Page 24 of Bliss: Part 2
The next morning, I was in the kitchen early, measuring flour and sugar into a mixing bowl when I heard footsteps behind me.
“What are you doing, Dad?” Tripp asked as he stepped inside.
I didn’t turn right away, just kept working the whisk through the dry ingredients. “Baking a cake for Bliss.”
“That’s nice.” He crossed the room to the fridge. “What for, though?”
I glanced over my shoulder at him. “I, uh…went to the police station yesterday afternoon. They found the guy. I thought maybe a cake would make telling her a little easier. Something to make the news a bit more bearable.”
He froze for a moment with the fridge door still open, then took out the milk before closing it. His expression shifted, his voice quieter now. “I see. So…she doesn’t know yet?”
“No.” I kept my eyes on the bowl as I spoke. “I was hoping to sit down with her later. Alone.”
“Good idea,” he said after a moment. “Can I know about him?”
I stopped whisking. I set the utensil down on the counter beside the bowl. I didn’t want to speak the man’s name more than I had to. But Tripp had a right to know, and the others deserved to know too. This wasn’t something I could keep from them.
“His name is Dillon Toller,” I said finally, turning to face him. “He’s being held over in Darly.”
Tripp watched me for a long moment without saying anything. Then he nodded, his throat working as he swallowed. “Good. That’s good.” His gaze dropped for a second before meeting mine again. “Do you want us to be there when you tell her?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll tell her alone. That’s probably best.”
He nodded again. “Alright. Yeah.”
I turned back to the counter, pouring the milk into the bowl and working it into the batter. Tripp poured himself a glass from the carton and sat down at the table. For a while, neither of us spoke. But even in the silence, I could feel the weight of his thoughts matching my own, both of us hoping that bastard would get exactly what he deserved.
After a few minutes, Tripp broke the quiet. “Will…uh…will this go to court? I mean, will Bliss have to testify?”
I let the whisk rest against the rim of the bowl. “If she agrees to it, yes. That’s something I’ll have to ask her.”
I hated that reality. Hated the idea of her sitting in a courtroom, having to explain what had been done to her while the man who did it sat only feet away. No one should ever have to live through that again just to get justice.
“Officer Holloway told me that in serious crimes like this, prosecutors will sometimes push forward even without the victim’s consent,” I continued, my voice low. “They do it to prevent further harm. Either way, the motherfucker’s going to be locked up. They’ve got all the evidence they need.”
Tripp nodded slowly. “That’s good. Well, you just ask her, and whatever she decides…that’ll be the right choice for her.”
“Yeah, I know.” I managed a tight smile. “Either way, she’ll get through this. She’s stronger than she knows.”
***
I knocked on Bliss’s bedroom door later that evening and opened it just enough to lean my head inside. She was on her bed, her legs crossed, a book resting in her hands. Ashby sat beside her, also holding a book. They looked comfortable, and I hated to interrupt them when they were doing something that made them happy.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said, her smile easy and bright, as if nothing bad had ever touched her life.
“Hey, kid.” I stepped in a little farther. “You got a bit of time for me? I need to talk to you about something.”
Her smile faded almost instantly. She glanced at Ashby, her expression tightening. He gave her a small, encouraging smile in return, and I had the strong feeling Tripp had already told him and probably the others too about what I needed to say. Bliss was the only one still in the dark.
“Sure.” She set her book aside and rose from the bed. “In here or…?”
“Downstairs, please.”
She looked at Ashby again, and he gave her a small nod. “I’ll be here,” he told her softly.
“Okay.”
She followed me downstairs, quiet the whole way, and we sat together on the couch.
