I didn’t care how angry she was. Noah was staying with me. That was all that mattered.
I gripped Eric’s hand. “Thank you,” I said, which seemed insufficient after what he had accomplished.
“You don’t have to thank me. You had a strong case, and you’re a good father.” He began to pack up his briefcase. “My office will file the final paperwork next week, and I’ll have a courier send over a copy for your records.”
After he left, I stood and faced Julia. She reached for me, and I pulled her into my arms in the middle of the aisle, crushing her to me. I was probably holding on too tight, but having her soft body pressed against me grounded me after the stress of the trial. Fear and exhaustion were emotions of the past. Only overwhelming relief remained.
We held each other for a little longer as the courtroom emptied, and then I finally pulled back. “We should go get him. He’s been waiting out there long enough.”
Hand in hand, we exited the courtroom and found Noah in the hall sitting next to Mrs. Patterson, an older woman wearing a hat and glasses. He wore a suit, and his tie—royal blue and gold—matched the one I wore under my jacket.
As soon as we appeared, his anxious eyes searched our faces for answers. He had testified, sitting in the chair at the front of the courtroom and answering questions. The judge had been kind, but I knew the entire experience had scared Noah. I had to sit quietly in my chair, unable to protect him, with aneutral expression on my face while my insides twisted into knots. After his testimony, they removed him from the courtroom, and he had been waiting out here ever since with the babysitter, neither of them knowing what the outcome would be.
“Ready to go home?” I asked.
For half a beat, he seemed dazed. Then his face crumpled, and he launched himself off the bench and into my arms. I lifted him from the floor, and he wrapped his arms around me. Then he started crying, releasing all the pent-up emotion he had been holding inside.
He might not have understood everything that was taking place, but he understood enough to be afraid and know he might lose what was familiar to him—again.
“It’s okay,” I whispered, cradling the back of his head. “We’re going home, buddy. Together.”
Noah sniffed. “I thought...” His voice broke. “I thought she was gonna take me to Tennessee.”
“She can’t. You’re staying with me forever.” I kissed his temple. “I promise. That’s not changing. Okay?”
He nodded and wiped the tears from his cheeks.
Mrs. Patterson dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “Congratulations, Marcus. This is what Brandon and Stacey wanted.”
“I appreciate you being here,” I said sincerely.
“Of course. Any time you need me.” She smiled and said goodbye to all of us.
Noah had stopped crying, but he still clung to me, so I didn’t put him down. Real talk, I didn’t want to. We headed toward the exit—me, Noah, and Julia.
Walking together into our future.
Noah screamed, laughing, twisting, and turning on the bed as I attacked his ribs. His laughter bounced off the walls—one of my favorite sounds in the world.
“Uncle Marcus, stop!” he choked out.
I finally quit, and he settled down.
“You’re gonna be good now?” I asked.
“Yes, I promise,” he said, still giggling.
When I had told him it was time for bed, he had sassed me back and said he was going to bed when he wanted to. I chased him around the condo and into his bedroom, where he slipped under the covers, prompting one of our tickle fights. It wasn’t much of a fight since I always won.
I straightened the sheets around him.
“Are we going shopping for camping stuff tomorrow?” he asked.
“Yes. I have to work first, though, so you’ll spend the day with Miss Julia. She’s going to the supermarket to pick up a few items for dinner. When I get back, we’ll buy your camping gear, okay?”
“I want a Robin sleeping bag,” he said.
“We’ll see if we can find one,” I said. If they didn’t have one at the store, I could probably find one online.
