Warmth filled her arms.
Paige blinked and the dining room filled her line of vision. Leslie smiled, her eyes turned down with emotion. Could have been worry, pity, concern. Paige couldn’t tell, but she appreciated it anyway. The last time she’d gone through this, Leslie had been afraid, too, trying to protect her own children because Rachel had threatened to take them away, too. Alma had looked at her with accusation for “bringing this on herself” because she was the demon summoner.
Looking around the table, she saw none of that this time. So, maybe all she really needed was the support of her family.
Dexx took her right hand and shoved the bottle into it, saying something.
Paige must be going into shock. She’d turned off her sight. She could barely hear. She was freaking out. She had to get herself under control.
A growl rumbled in her right ear. Dexx took her shoulders and whispered, “You can do this, Pea. We’ve got your back. You will win.”
She bit her lips, fighting back the tears of frustrated hopelessness.
But then she had to think. What happened if she did win custody of Leah?
The girl sat at the table, eating her bowl of cereal and reading her book. Had anyone even told her what was going on?
Probably not. Why? Because in this house, Paige was Leah’s mother. If anyone had told Leah of today’s hearing, it should have been Paige.
Dear gods. She really did suck at this. Maybe Rachel was right. Maybe she really wasn’t up for this. Maybe she would suck at this. What was she doing? She was trying to get Leah and she had a new baby and she couldn’t even make it as a decent human being!
Oh, for the love of rocks, shut it! Paige stared down at Bobby’s face as he suckled on the bottle. She didn’t suck as a human being. She just wasn’t incredibly awesome at it yet. She still had a lot to learn, a lot of work to do. She needed to spend time with Bobby. Get to know him. Yeah. He was a baby, but he was in those blessed moments when he was developing his personality, becoming something other than a giant parasite that had sprouted from his mother’s body.
She’d have to do the same thing with Leah. And when Leah showed Paige what kind of person she was, Paige would have to cross that bridge when she came to it. She’d have to figure out what to do then. She’d have to decide if she was going to spank Leah, or rap on her head, or yell, or take away privileges, or the massive amount of other things she could do. As a parent. Sitting there worrying wasn’t going to get anything done.
Tru chose to stay at home with the kids. Meaning, all of them, including Leah. Dexx refused to stay behind, as did Leslie and Alma. Paige appreciated the support. She didn’t know how she was going to stand in front of that judge again. What if she remembered Paige? What if she recalled all the reasons she’d given in to Rachel the first time?
What made her think she was going in front of the same judge? Like there was only one in the entire county? There wasn’t only one judge.
Getting to the courthouse was a blur. As was getting to the courtroom. The only thing she really remembered was Dexx’s hand on the small of her back, guiding her and muttering things in her ear, none of which she could recall later. Not that it mattered. He was telling her things she needed to hear to keep her feet moving, to keep propelling her forward.
She remembered Rachel’s face when they met outside of the courtroom, though. Everything cleared when Paige saw that face, that twisted, rage-filled face.
“I knew I should never have come back,” Rachel gritted out, pushing her face into Paige’s.
All the worry, all the nattering, all the freezing fear melted away. Paige smiled and straightened. She was a good half a head taller than the woman that had given birth to her. “I’m glad you did.”
“I told that woman Leah could only stay if you weren’t there. Don’t think I won’t bring that up in court.”
“You think we’re not going to mention that?” Paige ducked her head, then looked up, one eyebrow raised. “Oh, trust me. I’m going to. I’m going to bring up how you alienated me from my daughter, how you turned her against me.”
“I didn’t have to do much,” Rachel sniped. “You made it easy.”
“Really?” Paige chuckled low and leaned forward to whisper in her mother’s ear, “Good luck proving how evil I am in this court of law.”
Rachel hissed.
Paige straightened and entered the courtroom, Dexx on her heels.
Leslie took Paige’s arm ferociously. “That was awesome. Okay. Now that? Right there? Bring that. That whole, mopey Paige from this morning isn’t going to win over any judge, no matter how much money I had to give to pay her off.”
