Page 121 of Breakout
“I’m good.”
He turns on his heel and walks into the courtroom, Beckett and I following behind him. We walk through the little swinging door and take a seat at the table. Mr. Piper is on my right and Beckett is on my left. Under the table, Beckett holds my hand, keeping me grounded.
My heart races so fast my head feels light. I almost feel like I’m going to pass out. I feel Beckett lean into my space, but I don’t turn toward him.
“Breathe,” he whispers into my ear.
I nod, unable to speak.
As I concentrate on my breathing, I hear shuffling behind us until suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I watch Janis and her lawyers sit down at their table. Part of me wants to look over at her to see if she’s really going to go through with this, but I already know she will.
It’s just my luck that when I find out I have a family, the one member I’ve met ends up crazier than hell. It’s a shame we can’t be friends. For a second I wonder what it would be like if we got along. If she wasn’t a money-grubbing bitch, would we have become close? Would we have spent holidays together? Would I have the family I always dreamed of having?
Family isn’t always blood but the one you build.
I smile as I think about the girls and the guys. I didn’t set out to build a family, but I did, and I couldn’t have done it without the man next to me.
I look over at Beckett and see that he’s already looking at me. I want to tell him I love him, but this isn’t the time.
The next thing I know is we are all standing while the judge comes in. It’s like I blink, and we’re going full steam ahead. I hear Mr. Piper tell the judge why we are here, but the words go in one ear and out the other. The next thing I know is Janis’s counsel is questioning the legitimacy of Matthias’s will.
The tears start to flow down my cheeks as they talk about how my father abandoned the family and took off because they didn’t approve of his wife. It reminds me so much of my own situation with Beckett that I can’t help but wonder if we are on the same path my parents were on.
No, even in the end they were madly in love with each other.
Her lawyer mentions how I grew up in foster care because none of them wanted to raise the little girl of the black sheep of the family. His words expertly slice open every insecurity I’ve ever had, leaving me feeling alone in a room full of people and numb.
When that blow isn’t enough, Gabe is mentioned. Apparently, my cousin made friends with him and paid him to ask me out. As much as it hurts to know his concern wasn’t genuine and that he had ulterior motives, it all makes sense. God, how could I be so blind? How did I not figure it out sooner?
When Mr. Piper stands up to speak, Beckett pulls me close, tucking me under his arm.
My husband of convenience once again being my life raft in these treacherous times.
“Judge, I understand why my opposing counsel feels this way, but at the end of the day, even before Matthias Anderson’s death, they knew they wouldn’t receive everything. When his son, John, was alive, he was set to inherit the majority of the estate, leaving his sister, Janis’s mother, with a third of it. After he left, it’s true, Mr. Anderson changed his will so his son’s portion would go to charity. Never once was it changed to go to Janis or her mother. Only after he learned about the existence of my client did he change his will again. We have video testimony from the man himself recorded ten, five, and two years ago, reiterating that this is what he wanted. My client never even met the man, so nothing nefarious happened on her end to make him change his mind. All this is today, is a woman throwing a temper tantrum like a child over the fact she didn’t get what she wanted.”
Her lawyer jumps up to protest, but the judge bangs his gavel.
“I’ve heard enough today. While I understand both sides, I have to go through the evidence presented today to decide the outcome. We will meet back here in one week’s time to decide who wins this case. That will be all.” The judge bangs his gavel and stands.
As he leaves the room, I can’t help but wonder what the hell just happened.
I shut the hotel room door behind me and sigh when she comes into view. Ever since the judge decided to review everything, Peyton has been as quiet as a church mouse. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this quiet, and it’s driving me crazy. At first when we left the courthouse, I didn’t know where to go. My girl was drowning in her feelings, and I didn’t want to add to it.
I contemplated taking her back to one of our places, but I didn’t want to risk having to explain what was happening to our friends. It’s not my story to tell, and she doesn’t need that kind of pressure right now. For a split second I thought about driving up to the estate, but on the off chance Janis tried to get in, I decided that it wouldn’t be the best.
The only option I saw was bringing her to a hotel. I have one credit card my father knows nothing about and had every plan to use it, but when I arrived and gave my name, I was in for a surprise. The front desk associate said no payment was necessary as I had a business account on file.Father must have forgotten to take me off of it.As fucked up as it is, I went with it. The presidential suite is more than we need, but I’ll take it tonight.
Anything to give my girl a moment of peace to gather her thoughts and feelings.
I set the ice bucket down and grab a glass. Carefully, I make her a drink before I walk over to her.
“Here, baby, drink this,” I say as I kneel in front of her.
Her hand shakes as she takes the glass from me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Do you need anything else?”
She shakes her head and looks down at the drink. “Just you.”
