That means the world to me.”

  “It’s not a problem. Again, I’m sorry. I hate that they’re putting you through this.”

  “It’s not your fault, Oliver.”

  “I have to get back to work, but call any time. I’ll try and get in touch with Mom. If I can’t, I’ll figure out a time to go see her. I’ll let you know how it goes if you don’t hear from her.”

  “Thanks.”

  “My pleasure, Clara. Give Bella a kiss for me, will you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Bye, Clara.”

  “Bye, Oliver.”

  I disconnected, my feelings mixed.

  With Oliver on our side, our chances just improved dramatically. But his insight into his family left me on edge. They were going to fight dirty.

  But how dirty was the question.

  Chapter 29

  Clara

  “Clara?” I heard being asked from behind me.

  I’d been standing in the baby aisle, staring at the wall of baby food for the last five minutes, overwhelmed, so the interruption was appreciated.

  I glanced over my shoulder and found a dark headed, round woman watching me expectantly. “Yes?” I asked and turned toward her, my interest piqued.

  She grabbed my hand and shook it energetically. “I can’t believe I’m finally meetin’ you! The town has been buzzin’ for months about you. First, with the pastor’s death, God rest his soul, and then your similarities to Stacy. My goodness, that’s enough to leave this town gossipin’ for weeks! But then you up and moved here to take care of that sweet niece of yours. By the way, I thought that was so amazin’ of you. It’s so selfless. I couldn’t imagine doing somethin’ like that. Then you went and snagged Grey Raiden! Grey! Goodness gracious, girl, you’ve been busy!”

  Does this woman breathe?

  “Um, okay…”

  How else was I supposed to respond?

  She let go of my hand and grinned. “I’m Becky Holt, by the way.”

  The name rang a bell, but I couldn’t place it. “Nice to meet you, Becky,” I replied, giving her an unsure smile.

  “I work over at the bank,” she enlightened me further.

  It dawned on me where I heard her name. She was the busy-body of town who informed Adam of Justin’s withdrawal. I needed to keep this short. There was no telling what type of gossip would come from this encounter.

  I was about to say goodbye when she rocked my world.

  She glanced around to make sure no one was close, then whispered, “I’m sorry to hear about the custody battle with Bella’s grandparents. That’s gotta be rough.”

  My stomach sank. “Excuse me?” I questioned, floored. No one outside of the people closest to us knew about the Montgomery’s.

  She shook her head and stared at me with sympathy. “My cousin works at the county courthouse. She called me as soon as she found out. It’s just so sad.” She rubbed my arm, offering me comfort. “You’ve done so much for that sweet child, and they’re tryin’ to take her away from you. I think it’s downright appallin’.”

  “I’m not sure-”

  “And then all the nasty rumors goin’ around about Pastor Jon! You’ve been put through the ringer lately. When I heard about that new detective openin’ a case because of it, I about had a conniption.” She tsked, shaking her head. “If you ask me, it’s probably Bella’s grandparents that started it. Those people are lower than low if they’d resort to spreadin’ such ghastly lies.”

  I stared at her wide-eyed and stunned, not able to believe what I was hearing.

  The town knew about Jonathan?!

  “Well! It was nice to meet cha’,” Becky gushed, smiling broadly. “We’ll catch up again sometime soon. Tootles.” She gave me a finger wave and then pushed her buggy down the aisle.

  I stared down at the spot I’d last seen Becky, my mind a mass of confusion. I was barely aware of the squeaking tires behind me as a cart came closer.

  I finally snapped out of it when I heard, “That was bound to happen.”

  I swung my head to the new voice and saw the girl from Teal and Lace standing next to me, her shopping cart in front of her. From what Grey had told me, her name was Jolene. After all of our craziness, it wasn’t until days later that Grey recounted their discussion. I had wanted to talk to her, but I was a bit hesitant to approach her.

  “Sorry, I eavesdropped. I couldn’t help it. I heard her ramblin’ from the next aisle. I’m surprised the whole grocery store didn’t hear her. You okay?”

  I struggled to catch up, but I was finally able to say, “I’m not sure.”

  “This town is small. When things like this happen, there’s no keepin’ it quiet. There are ears everywhere and people like to flap their jaws.”

  “Jolene, right?” I asked.

  A side of her mouth tipped up in a half smile. “Grey told you.”

  “Yeah…” I nodded.

  “He told me about you and…”

  Jonathan, she meant. Grey had told me that part, too.

