What was going on? He felt he was in some kind of alternative universe where he couldn’t communicate with the people on the other side. The best thing he could do was go to the courthouse. When the others showed up, they would be surprised to see him. While he drove, he prayed that everything would work out. As he pulled into the parking area near the courthouse, his cell phone rang. After maneuvering into a spot, he picked up the phone. “Melody, I’ve been trying to get a hold of someone.”
Melody chuckled. “You sound a little frazzled.”
“Is Annie with you?”
“Yes, we’re only minutes away from the courthouse.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Why are you saying that?”
Ian proceeded to explain what had happened with Scott. “So I’ll be representing Annie today in the hearing. Will you let her know?”
“Sure.”
“How come neither you nor Annie answered your phones?”
“The Bible study group I lead was having a prayer meeting with a group of seniors over at the assisted-living center. We were praying about Annie’s hearing.”
“Good to know.” Why had he been left out of the loop? “I’ll see you momentarily.”
Ian sat in his car and contemplated his reaction. For a fleeting moment he’d thought something bad might have happened to Annie. After she’d walked out and stolen from him, he’d told himself he didn’t care what happened to her. Now he had to face the fact that he cared—a lot. What did that mean for his peace of mind?
Getting out of the car, he shook the question away. He didn’t need to let his feelings get mixed up in this case. This was about the law and whether Annie could satisfy the court that she could take care of her children. His involvement should start and stop there. As he approached the door to the courthouse with its giant clock tower looking down on him, his parents approached from the other direction.
“Mom, Dad.” Ian waved a hand over his head. They stopped and turned in his direction. “What are ya’ll doing here?”
“We could ask the same.” His dad held the door open.
As they went inside, Ian explained the circumstance that had brought him to court. “You still haven’t explained why you’re here.”
“We’re here to support Annie.” His mom gave him a sympathetic look. “I know the divorce and everything was very hard on you, but I still love Annie like a daughter, and I want things to go well for her.”
Nodding, Ian swallowed hard. “I do, too.”
While they talked in the cavernous hallway, Melody and Annie came through the door. There were greetings all around, and Ian could see that having his parents there meant a lot to Annie as her eyes welled up with tears. What would it be like if he and Annie got back together again? No. He couldn’t let that kind of thinking fill his mind. It was crazy. This stuff with his parents was making him feel things he shouldn’t feel at all. He was here as her lawyer. That was it.
In the next few minutes, Annie introduced everyone to Pastor John. He had come to testify on Annie’s behalf. While Annie made the introductions, Ian went over his opening statement. He hoped he could do a good job on short notice.
Ian approached Annie and caught her attention. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She nodded, her expression apprehensive. “Are you ready to represent me? This has been dumped in your lap at the last minute. Besides, I’ve done a lot to hurt you, and this is just one more mess of mine you have to deal with.”
“I’ve been keeping up with your case and have all of Scott’s files. And honestly, I don’t mind.” Surprisingly, he meant it.
Annie nodded but her worry didn’t seem to ease. “Since I haven’t been able to get a regular job, do you think that’ll count against me?” Annie pressed her lips together.
“You’re looking. That’s what counts and, besides, you have the temporary job at The Village. I believe you have a strong case, Annie.”
“Thank you.” She looked up at him and smiled.
Ian’s pulse zipped. He couldn’t let her smile distract him. “Let’s go into the courtroom. The hearing will start in a few minutes. Everyone who is here to testify on your behalf will have to wait outside the courtroom until they’re called.”
Standing, Annie nodded. “Let’s go.”
As soon as they were seated, Ian focused his attention on his opening statement. When Annie had first come to The Village, he hadn’t believed most of what he was about to tell the judge. There was no way he could have honestly represented Annie, but today he had a different perspective. He could see that she’d changed. She did want to put her life in order, and he wanted to help her.
When the middle-aged female judge entered the courtroom, everyone rose. The woman had an intimidating presence. Her short black hair matched her robe. Ian sensed Annie’s trepidation as she stood beside him. The connection between them reminded him of the early days of their relationship. Did he want to revisit that time and those feelings? He didn’t know, and this wasn’t the time or place to try to figure it out. He focused his attention on what the judge was saying.
As Ian stood to give his opening statement, he said a silent prayer to God. He had to leave this whole process in His hands. God knew whether Annie deserved to have her children back.
After the judge had heard Ian and the folks who had come to testify on Annie’s behalf, the attorney for DFCS swore in Annie’s caseworker, Elena Lamb. He listened to the woman’s testimony about Annie’s numerous relapses. The Annie the caseworker was talking about was the old Annie. Why couldn’t the woman see how Annie had changed? Getting to know her again had little by little changed his mind about her. He didn’t understand why the caseworker wanted to keep Annie away from her children. But hadn’t he had the same attitude when Annie first came to The Village?
When the testimony concluded, the judge banged her gavel and Ian and Annie rose as the judge looked down on them. Annie stared straight ahead, not moving a muscle.
