I never really liked courts.

Even before I was going through legal proceedings. They always made my stomach tie itself up in knots, and I would get an annoying lump in the back of my throat.

Today was no different.

This was the day we’d been anticipating for months.

The court date for Emily’s custody hearing.

---

Emmett, the same lawyer who was assigned to my case that very first day, was standing by my side in a shiny new suit, looking better prepared with his hair slicked back, and a glint in his eye.

“Don’t tell me you feel confident this time,” I teased as Lyla and I slowed to a halt in front of him at the top of the stairs.

The sun was beating down on us, and the weather promised a good day ahead.

Emmett chuckled. “I do, actually. Unlike last time, I have a good feeling about this.”

“That’s what you said last time,” I replied as I raised an eyebrow. “Should I be worried?”

“No, don’t worry. It’s a---”

“Don’t you dare say slam dunk,” I warned jokingly, as Lyla tucked her hand into the crook of my arm.

“Alright, alright. I won’t,” Emmett said as he lifted his hands up in surrender. “Don’t worry though. I think we’re both better prepared this time around. I’ve gone over everything with the witnesses. They know what to say, and what to expect.”

“I don’t think the Windsor’s lawyer will play fair,” Lyla said, concern tinting her voice.

“He may not, but we’ve got the truth on our side. They don’t know what’s coming,” Emmett assured her. “Normally, I’d insist you stay at home for this, but—.” He shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

Lyla nodded. “I know. I’ve been subpoenaed anyway, so even if I wanted to stay home and put my feet up, I can’t.”

“You still can, if you want to. I still think the conflict of interest thing is completely bullshit.”

I turned my attention to Emmett who frowned. “I know, but the Windsors filed for the subpoena before you two got married, so I can’t challenge it based on that. Besides, if you insist, they might think you two are hiding something.”

Lyla drew herself up to her full height. “We’re not.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Emmett reiterated as he gestured towards the front. “Shall we?”

I buttoned up my jacket and straightened my back. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Lyla had her hand placed protectively around her baby bump, and I felt a surge of fierce protectiveness course through me as I thought of what I would do to protect my family.

In short, there was nothing I wouldn’t do or go through.

Not hell nor high water.

And certainly not the Windsors.

“All rise for the honorable Judge Lewis,” the bailiff called out, eyeing us sternly as the judge walked in a flurry of robes and pungent perfume.

Shit.

The judge was a woman.

She was more likely to be sympathetic to the Windsors, since they were Emily’s maternal grandparents, or at least that’s what Emmett seemed to think.

He deflated a little once he caught sight of who it was, but he quickly regained his composure, and we all sat down.

Lyla was on my left, and Emmett was on my right.

Emily was with a social worker in the other room, playing happily, unaware that the fate of her life hung in the balance.

The Windsor’s attorney began with an opening statement, the tale of a sadly confused and misguided teenage girl who was born into the lap of luxury and who staunchly refused to admit it. A troubled young woman who wanted to drive her parents crazy and whose subsequent love affair with a young man was to drive another nail into the coffin of their relationship. Still, her parents forgave her, but she couldn’t bear it, so she ran away and was taken in by a manipulative family with a scheming son who had no marriage prospects and took advantage of her. They were painting Clay as a shameless pedophile who had no qualms about seducing a pregnant teenage runaway so that he could end up with her baby.

To what end?

Were they being serious?

Clay made it clear that he had no idea what Annabelle’s plan was, and that he initially didn’t want the baby because he didn’t think he was fit to become a parent.

Of course, the Windsor’s attorney didn’t hesitate to point that out in her opening statement, making it seem as if Clay’s refusal to become Emily’s guardian had more to do with a guilty conscience over what had happened to Annabelle.

My hands curled into fists underneath the table, and Lyla began to use the pad of her thumb to stroke my hand. She knew it usually calmed me down, and I was glad she was doing it.

It made me feel a little better, and I gave her a small smile in return. Her eyes sparkled with love and understanding as she gave me a tender look in return.

The Windsor’s attorney shot us a smug look on her way back to her desk, and Emmett cleared his throat as he stood up.

Thankfully, Emmett was able to paint the exact opposite picture, pausing to highlight how much I’d done for Emily in the short time since she’d been in my life. He made me sound like some kind of super dad, which made me uncomfortable, but I knew it was necessary.

There couldn’t be any room for doubt.

He even made mine and Lyla’s love sound like a fairytale. She leaned her head against my shoulder briefly, and I squeezed her hands to let her know how much I appreciated this.

Once Emmett was done, they called the first witness. The part time nanny I’ve employed since Lyla and I got married.

“Please state your name and occupation for the record.”

Mrs. Barrett leaned forward, and in a loud and clear voice spoke into the mic: “Angela Barrett. I’m a housewife and part time babysitter.”

The Windsor’s attorney, Ms. Leslie Slater stood up and buttoned up her coat. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and smiled pleasantly, but I wasn’t fooled for a second.

She was a shark who would go for the kill as soon as she smelled blood.

In this case, the blood was mine.

Her gaze sidled over to me, and I narrowed my gaze and gave her a steely smile in return.