  “I know.” I shrugged, not bothered by it. “I underst
and why.”

  Her brows shot up. “You don’t care?”

  “It is what it is. I know that he wouldn’t have shared that in normal circumstances.”

  “He seems like a nice guy.”

  I smiled at her. “He’s the best.”

  “I’m glad you have that.”

  “Me too.”

  She tipped her head, motioning down the aisle. “What are you gonna do about blabber mouth?”

  I groaned and ran my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know. God, this is horrible. It’s the last thing we need right now.”

  She winced and bit the side of her cheek. “I’ve heard a bit of talk lately, but it’s been mainly Becky talkin’ about it. She doesn’t know anythin’, either. Most folks have brushed it off since she likes to make waves. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “That’s good then,” I stated, blowing out a relieved breath.

  “There’s been talk about the custody suit, though. People have been eatin’ that up. Becky’s cousin isn’t the only family member at the court house.”

  “Wonderful,” I muttered.

  Jolene laughed slightly. “That’s Bliss for ya.”

  “Guess there’s bad with the good anywhere you go.”

  “Very true.”

  Now that I was talking to her, I wanted to probe her a bit, find out what came from her discussion with Grey. “How are you, by the way?” I questioned, not wanting to push it. “You know…after the talk with Grey.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ears and lifted one shoulder. “It is what it is. I tried talkin’ to the girls, but they refused to talk to that detective. They don’t think it’ll do ’em any good.”

  Well, shit.

  “Grey and I haven’t mentioned it to him, so don’t worry about Detective Wilde showing up. We’ll keep it to ourselves.”

  “I appreciate that. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

  I reached over and squeezed her hand. “You did what you could. That means a lot. It took a lot of courage to follow Grey outside that day.”

  “That’s sweet of you to say,” she murmured, embarrassed.

  “How are the girls doing?”

  “Good.” Her eyes danced with humor. “Your boyfriend is now their hero. They can’t stop talkin’ about him. They’ve seen him around, of course, but after what he did for them… They’re crushin’ hard.”

  I laughed, picturing a bunch of girls giggling about how handsome Grey was. “I can only imagine.”

  “Yep. It’s pretty hilarious.”

  “We should have you and the girls over for dinner one night.”

  Her body went solid. “I, uh…”

  “Only if you want to,” I rushed, not wanting to overstep my bounds. “We don’t want to intercede in what you have going with them, but we wouldn’t mind getting to know them. Maybe help out if you need some when times are tough. Grey told me about what you’re doing for them. It’s got to be hard on you at times.”

  “Look, Grey helpin’ out was a onetime thing.”

  Surprised, I asked, “Why? If we’re offering to help, why does it have to be?”

  She eyed me for a second, gauging my sincerity, but then shook her head. “These girls have had nothin’ but shit all their lives, Clara. I’m doin’ what I can with ’em. I know they can rely on me not to let them down. I can’t risk strangers like you comin’ into their lives.”

  “Like me?” I asked, slightly insulted.

  “They already look up to Grey, so they’d jump at the chance to know him. Hell, they’d jump for joy if I told them we were goin’ to your house for dinner. But you…” She licked her lips as something painful settled in her features. “You’re the one person that can really get them, understand their fears, and you’ve survived. Not only have you survived, but you've also thrived. You stand with confidence and happiness pourin’ off you. Plus, you’re beautiful. They’ll see all this and eat it up…think they’ve finally found somethin’ good in life. They’ll get their hopes up. They’ll get used to it.

  “But what happens when you move on? What happens when you get married and start your family? You’ll be too busy for them, and I’ll be left with a bunch of devastated girls. They’ll, yet again, think they aren’t good enough.

  “I understand that you wanna help – I appreciate it – but I cannot let their little hearts get trampled. It would kill me to see them in pain again. They’ve come so far already. Thanks, but no thanks, Clara.”

  Everything she said, every word, was absolutely heartbreaking. She was afraid of giving them something good, just in case it was ripped away. Her life must be a lonely one.

  I didn’t say this, though.

  Instead, I told her, “We don’t have to become best friends, Jolene. Hell, don’t come to dinner if you think it’s best. Just promise you’ll call Grey or me if times get really tough. If someone is going hungry or they don’t have shoes to go to school, call us. We can help with little things.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Jolene…just think about it.”

  “It’s Lee.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “My name… I hate Jolene. People call me Lee.”

  “Okay…” I drawled. “Lee, will you think about it?”