Paige frowned at her sister. “You did what?”
“Ha!” Leslie grinned and shoved her sister down a row of pews. “Got you. Now, stay awake and stop worrying. This will either work or it won’t.”
“Right.” She just had to keep telling herself that.
The courtroom continued to fill up. Paige’s lawyer arrived after a few minutes and pulled them all into a room at the back of the courtroom to fill them in on what they could expect.
Should be easy, she said. Keep things simple, she said. Stay calm, she said.
“If Rachel tries anythin’ out there,” Alma said, her voice low, “you’re gonna see just how calm I can be.”
None of the Whiskeys even blinked, including Dexx.
The lawyer, Jezzabel Bickens, sighed and shook her head. “Just don’t do anything that will jeopardize her case. Think of Leah if you can’t think about Paige.”
Well, that sure took the steam out of Alma’s balloon.
Paige had been in the system before. Not in the family law side of things, but on the homicide side. Lawyers saw a lot and that made them a bit callous to a lot of things. Paige didn’t doubt Ms. Bickens had seen her share of tiffs. But she’d never seen a witch of Alma’s caliber go after her own daughter who’d done a damn good job of breaking up the Whiskey family. That would be something to see.
They went back into the courtroom until it was their turn.
“Whiskey vs Whiskey. Please step forward.”
Ohshit, ohshit, ohshit.
“Remember. Not that Paige.” Leslie squeezed her hand. “Bring the badass. Think of Leah. Protect your daughter. Your daughter.”
Paige took in a deep breath. So much hinged on what happened here. Today.
Leslie smiled tightly and nodded aggressively. “Now, go get her.”
Right. Paige breathed, her head swimming. She walked through the half gate to the defendant’s table, her head high. She’d spent hours over-analyzing her outfit, but had opted for her standard work attire. Black pants, comfortable work shoes, camisole, blue button-up shirt, and a black blazer. In the end, she’d shown up only as herself and at some point, that was going to have to be enough.
“All right,” the judge said with a tired sigh. “Let’s see what we have.”
This wasn’t the same judge as last time. This one was younger, had darker hair, a harder expression.
No. Paige couldn’t judge a book by its cover. She had to believe that somewhere inside was a person she could relate to, beseech to.
Judge Warren raised her head. “Would the plaintiff care to make her case?”
Ms. Bickens stood, straightening her pant suit. “We would, Your Honor.”
Oh…fuck. Doubt ate at Paige like a piranha.
“My client would like to reopen the custody case involving Leah Ann Whiskey. However, before we can do so, we would like to request emergency temporary guardianship back to my client.”
“The child is currently in your client’s care?”
“Yes, Your Honor. She is.”
“How did this occur?”
“The defendant arrived without warning and dropped the child off.” Ms. Bickens shrugged, gesturing with one hand. “The defendant alluded that she was having troubles with the child and could no longer handle her.”
Judge Warren folded her hands
and leaned forward. “In what matters?”
“Personality, Your Honor. The child is becoming a teenager, and the defendant stated she is having a hard time dealing with it.”
“Would the defendant like to address these charges?” Judge Warren turned toward the other side of the room.
Rachel’s lawyer stood, re-buttoning his suit jacket. “That is not what my client stated, Your Honor. She simply wanted Leah to spend more time with her family. And now we’re here. In court. I would say that’s grounds for dismissal.”
“Grounds for dismissal?” the judge asked. “You’re pushing things, Mr. Hemsworth. Like you always do. Ms. Bickens, do you feel the child is in danger in the defendant’s care?”
“We do, Your Honor. Mr. Hemsworth’s client has proven in the past that she is a flight risk. We fear she will take the child and flee the state.”
The judge nodded, glancing through a file on her desk. “That didn’t answer my question.”
Shitshitshit. One wrong move. That’s all it would take.
“No, Your Honor. It did not.”
That one statement soothed Paige’s raw nerves.
