“Colter Briggs is the biological father of little Elias. He married Maya Williams after their son was born, making their little family complete. He provided for them, protected them, and loved them. When Maya tragically died in a car accident, Mr. Briggs assumed he would continue caring for the child he’d fathered and helped raise. Instead, he learned that custody was being claimed by a woman who hadn’t seen this baby since the day he was born.”
The words stung because they weren’t entirely untrue.
“Ms. Williams lives alone in a small apartment in Chicago. She has no experience with children, no support system, and frankly, no relationship with this child. Mr. Briggs, on the other hand, has been there from day one. He knows Elias’s routines, his preferences, his needs. This isn’t about legal documents or distant relatives, Your Honor. This is about what’s best for this child, and what’s best is staying with the only father figure he’s ever known.”
Beau sat down, and I felt sick. Every word had been carefully chosen to make me sound like a stranger trying to steal a child from his loving father.
Judge Martinez turned to Rex. “Mr. Hatfield?”
Rex stood slowly, and when he spoke, his voice carried the weight of absolute certainty.
“Your Honor, this case is indeed about what’s best for Elias Williams. But to understand what’s best for this child, we need to understand who Maya Williams really was and why she made the decision she did.”
A flutter of hope grew in my chest.
“Yes, Maya and Cora were estranged, but only because Cora disagreed with Maya’s relationship with Mr. Briggs. Maya understood her sister’s concerns well enough that when she wrote her will, she chose the one person she knew would protecther son. Ms. Williams isn’t here to steal a child, Your Honor. She’s here to honor a dying mother’s wish to keep her son safe.”
The rest of the hearing passed in a blur of testimony and legal arguments. When Judge Martinez finally returned from her brief recess, my heart was pounding.
“Based on the evidence presented, I’m granting temporary custody to Ms. Williams pending Mr. Briggs’s right to appeal. However, given that it’s Thursday afternoon and the appeals process could take several days, Ms. Williams will retain physical custody over the weekend.”
Relief flooded through me, but Judge Martinez wasn’t finished. “I’m also ordering supervised visitation for Mr. Briggs. Two hours on Saturday at the CPS office. Ms. Chen will coordinate the details and discuss additional visitation times.” She paused, looking directly at me. “Additionally, Ms. Williams, the minor child is not to be removed from Maverick County pending resolution of any appeals Mr. Briggs may file.”
I barely heard the rest of the judge’s instructions. All I could think about was getting to Elias, holding him, and finally bringing him home.
“Ms. Williams.” Rex’s voice cut through my daze. “We need to talk for a minute before I head back to Dallas.”
He guided Jason and me to a quiet corner of the courthouse lobby. “Congratulations on the temporary custody, but this is far from over. Beau will file an appeal by Monday, maybe even tomorrow.”
“What do we need to do?” Jason asked.
“Stay in the county, document everything—every interaction with Briggs, any threats, any suspicious behavior. I’ll research his funding sources and see what I can find about his background.” Rex handed me his card. “Call me immediately if anything feels off. Don’t talk to Beau or anyone from his office without me present.”
“How long could this take?” I asked.
“Couple weeks minimum, possibly longer. But you’ve got the child, and that’s what matters.” He shook our hands. “I need to get back to Dallas, but I’ll be in touch.”
As we walked to the car after Rex left, Jason shook his head. “I don’t get it. How’s a biker gang leader affording Beau Stanton? That guy charges five hundred an hour minimum.”
Chapter Nine
JASON
“Is everything set up?”I asked Thomas.
While Cora was inside packing Elias’s things, my friend and I stood on the front porch. What the foster parents didn’t know was that I’d instructed Thomas to make sure there was security surrounding their home. I didn’t want to take the chance that Colter might try something.
He nodded. “Yeah, and I went ahead and increased security at the house too. A few more guys won’t hurt. No one even gets onto the driveway to the house without an ID check now.” He tipped his head toward the SUV. “The car seat is ready, too.”
“Good. Her mind was on the court hearing. I didn’t want to get one until she won. I didn’t want her returning home in an SUV with an empty car seat.” I don’t know who it would have hurt more. Her, faced with the loss of her nephew, or me, knowing there was nothing I could do to bring her smile back.
Thomas smiled. “How do you think Cora’s going to react when she sees the room?”
“I don’t care. He needed things that she didn’t have, and so I got them.”
“I want to be there when she sees it.”
“The only reason you want to be there is so you can witness her chew me out.”
