Chapter Fifteen
“Do you really think this is a good idea?” I asked as we stepped through the two double doors and into the courthouse. The long dark hallway gave me the chills, and I felt Jayla clutch to my neck a little tighter, obviously feeling the tension swirling around me.
I tried to relax my shoulders a little and turned my head to give her a reassuring smile. She frowned back at me as if she could read that it wasn’t genuine. This kid was intelligent, she had a strange ability to read the emotions of the people around her.
“It’ll be fine,” Rose murmured, taking my hand in hers and resting her face against my shoulder.
Clenching my teeth, I nodded, hoping like hell that she was right. Chelsea and Optimus walked behind us. It was good to have them there to support us. Op especially, because I knew he wouldn’t let me do anything fucking stupid. And with the amount of agitation I was feeling already, that was a likely possibility.
A waving hand in a corridor ahead caught my eye, and I zoned in on Matthew Snipes, the club’s lawyer. He approached with confidence, meeting us halfway.
“How you feeling?” his deep voice asked as he eyed me carefully.
“‘Bout ready to take her and fucking run,” I growled lowly. A small pinch on my arm drew my attention to Jayla who pursed her lips tightly.
“Bad word,” she scolded quietly.
I grinned. “Sorry squirt.”
Matthew laughed loudly, before turning and holding his arm out. “Come on, they’re waiting for us.”
“Keep your head straight,” Optimus ordered from behind me as we followed Matthew.
I snorted. “Yeah, I got this.”
Matthew held the door as we filed into a room that reminded me of an office boardroom. It was small and had a large table that could probably seat twenty or more people taking up most of the space. My body went rigid as I noticed the older couple and a young woman in a sharp looking suit sitting across the other side of the table.
Rose gave me an encouraging push on the small of my back, forcing me forward. The only sound in the room was the shuffling of chairs as we all took seats opposite the others. Their eyes were focused on me. No, not me—on Jayla. I watched as they sat a little straighter, honing in on the little girl on my lap.
My fucking little girl.
These were Jayla’s grandparents.
Rose sat to one side of me, Matthew taking the seat to my right. Jayla clasped my club cut in her hands, and I knew she was scared. I didn’t blame her. Jay took a long time to warm to new people and this whole situation was out of the ordinary. Jay may be quiet, but she was intuitive. Her eyes were wide as she stared across the room, never once letting up on her grip.
Rose’s hand found mine underneath the table and I squeezed it gently. I could feel her shaking and it took every ounce of control I had left to stay sitting in that damn seat. These people were tearing apart my fucking family. As far as Rose and I were concerned, Jayla was ours. She wasour kid, and no one could take her from us. But in reality, that’s exactly what these people were trying to do. They wanted her—she was their blood, their grandchild—but I didn’t care.
We might not be her blood parents, but we loved her with every inch of our bodies and soul. Why these people had appeared now, I had no idea. They hadn’t wanted anything to do with Jay and her mom Hayley when Hayley was alive. We were in the process of adopting Jayla as our own, we had temporary custody until a judge could approve our adoption request. It was on the horizon.
Then without warning we were delivered a court summons, saying there was someone objecting to our request.
The room was quiet as Matthew pulled his files out of his briefcase and laid them out on the table in front of us. He was professional, serious and as ruthless as they came. He had to be to protect our asses constantly. But he got paid fucking well to do just that. We were lucky to have him on our side and it made me feel a little more comfortable to know that he would fight for us tooth and nail until there was nothing left to fight for.
“Thank you all for coming and meeting with us.” The young girl across the table greeted us with a warm smile. “We haven’t formally met, but my name is Amy Shaw and I represent Mary and Allen Sanders, Jayla’s grandparents.” She indicated to the couple.
I’d seen Amy during our first appearance in court. Nothing much had come of anything during that short appearance, and I’d hoped that it was the end of all this bullshit.
But I was wrong.
I didn’t answer. The only reason we’d agreed to come and bring Jayla was because Matthew told us it would look good on our part, and maybe show the court that we were willing to let Jayla’s grandparents see her if we were given full custody. I wasn’t entirely agreeable with that idea either, but anything that gave us a leg up was good.
Amy smiled at Jay, who in response curled further into my chest, hiding her face. “She’s absolutely beautiful,” she commented.
“She is,” Rose agreed tensely. So far she had been the strong one here, but I could tell now that everything was becoming more real, she was starting to feel the pressure.
“Mary and Allen have been waiting a long time for this opportunity,” Amy continued despite Jayla’s obvious attempt to escape her attention.
I snorted. “Then maybe they should have made an effort to see Hayley in the last four years.” The comment earned me a subtle glare from Matthew who had told me at our meeting a few days ago to keep my smart mouth shut.