Family Ties

Assessments

Harry's POV

I took a deep breath as I took Hannah's hand, lacing my fingers between hers as I rested our hands on my thigh, doing my best to be positive as Mr. Welch made his opening statement at the front of the room. It was Monday morning and court had officially started, Hannah and I both sitting in the front row doing our best not to shoot daggers at Troy as he sat directly across from us behind his lawyer.

We'd been asked to arrive an hour early to drop the kids of with Mrs. Foster so that she could observe Troy during his supervised visitation with them. Hannah and I both hated the thought of it, knowing how confusing it would be for them and being well aware that he wouldn't make it any easier. I was somewhat comforted to know that Mrs. Foster would be there, as I genuinely believed she wanted what was best for them, and I was anxious to get back to them and make sure they were alright.

I kissed the back of Hannah's hand and shot her a reassuring smile before she rested her head on my shoulder and I kissed her forehead softly. We watched as Mr. Welch explained all of the evidence he had gathered to support the fact that there was no reason for the kids to be taken from us, and that he strongly believed that all of the testimony he would hear would be proof of that. He was straight and to the point, but used his words eloquently and it was easy to see why he had been so successful.

When he was finished, I felt both Hannah and I tense as Troy's lawyer stood up and began to make his opening statement. None of us were sure exactly what their argument for custody would be, besides the obvious blood relation, but Mr. Welch had warned me that their best option was to attack our characters and unfortunately I was the one with the most things they could use.

He started with some bullshit about the emotional turmoil Troy had been through not being able to see his kids, painting Emma as some vindictive woman who had used her children as a weapon against him, to punish him for breaking her heart. I clenched my jaw in an effort to keep my mouth shut, wanting to stand up and tell him that he had no fucking idea what he was talking about, but Mr. Welch just shot me a soft smile and rolled his eyes at him, which made me hope that maybe everyone else in the room knew what a load of crap it was.

After he finished bashing Emma, he moved on to paint the picture that she was the love of Troy's life and that all he'd wanted was to be back with his family but she hadn't allowed it. He said that she'd moved and not told him where, and he'd had no idea how to get in touch with her or his children. They said that the reason that he hadn't come looking for them was that he didn't even know she had died, and he'd come for them as soon as he'd found out.

Finally, they went on to imply that Hannah and I had never wanted the kids and had only taken them because they were left to us. They said that we viewed them as a burden, that it had cost Hannah her softball career and she resented that. Apparently, I was a violent and greedy businessman who never wanted a family, and I was perfectly happy to shove money at the kids instead of actually spending time with them. They were sure to use our money and stability against us, knowing that Troy had neither. It appeared their case was that of a father who'd lost his children, and may not have a lot to offer them except love, and they belonged with him because they were biologically his.

It was easy to see that they'd built a case against both Hannah and I, and attacking our characters was the route they'd chosen to go with. If it was a sign of things to come, I knew I would need to do some serious breathing exercises because the second Hannah's name came out of his mouth I almost lunged across the room and beat his fucking face in. I was well prepared for them to attack me, but I couldn't just sit there and let him attack her.

"Alright. I've heard your opening statements. Mr. Welch, your first witness." The judge said, motioning toward Mr. Welch.

"Your honor, assessments have been conducted on both the homes and the potential parents by the court. I would like to call Mrs. Tyler first." He said as a lady I'd never met before was escorted into the room and I felt Hannah squeeze my hand.