  “Fine,” she relented. “But I’m not makin’ promises.”

  I chuckled at her spirit. “Works for me.”

  She grabbed the handles to her cart, signaling her departure. “I’ve gotta go. It was, uh, good talkin’ to you.”

  “You too, Lee. Remember, call us whenever you need us.”

  She rolled her eyes, laughing. “You’re persistent.”

  “I can be when it’s needed.”

  “Good to know.”

  “See you around,” I whispered.

  “Yeah… And hey, good luck with the whole custody thing. I hope it goes your way.”

  I tipped my chin at her. “Thank you.”

  Like Becky, I watched her walk away, thinking this had been one of the most informative grocery trips ever.

  ♥♥♥

  Grey was shoveling snow off the walkway when I drove up. He waved when he saw me and continued to shovel the remaining bit in front of the house. I climbed out and closed my door, heading around the back to unload the groceries.

  Grey met me as I filled my arms with bags. “Give them to me. It’s pretty slick out here,” he said as he kissed my cheek and took them from my arms.

  “Where’s Bella?” I asked, smiling.

  “Asleep. I don’t think she’s feelin’ all that great.”

  “What do you mean?” I questioned, concerned.

  “She was really fussy and wouldn’t eat,” he enlightened me, grabbing the remaining bags from the back.

  I slammed the back hatch and followed him up the walkway. “Does she have a fever?”

  “No, I checked. She fell right to sleep, though. Maybe that will help.”

  His arms were full, so I stepped around him and opened the front door. “She hasn’t been sick, Grey. I’m not entirely sure what to do. Maybe I should call her pediatrician.”

  Grey chuckled as I closed the door behind him and followed him down the hall. “She’s gonna be fine, Clara. You don’t have to call her doctor every time she coughs.”

  My heart dropped. “She’s coughing, too?”

  His chuckle turned into laughter as he sat the groceries on the counter. “It was a metaphor, Clara. I’m just sayin’ you don’t have to call every time somethin’ happens. Children get sick and ninety-five percent of the time they bounce back quickly.”

  “But there’s still a chance.”

  He stood in front of me and placed a hand on my hip. “You’re bein’ paranoid. We’ll keep an eye on her. We’ll give her doctor a call if she gets any worse. She’s okay for now, Clara.”

  I pouted playfully and drawled, “Fine…” I pushed up on my toes and kissed his jaw. “I’ve got to put away the groceries.” His eyes warmed as he let go. I walke
d around the island and started pulling items from the bags. I glanced up from what I was doing and looked into the living room.

  I stilled.

  “What in the world…?” I whispered, staring at the mess. It was like a bomb of clothes and other junk exploded in my living room.

  “Uh, well… I was hopin’ to finish that before you came home, but I got sidetracked.” He was staring at the mess, massaging the back of his neck with a sheepish expression on his face.

  “What is all of that?” I asked, shocked.

  “I brought over a bunch of my stuff last night. After I unloaded it, Bella and I made another trip while you were gone,” he explained, grinning.

  We had spoken to Galen before he left about Grey moving in. Galen didn’t think it would hurt our case. He thought it would help, actually. If we proved that we had a solid, stable relationship, it would show the judge that we would be able to provide a better home for Bella.

  “There’s order to the chaos – I promise. It won’t take me long to finish,” he further explained.

  I wasn’t in the least bit perturbed – I was excited. Even though Grey had stayed at the house every night, this was setting the decision in stone.

  I grinned at him. “Grey, this is home for you, too. Don’t worry about it.”

  A smile stretched across his face as he stalked toward me. “It is my home, isn’t it?”

  From the look in his eyes, I was in trouble. “Don’t,” I warned him. “If you start anything, all the groceries will spoil. Plus, I’ve had a pretty interesting trip to the grocery store. You wouldn’t be able to hear about that.”

  He stopped, his confusion mounting. “Interesting trip to the grocery store?”

  I nodded. “Sit.” I pointed at the stool. “I’ll tell you while I put everything away.”

  “Okay…” he drawled, staring at me oddly, as he plopped down.

  “Becky Holt introduced herself to me while I was there,” I enlightened him.

  “Shit. That nosy bitch cornered you, didn’t she?”

  I raised my brows, surprised by his hostility. “Not really.”

  “You’ve got enough on your plate right now, Clara, you don’t need any of her BS.”

  I put the milk and ham in the fridge and looked back at him. “Grey, it wasn’t too bad. Don’t turn into a bear over it. I’m fine.”