My Best Friends Brother

Chapter 170

This can't fucking happen, it just can't fucking happen.

Brie steps between the social worker and the car when the woman tries to come closer to Liam, I really love her for all the protective instincts she has but right now I'm not sure her usual tack of brute force is the way to go.

"Liam, I want you to stay in the car okay little man? I'm going to go and talk to your social worker, just stay here." Liam nods but doesn't say a word, he's spoken a few times about how scared he is that one day he'll be sent back to his mothers house but I don't think he considered for a moment that he could be put into the care of strangers.

I won't let that happen. Whatever I've got to do, I'll do. I won't let that fucking happen.

Neither will Josh.

We'll pick him, we will both always pick him.

The moment I open the car door all their heads snap to me, Josh shaking his slightly but I think it's a bit late to try and keep me out of all of this now, she knows who I am on paper but she doesn't know who I am as a person. Maybe if she can see how much I love them both she'll realise that I'm not a fucking problem here.

Brie stations herself next to the car door, keeping her hand near the handle like she's ready to dive inside and take off at any moment. She probably is, I feel like Brie is one of the few people that might actually do better on the fucking run than in civilised society.

Shit, I should have asked Liam her name... Josh told me... Stephanie? Yes, I'm sure it's Stephanie.

"You must be Milo, right?" She begins before I even make it around the car. She gives me a small smile and extends her hand towards mine when I approach her, I really want to make her the villain right now but in all honesty she looks just as upset to be here as we are to see her. "It's very nice to meet you, Liam has told me lovely things about you and I'm sorry that we're meeting under these circumstances."

Yeah, me too. Please don't take him.

I open my mouth ready to answer her but at that moment Dad's work van pulls into the drive and Mum jumps out before it's even come to a full stop.

I don't think I've ever been as happy to see her as I am right now.

She's clearly just come straight from the office, she hasn't been spending much time there lately but I'm glad she has today because her usual attire at the Manor these days is broken gym leggings and one of Dad's old shirts, not exactly the impression I'd want her to make. She hasn't been doing great with everything that's come between our family either, not that she'd tell any of them, being a burden isn't something my mother has ever been good at.

Today her perfectly placed hair and crisp clean white suit gives her that aura of authority that I would always feel slightly intimidated by when I was just a kid visiting her offices.

"Hello, Tara Thompson, Thompson and Joseph attorneys." She states formally whilst extending her hand, I love Mum in lawyer mode. "I think it would be best if we all stepped inside, let's see what we can do about this whole situation shall we?" Stephanie and the police officers all look ready to say something, I can't see Mum's face but whatever look she just gave them made them all back down fucking sharpish. She nods towards Josh, taking his keys from his hand before walking to the front door.

She's in the full 'don't fuck with me' zone right now. These guys better have a pretty solid case to take Liam or even their grandkids will still be wrapped up in litigation when she's done.

Brie doesn't take a step away from the car, even when Josh opens the door and asks Liam to come with him she still stays close enough to be able to grab that little boy from the floor and bolt. She's got more fury than a mama bear protecting her cubs from a vicious predator as she stands firm at his side.

Liam sheepishly takes a step outside of the car, I'm not sure if he understands what's happening but he looks so afraid it hurts my fucking heart. The moment his feet hit the driveway he races away from the vehicle and straight into my arms, the social worker doesn't miss it, watching Liam wrap all four of his limbs tightly around my body before letting her head fall down to face the ground and following Mum inside the house.

"It's going to be okay little man, everything is going to be just fine so don't you worry." I have to believe that, I have to... Josh wouldn't survive losing him.

We both wouldn't.

Josh and Brie walk forward into the house but I almost jump a mile when I feel a hand press against my back to force me to follow them, turning to see Dad standing right next to us, looking between me and Liam with nothing but fucking pity.

"Dad... They can't take him, they can't-"

"Your mother won't let that happen Milo, she's going to do everything she can."

Yes she will, so will I.

The tension in the living room is fucking suffocating. Nobody even attempts to take a seat, Stephanie and the police officers standing in the middle of the room while Mum puts all her things down on the kitchen counter before turning to face a shaking Josh. All I want to do right now is wrap my fucking arms around him and tell him it's all going to be okay but how the fuck am I supposed to do that?

I don't fucking know if this is going to be okay and if I put a single hand on him right now... I feel like they just going to tear him and Liam out of my fucking arms.

"Josh, can I see a copy of the custody order that you have please?" Mum asks before pulling a notepad out of her purse and turning to Stephanie. "On what grounds are you removing Liam from Josh's care?" Mum is in such work mode I don't think she even realises that Liam is right here and can hear every word she's saying.

His grip on me tightens, I look around the room but there is nothing here I can use to comfort him... Wait.

