Hello, Dear Reader!
I know I promised the custody/child support meeting, but after careful thought, I decided on a quick detour.
Many thanks for your understanding!
Chapter 13
Grace
It was the end of a long day. Wine glass in hand, bolstered by pillows, Grace curled up in bed, her head relaxed against the padded headboard. With her dear friend on speaker, she felt she could finally let loose and express her emotions. The past day and a half had been tumultuous.
"He looks exactly the way I've imagined Christian as an infant, absolutely precious," she said. "I can't wait for you to meet him."
"I look forward to it," Elena said. "But are you certain the child is Christian's? You know how duplicitous some young women can be. They see dollar signs and come up with all sorts of fanciful accusations. I hate to think anyone would take advantage of him."
It was just like Elena to be protective of Christian. It was unfortunate that Elena had never had children of her own, because Grace could only think what a good mother she would have been.
"It's so loving of you to always have Christian's interests at heart," she acknowledged. "But please don't worry. From what Carrick and I can tell, Ana doesn't have an avaricious bone in her body. In any case, Christian has acknowledged that the child is his, and just to be prudent, Carrick has ordered a paternity test. We should have the results any minute now. Enough of me, how's the convention? What is it called again… Hair Expo?"
Grace looked up to see her husband standing at the master bedroom door. She wondered how much he'd heard. Not that it mattered, but Elena had always been the person she could speak to most freely. Whenever Carrick was home, his attention was completely fixed on her and their family, but he worked long hours. He'd never seemed to be around in the moments when it would have mattered most. That's how and why Elena had become such an important friend.
"That's right… Hair Expo," her friend said. "I've found a couple of new products and services that I'm bringing into the salons."
"Good for you. When will you be home? I hope you'll be back in time to join us for brunch on Sunday," Grace said.
She watched as Carrick changed from suit and tie into sweats. It was their practice to change from workwear to loungewear as soon as they arrived home.
"I'm flying home on Saturday evening, so I'd love to join you. Will Christian be there? How about the baby and his mother?" It was obvious Elena was eager to meet the new Grey family members. Grace felt certain her friend would fall in love with them.
Carrick was tying off the drawstring to his sweatpants while listening to the exchange on the phone. He appeared annoyed and Grace couldn't imagine the reason for his reaction. Perhaps it was just the culmination of a long day dealing with Christian's legal issues.
"Christian might be in attendance," she said. "But Ana and Kit will be in Montesano." She was grateful Elena would be joining the family on Sunday. Her friend had always been able to take Christian aside and talk sense into him. If anyone could get him to face his parental responsibilities, it was Elena.
"How's our boy holding up?" her friend asked. "I was stunned when I heard the news of his arrest. For some reason, he's not taking my calls."
It surprised Grace that Christian wasn't accepting Elena's calls. He regularly ignored family, but it had always seemed he had regular contact with Elena. It used to upset Grace, but over time she'd accepted Christian's preference for Elena's company. She'd decided it was better to choose gratitude over resentment. Her friend had been a good friend and mentor to Christian.
"I'm sure it's just embarrassment," Grace said. "We have to be patient with him. Please don't feel neglected, because I don't think he's taking anyone's calls. I know he hasn't spoken to Mia or Elliot yet. He'll come around."
"I'm very concerned," Elena said. "Kidnapping is a serious charge. I do hope Carrick has arranged a strong defense."
"He and Lance have everything in hand. I've been assured of the best possible outcome."
"Hmmm… I do wish we had more time to talk, but I'm meeting acquaintances for dinner at Le Cirque. I'll see you on Sunday."
"Safe travels."
Grace ended the call and carefully placed her phone on her nightstand.
"I guess you heard all of that," she said. "Elena called, filled with distress. Christian hasn't only disappointed his siblings. He's not returning Elena's calls either." She took a sip of her wine. "Gretchen says dinner will be ready at seven. I opened a bottle of pinot noir. Would you like some?"
"No, thank you," he said. He walked to her side of the bed and sat on the edge. "I heard enough of your conversation to have my own concerns. Sweetheart, we need to talk."
His expression was grave. He took one of her hands and she braced herself for what was coming.
"What in the world… You're scaring me. Out with it."
"In a minute… First, some wonderful news. On the way home I received the paternity test results. Christian is indeed Kit's father. Congratulations to us all."
She saluted her husband with the wine glass and took another sip before setting it down.
"I didn't have any doubt, but it's wonderful to hear confirmation."
"Christian forwarded the email he received from the lab and he echoed your feelings. No surprise on his part."
"I'll call Mia and Elliot later to share the good news," she said. "So what is the other thing you wanted to tell me?"
"Hair Expo was held in Vegas two months ago. There are no hair or beauty expositions currently in Vegas. Elena lied to you. It's true that she's in Vegas, but she's attending a gathering called Kinky Swing. It's a BDSM swingers event."
Grace was surprised, but not alarmed. She didn't understand why Carrick was taking Elena's little white lie so seriously.
"Since when did we become judgmental? She fibbed. Everyone's sex life is private. I don't understand why you felt the need to question her choices." Grace withdrew her hand and waved off the idea.
"She took along someone named Isaac Johnson. He's two years younger than Christian," he said. "Doesn't that give pause?"
"This is silly. Turns out she's a cougar. Good for her," she said with a laugh. "She's only forty-five and looks a decade younger. She's gorgeous. It's only natural that she'll generate attention from men, both young and old."
"What if the attention was mutual and involved our son?" For a moment, she thought he must be kidding, then realized he was serious. She gave her husband a reproachful look, wondering what had gotten into him.
"Elena would never betray us that way. I know her too well." She was furious that he would suggest something so vile.
"Apparently not," Carrick said, his voice filled with judgment. "You had no idea she had a predilection for promiscuity, BDSM, and younger men."
