Page 84 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

Laurel traded glances with Gavin. “But?”

Darius leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “But I’m afraid it’s not quite as simple as that. There’s still Darcy’s petition to consider. The court will want to hear this out.”

Laurel’s chest tightened. “But... the Claytons named me as Emma’s guardian. They wanted me to raise Emma, not Darcy.”

“That’s true. But they’ll want to hear from any petitioner. And remember, the Claytons actually named the two of you: Gavin and Laurel Robinson. Their choice was to leave their daughter in the care of a married couple. You’re not that couple anymore. You’re a single woman now and—”

“Single women raise children—adopt children even—all the time.”

“That’s true. Nothing wrong with that at all. But wanting a married couple to raise a child is a different thing than wanting one-half of that couple to take on that task.”

Gavin leaned forward, his jaw twitching. “That’s ridiculous. Mike and Mallory would’ve wanted Laurel to raise her over Darcy, hands down. No doubt in my mind.”

“All that matters now is what’s in the child’s best interest: Darcy or Laurel.”

“Laurel is in her best interest!”

“I have to agree with you there, Gavin. But at this point, I’m afraid it’ll be up to the courts to determine that.”

Laurel’s stomach turned. She sagged against the chair back. She’d thought this was settled. How could Darcy’s petition still matter?

“You have a lot going for you, Laurel,” Darius said. “The court will appreciate that you have an ongoing relationship with Emma. I assume you’re gainfully employed?”

“Of course.”

“She’s a horticulturist for the Biltmore. She’s about to be promoted to manager of the Walled Garden. It’s a prestigious position.”

“That’s good. We’ll petition the court for general guardianship. I can put together a case and present it at the hearing. Laurel, we’ll need to set up an appointment for you to come down to my office and go over a few things.”

“Anything you need.” Laurel remembered to breathe. “What are my chances here, Darius? What do you think will happen?”

He gave her a wan smile. “I wish I could give you an answer. I already mentioned a couple of the factors working in your favor. And there’s always the possibility the Gordons will drop their petition once they discover you’re petitioning. But if they don’t... they have some selling points too. Darcy is Emma’s grandmother, and she seems to be in a stable marriage. It’s going to be up to the clerk to make the call.”

Gavin pinned the attorney with an unwavering look. “We’ll do whatever we have to do to make sure this goes the right way.”

“Absolutely.”

Sounds of stirring came from the baby monitor, then Emma began talking to her animal friends. Laurel stood, feeling as if she’d left her stomach back in the chair. “I should go get her.”

Darius rose. “Don’t forget, I’m on your side. Call my office and set up an appointment with Shelley. I’ll work you in this week, and we’ll get that petition filed. We’ll get all our ducks in a row for that hearing.”

“I will.” Laurel shook his hand. “Thank you, Darius. I appreciate it.”

“Of course. We’ll do everything we can. Y’all try and have a good day now.”

Chapter31

“How can this be happening?” Laurel plopped down at the end of the sofa, turning slightly to face Gavin at the other end.

They hadn’t had a chance to talk about Darius’s revelation. Gavin had been called away to a campground emergency, and Laurel spent the rest of the day taking care of Emma and finishing the repairs to the trellis.

“It’s just not right,” Gavin said.

At Gavin’s feet Sunny heaved a sigh and set her head on her paws.

Laurel concurred. What a long, long day. Her emotions had gone on a very unpleasant roller-coaster ride, and now her stomach twisted with the dramatic ups and downs. “I don’t know how they could even consider Darcy. But Darius seemed to think she has a chance. More than a chance. He almost seemed like he thought it was a fifty-fifty thing, didn’t he?”

“Kind of made it sound that way. Unless they end up dropping out...”

---