“Mrs. Barrett, when did you first meet Mr. Baker?”

“Not that long ago, a few weeks, I guess,” she responded.

“Under what circumstances did you two meet?” Leslie asked as she leaned her hip against the witness stand. The judge was staring at her, hanging on her every word.

“He called and asked if I could babysit his daughter for an afternoon.”

“And did he say why?”

“No, he didn’t.” Mrs. Barrett frowned, unsure where this line of question was going. She shot Emmett a worried look, but he gestured for her to continue, and that everything was fine.

“Mrs. Barrett, why do you think it was important for Mr. Baker, a man who already had a nanny, to hire one?”

Mrs. Barrett opened her mouth to respond, but Emmett was already on his feet. “Objection. Speculation.”

“Overruled,” the judge decided. “Ms. Slater, please stick to the point.”

“Let me rephrase, when you first met Mr. Baker, did it seem like he was worried about something?”

Mrs. Barrett looked confused. “How do you mean?”

“I mean did he mention anything in front of you or to you about this case?” Leslie asked, casually.

“Objection. How is this relevant?”

“Ms. Slater,” the judge warned, giving her a stern look.

Leslie backed off, gave an apologetic smile and shrugged. “Let’s come at it from another angle. Mrs. Barrett, do you have kids?”

“Yes, I do,” Mrs. Barrett puffed out her chest and smiled proudly. “I have a boy and a girl.”

Leslie smiled indulgently. “You must be so proud of them.”

“I am,” Mrs. Barrett confirmed.

“Mrs. Barrett, what would you do if someone tried to take your kids away from you?”

The corners of Mrs. Barrett’s mouth turned down. “I wouldn’t take kindly to that. I’d certainly fight them tooth and nail. They’d have a hell of a time getting past me.”

Leslie nodded understandingly. “What about when you have grandkids someday? Would you be okay with someone trying to take them?”

“Of course not.”

“So, Mrs. Barrett, tell me. Do you think it’s fair what Mr. Baker is trying to do? Separating a young girl from her maternal grandparents?”

“Objection. She’s leading the witness,” Emmett roared, his face turning red in fury.

That was a low blow, and I could see that some of the jury members were speculating about it.

When she put it like that, of course, I sounded like the big bad wolf.

It was far more complicated than that though.

There were extenuating circumstances that Leslie was failing to highlight.

Lyla leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Don’t let her get to you. She’s trying to rattle Mrs. Barrett.”

“I think it might be working,” I said through gritted teeth as I watched Mrs. Barrett glance around in confusion, some of her earlier perk gone.

“I’ll withdraw my question,” Leslie said, swiftly. “How about love, Mrs. Barrett? What do you think of that?”

“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Mrs. Barrett said, slowly, cautiously, as if whatever she said could be used against her.

“Based on what you’ve witnessed so far, would you say that Mrs. Baker and Mr. Baker are truly in love?”

“Objection. Mrs. Barrett is not an expert, and we are not here to assess their marital state.”

“It’s relevant to my line of questioning, and it will become clear based on Mrs. Barrett’s answer.”

The judge considered this before she nodded. “I’ll allow it. Answer the question, Mrs. Barrett.”

Mrs. Barrett clasped her hands in front of her. “I do believe that they are, yes. I’ve never seen two people who are happier or more compatible.”

“Even though you’ve only been in their company for a few weeks now? That’s presumptuous” Leslie said derisively.

“But I—” Mrs. Barrett again, stammering as her face flushed. “It’s true.”

“No further questions your honor,” Leslie said scathingly. She strode back to her seat, her entire body language oozing smug satisfaction.

Emmett stood up and offered Mrs. Barrett a sweet smile. “Mrs. Barrett, you’ve taken care of a lot of kids, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And would you say that you have an idea of what that should be like?” Emmett crossed one leg over the other as he leaned against the desk.

“To a certain extent, yes,” Mrs. Barrett allowed.

“And has Mr. Baker, to your knowledge, been able to take care of Emily?”

“He most certainly has. He has a very hands-on approach when it comes to Emily, and he likes to help out with everything. It’s rare to see a man who does what he does.”

“I see.” Emmett nodded as if he didn’t know this. “And would you say he’s ever been negligent?”

“Not at all.” Mrs. Barrett shook her head firmly.

“How about Mrs. Baker?”

“She’s a natural,” Mrs. Barrett began. “That woman is a natural born mother. She has the instincts, the patience and the empathy. She’s a wonderful mother to Emily.”

“No further questions, Mrs. Barrett, thank you.”

Mrs. Barrett nodded, stood up and exited the stand, giving us a comforting smile on her way back to her seat.

“How are we doing so far?” I whispered under my breath to Emmett, who was flipping through his notes. He inclined his head towards me.

“So far, we’re doing okay.”

“Do you think we should bust out our secret weapon yet?” Lyla asked quietly, her blue eyes shining with worry.

I took her hand in mine and kissed the edge of her wrist. “I don’t think it’s time yet, darling. They need to think they’re winning first.”

“You could definitely be a lawyer,” Emmett commented, his voice sounding impressed.

“Nah, I’ll leave that to you.”

Emmett chuckled. “Alright, fair enough.”

“Next witness,” the judge called out as she leaned back in her chair, an impassive expression on her face.

“What do you think the jury thinks?” I asked.

“It’s split fifty-fifty, I think, but we’ll see,” Emmett said distractedly, as he wrote down something on his notepad.

“We would like to call Dr. Ramon to the stand,” Leslie said next.

A distinguished looking doctor in his 40s walked out in a crisp black suit with his hair neatly combed to the side. He stopped near the Windsor’s table, where both lawyers spoke briefly to him.

“State your name and occupation for the record please.”

“Cisco Ramon, and I’m a psychiatrist.” The man enunciated clearly as he began to rattle off his rather impressive list of degrees, and it was clear the Windsors had him in their back pocket.

He reeked of bribery.

“Mr. Ramon, what did you do for the Windsors?” Leslie asked as she circled the court room, taking the time to make eye contact with each of the jury members.

“I treated their daughter, Annabelle,” he clarified. “She was a troubled young woman, and her parents were concerned, so they brought her to me for help.”

“And isn’t it true that you recommended she come see you at least once a week because you felt like she needed it?”

Dr. Ramon took off his glasses, polished them and then answered. “Yes, it was my impression that she was slightly paranoid and a bit narcissistic.”

“And this is based on your expert opinion?”

“Yes, it is,” he confirmed.

“Dr. Ramon, is it also true that you had to break doctor-patient confidentiality and involve her parents because you were concerned about her mental state?” Leslie urged, a smirk gracing her features.

“That’s right, yes,” Dr. Ramon said, gravely dropping the corners of his mouth into a grimace. “It’s a last resort, but I felt I had no other choice.”

“Isn’t it also true that someone who had a history of mental illness shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions regarding her unborn child’s future?”

“Objection, argumentative.” Emmett was practically seething as he slammed his hands on the desk. “Your honor, she’s practically pushing the witness to testify the way she wants him to.”

“Withdrawn, no further questions” Leslie retracted smoothly. But it was too late, the damage was already done. The jury already looked skeptical.

“Time for the smoking gun?” I asked, my leg shaking impatiently.

Emmett gave me a small imperceptible nod, as the stood to take his turn with the witness.

“Dr. Ramon, is it true that Ms. Windsor complained to you about the situation at her household?”

Dr. Ramon hesitated before he nodded. “Yes, she did, but it’s not uncommon with patients like her.”

“Is it also true that she complained to you about her older brother in particular?” Emmett continued as if he hadn’t heard Dr. Ramon.

Dr. Ramon shifted uncomfortably in his seat as a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. “Yes, she did, but that’s normal. Siblings complain about each other.”

Emmett leaned forward as if he was having a friendly chat as he gestured towards the jury. “Would you mind telling the jury what it was that she said?”

Dr. Ramon swallowed. “She said that her brother was abusive.”

Emmett clasped his hands in front of him, a serious expression on his face. “I see, and did you not take her accusations seriously?”

“I did,” Dr. Ramon protested, as he took out a handkerchief and began to wipe his brow. “Of course, I did. I informed her parents as soon as I was informed.”

“And, to your knowledge, what did her parents do?”

Dr. Ramon glanced at Leslie like a deer caught in the headlights, and I knew we had him.

He risked losing his medical license if he lied, especially if we had proof - which we did.

“They said they would take care of it,” Dr. Ramon said finally, as he avoided looking at the Windsors.

“And, in your expert opinion, do you think they did?” Emmett pressed.

“They pulled her out of therapy,” Dr. Ramon revealed. “Told me my services were no longer needed.”

The jury broke out in outraged gasps as they whispered amongst themselves. The judge began to bang her gavel to get them to quiet down.

“Dr. Ramon, did you follow up with Annabelle after that?”

Dr. Ramon stayed quiet, so Emmett continued. “Your honor, I’d like to evidence in to the record. This is a recording of Annabelle saying what her brother did, and this is another one where Dr. Ramon reveals the information to her parents.”

Dr. Ramon’s face turned red, and he looked like he was about to pass out.

“No further questions, your honor.”

“Court is adjourned,” Judge Lewis called out. “We’ll reconvene in 3 hours.”

“How did you know about the tape?” Lyla asked, in awe.

“His secretary is an old friend of mine, and she said he kept track of his patients. Plus, she owed me one.” Emmett shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“Emmett, I could kiss you right now,” Lyla declared.

“Hey,” I said. “What about me?”

“I’ll kiss you later.”

We chuckled quietly as we filed back into the court room, and Lyla slipped her hands into mine and squeezed. With heavy hearts, we stood up and waited for the jury to decide.

---

“Has the jury decided?” The judge asked, as we collectively held our breath.

“In the case of the Windsor versus Baker, we find the Windsors to be unfit parents due to their negligence in protecting their daughter from their son. The state awards custody to Lyla and Clay Baker.”

Emmett let out a hoot, and gave me a big hug before he released me. Lyla threw her arms around me, and we stayed like that until we both spotted Emily being brought into the courtroom with a huge smile on her face.