I’m getting nervous and I don’t know why. For the past month I’ve been more than confident that any judge looking at this case would grant full custody to me, the only living parent, more than ready, willing, and able to provide. End of story.
Now I have doubts.
Rachel, our social worker, is the first one on the stand. She answers a few questions from Glenda, then a few from Noah. Her responses are pure facts, giving background on the mutually agreed custody arrangement. That guardianship of Ellie would be transferred to me—her biological father. And the request she received a few weeks ago to cease the transfer until the hearing.
I’m next on the stand with Noah asking the questions he’d prepped me for.
“Mr. Thorne, would you remind the court when you found out about Ellie?”
I clench my teeth. No matter how many times I answer this question, it always boils my chest the same. “This past summer.”
“How old was she?”
I glance at Cole. “Six.”
“And what town has she been living in all these years?”
“Same as me. Right here in Blue River Springs.”
“Fascinating. What do you do for a living?”
I sigh, growing tired of this and we’ve barely begun. “My brother Wilder and I own Blue River Ranch. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows where and how to find me.” I look over at Cole’s side of the room.
“Objection. That wasn’t the question and Mr. Thorne can’t speak foreveryone,” Glenda interjects, dryly.
“Thank you.” Noah turns to me. “And I apologize in advance for this, but could you remind us of your state of mind earlier this year? Before you found out you had a child who lived right here in town.”
I take a breath. He told me he’d ask about Millie. And my .?.?. state of mind, the bar fights, neglecting my ranch. Because Glendawillpoint it out. And it’s better to beat her to the punch.
“I lost my fiancée in the spring. She died in a fire.” I swallow. “I was grieving.” I look at Willow, her eyes misting, watching me relive it all. “Pretty hard. I lost myself.” My eyes flick to Cole. “At the time, I thought she was all I had. But there were people—on the other side of my bedroom door—waiting for me. There for me.”
“And how would you describe yourself after you found out you had a six-year-old daughter you never knew about?”
“I wanted to meet her. And the second I did, I knew she was mine.” I grin.
“And can you confirm for the court if you immediately wanted her in your life?”
“More than my next breath. Still do.”
Noah nods. “Thank you. So fast forward, as the court already heard, Ellie has been living with you ever since. And you’re now married, is that right?”
I look at my wife, my heart easing instantly. “Yes.”
Noah pulls out a few colorful papers from his folder and hands them to the judge. “And based on these drawings your daughter let me borrow, she seems to adore Willow. If you’re wondering, Willow’s the larger stick figure with the red-crayon curly hair—not the smaller one, who also ironically has curly reddish hair.”
The judge flips through the pages and hands them back to Noah, who takes them and sits back down.
Glenda stands, approaching me. “How did your wife die? I didn’t quite catch that part.”
My jaw clenches because she does know. “Millie was myfiancée. In a fire.”
“That’s tragic. Where?”
I swallow, my gut twisting. “On my ranch.”
She nods. “Where you’ve now brought your daughter to live.”
“Objection,” Noah calls.
