Truly Madly Deeply Boxed Set (2 page)

Chelsie had suffered through an abusive marriage for too long, a mistake that had robbed her of the ability to have children, a family. A future. Wanting her younger sister to have all she couldn’t, she had watched from the sidelines, assuring herself that Shannon’s marriage wouldn’t sour as her own had. That her sister remained happy and loved.

After a while, Chelsie had stayed away, remaining connected to her sister only by phone. Death had made the rift permanent.

“Want Mommy,” Alix said, holding her hands out towards Chelsie.

“No, sweety, I’m not Mommy.” She ignored the memories the statement brought and forcefully pushed aside the unwelcome reminders of what would never be.

“Hold me.” The little girl threw her body forward. Griffin had no choice but to release her, Chelsie no choice but to take the child into her arms and hold her close.

Ignoring his grim expression, Chelsie planted a kiss on Alix’s forehead. The sweet aroma of baby shampoo tickled Chelsie’s nose, reminding her of why she’d always tried to keep a safe distance from this adorable child. In Alix, Chelsie saw too clearly the baby she’d lost and the children she’d never have. She closed her eyes and inhaled, savoring the unfamiliar yet comforting smell.

“Mommy,” the child said, looking around.

Chelsie swallowed, forcing back the pain that lurked behind the unwelcome tears. “No, honey,” she said again in a husky voice.

Griffin exhaled a sigh and reached for Alix.

Reluctantly, Chelsie handed the little girl back to her uncle. As she returned Alix to Griffin, the empty feeling in the pit of her stomach proved she’d been right. Any connection to this little girl would come at great emotional cost. Thanks to the jarring shift in family dynamics and the painful loss of her sister, Chelsie had no choice.

Obviously, Alix needed a connection to her mother. That was the least Chelsie could offer her sister’s child. The little girl needed her, and she would reach out to Alix regardless of the emotional risk.

She met Griffin’s gaze and was startled to find his eyes trained on her face.

“I guess you look more like Shannon than I realized,” he said finally, shifting Alix in his arms. “She asks for Mommy and Daddy constantly.” As he spoke, he took two steps back. He obviously begrudged her even a simple explanation.

Chelsie bit back a sigh. As a lawyer, she should be used to uphill battles, but he seemed determined to hold more than a grudge. Despite her reservations, she’d like more time with her niece in the future. The judge’s ruling had assured her of that, but she realized now wasn’t the time to ask.

“It’ll get easier.” She cringed as the platitude escaped her lips.

He remained silent. The other man stood to one side and watched them with obvious interest. Chelsie felt the heat of his gaze and looked over. He smiled and pulled his hand from the pocket of his jeans. “Ryan Jackson.”

She grasped his hand, grateful for a friendly face in the enemy camp. “Chelsie Russell. Nice to meet you.”

At the exchange of pleasantries, Griffin’s gaze settled on their intertwined fingers and his expression darkened.

She picked up her briefcase. “As I said, I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can do...”

“There’s not.” He didn’t bother to couch his anger with niceties.

She sympathized with his pain, but did not have to take his abuse. “Right.” She reached out to Alix, fingering her soft curls between her fingers.

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the building, away from the man and the child.

Griff scowled at Chelsie’s retreating back, his gaze unwillingly fixed on the gentle sway of her hips as she walked. He grunted in disgust. There was nothing gentle about Chelsie Russell. He placed Alix beside him on the floor.

That he’d almost allowed himself to be distracted by Chelsie’s dark eyes and huskily spoken words disgusted him. He couldn’t let himself forget her attempt to separate him from his niece, a little girl she’d never given a second thought to until now.

Chelsie had never been one for family visits, and though he’d have liked to get to know her better, he hadn’t been given the chance. He’d always admired her looks, and as an attorney, he’d respected her dedication and zeal, but he’d never expected her to turn those killer instincts on him.

Thanks to her misplaced family loyalty, he’d almost lost his niece, his last link to his brother. For that, he’d never forgive her.

“Cool off, buddy. You won. Alix is safe and she’s yours.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the surveillance tape, by the way.” Proof that Chelsie’s parents had attempted to bribe Griff into relinquishing custody had undermined every seemingly credible witness on their behalf and undoubtedly swayed the judge.

