by Claire Adams
“I am really hoping the judge comes to a swift and decisive decision today,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “Then I can release you of all of this and let you get on with your life. I know this must be really hard for you, especially since you’re doing it for someone else.”
Part of my heart fluttered, and a knot grew in my chest realizing that when the judge made the call, that would be the end of us spending time together. I hadn’t realized that it would be sad until that moment, and I was pretty sure she could see that on my face. Her eyes moved over my face trying to decipher my emotions. I really enjoyed talking to Quinn, especially as much as we had talked over the last week. She had a really good head on her shoulders, a stark contrast to most of the women I’d been ‘dating’ most recently. She actually had something intelligent to add to the conversation, which was refreshing considering I probably never talked to a woman I was involved with in any manner other than flirtation, even the ex-wife, which was probably why things didn’t work out very well. Either way, no matter what happened in the courtroom, my time with Quinn was drawing to a close. Though I was willing to do anything for Jake, this made me sad.
I took a deep breath and dropped Quinn’s hands, still smiling at her as we stood there. Part of me wanted to hug her, to show her how much I appreciated everything she was doing, but before I could move, I saw Sarah out of the corner of my eye. She came bounding into view, a scowl pointed directly at me. She was holding Jake’s hand, but when he saw me, he tried to wriggle free, his eyes getting wide and his frame jolting toward me. I smiled big and leaned down to catch him, but Sarah refused to release his arm, holding it tightly and causing him to flinch. He pulled at her and groaned, begging her to let him go, but she just yanked at him harder, refusing to let him see me.
Instead, she yanked him hard again and literally dragged him through the courtroom doors without the least bit of acknowledgment. I couldn’t believe she brought him to court to witness all of this. She was trying to make him upset with me, and she probably thought she had all kinds of damning information, something I already knew was coming, even though it was going to be all lies. I just hated that Jake had to see it at all, and I hoped the judge would feel the same way. I could feel the anger inside of me starting to rise, pissed as hell that this woman had the audacity to keep my son from me. If I were a bad guy, I could understand acting that way, but I had always been a loving and devout father. It frustrated me that she was taking out her anger on my relationship with my son. He had a right to have me in his life, but she didn’t give a damn about him or his rights, she only cared about herself.
Just as I was about to get really mad, I stopped, feeling Quinn’s warm hand on my back. It was instantly calming, and suddenly I was extremely grateful that she was there supporting me. She didn’t have to do that, she was already putting herself out there, and being a support system for me wasn’t part of the deal. I smiled at the gesture and felt her lean in close to my ear, making the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
“You need to take a deep breath and calm down,” she whispered. “This is really important. You need to appear calm and collected, especially since everyone is looking for you to snap. You can’t let Sarah piss you off before you walk in there. She is doing that shit on purpose, trying to make you look like the villain. You need to prove to the judge that no matter what she does, you won’t get angry and lash out. And the judge will take notice that she brought Jake to the court; they take notice of all of those things.”
I took a deep breath and nodded my head up and down. I needed to do what she was saying; she could see it all from an outside perspective and had a clear and calm mind going into this. Well, at least clearer and calmer than my own was at the moment. The only person with any further detachment from the situation was Amanda, but it was her job to make the best of everything that would be thrown at us. I was just really happy that I didn’t have to go through it alone after all of this. I turned around and smiled at Quinn, feeling like her calm sensibilities and her beautiful smile were comforting and normal. It was a strange feeling to have with someone I barely knew, but I was definitely not going to ignore it. Maybe when all of this was over, I could ask her out on an actual date or something, or maybe I was just feeling sentimental about nothing.
“You ready? Court is about to start,” she said, smiling. “I’ll slip in after you, and take a seat in the back corner, so Sarah or Jake don’t spot me. Remember: keep your cool, don’t let anything she says get to you, and know that you have a secret weapon in your back pocket. The judge isn’t stupid, and they can’t ignore the truth when it is glaring in their faces. Be strong and remember that nothing is forever, no matter what the outcome of this time becomes.”
“Thank you,” I said, with a smile. “I’m not sure what I would have done without you today. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to keep my cool, and probably would have made everything worse before court even started. Good luck, and no matter what, thank you for doing this for me, I mean Jake.”
“I guess it’s for you, too,” she said with a grin. “Just a little, though.”
I laughed for a moment before nodding my head toward the doors of the courtroom. I walked inside, looking back for a second as Quinn smiled and made her way to the back corner of the row. She looked beautiful, but I had to put that out of my mind. I walked over to where Amanda was sitting and took a seat next to her, giving her the thumbs up sign. Amanda chuckled and shook her head, taking in a deep breath as the clerk took a seat behind her mound of paperwork. Nerves were rushing through my stomach, knowing that any second the judge was going to come in and we were going to start the session in court that would decide my fate as Jake’s father. I took a deep breath as the court officer walked to the center of the room and cleared his throat.
“All rise for the Honorable Judge Brown,” he yelled.
