Chapter Twenty

Jake

If she didn’t get her shit together, we were going to fail miserably. Janice hadn’t even asked tough questions and she had clammed up. It was not a good sign for the hearing itself. I should have known she wouldn’t be able to fake it. She didn’t like me. That much was clear. I thought for sure she would have been able to pull it off knowing the prize at the other end of our charade was Iris.

I reached down and squeezed her hand. “You good?”

She nodded but didn’t say a word. This was not the time for her to go mute. I couldn’t do all the talking if we wanted to sell this thing.

“You’re as white as a sheet. Can you do this?” I asked with concern.

She looked at me. All I could see was terror.

Fuck. She was going to ruin everything. I would not let her ruin my chance at getting Iris and finding redemption. I had to do something, and fast, to snap her out of the weird trance she had fallen into.

I did the only thing I knew that would get a reaction out of her and make her appear more alive. Right now, she was bordering on ghost-like, and that would not work.

I leaned down close to her ear. “I wish that towel would have fallen off you yesterday in the garden. I want to see you naked. Plan on doing any more nude sunbathing?”

Her sharp intake of breath followed by a rush of pink to her cheeks was exactly the reaction I had hoped for. At least she didn’t look like the walking dead anymore.

“This is not the time for that,” she hissed. “Knock it off.”

I smiled. “I think anytime is a good time to see you naked.”

To the casual observer, we looked like a young couple flirting and exchanging sweet nothings with our heads close together and the whispering between us. That was precisely my intent. I wasn’t sure who was watching. but I wanted to make sure I put on a good show.

“Jake, stop. I warned you.”

I grinned and waggled my eyebrows. “Come on, baby, let’s have some fun.”

Our names were called, stopping my campaign to liven her up. I led the way through the doors, pulling her behind me. I glanced back and saw the pink stain on her cheeks and winked. It was enough to make the pink bloom even more. Mission accomplished. She was probably frustrated by what I had said, but that worked for me. She could be mad all she wanted and yell at me about us not sleeping together when we got home.

We took our seats and waited. Janice sat across from us with a stack of folders. The woman looked over at us and frowned. She didn’t like us; that was obvious. I smiled at her, earning a more serious frown.

“Quit looking at her,” Avery hissed under her breath.

I smirked. “Not much more she can do to us at this point.”

“She can keep us from ever getting Iris.”

I shook my head. “It’s not up to her. She only gives her opinion. Trust me, Janice doesn’t know who she’s messing with.”

Avery scoffed. “You’ll just throw money at the problem, right?”

I shrugged. “If I have to.”

“Don’t make it worse. Just try to be nice and pretend you’re one of us lowly people who has to follow the law.”

I smiled but made no promises.

The bailiff announced the judge’s entrance. We stood together before sitting down and waiting for the hearing to begin. I had no idea how any of this worked and hated being at the mercy of the judge and Janice. The seconds dragged on as the judge sorted through papers. I could practically feel my heart pounding in my ears as we waited for him to say something—anything.

The judge began talking to Janice, asking about the details of the case. Avery and I sat quietly listening to Janice explain the situation. I felt Avery stiffen next to me when Tracy’s name was brought up. I felt the same shock at hearing her death talked about in such a detached manner. It all felt very cold. Iris was simply referred to as the child.

“You’re the brother?” the judge said, looking at me.

I nodded and gulped down the lump in my throat that had formed. “Yes, sir.”

“And you’re the friend?”

Avery nodded. I gently nudged her. “Yes, sir,” she croaked out.

She had to pull it together. Her hands were folded and resting on top of the table. I reached up and covered her clasped hands with mine and gently squeezed. She looked at me, searching for something. I gave her a small smile.

“We got this,” I whispered.

The judge looked up from the file. “You’re married?” he asked in surprise.

“Yes, sir,” I said with a charming smile.

The judge wasn’t impressed.

“Sir, I would like to point out the marriage only happened after they were told neither were suitable guardians for the child,” Janice chimed in.

“Why?” he asked.

Janice took way too much pleasure in pointing out our flaws.

“Sir, I understand she is skeptical. However, Avery and I have known each other for more than ten years. We dated in the past and have always loved each other. My sister’s death helped us realize life is too short to wait around until it’s the right time or we were both in the right places in our lives. We chose to marry because it was right for us. We believe it is also right for my niece, Iris.”

The judge nodded his head but was clearly still not convinced. “Why aren’t they suitable guardians?” the judge asked again.

“Miss Hampstead—”

“Mrs. Colter,” I interjected.

Janice shot me a glare. “Mrs. Colter does not have a steady job.”

“Actually, I start my new job on Monday. It is with a prestigious accounting firm. I only recently graduated with my bachelor’s degree. I have worked part-time at the library for the past three years,” Avery stated in a clear, concise voice, making me feel proud.