The judge surveyed the courtroom before focusing her gaze on Annie. “After listening to the testimony, it is my judgment that Annie Payton should have custody of her children.”
A murmur floated through the courtroom, and Annie looked up at him, a little smile curving her lips. When the judge banged her gavel again, Annie quickly focused her attention toward the front.
“Quiet until I’m finished.” The judge looked toward the caseworker. “The children will be returned to their mother under a Protective Order.” The judge let her gaze settle on Annie. “Ms. Payton, you must continue to have clean drug screens, continue to look for employment and return to court every three months for a review.”
The judge turned to the caseworker again. “You will arrange for a transitional meeting between Ms. Payton, her children and the foster parents within the next seventy-two hours. We want to make this transition as easy as possible and in the best interest of these children.”
After the judge adjourned the proceedings and left the courtroom, Annie turned to Ian and threw her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you. I can’t thank you enough.”
Hardly allowing himself to breathe, Ian put his arms around Annie and gently held her as she cried with happiness, her shoulders shaking as the tears flowed. Holding Annie reminded Ian of the time when their relationship was new and sweet and innocent. But it couldn’t ever be that way again. Too much bad stuff had passed between them.
“I’m happy for you, Annie. You’ve worked hard to get Kara and Spencer back. You deserve this.” Extricating himself from the embrace, he tried to push thoughts of Annie and him far, far away.
As he held Annie at arm’s length, his parents joined them. He stood back as his dad and then his mom smothered Annie with hugs and congratulations. He was thankful for their presence and how it had rescued him from his troubled thoughts. He couldn�
��t be part of Annie’s life again. Why did he have to keep telling himself that?
Melody, Pastor John and other folks from The Village joined in the celebration with handshakes, hugs and laughter. As Ian took in the joy surrounding the group, Elena Lamb approached from the other side of the courtroom. He met her in the space in front of the judge’s bench.
She smiled and held out her hand. “Congratulations. You’ve succeeded in reuniting your client with her children. I hope this will be a good thing for all concerned.”
Ian shook the woman’s hand, but he didn’t believe she was happy about the outcome of this hearing. He wanted to ask why, but he wouldn’t open up that subject. He only wanted to set up the time for the transitional meeting. When that was accomplished he ended the conversation.
Ian’s dad came over and clapped him on the back. “Good job, son. We’ve invited everyone over to our house for a little lunchtime celebration.”
“Okay. I’m glad she can celebrate with everyone.” Ian glanced in Annie’s direction.
Ian couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her so happy, even happier than when she’d won at dominoes. He liked the new Annie, and he couldn’t help wondering how she felt about him. Was he crazy to consider rekindling his relationship with her? She’d broken his trust. He didn’t know whether it could be repaired. Even with that thought lingering in his mind, he wasn’t doing a very good job convincing himself that a new start with Annie would be a completely bad thing.
* * *
When Annie arrived at Jordan and Doreen’s home, they greeted her with open arms and open hearts. She never realized how much Ian’s parents had loved her. Her heart ached because she’d caused them pain as well as Ian. During their conversation at the courthouse, they’d reassured her that the past was forgotten. Jordan reminded her that God forgives and that as Christians they had to follow His example and forgive.
Their forgiveness made her heart lighter, but Ian still withheld his. At least he said he was working on it. She shouldn’t be thinking about Ian. He wasn’t even here to celebrate, but at least he’d been there for her today in court. Why was forgetting him so hard?
While Annie helped herself to the substantial spread on Doreen’s dining room table, Ian walked through the front door. Her heart tripped. She was never going to get over him. She watched as his mom greeted him and led him into the dining room.
“Annie, look who’s here.” Doreen grabbed Annie’s hand and pulled her closer.
“Hi, Ian.” Annie’s smile wavered as Ian looked at her. She should never have hugged him in the courtroom. What a mistake. Somehow she would have to find the time to apologize.
Ian looked at his mother, then over at Annie, as he shook his head and gestured toward Doreen. “You’d think the way she’s acting we hadn’t just seen each other in court.”
“I wanted her to know you were here. I see how you men will huddle in a corner and never bother with us women.” Doreen handed him a plate. “Help yourself.”
Ian took the plate and put several items on it. “Mom, since you had this planned, you must’ve had a lot of confidence that Annie would win her appeal.”
“Why not? We’ve been praying for weeks that Annie would be reunited with Kara and Spencer. You know what the scripture says in the gospel of Mark. ‘Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’”
Ian nodded, acknowledging the truth of what his mother had said. “Thanks for the reminder.”
Doreen patted his arm. “And besides, my handsome son is an excellent lawyer.”
“You don’t have to brag on me, Mom. I didn’t prepare the case.”
“Yes, but you knew who to ask when you couldn’t, and in the end, you presented the case.”
Annie tried to slip away while Doreen and Ian talked, but Doreen thwarted Annie’s effort. “Annie, I’m sure you and Ian have things to talk about, so I’ll leave you two alone.”
