That simple statement hit me like a tidal wave of relief, and I slumped in the chair. The corners of my eyes burned, and I blinked to fight away tears. The pressure of Sam’s hand on my shoulder steadied me, and I heaved my first full breath of the day.
Both Paige and the man behind her started talking at once, but her attorney shushed them and faced the judge once more. “Split custody.”
The judge shook her head again. “Let’s save time. Abandoning your newborn baby in the hospital under the care of the other biological parent is not a crime. However, it is the opinion of this court that it is a highly irresponsible and heinous action. Attempting to remove an infant completely from the only parent she’s ever known is equally wrong. I suggest a long-term plan for reintegration following all recommended Childand Family Services steps. If Mr. Smythe is indeed involved in Ms. Harris’s life, he would have to undergo the same process. This includes evaluations, parenting classes, counseling, and supervised—”
Before the judge could finish her sentence, Paige jumped to her feet. “No way. She’s my kid. I—” Her attorney tried to shush her and get her to sit down as the judge scowled.
“Hopefully, that will not require court involvement and can be handled through OCFS and mediation. Also, with the information provided by Ms. Harris’s attorney, I’m entering an order for child support payments to be remitted monthly through the state.”
By the time the judge shuffled through some paperwork and quoted a dollar amount, both Paige and the man behind her were on their feet again. “You can’t do this!” Paige yelled at the judge. “She’s mine. I’m not going to pay child support and get visitation and do tests or whatever the fuck else.”
The man grabbed Paige’s arm and snapped. “You told me this was just a formality. You told me you could give me a child.”
The wild statement made Giovanni drop his pen. Dark eyes wide, he glanced at me, and we shared a stunned look. Sam’s hand squeezed my shoulder, and I wrapped my own over his.
Paige spun around. “She’s mine, Ken. I promise you. This is all just messed up.”
The man shook off her arm, turned around and stormed out of the courtroom. Before Paige could run after him, the judge pounded on the desk with her coffee mug. Maybe they didn’t give them gavels in family court.
“Sit down! Miss Daniels, control your client now.”
It took a long moment, but Paige plopped into the chair, eyes blazing and arms crossed. Her attorney’s lips twisted, pure resignation on her face. “Your honor. I apologize.”
“So, reintroduction procedures through OCFS and child support.”
“No way.” Paige didn’t get up or yell again, but her voice carried across the large room. “Fuck that. I’m not paying anything. I don’t want her.”
That last hateful phrase felt like a kick to the gut. On one hand, it could mean the end to all this fear and uncertainty. On the other, my heart broke to know someone – her own mother – could dismiss Evie so callously.
The judge’s eyebrows rose as she glanced toward Giovanni. I swore her lips twitched into something like a smile when she looked at me. “Well, we don’t allow voluntary relinquishment of parental rights in New York. I’m entering a final judgement of sole custody of the minor child, Evelyn Barron, to Gilbert Barron, no visitation or contact rights at this time for Paige Harris, and…” She looked up at Giovanni again. “Mr. Amato, you can take the child support filing from here.”
I didn’t want money from Paige. Forcing her to pay would only keep her in our lives, and if she could say such horrible things about Evie, I didn’t want her anywhere near us. I certainly didn’t want that Kenneth Smythe around my daughter.
“Good luck to you all,” the judge said and stood up.
The moment Paige stormed out the door with her lawyer at her heels, Sam grabbed me in the tightest, most perfect hug ever. Not even caring that Giovanni stood nearby, I claimed his sweet mouth with a kiss. “It’s over,” I murmured against his cheek as we held each other tight.
Sam stepped back, hand slipping into mine with a squeeze, and smiled. “Let’s get Evie and go home. Let me take care of you both tonight.”
Nothing sounded better. The sheer relief erased a horrible weight I’d carried around with me every second of every day since Evie’s birth. I floated out of the courtroom and back to theparking garage with only Sam’s warm grip keeping me tethered to the earth.
Chapter 15
Sam
With a bit of extra help from Dr. Endicott for my hated statistics class and a few more nights each week at my apartment instead of Gil’s, I managed to satisfy all course requirements and get my thesis done at the same time. In less than two months, I’d earn my master’s degree and qualify for the internship Prism House had already offered me.
Non-profit organization interns didn’t get paid a lot, but the steady paycheck and benefits far outpaced occasional childcare earnings. Gil kept saying delicious things like, “You fit so well in my bed” and “It’s wonderful having you here for meals” that sounded like preambles to “Will you move in with me?” I hopedwe were heading in that direction. No, I knew we were. I kept telling myself we didn’t have to rush anything.
I wanted to rush things if that’s what we were doing. When you had a taste of what forever could feel like, you wanted it to start as soon as possible. In my more lucid moments, I reminded myself that we really hadn’t known each other that long. Most of the time, all I wanted was more. More of Evie’s smiles and giggles. More of Gil’s touches and sweet words. More time spent just being a part of something wonderful.
With the assurance of a job and no more worries about school, I focused on learning Prism House policies and reading through case studies and therapeutic strategies with LGBTQ+ youth more than grinding out my final assignments. The newfound peace and freedom made our time together better. Gil’s escape from the black cloud of concerns about Evie and court hanging over his head lightened his mood. He laughed more, smiled more, and teased more.
I still had Thursdays free, so he stopped scheduling clients or vendor meetings for that day so we could spend it together with Evie. The first time he called it ‘Family Outing Day,’ my heart almost burst from happiness. The week before, we sat cross-legged on the library floor and listened to a stunning drag queen named Lucinda read books about acceptance and adventure while babies and tiny kids crawled and wiggled all over the place.
Gil’s online research for local toddler-friendly places brought us to the Cutie Cubs Baby Gym for our next excursion. A young man with broad shoulders and a hint of a very hairy chest peeking out of his t-shirt – perhaps the cutie cub himself -- greeted us at the door. “Hello!” he said in a voice softer than his appearance indicated. “Welcome to the fun.”
He bent down to smile at Evie, who grinned right back. “I’m so glad you stopped by for our crawlers’ and toddlers’ day. Let’s get you checked in, and then you can explore and enjoy.”