Janice took a deep breath, clearly irritated by our interruptions. “Mrs. Colter does not have her own home. She rents a room.”

I opened my mouth to refute that claim as well but shut it when Janice shot me a look.

I let her finish listing our many faults. She got way too much enjoyment out of it, and I couldn’t wait to shut her down.

The judge had been making notes while Janice talked. He looked at us and smiled. “I suppose you have something to say?”

“Yes,” I said, using my all-business tone. “Avery and I are married and have moved into a home together. It is a rental while we look for a permanent home. My financial stability is well-documented. I have brought along proof of that.”

“I know who you are, Mr. Colter,” the judge said dryly.

I nodded. “Then you know I am more than capable of providing for Avery and a child.”

“The marriage seems to be one of convenience, your honor,” Janice cut in.

“Sir, if I may, I understand what it looks like. Tracy was my only family. I lost my parents to another accident. Avery lost her family. We realized we had been given a second chance at love. When you lose someone you love, especially someone as full of life and as young as Tracy, it makes you realize the little things don’t matter. We had silly fights about things every couple fights about. We don’t want to be apart anymore. This is what matters. Iris is what matters,” I said with conviction.

The judge nodded his head, and I knew he bought my story. I could be very convincing, and I was used to getting what I wanted.

“Your honor, I would like you to consider a probationary period before the child is placed in their custody,” Janice said.

Avery’s head whipped around to glare at Janice. I patted her hand, reminding her to stay calm.

“I want to see Iris,” I said, leaving no room for argument.

The judge looked at Janice, looking for her opinion. She looked at me and then the judge.

She sighed. “We can arrange for supervised visits.”

“Good. How long do we need to evaluate the situation? Two weeks?” the judge suggested.

“I would like three months, sir.”

Avery gasped.

“I think that is excessive. I am the child’s only blood relation. I need to establish a bond with the child. I have already proven we can offer a stable living situation,” I said.

“I’ll allow one month of supervised visits, twice a week. That should be adequate time for your office to get what they need. I see no reason in keeping the child in foster care for an extended period of time when there are two people here who love the child and are willing to give her a stable home,” the judge announced.

Nerves were making my stomach do some crazy dance as we waited for Janice to agree.

“We’ll need to make home visits, one announced and two unannounced,” Janice said with the same sour look on her face.

“Agreed,” the judge said. “Do you understand the order?”

Avery and I spoke together. “Yes.”

“Good, then you’ll need to get with social services and arrange the visitations. If I were you, I’d make sure all your ducks are in a row. All the money in the world isn’t going to be enough to buy custody of that little girl. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir. I’m happy to comply with anything Ms. Grimes put forth. However, I do have an attorney, and I will need to run everything by him. You know, to protect the best interests of myself, my wife, and my niece,” I said, not ready to roll over and play dead.

Janice thought she had the upper hand in this, and in many ways she did, but my money and connections weren’t completely useless.

“That’s your right,” the judge said.

Things were quickly wrapped up. Janice refused to talk with us and demanded we make an appointment. The woman clearly enjoyed making things difficult.

I grabbed Avery’s elbow and escorted her out of the courtroom. Neither of us said a word as we made our way down the hall. The moment we exited the building, we both released the breath we had been holding.

“Can you believe her!” Avery growled. “Who does she think she is? Why does she hate us so much?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea, but we need to be ready for those unannounced visits.”

“If she would have had it her way, we would never get to see Iris again. I don’t like that woman.”

“Did you hear me?” I asked. “I know you don’t want to, but we need to up our marriage game.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, stopping on the sidewalk.

“They’re going to notice we’re in different rooms. You need to put your stuff in the master. We have to go all in on this,” I said, trying to break it to her gently.

“Do you really think they’re going to look in the bedrooms?”

I shrugged. “Yes. I mean, we could hide implements of torture in there. If Janice is doing the home visits, she is going to be thorough. We’re not going to be able to close bedroom doors and tell her everything is fine. She’s going to want to see.”

She groaned. “Yes, I really don’t like that woman. It seems like a lot of work to keep a child from two people who love her and are willing to do anything to have her. Shouldn’t that be enough?”

“You would think. Don’t worry about it. It will be fine. We’ll play her game and beat her at it.”

Avery didn’t look all that convinced. “I hope so. I don’t know what I’ll do if all of this was for naught.”

I laughed. “Don’t think like that. I told you, I won’t let that happen. I’ve got to go. I’ll meet you at the house in a bit.”

“Okay,” she mumbled and headed to the area where she was parked.

As I walked to my vehicle, I mulled over the changes we would need to make. I was secretly looking forward to sharing a room and hopefully a bed with Avery. Our arrangement was going to have to last longer than I had anticipated. I might as well enjoy my time in Arizona with some fun on the side. Now I needed to convince Avery.

How hard could that be?