"Besides Luke getting arrested for starting a fight?" Meredith asked.
Cessily did smile at her, but it looked condescending. "Best thing about small towns, right? Yes, there was an altercation. A group of men attacked Luke's friend. Luke stepped in to prevent a hate crime, but in the confusion - since he was winning - the police detained him and his friend. We're working to get those charges dismissed."
"I see," Russell mumbled, making a note of that. "And is there any corroborating evidence for your case?"
"Oh, just the videos from the restaurant they were at. The pastor and his mother - the owner of the same restaurant - making it clear that the call was made before Luke and his friend left the restaurant, and other discrepancies." She opened the folder before her and flipped through it, but Dan's card had been paper-clipped to the inside. It was hard to miss. "That was last Wednesday, and Mr. Walker was injured significantly. Naturally, we wanted to make sure of his well-being first, and now we're in the process of subpoenaing the records."
"Then I guess this works out well for both of us," Russell said, pulling out a group of papers. "If you and your client can sign here, then I'll file to have a new court date assigned. If you'd like to go through a few other things, we should have the new date by the end of the day."
"That fast?" Cess asked.
Russell nodded. "That's why I like working in a small town. I'm friends with our judge, you know. I know everyone who works in the courthouse. Home court advantage, you might say."
"I hear that only works in sports," Cess countered.
Meredith's attorney just chuckled. "Something like that."
Chapter Thirteen
"And that's it?" Meredith demanded, turning to glare at her attorney. "Luke ruined my marriage, and you're just going to give him all the time he needs to clean up his own issues?"
"You need the time as well," Russell reminded her, dropping his voice as if that would make a difference.
"I'm already moved out of that place," Meredith snapped, turning her anger on me. "Are you happy? I got us in a good house. A good neighborhood for Faith to grow up in, and then you tore it all down!"
I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. "Really?" I snarled. "Never mind that the man was making videos of our daughter! Oh, that doesn't seem to bother you at all, just that you lost your easy ride? Well, let me make this clear. Faith comes first, Meredith. If living with you is what's best for her, then I'm fine with it, but you sure aren't doing anything to make me believe that."
So Meredith shoved to her feet. "I raised her. I changed her diapers. I fed her. I was the one who was there when she got sick and wouldn't sleep all night."
"And I sure as hell would've been too," I cut in. "You are the one who wouldn't let me. Why the hell is it so hard to believe that I love our kid, huh? All I want is what's best for her. I've busted my ass. Hell, I dropped out of school and threw away my dreams of pro ball so I could take care of her, because you know what? I was there when she was made. Newsflash. So were you!"
"Please," Russell said, trying to calm us down.
But it wasn't working. "You told me you'd take care of me if anything happened," Meredith shot back. "You said you'd be my man, but as soon as I was pregnant, you fucking bailed."
"And I took care of you," I reminded her. "I dropped out of school, I got a job, and I gave you every last penny. I bought you anything you wanted. Hell, I ran out in the middle of the night when you had cravings. Right up until you made me choose. You told me I could marry you or we were done. I was fucking seventeen years old!"
"And you didn't marry me," she snapped.
"No, I damned well didn't, because I didn't love you. I love Faith. I love that little girl more than my own life, but I just wanted to date the cheerleader and make my daddy proud. Didn't work out so good for either of us. You were the one who said you were on birth control. If this was supposed to have been your way of trapping me, then guess what? I'm trapped. I'm not going anywhere so long as Faith can't come with me!"
"Luke?" Cessily said, reaching out to touch my arm.
"Instead, you're sleeping with that whore!" Meredith screeched. "She used to be Dawn Higgs, a nobody. She was a loser, and now that she's got fancy hair and an expensive car, you're all up in her shit, huh? Don't go insinuating things about me, Luke, when you're doing the exact same thing."
I just leaned a little further. "I'm not dating Violet because of her money, Meredith. I'm with that woman because - "
"Emerald!" Cessily barked.
My mouth shut immediately and I sat back down. "Sorry, Cess."
"Do not say another word unless I give you permission to open your mouth, do you understand me, Mr. Barrett?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am," I said, meeting her eyes.
She was annoyed, not truly pissed, but that meant I'd come real close to crossing a line. I just wasn't sure which one. Russell, on the other hand, looked rather pleased with that whole ordeal. The man leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head.
"Do we want to put this girlfriend on the stand too? Sounds like it's her house. I also heard there are a few roommates?" he asked.
