The After of Us (Judge Me Not #4)(57)

After learning about Lily, and taking a moment to digest it all, my mother’s first words were, “That’s it. I’m checking my schedule and flying out to Ohio to meet my granddaughter. I want to come as soon as possible. When would be a good time?”

Since I have Chase backing me, not to mention Emma’s full support, I told my mother, “Anytime you want, Mom.”

We currently have a date set for her to visit in late September.

When I let Lily know she’ll be meeting my mom—her grandmother—real soon, she asked me, “What about my other nana? What happen to her?”

She meant Cassie’s mom. Mrs. Sutter watched Lily for a long time when Cassie was MIA, so it was no surprise to learn Lily still thinks about her.

“Do you miss your other nana?” I asked her.

She nodded. “Sometimes I do”

I decided then and there to hire a private investigator to search for Lily’s maternal grandmother.

I’d like to talk with Cassie’s mom anyway, to see what we can do about getting Cassie into rehab. I don’t ever plan on giving Lily back, but if Cass cleaned up her act, I’d consider letting her see her daughter from time to time. I know it’d be in Lily best interest if she could have her real mom in her life.

Before all that can happen, however, I need one thing to be official—I want full custody of Lily.

The next day, I hire a second PI to find Cassie in Las Vegas, so she can sign over full custody to me. I’m not taking any chances that, on a whim, Cassie may have an urge to snatch Lily away from me.

That is just not ever going to happen.

A week later, I get good news. The PI has found Cassie rather easily, and—surprise, surprise—she’s signed the papers, no questions asked.

“How was she?” I ask the investigator when he returns with the signed documents.

“Strung out,” he tells me.

“How bad was it?”

“Pretty bad.”

I shake my head.

A few days later, the first private eye I hired calls in to inform me he has located Cassie’s mother. Mrs. Sutter lives in Denver these days.

When I give her a call, and after she expresses great shock to hear from me after all these years, she tentatively asks if I know about Lily.

“Yes,” I tell her. “Cassie finally told me.”

“I’m sorry I never looked you up and told you,” she says, sounding bereft.

Sighing, I say, “Water under the bridge.”

Fighting back tears, she asks, “Do you happen to know where Lily is? I know Cassie returned to Nevada with her, but I haven’t heard from my daughter in months. She called me once, a long time ago, but I couldn’t understand a word of what she was going on and on about. When I tried to call her back, the number she called from had been disconnected.”

I let Mrs. Sutter know that Lily is safe and with me, and then I inform her, “I have full custody now.”

She releases a relieved breath. “Oh, thank God, Will. Just, thank God.” Tentatively, she adds, “Would it be all right if I fly out to Ohio to see Lily sometime?”

“I think Lily would love that,” I reply softly.

We then discuss the situation with Cassie.

“I know where she is, at least for the moment,” I tell Mrs. Sutter. “If you want to talk to your daughter, I can give you a working number.”

“Thank you, Will,” she says.

We agree to work together to try and talk Cassie into going back to rehab.

Mrs. Sutter warns me, though, “Don’t get your hopes up, Will. Cassie’s been down this rehab road so many times. And, unfortunately, for all involved, my daughter always goes back to a life with drugs. If having Lily couldn’t keep her sober, I don’t know what ever will.”

“Still,” I maintain, “we have to try.”

But when Mrs. Sutter flies to Vegas, after Cassie agrees to visit and talk with her, Cassie bails on the meeting. She then disappears completely from the radar. Deeper into the druggie life, I fear.

“That could’ve been me,” I say to Emma one evening, after informing her that Cassie’s gone MIA.

We’re out to dinner, on our weekly date night, a routine made possible when Chase and Kay are available to babysit Lily.

From across the table, Emma says softly, “Don’t say that, Will. You never would’ve gotten to that point.”

I’ve told Emma everything, including all the unsavory details from my past, and she still accepts me for me. Amazing.

“Do you know how much I appreciate you being in my life?” I say, changing the subject.

“Will, stop.”

She blushes, and I have to laugh. I’m always gushing over Emma these days. I love doting on her, to the point where she’s at a loss for words. It’s cute when she gets all flustered by the flattery I bestow on her. I just want to make sure she knows how committed I am to her. I feel like I jerked her around way too much the first couple of months of our relationship.

Well, not anymore. Emma now gets the full-on I’m-completely-in-love-with-you version of Will.

“It’s true,” I continue. “With you in my life, I’m finally the man I always wanted to be.”

“The man you always wanted to be was there all along,” she says.