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“We have plenty of time to do that tomorrow. Get some rest.”
“Will you come and find me after your shower?”
“Every time, princess.”
33
MOLLIE
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Kerry Winsor
Since when do deer hang out on porches? Damn thing scared the bejeezus out of me and made me spill my coffee! I think my neighbor a mile away heard me yell at it!
Comments:
Jade Clark: Channel your inner Disney princess, Kerry. You don’t have to go to war with them.
Kerry Winsor: THEY’RE INVADING MY LAND, JADE! THEY TOOK MY BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND NOW MY MORNING PEACE? WHEN WILL IT END?
Henry Connor: Kerry, just checking in. How are you feeling emotionally these days?
Hu Gh: I know you’re young, Henry, so you might not know, but when women hit a certain age, they start to lose it like this.
Jade Clark: WHOA.
Kerry Winsor: I can fight you@Hu GhAND I WILLWIN.
SherriffMike Finch: Please keep this off Facebook and away from me ... I don’t wanna have to fill out an incident report ...
I’d chewedthrough all my nails by the day of the decision date. Every single time we drove to Nashville to see the judge, my nerves only grew. Cain’s lawyer hadn’t been kidding when he’d said Cain would need all the evidence he could get, because the judge seemed hell-bent on moving Eric in with his biological father.
Eric had been questioned. Cain had been questioned. And so had I, since I was the owner of the house.
But neither of us knew if it would be enough.
Judge Marlon walked out and sat at his desk, his gaze on some papers. He was an older man with a balding spot. I could feel Cain holding his breath from where I sat in the back. I didn’t blame him. I was doing the same.
I couldn’t tell when I’d gotten so invested in Cain and Eric. It might have been the first day I saw them, when I’d watched the rock-hard heart of the man melt for a kid he’d taken in years ago.
Either way, I felt every single ounce of stress Cain did.
“Thank you all for being here,” Judge Marlon said. “I won’t make you wait. We’re discussing the custody case of Eric Smith.”
“His last name should be Pines,” Waldren said. “Considering he’s my kid and all.”
Judge Marlon’s lips thinned. “I’m going off the name on the birth certificate, sir, as I’ve said each time we’ve met.”
Waldren scoffed.
“I’ve reviewed all the files. It’s my goal to always reunitebiological parents, especially when they were not aware of the child.”
Fuck.That didn’t bode well.
“But considering the ... extensive evidence of Mr. Smith’s involvement with Eric, and all of the character references I’ve received, I believe I’ve made the decision that will benefit both parties. I assign joint custody, with Eric spending his weeks with Mr. Smith and weekends with Mr. Pines.”
“What?” Waldren asked. “But I’m hisfather.”