“We understand,” I replied. “We're committed to doing everything the right way.”
“I’m certain that you are, which is why I don’t feel the need to make any emergency changes.” She stood up, signaling the end of the visit. “I'll be in touch with any follow-up actions that need to be taken. In the meantime, continue providing a stable and loving environment for James.”
As Susan left, we all exhaled, relief washing over us. “That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be,” James admitted, sinking deeper into the couch. “Did she seriously say it’s okay for me to stay with you guys?”
“No, it wasn't,” I agreed, ruffling his hair affectionately. “And yes, if she has anything to say about it, it seems like you’ll get to stay here. But remember, this isn't over yet. We have to stay on top of things and make sure we're doing everything right. That means you’d better get used to living at the edge of civilization for a while.”
“I know,” James replied. “But I think we can handle it. And she didn’t say Michael and Henry can’t come and stay with us, so that’s a good thing.”
“You’re right. We’ll have to do some work to make sure Henry has a room of his own, and that you aren’t crammed into a musty room with a lumpy mattress.”
With the initial hurdle of the caseworker's visit out of the way, I was hopeful that we could navigate through the rest of this process successfully. For James's sake, and for ours.
18
MICHAEL
The following morning,the three of us rode together to the courthouse in Pineville after dropping Henry off at preschool. Billy had foolishly suggested it might be better if I wasn’t there, but I didn’t see how that would be better for any of us. I wouldn’t get a damned thing done at work, Billy wouldn’t have me behind him, and James needed to know there was nothing, not even his asshole parents, who would keep us from supporting him unconditionally.
Of course, if it wasn’t for the current organizational structure at City Hall, I’d likely walk out of the courthouse without a job. Lucky for me, Mayor Thompson didn’t seem eager to petition the full council so far.
We hadn’t gotten out of Harmony Grove before my phone started blowing up with messages from Mayor Thompson, accusing me of shirking my duties because I had the audacity to call in for the day due to a personal matter. Never mind I had more accrued time than anyone else because I didn’t take vacations or sick days unless they were absolutely necessary. To his mind, being there for my family today was a sign I didn’t give a damn about the needs of the people of Harmony Grove.
The opposite was actually true. This situation was bigger than James. The mission of Harmony House was to show the youth of Harmony Grove they were safe. That’s exactly what we were doing. If we allowed James’s parents to dictate who he could live with after they tossed him out on his ass, then other parents would feel empowered to do the same. As much as I wanted to convince myself they were an isolated case, I knew better. Their church was filled with people who were just as closed-minded.
“Are you ready?” Billy asked James as we pulled into the parking garage across from the Pineville courthouse.
“Not hardly.” James slumped back in the seat, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “I know you guys aren’t lying to me about the judge wanting to hear what I want, but I hate my dad for doing this at all.”
I reached into the back seat and placed a hand on his knee. “I know it sucks when your parents aren’t who you hoped they would be. Don’t let him get to you. Don’t feel like you need to pretend you aren’t upset but hold your head high. You’re a smart kid, and it’s his loss if he can’t see that. We’re proud of you already.”
“Thanks, Michael.” He relaxed the tiniest bit. “But what if the judge says we can’t come home to your house? That’s not fair, either.”
“Then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do. Together. Because that’s what families do,” Billy chimed in. Both of us had been hammering home the point that we were James’s family now. We might not be his biological family, but wewerehis logical family. The four of us, we made sense together.
As soon as he parked, he jumped out of the car and smoothed his button-down shirt. Today was one of the few times I’d seen him in a shirt and tie, and I had to say he looked damned good. He also looked hot as hell, and not in the sexy way. We were currently experiencing a late August heat wave, and before we reached street-level, he rolled up his sleeves.
I slipped my hand into Billy’s, not caring who might see us.
We followed James into the courthouse, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. He stiffened when we rounded the corner but squared his shoulders rather than cowering. “Mom. Dad.”
Jack Davis didn’t even bother acknowledging his son, instead looking past him, his upper lip curling in disdain when his icy glare landed on me. “What’shedoing here?”
“Hehas a name,” James responded before either of us could come up with a civil response. “And Michael is here because I asked him to be.”
Finally, Jack looked at his son. “And you wonder why your mother and I have concerns about your… living arrangements. You can’t honestly expect neither of us to say anything when you’re living with two deviants.”
“Oh, that’s rich,” James scoffed. Billy placed a hand on his shoulder, likely sensing the situation was at risk of getting out of hand. James shrugged him off. “You couldn’t have cared less about where I lived when you kicked me out, as long as I wasn’t corrupting Sarah and Noah. But now that I’m not absolutely miserable every minute of the day, you’re going to pretend to be a concerned parent? I’m not stupid, you know. I know your entire plan is to go into that conference room and play the victim. It’s what you do best.”
“James, that’s enough.” I kept my voice steady but firm. We were starting to draw attention.
“Don’t you dare scold my son,” Jack spat at me. “He might have managed to convince the county he was fit to be a foster parent but you couldn’t even do that much.”
Little did he realize how full of shit he was, but I refused to play his silly little games.
“Enough.” Everyone stilled at a booming voice from the end of the hall. I looked up to see Kevin Mickelson walking in our direction. “Jack, even you have to understand you’re doing nothing but alienating your son with this farce.”
“What are you doing here?” I wondered the same thing.
