One String Attached

81.

.Riley.

"Are you sure I look okay?" I ask as I stood in the bedroom in front of the mirror the following week.

I run my hands over the front and sides of my navy blue knee-length dress, smoothing down the creases to make it look as ironed out as possible.
I needed to make a good impression when in court, especially when I'm expected to speak to the judge and the lawyers.

It wasn't just a want anymore, it was a must.
Aaliyah was, has always been and always will be my daughter. There's no way I would ever let Bryson get his hands on her again, not after everything the girl's been through.

James looks up at me after fully doing up the buckle of his best for his trousers, then he sighs and walks over to me.

"Maybe it's too flary. It's not professional enough. Maybe I should have stuck to the-"
I was about to continue rambling but I'm brought to a halt at the feeling of his arms wrapping around my waist from behind before he lowers his head so his chin rested above my shoulder before he places a gentle kiss against the skin of my neck.

"You look beautiful," he whispers, holding me close to his chest tightly. "And if anyone says otherwise, I'd freely punch them in the face," he tells me, making me sigh.
I close my eyes and lean against him, breathing in his scent while appreciating the moment of quiet for as long as it lasts.

The kids were with Wyatt but Aaliyah had gone with Emily down to the procession before as she had the chance to speak her mind without my presence.
All I hope is that she said the right things and nothing that would badly affect us.

This was one of the times when I was depending on Liyah and I needed my baby to pull through.
We couldn't afford this going downhill.

"I love you," James whispers softly, his lips brushing the skin of my ear while he looks at our reflections in the mirror still. "We've got this okay? Me and you."

"Mhm," I hum in response despite how badly I wanted to be positive about this.
James sighs, looking at me worriedly, knowing that I only ever responded with a simple hum when I wasn't convinced about something and right now was one of those times.

He kisses me softly instead, trying his best to calm me down but as much as I loved him and I appreciated his presence, I would only really feel calm when I knew Aaliyah was safe in my arms and Bryson would never be able to get to her.

Until then, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

. . .

Arriving at the court building, James and I sat ourselves down beside each other after meeting Nathan.
He had introduced us to one of the solicitors named Leonard, who seemed to be particularly friendly and then he informed us about how the case was going to proceed.

We'd be starting by delving into mine and Bryson's relationship in the beginning and what it was like, then next we would be looking into our history with parenting, then the final procession should be based on recent occurrences recently.

I wanted to think I had this in the bag and that I had the upper hand right now but Bryson's lawyer looked to be strategically strict. He wasn't playing games but honestly, neither were Nathan, James and I.
Aaliyah was our daughter; she was Nathan's niece. No matter what, we're not letting her go.

"Hey," James whispers to me gently from where we sat on the bench.
His arm had wrapped around my lower waist and his hand brushes me hip. "You okay?"

I nod my head as best I could and swallow before he passes me a cup of water.
"Thanks," I whisper before leaning my head on his shoulder while we waited for the judges to get here.