I watched as the judge came into the room, the same one who had heard our original court case. As we sat there, I could feel my stomach turning. I looked over at Sarah who was grinning at me maliciously. This bitch was about to learn her lesson.
Chapter Fourteen
Quinn
I sat there in the back corner listening intently as Amanda laid out Luke’s case piece by piece. I had never been in a court case that needed such intimate attention, and I found the way she talked, how she moved the puzzle pieces around to fit, absolutely captivating. The judge’s eyes moved back and forth as she walked across the courtroom, spelling out her case. Her voice was loud and strong, and you couldn’t help but to be focused on everything she was saying. Not only did she prove every statement she made, but she took no shit from Sarah when asking her questions. There was even a point where the judge hid a smile after the attorney became so feisty.
“So, what you just said, to clarify,” Amanda said as she questioned one of the character witnesses for Luke. “You have known Mr. Thompson for fourteen years, consider yourselves acquaintances, have been at numerous functions with both Mr. Thompson and Ms. Smith, and have never seen Mr. Thompson get so much as irritated with anything.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded.
“Thank you, Reverend,” Amanda replied. “I have no further questions for him.”
I smiled and looked down, not trying to show my emotion to anyone in the courtroom. I glanced over at Sarah who was now sitting alone since the judge had Jake go with a court supervisor since he was not comfortable with him being in the courtroom. Sarah did not take the chiding from the judge very well, but Luke kept a straight and professional face the entire time. Amanda continued through the character witnesses, who vouched unequivocally that they had never seen any instance where Luke had abused Sarah, much less even got agitated around them about anything. One witness went as far as to point out a temper tantrum Sarah had thrown at a holiday party when she didn’t get her way, calling Luke names and stomping out, creating a scene.
The witnesses did more than prove that he had no abusive tendencies, or
no telltale sign of an aggressive personality, but they also attested to Luke’s love for his son. In a last-ditch attempt to smear Luke’s name further, Sarah’s lawyers attempted to paint him as promiscuous, saying his dating habits were not healthy for Jake to be around. Amanda struck right back with their ace in the hole: me.
“If Mr. Thompson is so flagrantly promiscuous, how do you explain the fact that we have his fiancée here for testament?”
Immediately my chest tightened, and butterflies flew into my stomach. That was it; it was my turn to take the stand. I was incredibly nervous, and I clutched my hands together as I stood and faced the judge from the audience. He looked at me for a moment and nodded his head, leading Amanda to wave me forward.
“Your honor, I would like to call Ms. Quinn Mallorie to the stand,” she said.
“All right,” he said, with a kind smile in my direction.
As I walked forward, I glanced over at Sarah, whose jaw had dropped open. Her eyes had narrowed in my direction, and I could tell that she was livid. I could also tell she thought she had this proven wrong already. She whispered to her attorney as I walked through the gate and up to the front. Sarah was shooting daggers at me from her seat, and it was clear there were no second chances for that relationship. Not only had I burned that bridge, I had taken C4 to it, making it impossible to ever rebuild. I could feel the heat of her stare as I sat there waiting for the attorneys to gather themselves. I glanced over at Luke, who smiled kindly at me and nodded his head, causing a surging wave of comfort to wash over me for a moment.
I realized at that moment that this was most definitely going to change everything about my life. I was out of a job, certain that Sarah would give up her freedom before she ever allowed me near her or her home again. Also, if Luke and Amanda’s little gambit failed, I would be shut out of Jake’s life forever, never seeing him again. I would be back where I started, and would end up mourning the loss of this little boy, maybe not as strongly as that of my own child, but definitely to a strong degree. The only choice I had at this moment was to go with it and make it as believable as possible so that didn’t happen.
I watched as Sarah growled quietly at her attorney before he stood up and placed his hands on the desk. Amanda turned her attention to him, looking above her glasses as she waited, knowing he was about to say something. He cleared his throat and began to speak, sending butterflies into my chest.
“We object to this character witness, Your Honor,” he said. “The woman in question is Jake’s babysitter, and certainly not Luke’s fiancée.”
“Miss Goodall?” The judge looked over at Amanda.
“Your Honor, if Miss Smith’s council would be patient, we would be happy to explain,” she said. “It is true that Miss Mallorie was Jake’s babysitter, employed by Miss Smith, which is how Miss Smith and Mr. Thompson met in the first place. And, that being said, who better to help Mr. Thompson with joint custody than a woman who is currently spending more time raising Jake than his own mother?”
“Objection,” the other attorney yelled.
“Miss Mallorie,” the judge said, looking over at me. “How often were you watching Jake?”
“Six to seven days a week,” I said, into the microphone. “Most of the time he wasn’t at school or asleep.”
“Thank you,” he said, turning back to the other attorney.
