He fixes his dark eyes on mine with an intensity that makes me want to look away. His lips curl into the smile he uses when he knows something I don’t. “What do you think I’m doing here?” His tone is teasing, but there’s an edge to it that hints at annoyance.
So, great, we’re both annoyed.
“I don’t know,” I lie, my voice quieter but no less strained.
My fingers fidget with the hem of my blazer as I glance around the hallway. People are milling about in hushed conversation, their eyes occasionally darting toward us—or him really.
“You don’t have to be here.” I try to keep my tone steady. “You don’t have to keep helping me.”
His teasing smile vanishes, and his jaw tightens. He takes a step closer, closing the distance between us until I can feel the heat radiating off of him. “I’m not here to fucking help you, Leighton.” The raw honesty in his words cuts through me. “I’m here to stand by your side.”
For a moment, I’m stunned into silence. The weight of his words hangs between us, and my chest tightens under the pressure of his confession.
“Did Callie tell you?” My voice is laced with frustration—not just at him making my mind a jumbled mess of emotion, but at Callie too. She’s been ignoring my boundaries, and this feels like yet another breach of our trust.
His gaze doesn’t waver as he crosses his arms. “Well, she only had to tell me because you didn’t.” There’s no accusation in his tone, just a simple fact that makes my stomach churn with guilt.
“This doesn’t pertain to you.” Even as the words leave my mouth, they feel hollow. My hands clench into fists at my sides as I try to maintain some semblance of control.
He grabs my hand—not roughly, but firmly enough that I can’t pull away without causing a scene—and guides me away from the door. Before I know it, my back is pressed against the cool marble wall as he steps into my space. The air leaves my lungs in a rush, and I look up at him with wide eyes.
“How can you say it doesn’t pertain to me?” he asks quietly, his voice dropping low enough that only I can hear him. His dark eyes search mine, and for a moment, something flickers there. Hurt? Anger? But it’s gone before I can identify it. “I’ve spent time with those kids. I’m invested in them now, okay? You don’t get to shut me out of this just because you’re scared or stubborn or whatever your reasons are for being hell-bent on doing this alone.” He gestures vaguely toward me with one hand before letting out a frustrated sigh.
I open my mouth to retort—to tell him he has no idea what he’s talking about—but he cuts me off before I can form the words.
“I want you to have this,” he says, his voice softening further as he looks at me with an earnestness that makes my throat tighten. “I’m going to be there to support you. And if that means sitting in the back row while you pretend I don’t exist? Fine.” His lips twitch into a smile. “But this is a public courtroom—I’m pretty sure anyone can walk in if they want. So yeah… I’m going in. And I’m going to be there whether you want it or not.”
I stare at him for what feels like an eternity but is probably only a few seconds. The sheer force of his persistence presses down on me, and I mutter under my breath, “Fine.”
His small smile widens into a grin. Not the smug smirk from earlier, but a softer, more genuine one. My chest aches in a way that’s both infuriating and… something I don’t want to give any space to right now.
“Well, geez,” he says lightly, his tone returning to its usual teasing cadence as he steps back and releases my hand. “You make it so easy to do nice things for you, you know that?”
I roll my eyes and don’t bother responding because what am I supposed to say? Instead, I glance at the clock on the far wall and jolt because there are only two minutes until we’re supposed to start.
“Leighton.” Viv has opened the door to the courtroom and poked her head out. Her voice has a note of authority to it.
I hesitate for half a second before straightening and smoothing down my blazer. “If you must.”
“I must.” Hayes falls into step beside me, and we go into the courtroom.
And for reasons I can’t quite explain… a small part of me is glad he’s here.
Everyone in the courtroom stares as we enter.
I follow Viv to my chair just in time for the deputy to call, “All rise for the honorable Judge Northcott.”
The intensity of the moment grows. This is it—the moment that will determine the course of my life. There are so many ways this could go, and all I can see are those three pairs of eyes at home waiting for me.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Hayes
* * *
I sit on a gallery bench with Leighton’s family, beside her Aunt Iris, who I know was Skylar’s mom. The only thing I really remember about her is that she worked a lot. And that’s because Skylar used to take full advantage and throw parties while her mom was out of the house. But now, from what I’ve heard from my own mother, Iris has rheumatoid arthritis and doesn’t have nearly as much energy as she did when she ran her own house-cleaning company and worked as a waitress at night.
