Page 164 of Already At Risk
Chloe was staying withus.
And I couldn’t keep the smile off my fucking face, even while I could barely believe that it had been announced, that this wasover.
Fuck, I was so goddamn relieved to have this finally draw to a close. Andsounbelievably happy for Natalie. And Chloe, because I knew this was what she’d wanted, too.
She wouldn’t have to move schools or find a new skating club. She wouldn’t have to be separated from the extended family who’d actuallybeenthere for her. She wouldn’t have to move back in with a man who had been an apathetic loser toward her his entire life.
As Judge Anderson stopped speaking, I was moving. I hadn’t wanted to risk agitating Korey before things were final. I’d kept to the background, letting Juniper do her job expertly, like I’d known she would. I hated not being directly beside Natalie, but if I had been the one fighting for her, it would have been so hard to stay professional at this point. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hand from finding hers and giving it a squeeze. My eyes would have constantly tracked her movements instead of staying focused on the task at hand. I probably would have called her Sunshine in front of the entire court. Kissed the top of her head as I sat down. Wrapped my hand around the curve of her thigh beneath the table. In the last month, I’d lost the ability to pretend around her, and I didn’t really know how to go back.
And now, I got to march to the front of the courtroom and catch Natalie in my arms when she turned and met me in the aisle, a mixed expression of exhaustion and elation dancing across her features.
“Cameron.” She choked out my name, crumpling a little despite the smile stretching over that beautiful face.
“See?” I whispered over the top of her head. “I told you everything was going to be okay.”
She nodded, like she’d known, too. But knowing it would happen and finally having it happen were different, and we both knew that.
Relief was a drug I could get high on at this point.
Natalie pulled back, wiping at her eyes. Behind her, I noticed Korey. He stood alone, looking as angry as ever. I’d seen parents lose custody battles before. I’d seen their defeated, sad expressions, the ones that told me that they’d really wanted their kids. And maybe they hadn’t made the best choices in life and needed to do things differently before they could make that happen. Or maybe they reallyhaddeserved a chance, but the case simply hadn’t gone the way they wanted.
Korey bore no resemblance to those parents.
His reaction had nothing to do with the love of his daughter or the desire to be a good parent.
The look on his face was one of indignation and rage—emotions that stemmed from his ego being wounded as he watched his control over Natalie and Chloe snap.
And then he had to watch me throw an arm around his ex-wife’s shoulders before tossing one final wink his way, and I was pretty sure that was the nail in his proverbial coffin, considering how his gaze flared and his face turned a whole new shade of red.
I hoped he understood it was a “thank you.” Because without him throwing me off this case, I wouldn’t be sleeping in Natalie’s bed more than I was sleeping in my own.
Korey’s face twisted in outrage, but we both knew he couldn’t do a damn thing about it anymore. I turned, gently guidingNatalie in the opposite direction of her ex-husband and letting him stare at our backs as we walked away, stepping through the large, imposing double doors of the courtroom.
I heard Juniper’s little tsk behind me.
“I saw that, Bryant,” she muttered.
“Do you know how exhausting it is to always be the bigger person, St. James?” I asked over my shoulder.
She gave me a look back that I knew had nothing to do with Korey and everything to do with my slipup of her name.
“Briggs, sorry,” I laughed.
Juniper tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder and smiled, the look of a lawyer who knew they’d just crushed it in court. Her heels clicked against marble as we walked into the atrium outside the courtroom.
Natalie slipped from beneath my arm, attacking Juniper with a hug that was warmly returned. “Thank yousomuch. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
Juniper shook her head. “We all love Chloe so much, Natalie. No one wanted to see her leave Boston, and now she doesn’t have to.”
“Juniper.” A voice cleared behind me, and I glanced back to see Noah, flanked by Gemma, Julian, Ellie, and Natalie’s parents. “I hope you know that I am yourbiggestfan,” Noah said, his grin wide.
Julian scoffed next to him. “The fuck you are,” he grunted, but his lips were also tilted in a smile as he bent over, brushing a kiss over the top of Juniper’s head and muttering, “Me haces tan orgulloso, Juni baby.”
A blush worked its way to Juniper’s cheeks, but she let Julian pull her into him. His hand came to rest on her stomach, smoothing over it protectively. We’d recently learned that Juniper was pregnant with twins, which meant Julian spent a lot more time glaring at, well, basically anyone who dared to get too close to his wife. I heard him check in with her beneath his breath, switching to English to ask her if she needed anything. She tippedher head up, making it hard to hear her response, and I looked back to Natalie.
She was releasing a long breath, shaking the nerves out of her hands as she looked around at the circle of smiling people. Noah and Gemma simultaneously pulled her into their arms, followed by her parents, and I slipped away to the back of the crowd.
I’d already gotten my hug, and if I wrapped my arms around her again, I was worried our new relationship would detract from the moment. I didn’t know what she’d told her parents about me or if she was ready to introduce us. We’d met at Noah’s engagement party, but I hadn’t been Natalie’s boyfriend then. I hadn’t been the man who hoped to be in her and Chloe’s life for a long fucking time. Preferably forever.
