Page 157 of Love Notes & Lifelines
“What the hell was that about?” Beck asks.
Teddy closes his eyes, and his father laughs. “Teddy and Bella had a rather embarrassing skinny dipping encounter their senior year. I had to pick them up at the station.” His laughter is rich and welcoming, and even Teddy’s mortification brings a sense of normalcy to this stupidly messed-up day.
“Go take a breather,” Mr. Park says. “That was just the warm-up. It’ll be a long day still.”
Beck doesn’t need to be told twice. He takes me by the hand and practically drags me from the courtroom.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
STELLA
We exitthe courtroom and Beck leads me down the hall to an open bench. He holds my hand while I sit, then joins me so every inch of my left side is touching his right side. There’s not a breath of space between us, and we just sit and watch people walk by.
Slowly, the muscles in my body uncoil, and Beck seems less tense next to me too.
“It’s pretty intense, huh?” he finally asks.
“It is,” I agree. “I’ve never had anything so valuable to fight for before. It’s like the possibility of her getting our girls is shredding my heart, and it hurts, Beck. What if?—”
“There are no ‘what ifs,’ Stella. It’s you and me and Emmy and Ruby.” He sighs. “Fine, and Dang-it Daisie too.”
I laugh and it feels so good—like a release.
“We’re going to be okay.”
I lean my head on his shoulder. I’m suddenly so tired—the kind of tired that’s bone-deep. “I know. But it’ll be better when it’s all over.”
“Becker?”
I straighten my spine and stare up at the men standing before us. My hand clamps tighter to Beck’s, but when I look over, Beck is smiling.
“Judge,” Beck says in greeting, before turning to the other man. “Is this what you meant by being a good thing?” Beck asks James—the child psychologist—and all the pieces fall together.
“This is your son, the single dad?” I ask the judge.
“The very one. I hope you can forgive my father’s meddling,” James says. “I don’t generally accompany Mrs. Marsh. However, her husband has been known to do Danica’s bidding occasionally.”
“Sending James ensured the report was accurate.” The judge winks. “Danica may believe she has a hand in every pot, but I’ve been in this town longer than she’s been alive. She’s not the only one who has strings to pull. I can’t say for sure, but I do believe you’ll have a fair outcome. The judge presiding over your case is known to be fair. Now, I have court myself, so I’ll leave you two to your break, but know we’re rooting for you.”
The judge turns to go, but James stays put.
“Your sister was very special, Beck. I—she left quite an impression on me. We helped each other out a lot. I’m a little lost without her, to be honest. Single parenting isn’t easy, so I’m real glad you two have each other.”
“Are you… Do you need help?” Beck asks.
James waves him off. “No, I’m in the process of finding a nanny, but it’s?—”
“A real pain in the ass,” Beck interrupts. He points to the notebook James is holding. “May I?”
James shrugs and hands him the blank notepad and a pen.
I lean forward to see he’s writing Lottie’s email address and the Single Dad Hotline on it, and I smile.
“Email this woman. She runs the Single Dad Hotline.” Beck casts a loving gaze my way. “She’s really good at her job, and she’ll find you the right person.”
“Huh,” James says. “Never heard of it. Thanks though. A personal recommendation always eases a little of my worries.”He takes his notebook back and nods. “I’ll see you around, and thanks for this.” He holds up the notebook, then turns and disappears into the people milling about the hallway.
We sit in companionable silence as minutes tick by—our minds decompressing by people watching.
