Blake and Ava must fight for the life they want, even if that involves risking it all.
Series Order: Baby Steps, Colossal Jump, Moving Forward, Little Leaps and Passing Motions.
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CHAPTER TEN
Blake wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me to his chest. I nuzzle my face against his button-down shirt and squeeze him tightly. He coils his fingers through the base of my hair and sighs.
"Tori made every bad choice herself, but it doesn't comfort me. I don't know if I can sit there and watch our lawyer pick apart all her mistakes in front of the judge, but I need London back, she has to come home with us."
"Nothing about this is easy, but we have no other choice." I grip onto the back of his shirt and sigh with dismay.
"We're due in," our lawyer comments.
I squeeze his body before leaning back to peek at his face. Blake squeezes his eyes shut and nods. His breath is warm against my forehead.
"Let's hope this goes quickly," Blake grumbles.
I unwrap myself from his body and weave my fingers through his. We follow Mr. Ainsworth into the courtroom. Tori and her lawyer are already seated at the desk. She brushes a curly strand of blonde hair behind her ear and sniffles.
Blake's grip tightens on my hand as we move through the room. We take our seat at the table and Mr. Ainsworth unpacks his briefcase.
"Please rise for your Honour," the man in the corner of the room announces.
We jump to our feet and wait for her to enter the room. She climbs behind the desk and takes a seat on a squeaky leather chair.
"We're here to discuss the custody of London Rivers. Mr. Ainsworth, please present your case against Tori Stratton." She leans back and glances between us.
"Your Honour, I've compiled a list of evidence that without a doubt, shows Miss Stratton's lack of ability to parent London Rivers. Our previous dealings in court display her creative imagination which is distressing knowing that she has a young, impressionable child in her care. In previous years, she has abandoned her child, which displays cannot provide a stable home like Mrs. Rivers can."
"Yes." She sighs. "Please come forward and present your evidence."
Mr. Ainsworth collects the papers and passes them to a security guard which hands them to the judge. She shuffles through the paper, a heavy frown on her face.
Tori buries her hands in her lap and chews on her bottom lip.
"There are character witnesses from everyone, so it seems." She flicks through more pages before handing them to the security guard.
"Miss Stratton, you've failed to show me that you have grown up, therefore, I will award Mrs. Rivers full-custody. Miss Stratton, you will be allowed two hours of supervised visits per week. I advise you undergo counseling. You have twenty-four hours to place London Rivers in the care of Mrs. Rivers."
