“Jude, you are making no sense whatsoever, maybe we should talk about this tomorrow.”
I nodded, closing my eyes, but all I could see was her as tears dripped down the corners of my eyes.
"I would have been great, you know. Nothing like my own father, nothing like Marcus, nothing like Reid. I wouldn’t have blamed you, I would have been there for you, Tara."
“Jude, what are talking about?”
We’d reached the parking garage at her apartment, and I knew I would have to sleep in here because I would not make it to the apartment without support.
“Becca,” I said plainly. She frowned. "She has my eyes, you know, and my mother's nose. Her hair and Ben's are the exact same shade of brown, but that mouth and jaw, those are yours."
“You saw her?”
"Yeah, I went over to beat up Reid, and she came outside. She's my daughter, Tara. The question is, did you know she was?"
"Jude, that is absurd! There is no way she could be -" she stopped, sinking back in her seat. "Jude, that is impossible."
"Is it? If it is, tell me, and I will let it go, but if there is a chance, Tara."
She climbed out of the car, and I watched her walk away.
We had a lot to talk about tomorrow.
Chapter 28
Tara
Present Day
Ishook my head at both Reid and Jude's appearances in court the next day. They both had bruises and a black eye. Jude had been drunk out of his mind, but what he said had me up all night. But that was not something I was even willing to consider right now. He comes back fifteen years later, and suddenly he puts all sorts on notions in my head. I couldn't have been that clueless. Could I?
“All rise,” The bailiff shouts, “The Court of New Orleans is now in session, the Honourable Judge Peters presiding."
Judge Peters enters, her face giving nothing away.
Both sides were already asked to make their closing submissions to the Judge, and there was a recess for her to go over the evidence and statements.
Jude sat next to me on a bench outside, and when he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me to him, all my anger with him dissipated.
“I love you. I am sorry for springing that on you, especially now.”
I climbed into his lap and kissed him full on the mouth. "I love you, too, and we will talk about that soon."
He held me against his chest, and I placed my head in the crook of his neck.
A clearing of the throat had us both looking up. Reid stood before us.
I frowned but slid off Jude’s lap, waiting for him to tell us the reason he was there.
“Tara, could I talk to you?”
I held Jude’s hand. “Go ahead.” My voice was cold. Anything he had to say, he could say in front of Jude.
"I was wrong." He started. "About everything. There are no excuses for what I did, it was cruel, and I am not here to seek forgiveness, but to tell you that I know I was wrong."
My eyes widened. A part of me wondered what Reid was up to.
“No matter what the judge decides, I have asked my lawyer to request for joint custody. Becca hasn’t been the same without you. She knew about the accident, I did too. I just did not have the decency to do the right thing, I was wrong to keep our daughter away from you when you needed her.”