Digging into my pockets I find my air pods and place them in his ears before flipping through my phone to find a few of the voice recordings I did with Zoe this week for her to send off with her college applications.

I've been singing Liam to sleep for weeks now and I feel the tension start to slip slightly from his body when he hears nothing else but my voice in his ears.

They can't take him, he won't fucking sleep if I'm not there... He needs me.

I need him. I know that Josh has custody of him but I've been here every single fucking day too. I'm the one that does his homework and I'm the one that makes his lunch, I'm the one that sings him to sleep and the one that washes his hair so he doesn't cry. They need to understand that, I'm not some fucking selfish teenager that doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself, I love Liam like he's my own kid. I fucking love him.

"Josh, do I have your permission to share details of the case amongst everyone in the room right now? If you and your lawyer would like to come to the offices instead I'd be happy to set up a meeting with all of you in the morning." Josh nods his head, the truth is that everyone in this room already knows the fucking reason...

Me.

Brie and Dad stick close to me as I walk Liam over towards Josh, although this little boy may find comfort in me I know that Josh finds comfort in him. As soon as I'm close enough Josh scoops him out of my arms and into his own hold, but he hardly spares me a glance. He blames me, and he's not wrong.

"Okay," Stephanie sighs, stepping forward and laying one of her folders onto the coffee table. "Josh was already a challenging case, Liam's mother has never been supportive of the placement and has made it very difficult as she still retains her parental rights. She has made clear she'd prefer he enter the system but while Josh was willing to take care of him I've done everything I can to support that... However there have already been a number of issues regarding Liam's safety in his care and concerns about the people within his inner circle."

Stephanie looks seriously fucking awkward and I can't blame her, she's talking about Heather and I'm sure that she's fully aware it was my mother's house that Heather was drugged at.

"I've now found out that he also kept from me that he has entered into a...  unconventional relationship." We are unconventional but we fucking work. "One where his partner has been actively involved in Liam's life without consultation of myself or his birth mother. As she still retains her parental rights she does have a say in where Liam is placed if she has concerns about his care there–"

"And the fact that she's just a psychotic bitch who wants nothing more than to see that kid in fucking care doesn't fucking bother you? Strip her of her rights!" Brie snaps, spitting who words rather than fucking saying them. "If she actually gave a shit about this kid then she'd be grateful that he's so happy and fucking safe with Josh. She's doing this to get back at Josh, and probably Steve, it has fuck all to do with his relationship with mini Thompson or anything else! She just wants to prove a fucking point and she's using Liam to do it!"

Brie looks like she's ready to explode, she's always had a soft spot when it comes to vulnerable kids. They don't come much more vulnerable than Liam.

"Brianna." Mum keeps her voice low but the authority in it is clear. Brie isn't the best at thinking with her head, she acts on emotion. That's not always a bad thing but right now what we need is to show that we are a stable fucking environment for Liam.

Brie relents, although she doesn't look happy about it. At the end of the day, she's just saying what the rest of us are thinking.

"Stephanie," My mother begins again. "Josh is in a consenting relationship with another adult, Liam's mother's opinion on that should not be grounds to remove him from Josh's care. Although I appreciate there have been a number of extenuating circumstances recently, none of these pose an imminent threat to Liam any longer and Josh retained custody beyond that point of time. If you remove him today we will be approaching the courts to regain custody."

Stephanie nods, I understand what my mother is saying but I know from hearing about her other cases that going to court and shit takes fucking time. It would still mean Liam leaving us today.

"I'm sorry, this decision has been made above me. Unfortunately, Josh only has a temporary custody order and has no legal rights over Liam. You are aware this means that the order can be revoked without notice. As Liam's birth father has never been made available to be contacted for the duration of his time under our care, it is only his birth mother that has legal say in his placement. Currently she is adamant that he is to be removed from Josh's care and she does have the right to feel that way considering all the... extenuating circumstances, as you put it." Fucking bullshit, basically what they're saying is that Chrissy would rather this kid fall into the clutches of the fucking system than be loved by his brother.

What kind of fucking woman would do that? I thought that this system was supposed to protect kids from monsters like her, not allow them free reign over their fucking lives!

Mum taps her nails on the counter, staring down at the custody order and shaking her head, before twisting one of the strands that have fallen out of her perfectly placed bun around her finger as she thinks.

"Josh, I have friends who know people in the Westbrooke social services department but I'm not sure if any of them have the pull needed to stop this right at this moment. We'll get him back, I promise you we will, but I'm not sure that I can stop them taking him right now. You don't have the rights you deserve, it's going to be a battle to get them." Mum's voice breaks as she talks, staring at Liam before dropping her head back down to look at the contact order.

Josh just grips Liam like he's trying to force him into the safety of his own body, protecting that little boy from all the horror that surrounds him. For the first time since we walked in here he connects his eyes with mine and all I can see in them is fucking pain...