The whole hall erupts into laughter as I finish off with, “Welcome to the family.”
Beck blows me a kiss, while Jace mouths, Love you, sis. For a heartbeat, the ache eases.
Cole said my forever person will find me. I want him to be that person, but I’m also realistic enough to know that tonight might have just been a fluke in the system. So I tuck those memories away into the fold of my bones where I keep the parts of myself I rarely show.
With that thought in mind, I pull on a smile, take Ava’s hand, and lead her onto the dance floor.
2
COLE
“Mr. and Mrs. Dawson,” Judge Halden begins, her voice level, professional, and mercifully devoid of sympathy. I don’t want sympathy. I want my daughter. “After reviewing the reports, statements submitted, and recommendations from Child Protective Services, I’m ready to finalize my ruling.”
Across the aisle, Calista lets out a tiny scoff, one long leg over the other, her heel bouncing like she’s at a damn salon appointment and not at the final hearing of our divorce. Toby sits beside her, smug bastard that he is, leaning back in his chair in that relaxed way he perfected back when he pretended to be my best friend.
If I look at either of them too long, I’ll regret it. So I don’t. I sit rigid in my chair, hands folded on the table, knuckleswhite. Matt, my lawyer, is next to me, calm, collected, the same way he’s been through every damn nightmare the last year has thrown at me.
Judge Halden lifts her gaze. “In the matter of physical and legal custody of Aria Jane Dawson, age nine…” She pauses, eyes flicking to me. “The court awards full custody to Mr. Cole Alden Dawson.”
The air leaves my lungs in a hard, unsteady exhale.
Matt leans in, murmuring, “I told you we had this.”
He says it like this win was inevitable. Maybe for him it was. He’s good at this, at being detached and clinical. I’m not. I’m just a parent who almost lost his kid because I married a woman who never wanted to be one.
Calista scoffs louder this time. “Good riddance,” she snaps, her voice sharp enough to ricochet off the paneled walls. “I never wanted either of you anyway.”
My jaw clenches. I don’t rise to it. I don’t rise to anything anymore when it comes to her. And to think I once thought I was in love with her. Oh, how blind I was.
But Toby shifts forward, lips curling into something venomous. “Guess you win this one, Cole. You should thank us.”
I turn my head slowly, deliberately, and meet his eyes. “I’ll reserve my gratitude for people who deserve it.”
He blinks, and for once, he doesn’t have a comeback.
The judge continues as if she hasn’t heard any of it. God bless her. “In matters of property division,” she says, “the court rules that marital assets be split fifty-fifty. This includes all real estate, liquid assets, and business holdings, including Dawson Construction.”
My heart drops, hits something hard inside my chest. I knew it was coming. Matt warned me. But hearing it out loud is a different kind of blow.
Dawson Construction isn’t just a business. It’s my father’s legacy. It’s the first thing I learned to love after I learned to walk. It’s years of sweat, busted knuckles, early mornings, and pride.
And now half of it belongs to a woman who didn’t lift a damn brick in her life. She’s all smiles, Toby grinning like a fool by her side.
“However,” the judge continues, “given the complexity of the company’s valuation, the court grants a window of 180 days. Within that time, either party may buy out the other’s share. If neither party succeeds, the business will be legally split.”
I swallow hard. Six months to find enough money to buy out half of a multi-million-dollar construction empire? It’s insane.
But I still nod. “Understood, Your Honor.”
Calista huffs like we’re wasting her time. Toby sets his hand over hers, some twisted display of solidarity, and I can’t help but wonder how two people can burn down everything and still look smug about it.
The judge bangs the gavel lightly. “This divorce is finalized.”
It’s finally over.
Except it’s not. Not really. I still have to pick up the pieces Calista and Toby have left behind, figure out how to save my company, and raise my daughter with enough stability that she never doubts she’s loved.
But at least for now, I’ve earned all rights to my little girl.