Ms. Bickens pressed her fingertips onto the table. “The flight risk is our immediate concern. We believe the child is in danger for other reasons. She is exhibiting signs of abuse.”
Judge Warren lifted her head. “What kind of signs?”
“Emotional and mental trauma, at the very least. We would like to get the child into therapy as soon as possible.”
“And is your client aware of her situation, of how difficult this could get?”
“She is, Your Honor.” Ms. Bickens licked her lips and looked away momentarily. “This is her daughter, Your Honor. There isn’t much she wouldn’t do.”
“She’s a menace to society,” Rachel said, her voice carrying. “She has no right being a mother. She had no business having a baby period.”
Judge Warren closed her mouth and raised an eyebrow at the other table. “Mr. Hemsworth, advise your client to remain silent.”
“Of course, Your Honor,” the other lawyer muttered as he bent to converse with his client quietly.
Judge Warren flattened her lips, flipping through the file. “I will admit. I remember this case when it was brought to the courts the last time. I do not find anything in the files that would warrant the child being removed from her mother in the first place. Ms. Whiskey, would you rise?”
Paige glanced up.
Ms. Bickens nodded, her eyes flaring as she motioned inconspicuously for Paige to get up.
Standing, Paige held onto the table to keep herself from passing out.
“Ms. Whiskey, do you know how difficult it will be, how your life will change if Leah has, indeed, been abused?”
“Not really.” Paige couldn’t lie. She’d shown up as herself and she had to present herself as herself. She didn’t know who else to be. “We’ve never had abuse in our home, Your Honor. I’ve seen it in my career. I’ve read the profiles of those who’ve been abused. I’ve seen what they’ve done, but I’ve never lived with it.”
Judge Warren nodded. “It’s not easy.”
“Our family isn’t easy, Your Honor.” Paige shrugged. “We have good days. We have bad days. There are days when everyone’s ready to crawl through the walls because we’re all irritating the crap out of each other. We might not be perfect, Your Honor, but we’re what Leah needs. She needs her mother. She needs her cousins, her aunt, her uncle, her great grandmother. She needs to be surrounded by what love really is.”
“Look at me.”
As Paige had already been looking at the judge, she didn’t quite understand the request.
Judge Warren raised an eyebrow and quirked her lips.
Blinking, Paige shifted from normal vision, to shifter vision. She saw the judge’s black-draped form, but saw something else as well. A royal purple eagle head rising above the judge’s shoulders. The eagle nodded once.
Paige blinked again, switching off her shifter vision, grateful that Dexx had been behind her so he couldn’t feel the effects.
“I will assign a family investigator to your case. I will also mandate therapy for the child and both respondents. Within the span of two months’ time, we will reconvene. I’ll read the reports and make a decision on permanent orders.”
“You can’t do this!” Rachel yelled. “You have no jurisdiction.”
“Oh, I do, Ms. Whiskey. Let me assure you. I do. Temporary guardianship is awarded to the plaintiff. Supervised visitation is granted to the defendant at the discretion of the plaintiff.” Judge Warren let down the gavel and closed the folder.
Ms. Bickens gathered her paperwork and ushered Paige down the aisle and out of the courtroom. “Into the hall. There are guards out there. Come on.”
Paige followed the order in a drunken stupor. She couldn’t believe that had happened. It had actually happened. She’d just won. She’d won. Well, temporarily. But Rachel had lost ground.
“Don’t instigate,” Ms. Bickens said quietly, “but if Rachel attacks you, we can get a restraining order placed on her.”
A chill of thrill raced down Paige’s spine. Oh if only the stupid bitch was crazy enough to do that.
Someone slipped a note into Paige’s palm as soon as they exited the courtroom. One of the guards. He continued to walk down the hall nonchalantly.
She couldn’t read it just then, but she was still a little emotionally charged, dazed, and not thinking straight.
Rachel shoved her sneering face into Paige’s. “I will get Leah back.”
That was the snap of reality Paige needed. “What about her abilities? I thought you were scared.”
