Fated Bliss (Bliss #2) (34 page)

Memories of my encounter with Uri came to mind again. It hadn’t been far from my thoughts all evening. I decided to broach the subject with her.

“What do you know about the man staying at the B&B?”

Samantha tipped her head back, her brows drawn with confusion. “Mr. Johnston? How do you know about him?”

Mr. Johnston?

Right.

“I saw him earlier,” I fibbed, keeping the facts to myself for now.

“Damn it. I told him to stay away from the weddin’. He didn’t cause any trouble, did he?”

I shook my head. “No.”

She covered her mouth as she yawned, saying, “That’s somethin’, at least.”

“Do you know anything about him?” I asked again.

“No, not really. He’s creepy, though. There’s somethin’ about him…”

Good girl.

I was glad she could sense Uri’s true nature.

“I know,” I agreed. “I didn’t like him. Stay away from that man, sweetheart.”

“What did he say to you?”

I wasn’t going to ruin the moment tonight.

“Nothing,” I lied again. “Just got a bad feeling about him. He’s a predator.”

“I can see that,” she murmured drowsily.

“Stay away from him.”

“I’ll do my best,” she promised, giving me a sleepy smile.

“Good,” I whispered, kissing her hair. “Go to sleep, baby girl.”

“’Kay,” she replied, starting to doze. “’Night, handsome.”

“Goodnight, Samantha.”

She drifted to sleep, but I could only stare up at the ceiling, wide awake. I had this sinking sense of dread that something bad was going to happen. I didn’t know if it was Uri or my mother’s impending arrival; I just knew that it had to do with Samantha.

Shit.

Chapter 27

Samantha

I looked out
Ben’s patio door and watched him. He sat at the table, a forgotten cup of coffee in his hands, as he stared at nothing in particular. He was a million miles away.

Ben had been acting strange since the wedding.
Really
strange. He was quiet and moody. I’d start talking to him about something only to realize he was staring off into space, not hearing a word. Other times, he’d snap at Linc or me for no reason at all. There was a desperation to his actions when we made love, as well, as if it were the last time.

Something was wrong.

I tried to talk to him, but I only got
fine’s.
I was starting to hate the term
I’m fine.

Ben wasn’t fine.

I wondered if the wedding brought up old memories of Gwen. Maybe he was reliving things and didn’t know how to deal. I also wondered if I did something to scare him away, but there was nothing that stood out.

At first, I thought that Mr. Johnston said something to him – if Ben brought it up, there had to be a reason why. However, when I went to the B&B on Sunday to clean up after the wedding, Mr. Johnston had already left. He didn’t even check out, and he’d paid for the entire week.

That was three days ago.

Ben stood from the table, and when he turned, he looked right through me, not seeing me.

My stomach knotted.

Unaware of my presence, he opened the door and walked inside. The desolation on his face brought tears to my eyes.

Something’s really wrong.

I didn’t know how to pull him out of this. Why he still wouldn’t confide in me was confounding. He was breaking me in two.

Ben continued into the kitchen and placed his mug in the sink. I ambled behind him, trying to find the right words to say to get him to open up to me.

Before I could, our phones dinged at once, alerting Ben that he wasn’t alone.

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at me, clearing his face of whatever he had been thinking so hard on. “Morning, sweetheart.”

“Hey,” I whispered, approaching him.

Ben rotated towards me and cupped my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah,” I murmured, nuzzling his hand. “I missed you this mornin’. I’m not used to wakin’ up without you.”

His smile was saddened. “Couldn’t sleep.”

I kissed his wrist and acted as if everything was normal. “Too bad. I had a special wake-up call planned for you.”

His eyes turned molten. “Is that so?”

“Mmmhmm.” I trailed a finger down his chest. “Maybe another time.”

“Tease,” he complained good-naturedly.

I grinned and stole a kiss. Before he could deepen it, our phones dinged again.

I pulled away, chuckling. “Someone’s insistent. We better check that.”

Scowling in displeasure, he spun back to the counter and found his phone. I pulled mine from my back pocket and checked it. There were two texts from Lyric, both pictures. One was an adorable baby swaddled in a pink blanket. The other was of Lyric and Paul standing by Maggie’s hospital bed. The exhausted new mother had tears in her eyes and the baby cradled to her chest as she beamed. A smile slowly spread across my face.

