Fuck it. She was getting upset, and she was too far away. He reached for her, snagged her wrist, and pulled her back onto his lap. She struggled for a few seconds, then calmed and relaxed onto him just like before. The tightness in his chest relaxed, and he could breathe again when her body relaxed against his. For the first time since he’d gotten the call, the storm inside him eased.
Raleigh continued. “They can because this is a small town at heart. It’s more about who you know than what you did. I’m on this, Bliss. I promise. We’ll go to court, and we’ll win. Then this whole unpleasant situation will disappear. Isn’t that right, Connor? We know exactly what we need to do.”
Raleigh stared at him like he was missing the obvious. Connor wasn’t missing anything. He’d give anything for his girl not to be in this ridiculous situation. But since she was there, he was going to be the one to get her out of it. And hopefully rebuildthe trust he’d lost. He would fight, scheme, lie, or get engaged and married—whatever it took.
She was his.
His Trouble.
His everything.
He knew what they needed to do, and doing it didn’t upset him at all. The only thing he didn’t know was how Bliss would react. But after he found the perfect ring, he was going to find out. And this time, he wouldn’t let anything come between them.
Not a woman. Not the law. And definitely not the fear of the future.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Bliss struggled down the street in Darling, Sadie and Sophie in a stroller in front of her, and Nori wrapped up in a baby carrier and nestling against her chest. She’d been to five stores so far and had yet to find anything suitable to wear to her hearing. Why did everything have to be this hard?
Today was her craft day, darn it! She had all her supplies laid out on her kitchen table. The cardstock, the paint and glitter, the gold and silver pipe cleaners, and glittery jewels, she had everything she needed. She was about to make her Christmas cards, when Winnie had called, asking what she was wearing to her hearing. The one to prove she wasn’t hurting her children.
She blinked back the tears that burned her eyes every time she thought about it. She had nothing suitable to wear, and Winnie was so petite. There was no way that Bliss could borrow anything from her sister.
Every piece of clothing she owned was either stretched, stained, or plain worn out. If she went before a judge wearing anything she owned, the Department of Children’s Services wouldn’t even have to argue their case. She’d make it for them.
Her stomach knotted. She could practically hear the whispers of the judge when he saw her.“Really? That’s whatshe’s wearing?”It wasn’t like she needed something fancy. She didn’t need fancy. She just needed something not covered in baby poop and baby food stains. Anything that said capable, not desperate.
So now she was trekking around Darling, looking for a stuffy old dress instead of making handprint trees. Her feet ached, her arms were sore, and her brain felt like it had melted into a puddle of indecision. It was like every store mocked her failure, every hanger teasing her with clothes that weren’t right.
At least she had the time to shop, thanks to Ivy. Her boss had called her into the office when she’d gotten to work on Monday. She’d already been on pins and needles about seeing Sandra. When she’d gotten the summons from Ivy, she’d expected to be fired, even though she’d done nothing wrong.
Instead, Ivy gave her a warm, grounding hug. It felt like a small island of safety in the storm that her life had become. Ivy had said she was sorry for everything Bliss and her children were going through. She didn’t seem too happy about what Sandra had done, either.
Ivy was a wonderful person and a great boss. She’d sent Bliss home on leave with pay so she wouldn’t have to leave the twinsin Sandra’s room. She told Bliss not to worry, that everything had a way of working out. Bliss hoped she was right. She’d never been the praying type, but she whispered a heartfelt thank-you to whoever might be listening, willing herself to believe it.
Lost in thought, she walked down the sidewalk, trying to think of anywhere else to shop she could afford, when a shout, “Whoa there!” interrupted her thoughts. The voice was bright, cheerful, and way too loud for someone in a hurry. Bliss jumped, nearly sending the stroller into a lamppost.
A petite woman had her hands braced on the front of the stroller. She looked like a Christmas elf out of costume, completewith snow-white hair, even though she couldn’t be much older than Winnie.
The woman hopped back and threw Bliss a grin. “Sorry about that. I stepped out of my shop, right into oncoming traffic. Ezra is always telling me to slow down and look before I leap, but where’s the fun in that?” Sticking out her hand, she added, “I’m Rory. And you must be Winnie’s sister. I haven’t been able to do much with the Musketiaras lately, but I’ve heard all about you.”
Her grin was infectious. Bliss shook Rory’s outstretched hand. “Totally my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“You did seem a bit lost in thought. I heard about what you’re going through. Gave Sandra a piece of my mind, too. Not that it will do much good. Total bitch, that one. She thought if she put out for Conn when he was in town, he’d eventually put a ring on her finger. My opinion? He’d be better off with a Rottweiler. Of course, he already knew that. That’s why he cut her loose right before you moved here… and you didn’t know any of that, did you?”
Bliss tried to smile, but that was just the last straw. She didn’t care who Connor slept with. Her stomach twisted.
Okay, she did. A lot. But she didn’t have any right to.
Actually, Connor had been amazing the past week. He was at her house day and night now, sleeping on the sofa, taking care of her. He even watched her babies when he enforced her newly required “mommy naptime.”
She didn’t know what had changed his mind, and she didn’t care. He told her he hadn’t meant what he said that awful night he’d ripped out her heart. Now that she knew who Sandra was, and what she’d been to him. It was more likely that he felt guilty his ex-girlfriend was the one trying to ruin Bliss’s life.
Had he been her Daddy, too? Had he treated her like a princess? Cuddled her every day and every night? Okay. Thatwas enough of that. He didn’t really want Bliss that way, and that was all that mattered.
It was hard to remember, with all the things he did to make her life better. Her cabinets and refrigerator were filled with good food. Evidently, according to Connor, ramen noodles didn’t qualify. Her house was tidy. She found herself doing chores, and it wasn’t bad because he did them with her. Everything felt different with him there.
She couldn’t allow herself to get drawn in. He would only be there until the DCS charges went away. If she started believing it was real, when he left, it would ruin her.