Ian stared at Annie, a smile curving his mouth. “Do we have something to talk about?”
Annie nodded. This was the time to apologize. “I think so.”
Ian gestured toward the back of the house. “Let’s go out on the deck where we can have a little privacy.”
“Okay.” Annie followed him through the sliding-glass door onto the redwood deck overlooking the backyard. Tall pines shot toward the sun amongst the oaks and maples. Her heart beating in double time, Annie took a deep breath and wondered why they needed privacy.
Ian walked over to the railing and placed his plate on the top of it. He took a few bites of his food, then leaned on the railing with his forearms as he looked out at the yard and not at her. “What do you have to say?”
Should she bring up the hug, or leave it alone? Taking a long, slow breath, she joined him at the railing, but he continued to stare straight ahead. If she didn’t apologize, she would still be second-guessing herself. With Ian she never knew which way to turn. She had to say something, or he’d get the crazy idea that she wanted to be alone with him. The idea wasn’t so crazy. That was the trouble.
“Well?” Ian turned to look at her.
Her heart jumped into her throat, and she lowered her gaze to the deck. “I’m sorry I hugged you in the courtroom. It wasn’t appropriate. I appreciate your help. That’s all.”
His footsteps sounded on the deck as he drew closer. “It’s okay, Annie. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She slowly raised her head. “You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Let’s talk about Kara and Spencer.”
Obviously, the hug meant nothing to Ian. He’d dismissed it without a second thought. “Sure. What did the caseworker say to you? I always got the feeling she didn’t like me much and was never an advocate for reuniting me with my kids.”
“Do you know why?”
Annie didn’t want to explain, but she was sure Ian already knew the answer. “You’ve said it yourself. You don’t trust me to stay clean and sober, and neither does the caseworker. You’ve seen me relapse more than once, and so has she. I’m pretty sure that’s why you didn’t want to represent me in the first place.”
Ian stepped even closer and took her by the shoulders. “You’re right, but I see that you’ve changed. I believe in you.”
“Thank you.” That one statement had Annie wanting to fall into Ian’s arms and stay there forever, but he wasn’t ready for that, or was he? She stared up at him. For one instant she thought he was going to kiss her.
He dropped his hands and stepped away. “We’d better go inside and mingle.”
“Sure.” Had she imagined the almost kiss? Was it wishful thinking? Think about your kids, not Ian.
“There you two are.” Melody hurried toward them. “I’ve got to leave for a meeting with a new resident. Ian, you can give Annie a ride home, can’t you?”
“Yeah,” Ian said as he grabbed his plate and finished the last bite of food.
“Great.” Melody gave Annie a hug. “And congratulations again. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Let me know if you need anything.” Melody waved as she raced away.
Ian chuckled. “I don’t think she slows down for a minute.”
“She knows how to get things done.” Annie digested Ian’s comment and wondered how he felt about Melody. The senior ladies said there was no spark between Ian and Melody, but Annie wasn’t convinced. While hints of jealousy roamed through her thoughts, all her feelings about Ian inundated her. Jealousy, worry, gratitude and the one that held the most sway—love. What was she going to do with that?
“I’m going to get some more food.” Ian pointed to his empty plate.
“Go ahead. I’m good.” Annie hoped for a few minutes alone to sort out her feelings.
“
Ian. Oh, good. I found you.” Doreen stopped him. “I have something to discuss with you and Annie.”
Ian’s expression portrayed annoyance. “And what would that be?”
“Mother’s Day.”
“Are you trying to give me hints for what you want?”
Doreen gave him a friendly swat. “No. I don’t need gifts, just your time. Your father is taking me out to dinner, and I expect you to be there.”
“Of course, I’ll be there.”
“And I want you to bring Annie and the children.”
Annie didn’t miss the panic in Ian’s gray eyes, but she would seem ungrateful if she tried to decline Doreen’s invitation. Did Doreen realize she’d put Ian in a bad spot, or was she purposely trying to push them together?
“Don’t you think you should ask Annie first? She’s standing right here.” Ian raised his eyebrows as he looked first at his mother, then at Annie.
“I want to make sure you would give her a ride to the restaurant since the two of you will be speaking during the services.” Doreen put an arm around Annie’s shoulders. “And I’ll be sure to make arrangements for the children. I know it’ll be a long morning for them and a strange environment.”
“Mom, I think you’re right. Don’t you think it might be a bit much for them to handle, especially on top of the transition from foster care?”
Doreen waved a finger at Ian. “Yes, and that’s why I thought it would be wonderful for you to bring Annie and the kids over for pizza on Saturday night. Then they’ll have a chance to get to know us.”
Again, Annie could see that Ian wasn’t happy about his mother’s planning. But she had Ian and Annie trapped. There was no way they could turn down the invitation. Annie forced a smile. “Thanks for thinking of us. I’m sure Kara and Spencer will enjoy the pizza. I was always good at ordering pizza.”
“You were good about ordering anything.” Ian gave her a smile.
Second Chance Reunion Page 10