The more Ben learned about the man, the more surprised he was it had taken this long for someone to notice his shady dealings.
Ben had to talk to the prosecutors in the case several times and go over everything that had happened as well as walk through the evidence over and over in advance of the court hearing scheduled in March.Pulvermacher, who was still in the process of interviewing for the Arizona job, tried his level best to keep all mention of the matter out of the media.A large part of Ben wanted to take everything he knew and publish it just to get it over with.But too much publicity would bias a potential jury, so he could do nothing but sit tight and wait it out.
In the meantime, there were more important legal matters to see to.
On the morning of Charlie’s guardianship hearing, Ben put on the suit he hated least and buttoned his shirt to the top before tying his tie tightly and resolving to leave it that way until their case had been heard.
Charlie wore a dress shirt and slacks.He’d parted his hair on the side, the way Ben remembered his dad doing on days he knew there would be pictures taken of him.
“I’ll be waiting right outside,” Phil told them both.He kissed Ben quickly on the lips before giving Charlie a big, fortifying hug.“You’re going to be fine.”
It was a long morning with a lot of cases.The judge called them up alphabetically, so “Sinclair” was one of the last cases on the docket.Some of it got ugly, with parents shouting at one another and grandparents covering the children’s ears.Ben looked to Charlie every now and again in case any of it triggered him, but each time, he found Charlie staring down at his lap, clenching and unclenching his fists.
When their case finally came up, the expediency disappointed Ben.Phil had a good lawyer.She saved Ben from having to do most of the talking.There were no objections, the paperwork was in order, and within less than half an hour, the judge granted Ben full legal guardianship of Charlie.
For some reason, Ben expected more drama.
He loosened his tie as soon as they left the courtroom.“We did it,” he said, and opened his arms to Charlie.
Charlie accepted the hug passively.
“You okay, kid?”
“Yeah.”Charlie attempted a smile, but it was forced at best.
Ben frowned and drew to a halt.Beige marble covered the hallway floors, the kind dress shoes squeaked on.It seemed like a bad choice for a place where everyone always wore dress shoes.
“Charlie.”
Charlie stopped a few feet ahead of him.
“Are you…” Ben had already asked if Charlie was okay.He wished he knew the right question.“Is this still what you want?”
Charlie’s head snapped up.His eyes were red-rimmed, and tear tracks ran down his cheeks.“Of course,” he said hoarsely.
“What’s wrong, then?”
“I just thought they would be here.”
“Oh.Oh,Charlie.”Ben drew him in for another hug, and this time, Charlie melted into him, face buried in Ben’s shoulder, shaking.He pressed a kiss to the top of Charlie’s head.“I’m so sorry they don’t know what they have in you.I’m so sorry you were born into a family that can’t see your worth.”
Charlie shuddered in his arms and then pulled away.“But I’m glad I’m with you.And Phil.Really.I promise.”
Ben pulled Charlie under his arm and led him out of the courthouse, shoes squeaking with every step.
Phil waited for them at the bottom of the steps.When he spotted Charlie’s face, he tensed up.“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Charlie said.“We won.It’s all good.”
Ben shot Phil a thumbs-up behind Charlie’s back so he wouldn’t worry.“I thought you might want to take us out for a stupidly expensive meal and then maybe ice cream.”
“You read my mind,” Phil said, easily picking up his cue.“There’s a great Asian fusion place around the corner.Maybe it’s time to try out sushi, huh, Charlie?”
Charlie squared his shoulders.“Yeah.Yeah, I think I’d like that.”
Over lunch, Phil filled them in on the latest team gossip.Breezy had announced his intention to take a dating hiatus; Luca had odds on him lasting a week, tops.Mooney ought to pay a fine for appearing in the locker room with scratches down his back, but Jax proved such an ineffective fine master Mooney got away with nothing more than vigorous mocking.That story Phil heavily edited for Charlie’s ears.The team had managed to cling to third place in the Pacific Conference over the last few weeks, so things were looking up.
“You miss it, don’t you?”Ben asked when Charlie went to the restroom.
