Page 110 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

Laurel was going to lose Emma.

And she was going to lose Gavin too.

“...Emma deserves more than to be raised in what would obviously be a loveless arrangement between two acrimoniously divorced people. Mrs.Gordon is not only the child’s grandmother, but she clearly offers a warm, loving environment in which to raise Emma. Thank you, Your Honor.” Mr.Groveland took his seat.

Darius stood and began his closing statement.

Laurel tried to focus on his recap, but her heartbeat reverberated in her skull, and she struggled to draw breath. She couldn’t let this happen. She had to do something, and fast.

“Your Honor?” she blurted.

Darius stopped midsentence and jerked his head her way.

Gavin stiffened in his seat.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” She stood and addressed the clerk. “Is—is it too late to make a statement?”

The clerk tilted his head. “Certainly not. Go ahead, Ms.Robinson.”

“Thank you.” A hush fell over the courtroom. Fear sucked themoisture from her mouth. The heat of every gaze in the room converged like a laser on the back of her head. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she set the record straight.

“I—I realize that after a divorce and long period apart, it might seem unlikely that my relationship with Gavin is friendly and warm or conducive to co-parenting a child.” Her voice trembled. She took a breath, looking directly into the clerk’s eyes. “But the truth is... we would do anything for Emma. We love her that much. I wish I could just give you a little glimpse of how we care for her day to day. How Gavin reads her as many books as it takes till she falls asleep. How we talk to her about her mom and dad to help her understand what happened. And how we remind her daily of how much her mommy and daddy loved her.” She blinked against the sting of tears. “I wish Emma was old enough to make this decision for herself, because if she were... she’d choose Gavin and me.”

The room was so quiet she could hear the hum of the air-conditioning. The tick of a wall clock. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights.

She glanced down at Gavin. Tears had gathered in his eyes. Her feelings for him welled inside, a flood of feelings she’d happily drown in.

Unable to face him for this next part, she pulled her gaze away. Adrenaline coursed through her body, making her stomach turn. Bringing to the surface her most deeply rooted fear. She was about to face it head-on, because the alternative—losing Emma and Gavin—was intolerable.

She cleared her throat, pulled herself erect, and dug deep for courage. “I can promise you there’s no acrimony between us. And I disagree with Mr.Groveland on yet another point: I will not magically fall in love with my ex-husband.”

A quiet murmur rose.

In her peripheral vision Gavin lowered his head.

Laurel waited. One shaky breath. Then two. “The truth is, Your Honor, I neverstoppedloving him.”

The murmurs grew louder, but she was only aware of Gavin, rising slowly to his feet beside her. A weighted silence pierced the courtroom.

“The same is true for me, Your Honor.”

Her breath escaped in a puff of disbelief. Through her blurry vision, she met his teary gaze.

He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and brushed her knuckles with a soft kiss. His warm blue eyes expressed even more than the gesture ever could. “I was afraid to tell you. Afraid you didn’t feel the same.”

“I do. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” He brushed her lips with a soft kiss.

“Your Honor,” Mr.Groveland said. “This grandstanding is offensive to the court. May we please get on with this hearing?”

Gavin continued as if the opposing counsel hadn’t spoken at all. “Marry me, Laurel. Give me another chance and I’ll prove I can love you better this time. I want to raise Emma with you. I want us to be a real family.”

A buoyant feeling filled her from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. The reservation she’d felt at his first proposal was absent this time. She was ready to trust him this time in a way she hadn’t before. She beamed. “Yes. I want all that too.”

“Your Honor!” Mr.Groveland bellowed.

“Mr.Groveland, if you can’t appreciate rekindled love perhaps it’s time to hang up your hat. I, for one, am a big fan. Is there anything else you’d like to say, Ms.Robinson?”

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