Finding Bliss (Bliss #1)

by Cassie Strickland

  I nodded. “Understandably.”

  “We’ve proved what your brother did, but since he’s dead, there’s nothing to do from there. I’ve put the girls in touch with counselors. Hopefully, they’ll get the help they need.”

  “That’s good then.” This whole thing seemed anticlimactic. “That’s it?”

  “Yep. That’s it. At least we know what happened, and this whole thing can be put to rest.” He leaned back and threw an arm over the back of the couch.

  “Thank you, Wes. I appreciate all of your help.” I attempted a smile, but it was too strained to pass as genuine.

  “It’s my job, Clara.”

  Since he didn’t make a move to leave, I questioned, “Is there anything else?”

  “Actually, there is.” He might have been trying to come off as casual, but he was still in his detective mode. “How did the visit with the Montgomery’s go? Mr. Montgomery stopped by the station while he was here. I wasn’t impressed.”

  My laugh was cutting. “That sounds about right.”

  Catching my sarcasm, he cocked his head to the side. “Can you elaborate on that?”

  Surprised by this, I asked, “Didn’t Jared Talbert, my attorney, call you?”

  His brows lowered, his confusion evident. “Yeah, but he wanted to know about the letter. He said it was about your brother’s estate.”

  “So he didn’t explain what was going on?” I pressed further, shocked. “You haven’t heard talk around town?”

  The energy coming off of him went wired, charged. “No.”

  “Great,” I muttered under my breath.

  He leaned forward and touched my hand, his expression thunderous. “What’s happened, Clara? I need you to tell me everything.”

  “We go to court tomorrow. They are trying to gain custody of Bella.” I stole an agonized glance at Bella.

  “Shit,” he growled and ran his fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ears. “That seems cruel after everything. Can they do that?” He shook his head. “Of course they can. That was a stupid question.”

  I didn’t voice my agreement, but instead, I told him, “We’re meeting Mr. Montgomery this afternoon in hopes to settle. His two eldest children are in cahoots with him, but Mrs. Montgomery and their youngest are against it. Teresa only recently came to our side, so we’re expecting this to fizzle out before it goes too far.”

  “That’s…interesting.” His green eyes were still sparked with anger, though.

  I thought it was interesting that he was so concerned with this. I questioned myself as to why he would be, but I came up with nothing other than wanting to protect me.

  Shrugging off the thought, I agreed, “That about sums it up.”

  “Can I have your attorney’s number? I’ll call and see what I can do to help.”

  “That’s kind of you, but I don’t know-”

  “It doesn’t hurt to try.”

  “Okay…” He pulled a notepad from his blazer pocket, waiting, so I called out Jared’s number. “It’s kind of last minute, though.”

  He held my eyes, his steely, and stated, “It’s never too late, Clara.”

  “Um…” Bella saved me from commenting by letting out a small cry. I hurried to her and gave her the pacifier clipped to her outfit, needing to feed her soon.

  When I turned back around, Wes was standing. “Guess I better get going,” he explained and motioned toward the hall. “I’ll show myself out.”

  “Okay…” I drawled, still feeling odd about our encounter. Something was different about him since the last time we’d met.

  “It’s good to see you, Clara.”

  “You too, Wes.”

  “Oh, and I meant to apologize about the rumors. After Grey had called me, I looked into it. The guy that answered your initial call about the letter is good friends with Becky Holt’s husband. He made a comment to them about your call after he noticed my interest in Jonathan. Other than that they have nothing. Now that this is over, you shouldn’t hear any more rumors. No one but the Chief knows the particulars.”

  I sighed, relieved. “That’s good to know, Wes. Thanks for clearing it up.”

  He flashed me a tight smile and turned around. “No prob, Clara,” he called over his shoulder.

  Well, that was weird.

  ♥♥♥

  My hands trembled in my lap as Grey drove us to The Ridge, my nerves getting the better of me.

  “What else did he say?” Grey questioned. I’d just told him all about Wes’s visit, and he was finding it just as odd as I did.

  “That was it.”

  “Maybe I’ll give him a call,” Grey mused, frowning at the road.

  “I don’t know what good it’ll do, honey. I’m probably looking too closely at the whole exchange because of today.”

  “Clara-”

  “Let’s drop it for now, okay?” We pulled into the parking lot of The Ridge. “We’ve got enough on our plate.”

  “Okay…” He sighed and slid my hand in his. “Christ, Clara, you’re tremblin’.”

  I squeezed his, saying, “I’m okay. Like I told you earlier, I’m antsy. It’ll pass.”

  Grey pulled into a parking spot, threw his SUV into park, and stared at me, concerned. He tucked my hair behind my ear and cupped my jaw. “Stay strong in there, no matter what.”

  I rubbed my cheek against his hand. “I will, honey.”

  “Good.” He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. “Let’s get this over with.”

  We climbed out and met at the front of his Tahoe, linking our hands again. We spotted Jared at the front door of the restaurant, waiting for us, so we headed his way.

  “Hey,” I called out when we were close enough.

  He’d been staring down at his phone, typing out a text, so his head shot up. “Ready for this?”

  “As we’ll ever be,” I murmured, letting out a long breath.

  “Remember,” Jared cautioned us, “don’t get upset over anything they say. Keep calm in there. I want both of you to stay quiet and let me do all the talking.”

  “You’ll be tryin’ to get a rise out of them, though, right?” Grey questioned, amused.

  “Of course,” Jared stated, unabashed.

  Grey chuckled, saying, “Let’s do this.”

  Jared led us in and gave our name to the hostess. We chose The Ridge because they had a couple of small rooms in the back for parties and banquets. We wanted to meet on neutral ground, so we could go our separate ways if things got too heated.

  The hostess guided us to the room, letting us know that we were the first to arrive. After sitting on one side of the table, we waited a few minutes before Al’s lawyer walked in with Al, Gretchen, Clyde, and two others behind them – a man and a woman.

  Jared rose and met Al’s lawyer, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you, Charles.”

  Charles was a rotund man, with beady eyes and thinning hair. It seemed like he had a permanently etched scowl on his face. He wore a three piece suit and a ridiculously flashy watch and cuff links.

  My eyes were on the two strangers. From their body language, the man and woman were Gretchen and Clyde’s spouses. The woman was around Clyde’s age, with brown hair, olive skin, and dark eyes. She was cute and had a pleasant, inviting air about her. She gave me a tentative smile, eyeing Grey and me curiously. There was no malice to be found in her expression, either.

  Gretchen’s husband was a whole other story. He was rail thin, almost sickly looking, with coal-black hair slicked back with way too much product. Something oozed off of him, making him appear shifty. It might have been the rat-shape to his face, but I believed it was something completely different. He was not a good man, and I only had to glance at him to deduce this.

  Breaking me from my scrutiny, Charles responded, “Nice to meet you, Jared. Shall we?” He held out his hand toward the large table.

  “I didn’t realize we were going to be meeting with anyone else,” Jared commented as we took our
seats, his eyes on the siblings from hell and their spouses.

  “Well, this is a family affair,” Al advised, sniffing at Jared as if he were scum.

  “This is Hadley Montgomery, Clyde’s wife,” Charles offered, signaling to the woman and man, “and Gretchen’s husband, Dade Wiesel.”

  Grey and I nodded our greetings, but we didn’t add anything.

  “Nice to meet you,” Jared returned, smiling cordially.

  “Can we get on with this,” Al interjected, impatient.

  “Al,” Charles warned, cutting his eyes to him.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Jared replied. “Might as well get through this as fast as we can.”

  “You asked us here to offer a settlement,” Charles began. “We’d like to know what this entails.”

  Like Jared requested, Grey and I sat quietly as he replied, “Actually, we wanted to see what you’re really trying to gain here.”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Charles questioned, his mouth quirking up. “The Montgomery’s believe Bella would be better off in their custody. They have already raised four children and have many grandchildren. She’d have more of a stable upbringing if she were in their care.”

  My temper sparked, but I kept my mouth clamped together.

  “Right,” Jared drawled sarcastically. “But you also want the entire estate that was inherited by my clients.”

  “We believe it’s fair. First, Grey Raiden wasn’t related to Jonathan or Abby.” Grey tensed at his name, but he didn’t comment, either. “He shouldn’t have any claim on their estate. From the letter mailed to Miss Vincent, we believe that neither of them were mentally stable, so they shouldn’t have been able to make these decisions.”

  “This is nothing new, Charles,” Jared remarked, leaning back in his chair. “Cut to the chase. What do you want to make this go away?”

  Charles laughed, but it wasn’t humorous. “There isn’t a way to keep this out of court, Jared. There’s nothing you can offer that will change their minds. They want the entire estate and custody of Bella.”

  Jared smirked condescendingly. “I thought you might say that.” He grabbed his briefcase off the floor next to him and placed it on the table. He clicked it open and pulled out some paperwork. He slid the stack across the tabletop and tapped them. “These are sworn affidavits from Teresa Montgomery and Oliver Montgomery. If you read through them, you’ll find that both of them believe that it is in Bella’s best interest to stay in the custody of Clarabelle Vincent.”

  “What is this, Charles?” Al snarled, glaring at me.

  Charles’ face was blank as he picked up the papers and flipped through them. “I believe this might change things a bit.”

  “Where is my wife?” Al growled, furious.

  Gretchen and Clyde gave one another worried glances. Dane appeared indifferent, but Hadley was getting a kick out of this. My regard for her went up a notch.

  “Mr. Montgomery, your wife is currently residing at Brad and Emma Raiden’s.” Jared’s eyes shined with glee as he delivered another blow. “By the way, I will be personally handling the divorce. Once the matter with Bella is resolved, we’ll be beginning the process.”

  “What in God’s name?!” Al hollered and stood. He pounded on the table in front of him. “This is unacceptable. She cannot do this!”

  “I beg to differ, Mr. Montgomery,” Jared advised calmly.

  “Al, sit down,” Charles ordered, trying to stay composed.

  “No, Teresa said she was coming here to talk some sense into Clara. She was supposed to get her to agree to give us custody!” Al’s face grew redder by the moment.

  This was the ace in the hole that Teresa handed us last night, much to our amusement. After arguing with her husband, she played into his ego, telling him how right he was. Then she made him believe that she had some sway over me. The man never suspected that his wife would act against him or leave him.

  “Actually, she came to warn them,” Jared enlightened him. “She also told us how you two,” he pointed between Al and Charles, “had somehow received a copy of Clara’s medical records. Now tell me, how did you achieve that, hmm? There’s no possible way you could have received that legally.”

  Charles’s face lost all its color, but he remained unruffled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Al sat suddenly, saying, “I think my wife is imagining things. She hasn’t been right since Abby disappeared, and since her death, she’s been worse.”

  “That’s correct,” Gretchen interjected, seemingly concerned. “There’s no way Mom’s affidavit will hold up once we have her meet a psychologist. She’s a bit crazy. Where do you think Abby got it from?”

  I couldn’t believe these people. Grey grabbed my hand and held it tightly, his body rigid. He was thinking along the same lines as me.

  “So you’re saying that you want custody of Bella, but Teresa Montgomery, one of the people that would share it with you, is crazy. Do you not realize how ludicrous that sounds?” Jared questioned, amused.

  “Hold on one second.” Charles held out his hand and signaled for the rest of the table. “We need a moment.”

  Charles got to his feet and left the room with Gretchen, Clyde, Al, and Dane on his heels. Hadley sat at the table, smiling down at her lap.

  Clyde stopped when he realized his wife wasn’t following. “Hadley?”

  Her expression blanked as she looked over at her husband. “Go on ahead. I’m sure I’m not needed.”

  He’d studied her for a minute before he walked out the door, shaking his head.

  A smile illuminated her face again as she faced us. “I cannot tell you how awesome it was to witness that.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Jared questioned, taken aback. He must not have been paying attention to her during the exchange.

  “I’ve been waiting years to watch that man be brought down a peg. I wasn’t going to come, but once Teresa called to tell me what was going on, I knew I had to see this.” She leaned forward and winked at me. “Totally worth it.”

  I tucked my lips between my teeth to stop from laughing.

  “Not a fan of Mr. Montgomery?” Grey questioned, entertained.

  “Hell no. That man is a pain in my ass.” Her smile died and a fierceness came over her. “He tells my husband to jump and all Clyde asks is how high. I love my husband – I really do – but once I heard about this, I was worried.”

  She stared at me unwaveringly. “I’ve spoken to both Oliver and Teresa about you, Clara. They have told me nothing but good things. But they’ve also told me about their visit here and how my husband acted towards you.

  “You might not believe this, but I’ll tell you anyway. My husband is a good man. He’s a great father and a loving husband, but when it comes to his father, he’s blind. He’s got some type of hero-worship for him and believes every word that man spews, no matter how many times I’ve told him otherwise. If it weren't for my husband being the way he is with me and my sons, I would have left him a long time ago because of Al.

  “With that said, Clyde believes that you are unhinged. He believes all the hatred Al has for you. He’s not here to take the money, like I know Al is. He’s here because he believes it is in his niece’s best interest. He’s lived with the regret of how he treated his sister for years, so now that she’s gone, he wants to do right by her somehow. He just doesn’t realize he’s doing it the wrong way.”

  “I don’t know what to say to that,” I replied truthfully.

  She shrugged. “Take it however you want. Clyde hasn’t been kind, but that’s on him. I, personally, after all this shit is out of the way, would like to know you and my niece. Teresa is at her limit, thankfully, finally, and will not want to be anywhere near that man. She’ll want to be close to Bella after losing Abby, therefore she will more than likely move to Bliss. That means I’ll be bringing my children to come see their grandmother, because she is an amazing one. Her son loves her, so he’ll be coming, as well.
I want to smooth the path to reconciliation between Clyde and you for my boys and Teresa’s sake.”

  “I’m not sure that’s going to be an easy task,” Grey pointed out, lifting a brow at her.

  I was in agreement with Grey.

  “I’m sure it won’t. But I know my husband. Once he sees the error of his ways, he’ll work hard to make it right. Like I said, he’s a good man when he’s out from under his father’s shadow.”

  Grey was about to speak, but Jared chimed in, “You think Al’s only after the money?”

  “Oh, I know he’s after the money,” she returned immediately, shaking her head in disgust. “Al doesn’t give a shit about any of his grandchildren. He barely shows them attention. He’s only after Bella’s trust fund. The same goes for Gretchen and her weasel husband. Their children are only a means to an end for them, and I’ve only seen them treat them as a burden. There isn’t any love in that house. I hate Gretchen and Dane with a fiery passion because of it.”

  “That’s…informative,” Jared replied tactfully.

  The door opened again and the five of them came back into the room. Hadley blanked her face again and nodded to her husband – which I found highly amusing, but I kept that to myself – as he sat beside her.

  Charles began as soon as he took his chair. “This does nothing to change our decision. We will continue to seek custody of Bella.” He continued with a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo that confused me, so my mind wandered as I thought about Hadley’s insight.

  If all this was about money, something we’d already figured. Offering them a settlement was only going to give them what they were after in the first place. This left a bitter taste in my mouth. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction.

  I came back to the conversation when Jared said, “To keep this from seeing the inside of the courtroom, we are prepared to offer-”

  “No,” I interjected.

  Jared’s head swung to me, surprised. “I’m sorry?”

  “No. Don’t offer them anything. I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Clara,” Grey murmured, watching me keenly. “Are you sure?”

  I leaned in and whispered, “We’re only going to be giving them what they want. They might have wanted more than what we’re willing to offer, but they’ll still win. I’m not going to give them that after everything. After listening to Hadley…”