Rachel’s sneer twisted as she stepped back. “I will never fear Leah.” She said the name with disgust.
Paige leaned forward and whispered. “You’re not getting your hands on my daughter ever again. She’s my daughter, and I don’t abandon my children.”
“Oh, my darling daughter,” Rachel whispered. “You already have. Or don’t you remember the last five years?”
“No, Rachel. I didn’t remember the last twelve years because your mother cared more for your life.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes.
Paige pulled away with a smile. “And now she sets her wards against you. My, there’s a lot five years can do. Wouldn’t you say?”
Dexx put his hand to the small of Paige’s back and guided her away. “Before you punch her in the face.”
There was no way Paige was jeopardizing her daughter’s safety. Not again. Not this time. Not with this woman. No.
They’d had to go downstairs and file the paperwork, but when Paige left the courthouse, she had what she needed to claim her daughter. Temporarily. She could get her daughter back on her insurance. She could get her into school. She could take her to the doctor.
She could be her daughter’s mother again.
Not that all those things made Paige not her daughter’s mother. But she could take Leah to the grocery store and not be arrested. That last one was huge in Paige’s book. Huge.
Paige pulled out the note the security guard had placed in her hand in the hallway. Noon. That and an address were all it said.
Dexx glanced at the note, one hand on the wheel.
They hadn’t taken Jackie. They’d taken Leslie’s Acura. Likely because it had four doors and more room, but Paige didn’t remember that conversation.
He handed her another note. It read, Bring the witch. We have a lot to discuss.
Paige took in a deep breath. What she really wanted was a breather. The huge, aching rock in her chest was gone. The hole in her heart could heal. Finally.
Dealing with the shapeshifter population really wasn’t on the list of things to do that day. Maybe it should be, but it wasn’t. She had to get paperwork for Bobby so she could get him on her insurance that she didn’t have. She had to get his birth certificate, apply for his social security card if Heather hadn’t done that already. If she was doin
g it for Leah, she might as well do it for Bobby, too. All the same time. One stop shop.
Two months, though. She was stuck there for two months.
Yeah. She should probably go deal with the shapeshifter situation. Two months was a long time to tight-rope walk. They needed a plan to deal with Merry Eastwood.
Also, she needed to pack up her apartment. Dexx had to move the stuff out of his storage unit. Shit. Where would they put all their stuff? She’d go through and donate a lot to Goodwill. She didn’t need a full kitchen.
She could settle into the job. Director. Henry was offering her a department. Where else would she get that? In what other place could she be fired from one job and be given a director’s position for the very reason she was fired? Nowhere. Nowhere.
She pulled out her phone and located Henry’s contact.
“Hey, Paige.”
“Hey, Chief. About that job offer.”
“I’m at your door.”
“Huh?”
“Just get over here and we’ll discuss it. Okay?”
“Oh. Yeah. Okay.” She hung up.
“Paige,” Leslie said from the backseat. “You haven’t been listening to me.”
“Huh?” Paige laid her phone in her lap, clearing the cobwebs out of her head. “Yeah. Sorry. A lot on my mind.”
“Like that epic win we just had?” Leslie’s voice was nearly ear-piercing in tone with excitement.
Paige released a chuckle. A windfall of relief pulsed through her bones, making her feel light enough to float. “Yeah.” Excitement. Did she dare feel it? Did she allow herself one small moment? It bubbled up like an awkward child. Yeah. Excitement. She’d just won.
“All right,” Leslie said, her tone lower. “All that quiet time inside your head, you’ve got to have some plans.”
“Well, yes. I mean, yeah.” Paige glanced at Dexx. Hearing the words out loud, sharing this moment, this real world moment, the reality of everything slammed into her. The excitement that had been kind of knocking on her heart’s door burst through like a raging baby lion. She covered her face with her hands and laughed, tears creeping out of the corners of her eyes.
A Barrel of Whiskey - (An Urban Fantasy Whiskey Witches Novel) Page 16