“What’s a good P.I. for?”

Griff turned to watch Alix run in circles around the marble pillar. She looked so much like Jared that a lump formed in his throat. Once it lodged there, the accompanying emotional pain and memories would take time to subside.

The car accident that claimed the lives of his brother and sister-in-law had shaken the foundation of his existence. He and Alix had each other and no one else. The Russells didn’t count and for all the time she’d spent with the little girl, neither did Chelsie.

At two years old, Alix needed Griff to keep the memory of both parents alive in her heart and her mind. He would do that, even if he had to alter his entire lifestyle to accomplish it.

“Why do you suppose she takes on all those tough cases?” Ryan asked. He pulled a carrot from a paper bag and placed it in Alix’s hand. “More than half of them are
pro bono
, you know.”

“This doesn’t count as one of her tough cases,” Griff muttered. “And her parents don’t exactly classify as those in need of free legal counsel. How do you know all this, anyway?”

“Had to do something with my time while I kept Alix away from the theatrics in there.” He gestured towards the courtroom.

“Who the hell knows why women do what they do? Most of them want something.” Griff could understand Chelsie’s need to support family. He’d stuck by his brother all their lives. But a bright woman with an ounce of compassion would want more for her niece than to be raised by people capable of deceit and bribery. Even if they were her parents.

“Chelsie Russell’s not Deidre.”

Griff lifted one eyebrow. “No? Could have fooled me. She does a damned good imitation. She’s out to build a reputation and doesn’t care who she steps on in the process.” His gaze drifted towards the glass doors Chelsie had disappeared through minutes before. “Trust me, Ryan. She’ll get what she wants. I know the type.”

“Maybe she’s building that reputation, but seems to me it’s the other way around. Unlike some women, she gives. Doesn’t take.”

“Sure she does. You’re just a sucker for a pretty face.”

“Still bitter, huh? I guess it hasn’t been that long, but I’d say you’re better off without the witch.”

“Drop it, Jackson.” His fiancée hadn’t had the decency to wait until Griff had buried his brother before she dumped him, his new charge, and a lifestyle that didn’t fit into her plans. She’d turned out to be no better than the mother who had abandoned him as a child. Without a six-figure salary, Griff held little appeal. Deidre had stuck around only as long as he remained a partner at the largest firm in the city of Boston.

“What’s all this hostility about anyway? The lady was just doing her job,” Ryan said.

“A job that no self-respecting attorney would have taken. But hey, representing her parents must have garnered her some pretty wealthy clients.”

Who cared if her own niece suffered in the process? Not Chelsie Russell. She’d proven her priorities. Morals and ethics weren’t among them. He didn’t ask himself why he cared so damned much that she’d disappointed him.

“The old folks did a number on her, couldn’t you see that? Besides, somebody had to take their case. Everyone is entitled to legal representation. Isn’t that the first thing they teach you in law school?”

Griff mumbled an expletive and caught Alix by the back of her shirt. “Hold it, squirt.” The child stilled for all of two seconds before she took off to circle the pillar again. At least she’d stopped long enough to hand him the carrot and put two orange hand prints on his white shirt

“Tell me something,” Ryan said, in his I-know-something-even-you-don’t tone of voice. “What’s really bothering you? The fact that the Russells dragged you through a dirty court battle or that the lovely Miss Russell played opposing counsel?”

Griff cocked an eyebrow at Ryan. “What the hell do you think? I just spent the day fighting for custody of my brother’s child,” he said in a hushed yet angry voice. His niece was young, but bright. Griff didn’t want her to remember any more of this awful day than was necessary. “I’d be furious no matter who tried to take Alix away from me.”

“Right.”

“Chelsie has nothing to do with this,” Griff said in response to Ryan’s disbelieving stare.

Then why did thoughts of dark eyes and soft-looking skin remain embedded in his mind? And why did her heated touch course through his clothing to reach somewhere inside him he’d closed off long ago?

Ryan shrugged. “You’re the boss. If you’re sure you’re not interested, I just might be.”

Griff grunted in disgust “I’d bet she’s not the dirty jeans and sneakers type.”

