Today’s the day. It’s hard to believe it’s here. I barely slept a wink. From all my tossing and turning, I don’t think Sutton slept either.
Glancing in the mirror, I give myself one last look. My tie is perfectly straight. No jacket, but the sleeves of my shirt hide my tattoos. Maybe it’ll make me more presentable. Like I deserve to have sole custody of my kid.
Sutton comes out of the bathroom wearing a sleeveless, black dress. It’s simple. Nothing fancy. It’s not needed at court. We share a quick hug before heading out to find the kids already awake.
Between the two of us, we get the kids ready for their day. I told Sutton they didn’t need to take the day off of school, but she insisted. And based on how happy the two of them are, they don’t have any idea of what’s going on today.
Sutton on the other hand? Well, she keeps cutting me glances to see how I’m doing. All I can do is try to give her a reassuring smile.
“You’re going to play at the park today with Lydia and her grandma,” I tell Troy.
“Can we get pizza for dinner tonight?” he asks by way of answer.
“If you want pizza, you can have pizza. If you want tacos, you can have tacos. Anything you want, bud.”
“Can we have tacos on pizza?” Lydia asks.
“What about pizza in tacos?” Troy replies.
Lydia screws up her face. “That sounds weird.”
“Well, you two can think of something for dinner and we’ll get it, okay?” Sutton grabs both of their hands and walks out toward the car.
I hear nothing as I drive us all toward the courthouse. For once, traffic is on my side and we get there without any issue. Sutton’s mom and my parents are waiting on the front steps for us.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Mom tells me.
“Gee, thanks.” At least it pulls the remnants of a smile from me.
“It’s going to be just fine,” Tammy tells me. “I’ll have the kids at the park across the street.”
“Thanks.”
Brushing the front of Troy’s T-shirt down, I give him a quick hug. “Have fun at the playground and listen to everything Tammy says.”
“I will.”
He looks so blissfully ignorant that I can’t help but wish I felt the exact same way. I watch the three of them walk into the park. Kids are playing on the swing set and dogs are being walked.
“Time to go, son.” Dad claps me on the shoulder and I turn my eyes toward the building. The marble lobby is expansive. Footsteps echo in the large space. Gold light fixtures are affixed to every wall, lighting it up. Metal detectors are beeping as people make their way inside.
John is waiting for us on the other side.
“Morning, Derek.”
“Hi John.” I shake his hand.
“How are you doing?”
I give him a weak smile. “Ready to get this over with.”
Looking around the crowded space, I see no sign of Missy. Her lawyer is here, but not her. Christ. She can’t even be on time today when she’s trying to get custody of her son?
“Has anyone heard from Missy?” I ask.
John shakes his head. “I called her lawyer yesterday, but still haven’t heard anything. We’ll figure it all out today.”
“Right. Guess we should head inside?”
