Choosing Hope -Moss Bluff Series Book Two

Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

Quinn

My stomach hasn't stopped churning since we got to the courthouse. I was hoping this would go smoother but it feels like Fitz's attorney is going after every single one of us. He's trying to make everyone look bad, as if we are lying about what happened. We aren't. Fitz is just playing dirty. Granted he's fighting for his life, but I thought for sure he would accept Georgia's offer. It was generous and it would have ended all of this.

She was willing to pay for his drug treatment, his medical needs to get him better, she would have gotten him a job and she offered him plenty of money to settle out of court. He refused all of it. So now we fight. Wells told us to take lunch and relax. He has everything under control. But what condition will we be in when this is finished?

It's getting ugly. I guess most court battles are. Fitz won't admit he made a mistake, he won't admit he was wrong. He won't even apologize for hurting Aubrey. He's got it in his head that he's the victim. I honestly believe he thinks that's the truth too. But there are too many against him to win this battle.

Fitz is going to fight with everything he has. And I'm afraid he'll try to take Hope from me. That's the worst thing that could happen. He can have my inheritance if it's money he wants, but I won't let him take my baby.

"It's going to be okay, Quinn. No one here will let him hurt you or Hope." Leo tries to reassure me. I swear he can hear my thoughts.

He hasn't left my side. He held my hand and kept me centered throughout the morning. I can't say how much that has meant to me. Beckett and Aubrey have stuck close. Georgia hasn't swayed, she's a rock. I don't know how she does it.

"Sugar, Leo is right." Georgia agrees, placing a platter of food down on the table.

The family has converged in the diner for lunch. All of us are relaying the morning testimony to Paige and Brynn. She was good enough to bring Hope over to me. I wish all of this was over and we can just move on with our lives.

Leo is sitting next to me holding Hope in one arm and trying to eat with the other. She only wanted to go to him. The sweetest thing is that as soon as she was in his arms Hope fell right to sleep. Maybe she won't be so cranky now.

"This is how court cases work, honey." Cade explained to me. "It's the defense's job to try and discredit the prosecution's witnesses. It's the defense who has to prove their case. We just present our facts. It's all going fine, trust me."

"I wish I had your optimism. I don't trust Fitz. He's not the man I thought I knew." I poke my fork at my food, pushing it around the plate but I don't eat. I can't.

"Here. Try this, sweetheart." Leo takes a fork full of his BBQ pork and brings it to my mouth. "Open up. You don't want Paige to think you don't like her food, do you?"

Obeying his request, I open my mouth and accept the food. It is very good but I don't know if I can eat anything else. Forcing myself to swallow the mouthful down, I give him a small smile and nod.

"It's very good, thank you." I whisper and stare at my plate with a blank expression. I feel useless.

I wasn't able to convince Fitz to let this go. I can't even deal with my own child right now. Leo is so steady, so comforting and calm. I know why Hope wants only him. I feel the same way. He keeps his head, and shoulders everything while I freak out.

"We've got our case, sugar. Fitz is trying to break us but he won't. Bradford women are made of stronger stock than what he's got. You keep remembering that." Georgia comes around and kisses the top of my head.