Page 100 of Her Summer Hope

Madison raised an eyebrow, curiosity piquing. "Thank you, Wyatt. Um, Kyle…?”

Wyatt shuffled his feet, his gaze briefly flickering away. "Oh, uh, Kyle got tied up with something urgent and the guys are handling a few things. Don't worry, everything is going to go fine today."

His vague explanation did little to quell the questions in Madison's mind. She nodded, accepting his offer, her focus returning to the task at hand.

"Thank you, Wyatt. That means a lot," she said, offering him a grateful smile. Despite the strangeness of his presence, she felt a sense of comfort knowing she wasn't alone.

“Are you sure this isn’t just an attempt to get me to go out with you?”

He relaxed a bit and eyed her up and down, seeming more like his usual self. “You want it to be?”

She grinned and they talked a bit as they drove, with the boys asking him questions about snakes.

All too soon, they reached the court square and she was nervous again.

Inside the sterile, echoing halls of the courthouse, Madison sat rigidly on a hard wooden bench, her children clustered around her.

Emma was nestled in her lap, her tiny fingers clutching at Madison’s dress, while Jackson and James sat on either side, their wide eyes taking in the imposing surroundings and the people walking back and forth. Ellie sat nearby, supposedly reading, but Maddy noticed that she hadn’t turned a page in a while.

Wyatt had squeezed her hand and said he’d be waiting for her after the proceedings and not to worry.

She worried anyway, wishing he could have stayed a bit longer, at least until she was called to go in.

The nauseating anxiety fluttered in her stomach, making her ill.

The courthouse was all hushed voices and jittery feet and hands, the air thick with the anticipation of unresolved fates. She watched the main doors open and close and the line of people going through the metal detector, trying to figure out why each one in particular was there.

It was something to take her mind off things for a few minutes, at least, until there was nobody left to go through.

The smell was oddly like a hospital, and that reminded her of Helen. Helen should have been with her today. She felt selfish thinking it, but she would have felt a little calmer with some adult support.

Madison’s gaze was fixed on the floor, her mind racing with a thousand what-ifs. Her hands, clutching the warm weight of her baby, trembled slightly despite her best efforts to appear calm for her children.

Every so often, she would reach out, brushing a comforting hand over Ellie’s hair or giving James and John a reassuring smile as they played with the little cars they’d brought in with them.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard them— the unmistakable voices of Rob’s parents, echoing down the hallway as they walked with their lawyer.

As they came into view, Madison felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

Pam’s eyes were sharp, while Don carried himself with a rigid, almost military, posture. Their expressions were unreadable.

They exuded a vulgar aura of money and privilege, making Madison feel underdressed and outclassed—which was exactly their intention, no doubt.

It took some serious effort on her part to not let it get to her.

“Madison,” Pam greeted coolly as they approached, her voice tinged with underlying hostility.

“Pam. Don,” Madison replied. She tightened her hold on Emma, who looked up with curious, innocent eyes.

Those people wanted her babies, and she had a sudden flash of rage. She wanted violence. She wanted to rip them to pieces.

Murdock might have rubbed off on her a little too much.

Don’s gaze swept over the children, his expression hardening. “This is for the best, you know. We only want what’s right for the children.”

Madison’s jaw clenched. “I know what’s best for my children,” she said, her voice low.

Pam let out a sigh, a false look of concern on her face. “Madison, dear, we understand you’re trying your best, but children need stability, a proper upbringing.”

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