Page 119 of One Little Kiss

“No, your honor.”

“In my line of work, I see a lot of unfortunate situations. Tragic, sad, sometimes mystifying,” she says, glancing at the door my father just exited. “But every once in a while, someone comes through here with the heart of a giant. The kind of person you just know will make a difference in the world. You were what? Seventeen when you sat in the back of my courtroom, taking in everything you could learn? And then again, just a couple of years ago, when you stepped forward to take care of your brother. You’re meant to do great things, Winnie Darling. I hope you know that.”

I feel, not so much as see, Colton’s smile next to me.

“And you, Mr. Westbrook. I’ve heard a lot about your family in recent years. Please tell me why you’re here.”

“Well, your honor, I’m here because I love Winnie and Weston, and I want to make them my family. I want to take care of them and support them, but I want to keep them with me most of all. I want to be Weston’s father. Legally. I want to make sure he has the best care, the best education, the best life we can possibly give him. My family isn’t what you’d consider traditional, your honor. Look around.” Colton waves toward his family. “My family has been made by blood and by choice since before I was born.

“There have been stories about me in recent years, but like any gossip, there’s rarely a speck of truth to it. Winnie and Wes came into my life and gave me meaning. They gave me direction. They gave me love. I can support them financially, but what they need more than anything is my love. I can do that, your honor. I can be the stay-at-home dad so Winnie can follow her dreams. I can pick up my life and move it to wherever they are because I have the means and the familial support to do that. I will uproot my entire life for them, because they’re the most important pieces of me.

“With them, I fit. I’m here today because I want you to help us be the family we were meant to be. Winnie and Weston deserve to be Westbrooks, not because they need my name, my money, or my connections. They deserve to be Westbrooks because I’ve never known a better example of family than my own. They deserve to be part of that. I need them to be a part of that.”

Colton blinks a few times and rolls his shoulders like he’s coming out of a trance.

“Well, Mr. Westbrook, that was quite the impassioned plea.” She leans forward and hands me a tissue for tears I didn’t even realize were falling. “A stay-at-home dad, huh?” she says with a smirk. “That’s a pretty tough job.”

“I’ll give them the world, your honor. If you’ll help me.”

She smiles. He smiles. The sick feeling in my stomach eases as she nods her head, reading something in front of her.

“There are steps you need to follow. I’m sure your army of attorneys over there has mentioned that.”

“Yes, your honor,” Colton replies for us.

“It doesn’t happen overnight.”

Colton and I glance nervously at each other.

“But, after what I’ve seen here today, I don’t see any reason we can’t begin the process.”

“I’ll be able to adopt Weston, and Winnie and I will be his legal guardians?” The hope blooming in his voice is like salve on an open wound.

“As I said, Mr. Westbrook, if you follow procedure, I don’t see any reason you can’t get your wish. And, Winnie?”

“Y-Yes, your honor?”

“I hope to see you back in my courtroom one day. Sitting at one of those tables, as an attorney.” She says something to our team standing behind us, clicks her gavel, and I hear everyone rise.

What the hell just happened?

The Westbrooks surround us on every side. Hugs, kisses, and fist-bumps are shared. Preston barks orders to the lead attorney, and he’s assured they’re already filing the paperwork. It’s a buzz of activity all around me, but I’m standing still.

“Do things always just happen for you?” I ask Colton, a little in awe of this man.

“When I decide I want something, yes.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Halton says to my left. “Ever since he was a kid. He’d make a split-second decision and then see it through. Never once contemplating if there was a better way, or another option.” He turns to Colton. “You’ve always known exactly what you’ve wanted, and you’ve gone for it. I’m proud of you, man.”

Colton tackle hugs him, and I take in the true chaos that floats around this family shrouded in love and light. I should be ecstatic. I should be over the flipping moon. I just wish I could get rid of the lingering sense of dread that someone will take it all away from me and this fairytale we’ve been living in will become a nightmare I’ll never get out of.

CHAPTER37

COLTON

Waking up with Winnie in my arms is like a drug. I can’t get enough of her.

“Are you smelling me again?” she asks groggily, her smile curling into my chest.