The bailiff came over to retrieve the paperwork and took it to the judge. Silence ensued as she read over it. I watched as she picked up her pen and scribbled something down.
The judge nodded. “I will allow supervised visits on the weekends. Ms. Chambers, your aunt, uncle, or Mr. Lake need to be present. You can see them today, but you must vacate the home before your curfew.”
It wasn’t what I hoped for, but I would take it. “Thank you.”
She slammed the gavel. “This hearing is adjourned.”
She left the courtroom, and we all filed out in silence. Maybe this wasn’t the turnout we expected, but at least the girls would be with family, and Kennedy would soon get exactly what she deserved.
Chapter 22
Killian
“Is that the last of it?” I asked, setting the box in the back of my car.
Alayah nodded sadly.
She was happy with the judge’s ruling that her sisters could live with her aunt and uncle, but also sad that she was leaving. Right after we left court, I took her to grab boxes to pack up her things and to make a copy of my house key for her. Before we could go back to the Eastons’, we had to make a stop at my place so Vera could check it out for approval.
She’d given me a short list of things that needed to be resolved by the time she visited again next week. I assured her it was no problem, and it would be done. We’d been diligently packing up Alayah’s belongings and the ton of books her aunt had purchased for her. Since they only had a three-bedroom, one of the girls would be taking her room.
I closed the trunk and walked over to where she stood on the bottom step of the front porch and grabbed her hands.
“I know this isn’t how you pictured things going, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I know,” she said faintly. “I promise I’ll be a good houseguest. You don’t have to worry about me making a mess, and I’ll cook. If you want me to pay—”
I placed a finger to her lips to silence her. “Let me stop you while you’re ahead. You don’t have to pay me for anything. I know what I signed up for, and I trust you.”
“I appreciate you, Killian. I was prepared to go find an apartment or something.”
“You can stay as long as you’d like. If and when you’re ready to be on your own, I’ll help you find a place.”
“Thank you for being a friend.”
I chuckled. “Have you been watchingThe Golden Girls?”
It took a second for her to catch on to the correlation. She playfully slapped my chest before wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly. When she pulled away, she palmed my face and pressed her soft lips to mine. The kiss we shared was slow and sweet. We’d shared a few kisses now, and I’d grown to love the feeling of her lips against mine.
It always took me by surprise when she made the first move. On the plus side, it was a good thing she allowed herself that vulnerability. Many victims of assault never reached a level of comfort where they can be physically vulnerable with another person. As much as I loved kissing her, I wanted her to have control and freewill over her desires. That wasn’t to say that I would never kiss her first, but right now, she deserved to have the choice.
Our lips parted at the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was Ms. Proctor, the DCFS worker. Alayah broke away from me and ran down the driveway. Her sisters hopped out and ran into her arms. The bruises on their faces were still visible as well as the many on Adrienne’s arms.
I’d read the statements Erica provided the judge. She’d detailed how her mother hit her repeatedly with a closed fist or how she pulled her hair out at the root. I could only imagine what was going through her mind at that time. To watch the woman who birthed her beat her like a stranger on the street, it would forever live in her mind.
As I watched them, it was like they were those five- and seven-year-old little girls again. They clung to her as she hugged them and kissed the tops of their heads.
“I got you. I got you,” she said repeatedly. She looked up at the Ms. Proctor. “Thank you.”
The woman smiled. “I can tell you genuinely care for them.”
“They are my babies. I’d do anything for them.”
She nodded and went to the trunk to grab their things. I made my way down to the car to help her as Mr. and Mrs. Easton came out of the house. The five of them gathered, sharing hugs and kisses, and we hauled the bags inside.
“I think they will do just fine here,” she said.
“They will,” I assured her. “If there is nothing else that woman loves, she loves her sisters. They need each other.”