“Low blow for someone who isn’t interested.”

“Shut up and let’s get out of here.”

“Mommy,” Alix said.

Griff shook his head.

“Mommy,” she wailed.

“Oh, hell,” Griff mumbled as he took her little hand and walked to the door.

* * *

Griff popped the trunk of the family-style sedan and collected as many grocery bags as he could carry. After three trips to the house and back, he’d unloaded most of the packages. He marveled at the amount of food and other items necessary to care for a two year old. Since his niece had become a permanent part of his life, his purchases had expanded immensely. Diapers were but one new addition.

After lifting the last bag, he slammed the trunk closed. Alix’s appetite amazed him. So did the fact that he’d traded in his beloved convertible for what the salesman had termed “the ultimate family car.” Griff had nearly choked on the word
family
. That was before the man had slapped him on the back and cracked, “Must have been one hell of an argument. This baby’s a lot more expensive than flowers or candy.”

Griff grimaced at the memory. His sports car hadn’t netted much as a trade-in. The guy was a crook, taking Griff’s convertible for much less than what he’d paid. Still, he had to admit the man’s views on women were sound. At this moment, Griff didn’t have a hell of a lot of respect for the gender. He and Alix were a family. There wasn’t a chance the twosome would turn into three.

He left the packages on the kitchen counter and went to trade places with Mrs. Baxter. After a day with an active two year old, the older woman probably needed a rest, unless the past few weeks of sleepless nights had finally caught up with Alix and she’d taken a nap. The poor little girl could use the sleep.

So, for that matter, could he. He was physically exhausted and emotionally drained. His life as a bachelor had left him ill-equipped to handle his niece and her night terrors, or whatever demons prevented the child from sleeping soundly.

The sliding glass door in the kitchen led to a grassy backyard. Griff followed the sound of Alix’s giggles to the large willow tree located on the side of the property. Her carefree laughter surprised him. Though she’d taken to Mrs. Baxter, Alix remained reserved around the older woman. Griff’s concern was diminished somewhat by the fact that his office was now located in the upstairs level of his two-family house. He’d open his practice next week. Should a problem arise, Alix would rarely be far from his sight.

Childlike laughter echoed in the air and Griff smiled. For once, life seemed to be looking up. He turned the corner of the house and stared. Alix sat cuddled in Chelsie Russell’s lap. Chelsie’s brown hair ruffled in the breeze and she looked down, struggling to keep the light wind from turning the pages of a book. That Alix’s little fingers kept grabbing pages made the task more difficult. “More.” His niece’s voice drifted towards him. He stepped closer, mesmerized by the image of the woman reading to Alix, the little girl who had become the center of his being. With their heads bent forward, dark curls ruffled by the wind, they looked so alike they could have been mother and daughter.

Alix laughed, happier than any time in Griff’s recent memory.

As he’d seen the last time they were together, something about Chelsie struck a chord in his niece. Whether it was Chelsie’s resemblance to her sister or something more, Chelsie reached Alix where others could not. Watching them together, Griff silently acknowledged that this woman affected him, as well.

He remained quiet and listened to her soft voice. He searched his mind for similar images in his past, but none came. When his mother had taken off in search of a better, wealthier lifestyle, the task of raising Jared had fallen to Griff. His father tried, but juggling fatherhood and a full-time job had been difficult. As a child, Griff had been denied the uncomplicated pleasure of having a story read to him. When his little brother had gotten scared or lonely, Griff had made up exaggerated tales to distract him. No one had been there for Griff then.

For the moment, he let Chelsie’s voice surround him. Absorbed in her tale, he allowed himself to pretend life could be different, that he could indulge in both love and trust without having them thrown back in his face.

“The end.” Chelsie shut the book. Eyes closed, she lifted her face towards the sun. A peaceful expression touched her features, making her appear vulnerable. Soft and approachable, he thought. Almost as she had after the hearing, when she’d tried to apologize.

Reality intruded, unbidden and unwelcome. Griff forced himself to recall why he’d never have such a loving family scene in his own home. The pleasant feelings she invoked disappeared, along with his good mood. How could he have allowed himself to feel anything for Chelsie Russell?