ONE
“I’ve reached a decision. Will the parties please rise?”
Chelsie Russell eased back her chair and rose to her feet, scrutinizing the white-haired judge who held her niece’s fete in his hands. She didn’t dare look at her mother and father seated to her left. She could barely face their lies and manipulations. For the first time in her life, Chelsie wanted to lose a case.
Representing her parents had been a foolish undertaking made under stressful, grief-filled circumstances. The untimely loss of her sister had been raw, the guilt for things not done, acute. Having grown up in their home, she should have known her mother and father weren’t cut out to be role models to a young child.
The judge cleared his throat. “Rendering a decision between family is never easy.” He turned towards Griffin Stuart, a man Chelsie had wronged in ways she’d never intended. “You lost a brother in that car accident,” the judge said.
Griffin nodded. Chelsie swallowed over the lump in her throat. With his dark hair and strong features, the resemblance to her niece was unmistakable. So was his devotion. His earlier testimony proved his suffering ran deep. She clutched the edges of the scarred wooden table.
The judge turned towards Chelsie’s parents. “And you lost a daughter,” he said with compassion. “Your desire to raise your granddaughter is understandable. Admirable even, but not at someone else’s expense.”
Chelsie agreed. She hadn’t known her parents would breach the boundaries of fairness to obtain what they wanted. She only wished she had known. They all would have been spared this ordeal.
The judge continued. “No one benefits by lying and deceit. Nor will it gain you the result you seek. As a result, I hereby award full and permanent custody to the child’s uncle, Griffin Stuart, with liberal visitation rights granted to the Russells, who I hope have learned from this experience.” He banged his gavel. “Court is adjourned.”
It was over. Chelsie laid her head in her hands as her parents stormed out of the room without a word.
Alone in the hallway, Chelsie leaned against the marble pillar and closed her eyes. Through her light silk blouse, the cold stone chilled her back and she shivered. Despite her relief over the outcome, common decency and her feelings for Griffin Stuart mandated she attempt to make amends.
She wondered if he’d even listen. Having avoided family functions, Chelsie’s dealings with Griffin had been limited to professional affairs. They would pass one another at bar-related functions with a friendly nod and an occasional exchange of pleasantries. At times, she even thought she’d been the recipient of a lingering look, but knew she had to be mistaken. Or perhaps she’d just wanted to be. Though she’d given him an admiring glance of her own, her chosen lifestyle left no room for any man, especially one whose ties to her family drew her into an emotional minefield.
And now? They’d have to be civil for Alix’s sake. Thanks to the judge’s ruling, Griff couldn’t deny her or her parents visitation, but she no longer expected him to greet her with an easy smile or a casual laugh. His reputation labeled him as a formidable attorney with a quick temper which he’d probably turn her way, given half a chance.
“Tough morning?”
Chelsie recognized that deep voice. Apparently, the endless day wasn’t over yet. “More than you can imagine,” she said as she lifted her gaze.
Hazel eyes blazed with unspoken anger and his blatant disgust charged the air around him. She remembered a time when those eyes had gazed upon her with friendly warmth. Looking at him now, aloof, distant, and treating her with disdain, she regretted the change. But she met the challenge without blinking.
She understood Griffin’s contempt and wouldn’t begrudge him his pain. She’d lost a sister. He’d barely gotten over the shock of losing his brother when she’d served him with custody papers.
She’d nearly cost him his niece, the only family he had left, and Chelsie knew that pain firsthand. She was intimately familiar with losing someone precious. “I just…”
“Don’t tell me. It’s always difficult to lose a case,” he said with undisguised hostility.
She shook her head. “Not this time.”
“Really?”
“Really. I owe you an apology.”
“Save the I’m sorrys for someone who cares. You did your job and you lost. Just be thankful you did, or who knows what kind of life my niece would have had?”
“She’s my niece, too.”
“A lot of good that almost did her.”
She winced because he was right. Because her parents had lost their daughter, Chelsie had succumbed to her mother’s tears and her father’s pleas, believing the couple would put their granddaughter first, before their active social life and status in the community. An orphaned little girl deserved more stability than one parent or guardian could offer. Chelsie had forgone fighting for custody herself because her single-parent home wasn’t the best choice for her niece, nor was Griffin’s. At least her parents could afford to care for the little girl, and Chelsie had planned on her own influence to compensate for her parents’ shortcomings.
Lying, cheating, and attempted bribery. They’d gone overboard this time. She shivered in disgust. Given the choice between the carefree bachelor and her materialistic parents, she’d gambled on hope and her parents… and lost.
She shifted her attention to the man to whom she owed more than an apology. “You have every right to be angry, but I’m glad you won.” Chelsie placed a hand on his arm. Searing heat and an unexpected jolt of awareness penetrated her fingertips. Warmth suffused her, awakening long dormant feelings. She shook her head, amazed a mere touch could ignite a flame so strong it threatened to consume her.
Though she forced her hand to remain on his muscled forearm, his heated strength settled inside her and shattered what little composure remained. “I’m sure you’ll make a great father,” she said, her words sounding hoarse to her ears.
“Uncle. She had a father.”
She knew that without his curt reminder. Though she and her sister had drifted apart over the years, Chelsie still felt the loss. Griffin and his brother had been each other’s only family. She couldn’t begin to imagine his pain.
The last few weeks had shown her that he and Alix were as close as parent and child. He’d obviously spent more time with the little girl than Chelsie ever had. At one time, she believed she’d had good reason to back away. She couldn’t be that selfish again.