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“You are here trying to get a daughter back you wanted to terminate. Why?” Judge Salazar asked Hazel directly.
“My client realizes…” Their lawyer started…
“I didn’t ask you, Mr. Jones. I asked Mrs. Penwell.” Penwell? My last name Marshall sounded so much better.
Hazel sat there, and I knew she was about to start crying. It didn’t take long.
Blubbering, she started as she stood. “Your honor, I was young. I didn’t realize the mistake I had made. If I could go back in time, I never would’ve signed my rights away. Also, when we found out that my husband can’t have children, your honor, it broke him. It’s been his dream to have children.”
He grabbed a file that was sitting in front of him, and our lawyer winked at us. “Then why didn’t you try to adopt?”
Hazel was losing her control when she snapped, “Why would we when I have a daughter?” She pointed back to Collins.
The judge raised an eyebrow at her tone, “You didn’t have a daughter. You carried a baby to full term, and Mrs. Marshall is the one who has a daughter.”
“Your honor please, I am her mother. She carries my DNA. Not Conleigh.” She spat.
“I see.” The judge said, and I wasn’t the only one that noticed the sarcastic note in his tone.
I turned my head and saw a triumphant smile on Hazel’s face. “Thank you, your honor.”
She started to sit, then froze at the judge’s next words, “Be that as it may, looking at Collins, it seems odd that she carries none of your features but that of Mrs. Marshall. And last time I checked, blood doesn’t make a parent and a child bond. Love does. And from what I know of Mrs. Marshall and Collins, I can attest that love is definitely apparent.”
Gage tightened his hand on mine even more.
“Well, we are sisters.” She looked at the judge like he was dumb.
The men behind us chuckled, and the judge didn’t even call order in the courtroom.
That was when the judge looked at Roger and Hazel and asked, “What can you give Collins that she doesn’t already have?”
I knew he had to ask that, but I hated it.
“Well, for one thing, she can be with her mother. She will be given the best of everything. She’s surrounded by bikers, your honor, seriously.” Hazel scoffed at that last bit of information.
“Looks to me she’s already with her mother. Looks to me she already has the best of everything. And for your comment, it looks to me she is surrounded by bikers that are protective of her. You ever seen grown men that aren’t related to a little girl holding onto her hands with their pinkies? Mrs. Penwell, did you know Collins was sick? Deathly so?”
“No, your honor, I didn’t.” Hazel had the decency to look ashamed.
“I find that odd. You are in my courtroom wanting custody of a little girl that you know nothing about. So, I will enlighten you, because this also pertains to the fact that you made a remark about her being surrounded by bikers. Collins was diagnosed with leukemia, Mrs. Penwell. It was Mrs. Marshall that paid for every treatment, every medicine she needed on her own. And when all that stopped working, do you know it was all those bikers that stepped forward and had voluntarily been tested? Did you know that one of the men holding on to her hand with his pinkie finger is the one who donated his bone marrow to her? Did you also know that if it weren’t for him being a match that Collins wouldn’t even be here?”
“Your honor, please. If I may…” Hazel’s lawyer stood up.
“I’ve heard enough. I had made my decision in my chambers and after listening to Mrs. Penwell, I am in agreement with my decision. Sole custody remains with Mr. and Mrs. Marshall. You try to push this matter further and I will throw the book at you.” With that, he banged the gavel.
Turning in my seat, I smiled at Collins when she said, “I knew it. No one is taking me away from you.”
“Damn straight,” Skinner murmured from where he sat beside her.
