Love & Learn Page 15

  The judge looked at them. “Julia and Daniel Matthews?”

  Julia glanced at Lizzie, and then at Ms. Fish, who nodded encouragingly. She stood up. “Yes, your honor,” she said, and Lizzie could hear the tremble in her voice. “I am Julia Matthews, and this is my little brother Danny.”

  The judge looked at Lizzie and Henry. “And you are?”

  Henry rose. “Henry Brown, your honor. I am Julia’s father.”

  The judge raised her eyebrows. “I was under the impression that the children’s parents had passed away?”

  Henry cleared his throat and explained the situation. The judge’s eyebrows slowly lowered. She asked a few more questions. Then she looked at Lizzie. “And you are?”

  Lizzie made another attempt to getting up, but the judge gestured at her to stay seated. Lizzie smiled gratefully. Danny was snuggled up against her and had finally calmed down. “I am Lizzie Brown,” she said, the new name uncomfortable on her tongue, “Henry’s wife.” Just saying the words made her tingle all over.

  If only Henry could stop looking over his shoulder at the door. It made her tense.

  “And you and your husband are seeking joint custody of these children?” the judge asked.

  “Yes, your honor,” Lizzie said, her voice loud and clear.

  She could feel Henry shifting restlessly on the chair next to her but didn’t look at him.

  The judge took a moment to read through the papers in front of her. Then she lowered her glasses and looked at them both. “I have read the social services’ recommendations. Based on that, and on my own observations here in this courtroom, I am prepared to make a ruling.” She looked at Julia. “Julia, you are underage but old enough to get a say in the matter. Do you wish to make a statement?”

  Julia stood up again. “I want us to live with Henry and Lizzie, your honor,” she said. “They’ve been really good to us.” She glanced at her father and then sat down again.

  Lizzie looked at Henry and saw him beaming at his daughter. But then he turned and looked toward the door again.

  “Well then, I have reached a decision,” the judge said.

  “But …” Henry said.

  The judge frowned at him. “We have another case, Mr. Brown. I have all the information I need to make a verdict. Unless you have changed your mind? Are you no longer willing to accept the responsibility of caring for these two children?”

  Henry stared at the judge, at Julia, who had gone completely pale, and then at the judge again. “No, no,” he said quickly. “I haven’t changed my mind. Of course not. I definitely want custody.”

  The judge’s frown smoothed a little, but not entirely. “Very well. I then rule that joint custody of Julia and Daniel Matthews is awarded to Henry and Lizzie Brown.”

  She banged her gavel and stood up. Everyone rose. She nodded toward them. “Good luck,” she said, and then she disappeared out the back door where she’d come in only a few minutes ago.

  Lizzie stared at Julia, who was beaming and then threw her arms around her neck. “Oh, