She pressed a kiss to Nori’s head. “Mommy needs to put on her big-girl panties.”
Because someone in this house had to be brave. And if she didn’t have a Daddy to do it, it would have to be her.
Nori’s eyes lit up, and she smiled.
Bliss gasped. “Nori! Your first real smile. We have to tell Dadd—I mean, we have to tell Auntie Winnie and Uncle Reid.”
Connor wouldn’t want to know. Blinking back the tears that stung her eyes, she smiled as Nori blinked slowly and ground a chubby fist into her mouth.
Bliss placed Nori back into her sleeper and set the vibration to the setting she liked the best. Within minutes, she was asleep.
Glancing at the clock, she was stunned to see that it was now two o’clock in the afternoon. That clock had to be wrong. How had it gotten so late? The day had vanished the way they all did lately, swallowed whole by diapers and bottles.
Bliss caught her reflection in the mirror and scrunched her nose at the brown stain on her top where Sophie had tried to share her teething biscuit with her. There was nothing she could do about that now since the twins were sleeping in the room with all her clothes.
Well, she might look like a disaster, but she was a loved disaster. With all the babies sleeping, and since she was dressed for the job, she might as well get some cleaning done.
Before she made it to her supplies, someone knocked on the door. Who in the world? She never got visitors out here in the boonies.
It was peaceful and quiet, and Bliss loved it. But Winnie’s house wasn’t on the way to anywhere. No one came by without calling first. And that knock sounded too sharp for a friendly visit.
For one brief second, she wondered if it might be Connor, but she shoved that thought out of her head. It wasn’t Connor.It would never be Connor. She needed to move on, even if her stupid heart refused to cooperate.
Unlocking the door, she made a mental note to ask Reid to put in a peephole. She cracked the door enough to see who had shown up unannounced. A woman she had never seen before stood stiffly on the front porch. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun. With a clipboard cradled in her arm, the woman looked official, complete with an expression that made her look like she’d swallowed a ruler and decided the rest of the world should be just as rigid.
Actually, it made her look like shehad a corncob stuffed up her butt.
Bliss put on a smile and her best manners. “Can I help you?”
It occurred to her that she should have brought her phone with her, but she didn’t have anywhere to put it. Why was it so hard to find pajamas with pockets?
The woman swept Bliss with a judgmental glare, sniffed her disapproval, and marked something on her clipboard. The scratch of her pen sounded louder than it should have.
A chill of unease skimmed up Bliss’s spine.
“I certainly hope so. My name is Ms. Rochelle Talon. I’m an investigator with Child Protective Services. CPS has received allegations that the children here are being neglected and possibly abused. I’m here to investigate the claim to determine whether the allegations are true or false.”
Bliss’s lungs ceased to function. Her knees buckled as the world tilted so violently that she gripped the doorframe so she wouldn’t fall to the floor.
“Wh-what?” This was insane. “Wh-who told you I was neglecting my children? I would never… My girls are my life.” Panic clawed its way up her throat.
“Hmm. I’ll be the judge of that. Our reports are strictly confidential and promise anonymity. Now, if you’ll step aside, I can get started with my investigation.”
Bliss didn’t move. What should she do? Slamming and locking the door sounded good. Did CPS people have badges? Her mind raced, grasping at any solution.
“Ms. Carpenter?—”
“Miss.” Bliss corrected the woman. Even through terror, the correction slipped out automatically.
“I see.” The woman made a notation on her clipboard. Bliss wanted to throw up. “Miss Carpenter, if there is nothing to hide, you shouldn’t mind if I come in and have a look around.” Ms. Talon tried to look past her into the house. Judgment radiated from the woman, and she wanted to enter Bliss’s house?
Bliss’s thundering heart sank. Her house looked awful. She looked awful. The last thing she wanted was for this woman to come in and see it in this state.
She hadn’t done anything wrong. Sadie, Sophie, and Nori were all happy, healthy babies. Ms. Talon would see that and go away, right?
Right?
What was she supposed to do? Her vision grayed around the edges. That wasn’t good. She had to get a grip. But grip what?