“Sustained,” he said, clearing his throat. “Normally, I would take a recess, and take time to think things over and put things to the test, but after hearing these testimonies, I have already reached a conclusion. Miss Smith, you have, at every turn, pointed your finger at Mr. Thompson, calling him a liar, an abuser, and a bad father, yet you offer no proof. Today, I have heard line after line of testimony to the contrary. I would hope that you understand that lying in a court of law is punishable with jail time and a large fine. Not payable by your ex-husband, by the way. That being said, Jake has been out of his father’s care for nearly two years, making this a big change for him. I have decided to award Mr. Thompson joint physical custody on a provisional basis. Mr. Thompson, this is with the understanding that a court official will be assigned to the case and will be reviewing your status to make sure you really are committed to building a stable family for this boy.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Luke said into the microphone.
“I want you to fully understand what it takes to raise a child, a boy especially, in this day and age,” the judge continued. “We are attempting to send strong and independent men out into the world, with drive and goals. I expect you to be the leader in that charge, Mr. Thompson.”
“Absolutely, Your Honor,” he replied, nodding his head excitedly.
“Having a court official assigned to your case will mean unscheduled visits to your residence, regardless of the date, holiday, or time of day, all to confirm that your relationship with Miss Mallorie is legitimate, and to ensure that your home is a good environment for the boy to grow and thrive in. There will be no second chances if my staff should find that you are not living up to your end of the bargain. There will also be strict penalties should the court find that your relationship is a hoax or scam, bent to claim custody of your son. Are we clear on that fact?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” he said, without batting an eyelash.
“And do you understand as well, Miss Mallorie?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” I said quietly.
“Good,” the judge said, tapping his gavel. “Then this case has been settled and will be revisited in six months in order to turn this joint custody into a permanent order.”
The court police officer walked over to the stand and reached his hand out to me, helping me down and across the floor to Luke. He stood in the middle of the floor and dismissed the judge, watching as everyone stood quietly until he left for his chambers. When he was gone, I watched Luke let out a deep breath, glancing over at Sarah who was beet red and clenching her jaw. I turned away, thinking about what the judge had said. I was ecstatic that Luke got to have his son, but I was completely jolted by the details of the court order. I forced a smile as Luke hugged me tightly and turned to his attorney, shaking her hand.
I walked through the gate and sat down on one of the benches, trying to wrap my head around the fact that this ordeal did not end for me today. Instead, this had become a binding contract, was signed and sealed by the emotions and wellbeing of a six-year-old boy. I took in a deep breath and looked up as Sarah pushed past, stopping in front of me, then turning abruptly and walking out of the courtroom. I looked up at Luke who chuckled and shook his head, obviously not yet thinking about the repercussions for me in this situation. I rubbed my hands over my face trying to gather myself and saw Luke staring over at me with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He still had no idea why I was freaking out the way that I was.
I had really thought that when all of this was done, I would be able to quietly break things off with him and go my own way. However, after hearing the judge’s orders, it was obvious that he had his own idea about how things were going to progress. This whole situation just went from complicated to impossible in about three seconds, and while everyone else was celebrating, I was stuck thinking of my future and where I would need to go from there. I was committed to helping Jake, that was no secret, but I didn’t realize until that moment just how committed I really needed to be. This was not a one-day venture. This was not even a one-month venture; this was going to take my undivided attention for quite some time.
“I know that was a shock,” Luke whispered, after walking over and bending down in front of me. “But let’s just take it in stride, okay? We will talk about everything, but right now I need you to look happy with the decision, settled, and in love. I need you to act like everything that was said was not a load of shit. We are still in the courthouse, and the judge can change his mind at any point.”
“All right,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Sorry, it was just a lot to take in.”
Luke smiled and ran his ha
nd over my cheek, and without thinking, I leaned into it and smiled. When I opened my eyes, he was smiling back at me, but that was quickly extinguished when the attorney walked up, telling us it was time to go. I nodded and took Luke’s hand, allowing him to help me up off the bench. As we walked from the courtroom, my chest with filled with a plethora of emotions and my thoughts running wild. Oh brother, what have I gotten myself into now?
Chapter Fifteen
Luke
As I walked out of the courtroom, my face was covered with a huge smile. I couldn’t believe, after everything, that I had gotten partial custody of my son. I was so excited that I could barely hear or see anything going on around me. Jake was my world, and ever since he was taken away, I’d felt lost and lonely without him. When the judge made his decision, it was like a piece of me, that I thought was lost forever, had come back and taken its rightful place back in my chest. I couldn’t thank Quinn enough, and I knew this was going to be more of a commitment than she had counted on, but I also knew that she loved Jake and when we were all together, we made the kind of family that the court was looking for. In my mind, things couldn’t have gone much better than that, and it was both surprising and exciting all at the same time.
As I walked into the hallway and took in a deep breath of air, I looked up to see Sarah taking Jake into her arms and looking over at me. As soon as our eyes met, her jaw clenched, and she walked quickly past her lawyer, across the hall, and straight up to me. She shifted Jake in her arms and slapped at his hand as he reached out to me. I smiled at him and reached over, ruffling his hair. She could be a bitch all she wanted, but she wasn’t going to be allowed to treat my son like that.
“Don’t look so sad, buddy,” I said, ignoring Sarah’s stare. “The judge just said that I can see you more often and you can even spend the night at my house.”