Against the Odds (Fighting to Survive #2)(53)

Leah

Mom, Margie, Gracie, and I wait patiently for the guys to get home. We are such things as potato salad and are planning on a small cookout for the guys. Robert has been gone since Friday and I have missed him.

There is a knock at the door and when I go to answer it, an attractive woman in her thirties is standing there. Her short black hair is cut almost identical to mine.

“Hi, may I help you?” I don’t know her, but she looks vaguely familiar.

“I’m sorry, it appears that I may have the wrong house. I was looking for the Evans residents,” she says, looking at the address on the house.

“Yes, you do. There are no Evanses in this house.”

“Thank you, I’m sorry to bother you,” she says and walks away.

“No problem.” I close the door and tend to the potato salad I was making. When the guys get back, we have a relaxing time by the pool. Gracie is starting to stay up longer and she is also starting to make eye contact with us. Robert talks softly to her and she just watches him as I watch her. She is amazing and I can’t get enough of her.


Later that night Robert tells me that Drake was in Las Vegas at the hotel. He also tells me that he is a major sponsor for the championship fight. I’m shocked to hear this. I tell him about Chelsea, Madison, and Caden being at the book store when I went in to get some things. I also tell him how sad she was about possibly losing custody of Madison. “You know she compared the pain of losing Madison to the pain of losing Jamie,” I say.

Robert looks at me and says, “I hate to hear that. I don’t think I considered that.”

“I didn’t either. She said she’ll be mourning two children: Madison and Jamie.” I put my hand over my heart to try to ease the pain. “Just the thought of Jamie’s death is almost too much to bare.

The next week we get a letter from the courts with the custody date on it. October 8th at 9:15 a.m. “It’s on Jamie's and Madison’s birthday.” I take several deep breaths and try to calm my racing heart. “Why would they do this on their birthday?”

“I don’t know, Sweets.” Robert holds me tightly.

“I’ve been waiting for this for so long, but now I’m not sure I’m ready.”

"Leah, it has to happen sometime. She’s our daughter and although this is so messed up, she’s still ours. It’s time we get to know her. It’s time she gets to know us.”

I nob, “I know, I want that. But what about the Sinclairs?”

“They’ll deal with it, Leah. They won’t have a choice.”

Later that night we talk to our parents about the court date. They all offer to go with us to court, but we decline. Someone has to watch Gracie and we don’t want anyone there with us. I’m not sure how this will all work out.

Today we meet with Bruce and discuss the hearing. Mom and Dad are watching Gracie at their house. When we get to Bruce’s offices, we don’t need to wait. We meet Bruce in his office instead of the conference room. I decided to wear a plain black dress with black stilettos. Robert is wearing a black suit and black tie.

We sit in the sitting area in his office. It appears to be a casual meeting but it’s anything but. Bruce sits across from us and says, “The court date is fast approaching. How do you feel?”

“Scared,” I blurt out.

“That’s understandable.”

I sadly say, “I wish there was another way.”

“I’m sorry, Leah.”

Bruce explains what we should expect in court. He tells us that the court will probably order us to family counseling. He tells us we won’t be ordered full custody on the day of the hearing. We’ll be ordered visitation first. It’ll begin slowly at first and then progress from there: “It’ll be a slow process, but it’ll be well worth it.”

“How long do you think the whole process will take?” Robert asks.

“The first priority will be to make the transition go smoothly for Madison. Then it’ll be to unite her to her biological family.” He looks from me then to Robert. “It may take six months, maybe longer.”

Robert asks, “In case the courts rule against us getting Madison, did you find anything on Drake that we might be able to use against him in court?”

“I thought for sure he was hiding something, but we couldn’t find anything. I wouldn’t worry too much that the courts will rule against you. Everything is in your favor.”

Bruce explains to us that there is a gag order on this case. That means there will be no reporters or camera’s allowed in the courtroom.

On the drive home we stop by the cemetery to visit with Jamie. A single white rose is on her grave and I know it’s from Chelsea and Drake. “It looks like she had another visit from her biological parents.”

I move the dead leaves out of the way and say, “Since the news of the baby swap, Jamie’s gravesite has been filling up. I think Chelsea and Drake visit often.” Robert and I would always leave flowers once a week unless it was a holiday, then we would leave other sentimental items.

“I’m glad they know they are welcome here,” Robert says.

We don’t stay long before we head home to get Gracie.

Robert

On Thursday, Leah had a girls’ day with her friends. While the girls had lunch, the guys took the kids to the park. Brice, Mason, and Alec were all there with their children. I stayed and spent some time talking to the guys, but we didn’t stay long. I soon realized that Gracie doesn’t like the Florida heat, even if she was in the shade.