Page 80 of Beachside Kisses With My Best Friend

“Yes, well.” Her eyes flit down to the paper, then over to Constance of all people. “Sorry, it’s just… Do you mind if I…” She indicates holding it out to Constance.

“Please let me see it first.”

“Of course.” She does, and one of his eyebrows quirks.

The judge points to the clerk. “Hand it to her, please. Clerk, please show this over the projector and enter it into evidence.”

Marilee glances back at me before shuffling toward the clerk, who fires up the projector and sticks the paper there. It appears on the screen—and I huff out a laugh.

Brilliant woman.

Because projected for the courtroom is a drawing Ryder presented me with this morning. It cut me to the core, but he said he’d made it with Miss Lucy over the weekend and wanted to display it for Marilee to see “when she gets home.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that might be never.

But my wife has clearly been home—and she’s brought with her the key to winning this battle if ever there was one.

“Please explain what we’re seeing, Ms. Moffitt.”

“It’s a drawing Ryder did. As you can see, it’s labeled ‘my family.’” Marilee walks to the screen and puts the full force of her attention on Constance—and then she speaks directly to her. “There’s him in the very middle, and Jordan, and me.” Under the stick figure with big glasses, it saysMommy. “And over here, to the side, you can see four people with canes. I think that’s supposed to be all of his grandparents.”

Mom and Dad chuckle behind me, as do all of our friends (and some of the women are definitely awww-ing again). Even Larry has to fight a grin. But Constance is still staring at the photo, squinting. “And what about there? What’s that in the upper right-hand corner?”

Marilee taps the part of the picture in question. “That is an angel with long red hair and a halo.” Her eyes shimmer. “And it says Mama.”

“What? Oh…” Constance’s voice breaks as she starts to cry.

Marilee hurries toward her—probably breaking all sorts of court rules, but the judge is allowing it—and drops into a squat beside Constance, grabbing her hands. “Constance, Ryder hasn’t forgotten Georgia, and we won’t let him forget her. I know you miss your daughter, but don’t rip this little boy from a home that’s good and right, where he feels safe and loved. There’s not a competition for his love. As you can see, he’s got enough to go around.”

Constance’s sobbing now, and she grips Marilee’s hands right back. “I’m s-s-sorry. I just…I miss my girl so much.”

“I know the pain of loss. I know.”

Gah, how I love this woman. Her ability to love even those who have wounded her astounds me daily.

The judge seems thoroughly captivated by the display in front of us but still asks for order in the courtroom—though honestly, it seems more of a formality for the records than a request. Marilee goes back to her seat, and the judge asks for Ryder to be brought in, just to confirm nobody coerced him into drawing the picture.

When he sees Constance crying, he runs to her and gives her a hug. “Don’t cry, Grammy. It’s okay.” Then from her lap, he sees the drawing on the screen and exclaims, “Hey! I drew that.”

The judge says, “Hi, Ryder. I’m Judge Terpstra.”

My kid wrinkles his nose and says, “You don’t look like the lady judge inBee Movie.”

That gets everyone laughing. Even the judge, who says, “No, I don’t guess I do.” And when he asks Ryder if anyone made him draw the picture, Ryder holds up his fingers and wiggles them, shrugging and saying, “Just my hands. And my brain.”

Constance laughs, hugging Ryder to herself and catching my eye over her attorney’s head. With eyes full of unshed tears, she says something to Sheila, who hisses back at her.

Finally, the attorney stands. “Your Honor, in light of…well, everything we just heard, we’d like to withdraw our petition for custody.”

My heart stutters.

What?

The air buzzes as the judge declares this hearing officially over, as he sees no reason why the custody of Ryder Carmichael should change, so long as I agree to continue granting the Comers visitation rights.

And then I’m leaping from my chair, hugging my son—who has no idea why we’re having a party in the courtroom—and shaking hands with Constance and Larry to show no hard feelings, and thanking my parents and sister and friends for coming. Everyone starts talking about grabbing dinner at a local restaurant together and Ryder asks my parents if we can go to the park and it’s a ruckus as the judge slips away and we celebrate this happy ending.

But I have an even happier end in mind.

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