“Holy shit,” Ben whispered, staring at his phone with a look of pure awe. “Mags had the baby.”

“A little girl,” I added.

Another text came through.

Lyric: Madeline Faith has finally arrived! Six pounds and two ounces of cuteness. Told you it was gonna be a girl!

I laughed at that. Of course she had to rub it in.

Me: Congrats, Auntie. Give the baby and mama my love.

Though I had never spoken to Maggie, I was very happy for her and Paul, Lyric included. They looked radiant in the picture together.

Lyric and I had kept in constant contact. Even though she was across the pond, as she liked to say, we’d become great friends. I had considered talking to her about Ben’s moods, but now that Maggie had her baby, I thought better of it. If things worsened, perhaps. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen, and Ben would snap out of it.

“Madeline is a cute name,” I murmured.

Ben’s eyes brightened. There was happiness there, but I detected a bit of a lingering sadness. “She always wanted to name her daughter Madeline.”

He hadn’t talked to me much about Maggie or Paul. They’d been another topic he didn’t elaborate on.

One of many.

Instead of pointing that out, I said, “I like it.”

The sadness disappeared, and he beamed. ‘“I need to call Mags and Paul.”

“Go for it. Call me later and tell me everythin’,” I replied. I took a few steps to him and kissed him again. “I’ve gotta get to the B&B. We’ve got a new arrival comin’ in.”

“No time for breakfast?” he questioned, his disappointment evident.

“Not this mornin’, handsome. Since Grey’s on his honeymoon, my plate is full. I’ve got a ton of things to do before our guest arrives.”

“Lunch?” he asked, hopeful.

“Sure. Swing by and I’ll make somethin’ for us.”

“Sounds good.” His eyes traveled my face as if memorizing it. “Have a good day.”

My stomach sank – these looks worried me – but I kept a smile on my face. “You too, handsome.”

∞

I checked the clock on my phone for the tenth time. Our guest, whoever G. O’Donnell was, was officially hours late.

Grrr.

I hated when people were late. It threw off my entire day. Still, it was bound to happen in this line of business. When people were on vacation, they went by their own time. I couldn’t fault them. Enjoying yourself went hand and hand with vacation; worrying about time and responsibilities, not so much.

I ambled into the kitchen and found Mrs. Birdie at the kitchen counter. “Hey,” I called out.

She glanced up at me and then continued to chop a cucumber. “Hey, Sam.”

I sniffed appreciatively and stole a piece of cucumber. “What’s for lunch? It smells delicious.” I popped it into my mouth and continued to the fridge.

“Chicken salad sandwiches and my tomato soup,” she replied, shooting me a wink.

My favs.

I groaned as I grabbed a bottled water and closed the fridge. She made the best chicken salad and tomato soup. “You spoil me, Mrs. Birdie.”

“You’ve been down the past few days,” she remarked. “I thought it might cheer you up.”

I froze as I brought the bottle to my lips, surprised. “Have I?” I asked nonchalantly and took a sip.

She pointed her knife at me. “I’ve known you your entire life – not much gets by me, missy.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I cautioned her. Talking about my relationship with Ben was off limits. To distract her, I mentioned, “Ben is gonna stop by for lunch.”

She loved Ben. After the first time she saw us together, she pulled me aside and gave me her approval. She said we’d make beautiful babies together. I happened to agree, but that was something to think about
way
in the future.

Mrs. Birdie raised a brow at me, knowing what I was doing, but didn’t comment.

“Is there enough for one more?” I asked sweetly.

“If it’s just Ben. I didn’t plan on Linc. That boy eats us out of house and home.” There was a doting twinkle in her eye.

She loved feeding that kid. I was positive there was plenty made for Linc.

“I don’t know if Linc’s comin’ today or not,” I told her. I made a mental note to text him and find out.

Linc had finally gotten his license, and though he was in trouble, his father caved when it came to driving. With Ben’s busy schedule at the clinic, it made more sense.

Just then, the kid in question came strolling through the back door.

“Hey,” I greeted him. “We were just talkin’ about you.”

