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I pulled back, and Harrison was quiet the rest of the way into town. Jackson met us at the courthouse steps. “This is your fiancée?” Jackson asked.
“That’s right. Everly Long, this is my attorney, Jackson Snyder.”
I shook his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Jackson glanced at my ring. “I’m glad you took my advice.”
Before I could say anything in response, Lola and George walked by, pushing Duncan in a stroller.
Anger burned through me that she’d been so bold to take Wren from Harrison.
Jackson held up his hands. “In the courtroom, I need both of you to remain calm. We’re the reasonable ones. We don’t go off half-cocked to take kids out of school in violation of a court order.”
“Got it,” Harrison said, but my cheeks felt hot with irritation as I followed Lola’s path through the courthouse doors.
“Ms. Long?” Jackson asked me.
“Right. Of course,” I said, even though I was feeling anything but reasonable.
On the walk inside, Harrison leaned in to ask, “Are you okay?”
“Mmm,” was all I could manage because I wasn’t okay. I was livid. I couldn’t separate Lola from my mother. She was keeping her daughter from her father. It was black and white, and I couldn’t seem to see things differently. She didn’t have a good excuse, not one she’d relayed through the attorneys. She’d done it to hurt Wren and Harrison.
A dull ache started to throb at the base of my skull. I massaged my scalp, trying to work it out. But it was no use. Gaining traction, the headache radiated from my neck to the top of my head.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Harrison asked when we sat in the courtroom.
“I will be. I’m just nervous about the hearing.” I wanted everything to go well, and I didn’t want to screw anything up.
“It will be fine.”
I’d never been in a courthouse, not even for a traffic ticket. And a custody hearing was a big deal. I didn’t want to screw things up for Harrison. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”
Harrison interlaced his fingers with mine. “You’re here to support me.”
“What if they find out, or I screw everything up?” I was spiraling.
“Find out what?”
I looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to us and lowered my voice, “That we’re not real.”
“We’re as real as any other couple. We fight. We make up.”
“We haven’t made up yet,” I hissed at him. “I would have remembered the makeup sex.”
Harrison chuckled despite his obvious nerves.
The bailiff called the court in session, and we all stood as the judge entered the room. He sat, running through the docket. A couple of hours later, when the room had cleared out, the judge called our case.
We moved to our respective trial tables. I stood next to Harrison. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
“This is your motion. I’ll hear you,” the judge said to Jackson.
Jackson stood and went through the facts of the case: Lola had taken Wren from school without a valid reason and kept her in violation of the court order. Then Jackson went into Harrison’s fears that she’d take Wren out of state or move in violation of their agreement. He finally ended with, “If she was so bold to break the order once, she’ll do it again.”
“You may have a seat.” The judge turned to Lola’s attorney. “You want to explain why Ms. Weigand thought it was okay to violate a court order?”
“Your honor, Mr. Cain has repeatedly taken the child at times that were not outlined in the agreement.”
