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 NINE
The judge leans against the dark wooden desk and rubs her forehead. She roughly exhales, then turns her frosty gaze towards Tori. Blake's grip tightens around my fingers, to the point where they might snap off, but I squeeze his hand and bite my lower lip.
"When London was little, he'd scream and shout, and sometimes he would try and, um." She fiddles with the hem of her silky white blouse. "I have another witness who can support this claim."
"Miss Stratton, I've heard more than enough to make my decision."
His grip tightens and my fingers turn a darker shade of red. I smack my knee into his and nod towards my hand. Blake instantly lets go and grips the side of the metal chair. I place my hand on his knee and squeeze it.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," I whisper. "If she brings out another friend who allegedly saw something, the judge might just give us full-custody."
She looks between us and sighs.
"The evidence presented is circumstantial. I do not believe Mr. Rivers is a dangerous person or that he would cause harm. Supervised visitation will be dropped immediately. Mr. Rivers will not be awardedfull-custody."
"Your Honour, please, Mr. Rivers has been a father to London Rivers her entire life."
"I will not remove London Rivers from her mother unless you can provide suitable evidence she's an unfit parent, and that there's a family member who is willing to step in."
"We can gather suitable evidence and a family member to take custody."
"You have one week, and then I'll make my final ruling."
"Thank you, your Honour."
"Meeting adjourned."
We rise as the judge strides out of the room.
Blake swirls me through the air and our lips collide. I weave my fingers through his soft brown hair, and tug him closer to me.
Our lawyer coughs, and so we jump apart. Blake's arm wraps around my waist while an intense blush burns my cheeks.
We follow him into the hallway with bright smiles.
"Thank you for everything." I beam with happiness.
"Don't thank me yet, Mrs. Rivers, we still need to obtain custody of London."
"Still, thank you for everything you've done so far."
A tight smile spreads across his lips and he nods.
"Spend the weekend with London and on Monday, we'll continue collecting evidence for our next appearance. You should have full-custody of London by the end of next week."
