Page 66 of From the Courtroom to the Court
"Can we go pick him up now?" asks Mia while wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
"Not so fast," Emily stops her gently. "Now Emma must see the judge and give Leah some documents she needs to sign. Once it's legalized, then we can go to the Morris house."
"How long does all that paperwork take?" asks Leah somewhat desperately.
"A week at most," Emily says with certainty. "That gives you time to prepare Aaron's room in your house. The social worker will do a second review."
Tamara Burk remains responsible for the stability of Mia's brother. When the tennis player applied for custody, the social worker had to do a thorough review of the space where Aaron would live. The woman was impressed by Leah's house and didn't raise any objections, although protocol dictates that she must be present when the boy occupies the house and confirm that the space remains safe.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," says Leah and affectionately squeezes Mia's shoulder when she notices that, although she's happy, she remains very nervous. "Go on, take the day off."
"Are you sure?" she asks with raised eyebrows.
"I can manage without you today," confirms Leah, and Mia smiles, says goodbye, and goes straight to get her things to find the only woman she wants to see right now: Emma Harris.
"And can you manage without me?" Emily stands in front of Leah and smiles at her with a mischievous gesture.
Leah makes a face while pretending to think about her answer. Emily gives her an affectionate nudge.
"No, I can't," she answers and kisses her with such intensity that they decide to go to the tennis player's office seeking a bit of privacy.
Chapter 35
Four days later, Mia finally crosses the threshold of Leah's house with Aaron. They picked him up early in the morning, and between them and Elena Morris, they helped him load his things into the car. Afterward, Aaron said goodbye to the people who had been his foster parents for the last few years in the presence of the social worker, and Mia promised Elena that they would visit them at least once a month.
Leah opens the door and, as soon as they enter, Aaron finds himself greeted by the tennis player's mothers and the two lawyers.
"Welcome home, Aaron," says Leah, ushering him inside.
Aaron hugs Anne and Natalie and then does the same with the two lawyers, grateful for what they've done for him and his sister.
"Come on, I'll show you your room," says Mia with a nod.
"We'll wait for you in the garden; we've prepared a nice lunch to celebrate," says Anne.
All the women leave the house except for Mia and Leah, who carry Aaron's things and climb the stairs with him. Leah stays behind and lets Mia take charge of showing him everything.
"That over there is my room," the referee points to a door, located a bit before Leah's room, "and this one," she adds, turning to the one directly across, "will be yours."
Mia opens the door and lets Aaron in, who finds everything they thought he might need in addition to the basics, like a huge desk with a computer, a gaming chair, and a study table. Aaron blinks in surprise, drops the duffel bags he was carrying, and heads straight for the computer. He picks up the headphones and sets them aside, runs his fingers over the keyboard and his other hand over the two screens, thinking about the games he'll play with his friends.
"Is this really for me?" he asks, excited.
"Yes," replies Mia, who spent all her savings on these gadgets she has never had any interest in, "but don't think you're going to spend all day playing. There will be rules here—studies come first."
Aaron frowns slightly and smiles with amusement, looking at Leah for an ally.
"Don't be smart," she says. "I may be very nice on the court, but as an adoptive mother, I swear I'll be a pain in the ass. Don't even think that one of us will be the good cop and the other the bad cop. Either you keep getting good grades, or I'll cut off your internet," she smiles with a mischief that makes Mia double over with laughter. "Not to mention those who are now officially your grandmothers," her eyebrow arches. "You don't want to make them angry, believe me. I'll leave you so Aaron can get settled," she adds with a wink.
As soon as Leah goes out to the garden, the first thing she does is locate Emily, take her by the hand, and ask her to walk with her.
"Where are we going?" asks the lawyer.
"Don't worry, I'm not kidnapping you. I just want to be alone with you for a while," she says without stopping, guiding her to the front porch, where they both sit on the steps where Emily once tripped during one of her visits.
"Is something wrong?" Emily asks when Leah turns to her.
"No, but a moment ago, when I was with Aaron in the room, I realized that I never asked you how you felt about me becoming his legal guardian. I mean, you're my partner, Emily, and it affects you to some degree, and I didn't take that into account," she says, tenderly brushing a strand of hair from her face. "What do you think about this?"