"She and I don't discuss our sex lives," she said.
"Thank you for that," he said. "But I think you still probably tell her more than you should, especially when it comes to Christian's personal business."
Grace turned to get off the bed. She didn't want to listen. Carrick put his hands on her knees and blocked her movement.
"Let's not run from this," he said. "I had a conversation with Lance this morning. I brought up Ana's assertion that there's someone in our social circle who is problematic. He didn't seem the least bit surprised and he immediately identified Elena as the probable culprit. And it turns out he and Jeanine aren't the only ones who don't care for Elena. Apparently she rubs most folks the wrong way. After I thought about it, I realized she doesn't get invitations from others in our friend set. They only see her when we hold an event. They don't like her and when given a choice, they want nothing to do with her."
She had to admit there was a kernel of truth to what her husband was saying.
"It's true that Jeanine and others don't readily accept my luncheon invitations when they know Elena is included. But I've always attributed it to her being so much younger and prettier. Maybe they're worried she'll steal their husbands."
"Or maybe their sons?" It was obvious that Carrick had no intention of dropping his unsavory suggestion.
"Your idea is disgusting," she said. "Elena wouldn't do what you're implying. Just because she likes kink doesn't mean she'd sleep with her best friend's son. Maybe Ana is jealous of her and resents Elena's positive influence."
"Ana has shown no indication of that. She only seems to care about Christian in relation to Kit. Her concern is focused on her child, as it should be. I believe she knows something about Elena that we don't." Carrick had raised his voice. Their exchange was getting heated. He took a deep breath and released it, then continued in a softer tone. "Lance intimated that an Elena-Christian pairing had crossed his mind. When he mentioned the way Elena constantly paws at our son, I had to sit back and consider it myself. Christian is haphephobic, but he allows that woman more latitude than his own family. Even Ana never displayed as much intimacy as Elena does and she's given birth to his child. I don't know about you, but I feel like a damn fool."
"She's known him since he was six," Grace argued. "I just can't conceive of such a thing. It's abhorrent to think of Elena and Christian in a sexual relationship." It was an unfathomable notion. She couldn't believe they were having this conversation. "And why are you snooping into Elena's private life?"
"Our son is drowning in misery. I'm worried sick and I'm looking for answers. I investigated Ana last year when those two were seeing each other and she came up squeaky clean. I've only had a private investigator on Elena since noon today and everything I'm learning is questionable. Her credit score is in the toilet and she's living beyond her means. She's been receiving large payments from Christian for years. All this dubious behavior has popped up and the investigator has only scratched the surface."
Elena had always given the appearance of being responsible with money. She'd received a generous divorce settlement from Linc. It bothered Grace to think her friend would lean on Christian for money. He was beyond wealthy, but that was still no reason to take advantage of him.
"Lance really opened my thinking," Carrick continued. "In the restaurant today every time Elena's name was mentioned, Ana gave off a tell. While you were chatting with your friends, I directly asked Ana about Elena. She's never met Elena, but I got the feeling Ana knows way more than she's willing to admit. Our son has made an unholy mess of his life. He needs us more than ever. As long as I have questions, I will continue pursuing Elena's history, but I need your cooperation with this. Gracie, please. We're a team. Our bond should supersede all others."
"Of course I'll choose you over Elena, but she's always been supportive of the way I've chosen to respect Christian's boundaries. When you opposed me, she was always there to listen. Are you holding some kind of grudge against her because of all those arguments we used to have?"
"I've never been thrilled with the way you confide in that woman and look to her for affirmation. But that has nothing to do with this. Dammit, Gracie, have you been listening to me?"
"Of course I have. What are you asking of me? Do you expect me to cut off contact?" Elena was her best friend and mere minutes ago she'd invited her to brunch. It wasn't as if she could withdraw the invitation.
"Christian is in crisis." He moved a bit closer to her and rested a hand on her leg. She could feel his warmth through the fleecy fabric of her clothing. "I want you to stay open to the possibility that we've made a terrible mistake when we allowed Elena into our children's lives. Bottom line… I'm asking you to trust me more than you trust Elena."
She trusted Carrick with her life. She didn't understand his suspicions, but she knew he loved her and their children.
"You're my husband, so naturally I trust you more. I'll always take your side over hers. But you're raising an alarm about Elena and I'm simply having difficulty understanding."
He nodded, then turned away for a moment in contemplation.
"Remember when Kate asked Elena and Christian how long they've been dating? The only people laughing at the absurdity of it were Mia, you, and me. Elliot laughed, but looking back it was more a nervous laughter than anything. There's something others see that we do not. I'm asking you to proceed with caution when it comes to Elena. There's no need for her to know all of our family business. Test her a bit. You have easy access to her. See what you can learn. If it turns out I'm wrong, you can say 'I told you so' and I'll happily receive it. Right now I'm feeling like an abject failure as husband and father. I should have been more forceful in pressing my concerns."
"Are you blaming me?" She asked, knowing he was harking back to their bitter rows over child-rearing. Certainly they'd made mistakes, but she had no energy for rehashing past conflicts.
"I'm blaming myself," he said. "I've dropped the ball along the way by not asking enough questions. I've not protected my family as well as I could have."
She could see his anguish and she felt it was misplaced.
"You're a wonderful husband and father," she said. "You've always protected us. If you want me to use caution when speaking to Elena, I can do that."
"Thank you, sweetheart," he said. He kissed her forehead. "I do hope I'm wrong."
Dear Reader,
Thank you for staying with the story. Your support and encouragement mean more than you can know.
Grace is woefully clueless. What do you think it will take for her to become suspicious of Elena? Next chapter will be the promised custody/child support meeting. As always, I look forward to your opinions and concerns.
All the best, P.
