More scribbling but there was satisfaction stamped on the judge’s face. This was all going really well and I hadn’t had to do much of anything. I didn’t think he was even going to call the Fuller women to the bench.

The judge nodded and scribbled some more notes. “How has the adjustment in your social life been, Mr. Fuller?”

Zeb’s eyes darted over to me and then back to the judge. I forced myself not to start squirming as the judge followed the exchange.

“Haven’t had much of a social life lately, Your Honor. I’ve been working and getting things settled for my boy. I’m waiting for someone special. I won’t let anyone I’m not seriously involved with near my kid. He’s been disappointed by the adults in his life far too much already.”

The judge reached up, pulled his glasses off, and offered up a slight grin. “That is a very good answer, Mr. Fuller. In fact, I am very pleased with everything you have told me and all the steps you have taken to facilitate your motion for custody. Go ahead and have a seat. Counselor, can you approach the bench, please?”

I wasn’t expecting this but kept my face blank so that I gave nothing away as I passed Zeb on my way up to the bench. He gave me a curious look, but since I had no idea what was going on, I just shrugged a little and took purposeful strides until I was in front of the judge.

He pushed the microphone in front of him to the side, crossed his hands in front of him, and leaned forward so that he was looking down directly at me.

“You’ve been in front of me several times the last few years for different cases, Ms. Cole. You are passionate, dedicated, and driven to do right by your clients. I like having you in my courtroom.”

I blinked in shock and shifted on my feet. “Uh, thank you, Your Honor.”

“You fight for your clients with the obvious belief that you are doing so with their best interests in mind. In this case, I know the father is who you are representing, but I want to know that if it was the child you were fighting for, would you still be convinced the best place for him is in the care of Mr. Fuller?”

I opened my mouth and let it close again. It was unprecedented for a judge to ask legal counsel their opinion on a matter like this.

“Your Honor, I . . .”

“I want your honest opinion, Ms. Cole. Should the child be placed in the care of your client on a permanent basis?”

The truth. My truth . . . finally. It was the easiest thing in the world for me to give it to this man who held Zeb’s world in his hands.

“Zeb loves that boy and Hyde loves him back. They are a team, and while I recognize there is a learning curve for both of them, neither could ask for a better teacher. Zeb will never, ever give up on Hyde, no matter what issues from the child’s formative years may present down the road. He will work endlessly and tirelessly to make sure that little boy never goes without, and there has never been a man more willing to open up himself and his home for anyone. Honestly, Your Honor, I wish I was as certain in all my cases that the child in question was going exactly where he or she was supposed to be.”

The man’s eyebrows rose up on his forehead. “Both of them seem pretty fond of you as well, Ms. Cole. The reports from both the CASA representative and the social worker who visited the home mentioned both the father and son brought you up quite frequently in conversation.”

I felt myself flush. “This case started out on a personal note and became more so as I got to know the people involved more intimately.” Maybe it was a bad choice of words because the judge was going to know I meant that Zeb and I were involved sexually, but I didn’t care. There was nothing to be ashamed of. The woman without the mask knew that as she stood there confidently and unafraid of judgment.

“It’s rare that a child in the circumstances that Hyde found himself in has so many good people looking out for his best interests. He is very lucky.”

I nodded a little stupidly. “He is, but so are we. He’s a great kid, Your Honor.”

The judge nodded again and reached for his glasses. “You are someone special, Ms. Cole. In this courtroom and, if I had to wager a guess, outside of it as well. Keep that in mind after my ruling.”

I closed my eyes briefly as his words echoed Zeb’s statement that he was waiting for someone special to be in his life. I took a deep breath to steady myself and went back to the table as the judge told me to have a seat so he could read his final ruling.

“As far as the court is concerned, Mr. Fuller has met all the requirements mandated by the court and provided enough evidence that he is willing and capable to assume fully physical and financial responsibility of the minor child Hyde Bishop. The court reserves the right to intermittently check on the welfare of the child for the first five years of custody, but beyond that you are free to raise your son as you see fit, Mr. Fuller.”

He picked up the gavel, but before he brought it down he said, “On a side note, it does this often jaded court official good to see a man turn his life around, accept responsibility, and make selfless and caring choices. I didn’t know you before, Mr. Fuller, but the man standing before me now is the kind of parent I wish all children had fighting for them.”

The gavel hit the top of the bench, the judge left in a flurry of black robes, and I turned to Zeb with a huge grin as his mother and sister got up and slowly made their way over.

I wanted to reach out and touch him, to hug him and celebrate with him. His eyes were shining bright and his smile was so infectious that I couldn’t help but return it.

“You won.” I whispered out the words around the lump in my throat.

His grin dimmed a little and he climbed to his feet. I went still as stone when he bent over and pressed his lips to the top of my head.

“Not yet, but the game isn’t over yet.” He straightened to his impressive height and looked down at me with serious eyes. “Thank you, Sayer. You gave me everything.”

He walked away from me and threw his arms around his family. They all shared an embrace and I could hear his mom crying.

Victory was very sweet, but watching Zeb walk away with it because I wasn’t ready to let him share it with me felt like the greatest loss in the entire world.

CHAPTER 16

Zeb

Hyde had been in my custody for two full weeks when Rowdy called and told me that everyone was getting together at Asa and his girlfriend Royal’s new place for a housewarming party. He mentioned that everyone was curious about the little boy they had heard so much about from Sayer and that had been keeping me occupied. I hadn’t really seen much of my friends since the whole custody case started and I knew there was a big part of me that wanted to go on the off chance that Sayer would be there. I agreed to swing by for an hour and refrained from asking my friend Rowdy if his sister was planning on making an appearance. I knew he had to know what was going on—or rather what was no longer going on—between the two of us, and if he didn’t mention it I wasn’t going to either. That was an open wound that didn’t need salt poured on it.