Page 16 of Ink

“I can’t eat,” she insisted.

“Okay, how about a walk then?” her lawyer asked. “The fresh air might help with your nerves. I have a few phone calls to make, and I’ll call you on your cell if there are any changes or updates in your case.” Charlie thanked him as he stood and exited the courtroom.

“So, how about that walk?” Ink asked. “It might help you feel better.” Nothing was going to make her feel better. Not until she knew that her ex wouldn’t be able to touch her daughter.

“Okay,” she reluctantly agreed. She knew that Ink wasn’t going to give up on getting her out of the courtroom, and he was probably right—fresh air might take her mind off things. She doubted it, but it was worth a try.

They left the courthouse and as soon as she stepped into the cool air, she felt a bit better. “You know, you can tell me anything, Charlie,” Ink insisted. “If you want to tell me how you feel, I’m here for you. Nothing you say will ever change how I feel about you.”

“I’m feeling nervous, but other than that, I really don’t have any deep, dark secrets that I’m keeping from you, Ink,” she insisted. “You know, the same goes for you though. If you have anything that you need to tell me, you can. I won’t judge you or anything like that.” She wasn’t sure if she should be opening this can of worms during her court case recess, but he had set her up perfectly to ask if he was keeping something from her.

“I’m an open book, honey. I would never lie to you. You told me that Zeb used to lie to you, and I wouldn’t hurt you like that,” he promised. She knew that Ink would never intentionally hurt her, but what if he was keeping a secret from her? Would he even consider that to be a lie? She was about to ask him when her cell phone rang in her purse. She dug it out to answer it.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hey, Charlie. The judge has made her decision early and is calling everyone back to court,” her lawyer said. She felt sick to her stomach as he said those words to her.

“The judge made up her mind early? Is that a good or bad thing?” she asked. She started walking back to the courthouse with Ink following her.

“It can go either way, but I have a good feeling about this. I’ll meet you back in the courtroom. How far away are you?” he asked.

“Ink and I are walking into the courthouse now,” she said. “I’ll see you in a minute.” She turned the corner, almost walking into Zeb, when Ink grabbed her arm and pulled her back against his body.

“Hey, honey,” Zeb taunted. He knew that using any endearment for her would piss Ink off.

“Aren’t you breaking a restraining order, asshole?” Ink breathed.

Zeb chuckled, “Well, my lawyer is right over there. I’m betting that he’ll be able to handle a little restraining order if I need him to.”

She could feel the anger vibrating through Ink and she reached around and grabbed his hand. “He’s not worth it, Ink. He’s just trying to piss you off.” She knew Zeb enough to know that he’d do anything to get a rise out of Ink so that she’d be alone in the courtroom, and facing the judge by herself wasn’t an option.

Zeb laughed again and she pulled Ink along with her to the security checkpoint. They got through quickly and she met her lawyer outside of the courtroom. She could tell by the expression on his face that he noticed that Zeb was right behind them.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I will be as soon as this is over and I hopefully never have to see him again,” she admitted. She knew that someday, he could come back after Bethany, but hopefully, that wouldn’t be for a very long time.

They filed into the courtroom and were immediately asked to stand for the judge. Charlie thought for sure that she was either going to pass out or be sick when the judge told them all to sit down. She knew that the judge was talking, but the ringing in Charlie’s ears was drowning out everything that she was saying.

The next thing she heard was Zeb shouting at the judge that she was biased because she was a woman and probably hated him. The judge banged the gavel on her desk, telling Zeb to sit down, but he refused, shouting horrible accusations at the judge.

“Take Mr. Blue into custody and charge him with contempt of court. Maybe some time in a jail cell will calm you down.” The two officers standing on either side of the judge’s bench took Zeb into custody, and she looked back to Ink. She wasn’t sure if she should be happy or upset about the judge’s ruling, but judging by Zeb’s reaction, she had won her case.

“You will keep full custody of your daughter, Mrs. Blue. And if your ex-husband violates the restraining order or my ruling, you have your lawyer contact me. Men like him shouldn’t be allowed to father children—or marry women, for that matter. I’m sorry that you had to endure all of that, but you and your daughter are free now.”

“We are?” she asked.

“You are,” the judge said.

“Thank you,” Charlie whispered. The judge called the court to a close and the courtroom stood as she left the bench.

“You did it, honey,” Ink whispered into her ear. No matter how many times she was told that she had won her case, she had trouble believing it. Charlie had a feeling that it was going to take some time for it all to sink in, but for now, all she wanted to do was go home to Bethany and just hold her daughter. For the first time in a long time, she felt a sense of relief and freedom that she had never felt before. Zeb was finally out of her life, and she’d be able to move on with hers. The question was, would she and Bethany be moving on alone or with Ink?

Ink

The weeks after the court case were a blur. He was looking forward to a future that he never dreamed possible. One with both the woman he loved and her kid that he had somehow fallen in love with too. He considered Bethany his, even if she wasn’t his by blood. All he wanted to do was ask Charlie to marry him and make their little makeshift family permanent, but he worried that he might be moving too fast for her. Charlie had seemed a bit distant since winning the court case, and he worried that she might be considering leaving him. He just didn’t have the nerve to ask her point-blank if that was the case. Maybe it was all in his mind. Maybe he was worried about nothing, but he just couldn’t kick the feeling that he might be on the right track.

He found her in the kitchen, making a cup of coffee for herself, holding the baby. “Hey, let me do that for you,” he insisted. “Bethany is much too young to have coffee,” he teased.

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