Linc grinned at me. “That’s because I’m awesome.”

I rolled my eyes. “Workin’ today?”

He nodded. “Grey left me a list.”

I put my hands on my hips. “He must have done that last week, and today’s the first day you’ve been here since he left.”

He shrugged, unremorseful. “I’ve been chillin’ with Abby.”

“Abby?” I questioned. This was the first I’d heard of Abby.

Linc smiled a cocky smile and waggled his eyebrows. “The pretty chick from the wedding.”

Wonderful.

“Abby?” Mrs. Birdie chimed in. “As in the chief of police’s daughter, Abby Lawson?”

“Her dad is the chief of police?” Linc asked, his smile falling from his face. He gulped. “She didn’t tell me that.”

I bit back a laugh. “I’d be careful with that one.”

He scratched the side of his head. “No kidding.”

The bell at the reception desk rang. I sighed and sat down my bottle of water on the counter. “Duty calls.”

Of course our guest chose my lunch break to arrive.

“Need help?” Linc questioned.

“Nah.” I waved him off. “I’ve got it. You can start your list.”

His shoulders slumped.

Whatever Grey told him to do must have been a doozy if he’d been procrastinating this long.

“Have fun, klutz,” I called out, laughing as I left the kitchen.

I heard him grumble something in return, but I was already strolling down the hall.

When I entered the sitting room, where we had a small reception desk for checking in guests, a red-haired woman stood with her back to me. She drummed her fingers on the wood impatiently, the sound brash in the empty room. The woman huffed and flipped her long, board-straight locks over one shoulder. Before I could say a word, she hit the bell again.

“Welcome to Bliss,” I said, hoping to mask my annoyance. I hated the pompous types.

The woman looked over her shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. “Finally.” When I didn’t move, she pressed her plump red lips together. “Are you going to check me in?”

I could only gawk at her.

First off, she was absolutely breathtaking, with perfect porcelain skin, deep emerald eyes, and an outfit to die for – a high-waist white skirt with a blue silk blouse tucked into it, tall, strappy, and very expensive brown pumps, and a thick, braided belt. Every hair was in place, and her makeup was flawless – she emanated class and refinement. Secondly, I’d seen this woman before. I saw her with Ben in London, and there was a picture of her on my phone sent to me by Lyric. However, in Lyric’s picture, and even when I saw her with Ben, the woman radiated joy and happiness and had an innate kindness. This woman had a well-to-do stick up her ass and came off as a bitch.

Holy fuck.

Gwen.

Gwen was standing in front of me.

She was in Bliss.

Not only that, Ben had kept out a very important fact about Maggie. He never once, not
ever
, told me that she was Gwen’s sister or his ex.

How could I have been so clueless?

Images of Maggie and Ben flooded my brain, especially the way he looked at her. Even from afar, there was so much love in him when he observed her.

So much.

He told me that he didn’t love her like that anymore, but what if Ben only said that because he couldn’t have her?

The memory of him this morning, when he said Maggie always wanted to name her daughter Madeline, came to mind, too. Ben was sad. Was he thinking about the children they envisioned having together?

Oh, God.

What was I supposed to do with this?

“Hello?” Gwen waved an impudent hand in front of my face. “Are you deaf or something? My name is Gwendolyn O’Donnell. I have a reservation.”

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

She was G. O’Donnell?!

This wasn’t happening.

I cleared my voice. “I’m sorry, Miss O’Donnell.” I rushed around the reception desk and started fiddling with papers, my hands shaking. “Let me…let me take a look.”

Ben and I were going to have a very long talk about these secrets of his. I was officially done.
Done.
No more. I couldn’t believe he kept this from me.
This!
The betrayal felt like acid in my veins.

“Here we are,” I stated, my voice shaking. I was very close to freaking out or breaking down into tears. What would happen first was still yet to be determined, but they were neck in neck.

I glanced across the desk at Gwen, my heart clenching. She really was beautiful. There was no doubt in my mind that she knew it, though, and it was clear that she thought I was beneath her. She stared at me as if I were scum under her shoes, those emerald eyes of hers insolent and repulsed by my presence.

And she was Ben’s,
my Ben’s
, ex-wife.

I can’t do this.

She couldn’t stay here.