“And you’ve only known her since September?”
“Yes.”
“And yet you allowed her to move in immediately?”
Ethan swallows.“They moved in because it was safe. Mia is loved and cared for. That’s what matters.”
“So you acted on emotion, not reason?”
“I acted on what was best for them both. Emotion and reason aren’t opposites when you’re protecting the people you love.”
She pounces.“You’ve never raised a child. You have no custody experience.”
“I’m a firefighter and EMT. I know how to care for people. And more importantly, I’ve spent the last four months learning everything about Mia. Her routines, likes, dislikes, allergies, doctors, school. And learning all of it was never a burden.”
A murmur ripples through the room.
Kevin’s lawyer presses on.“Your relationship is new. Isn’t this impulsive?”
“I’ve known for months that Summer is the one for me, and that Mia is my daughter, blood or not. Mia is thriving. That’s not impulsive. That’s responsibility.”
Her eyes harden.“And at Ms. Montgomery’s workplace, you used force against Mr. Masters, didn’t you?”
Ethan’s voice stays even.“Mr. Masters threatened Summer. He grabbed her and refused to let go when asked. What I did was protection, not violence.”
My heart swells.
He’s everything I want for Mia.
Kevin’s lawyer tries one last jab.“So you feel it’s acceptable to use force when someone disagrees with you?”
“No,” Ethan says.“I feel it’s acceptable to protect a woman from abuse.”
The judge scribbles notes.
I don’t dare hope yet, but something in me settles.
Ethan hasn’t wavered.
He isn’t going to.
And that, that is worth more than anything money can buy.
We’re minutes away from closing arguments when the courtroom doors swing open.
People start flooding in.
The diner owner.
The old lady from the local bakery.
Mia’s preschool teacher.
Pastor Hayes.
Joe, the mechanic.
Clients from my coffee shop.
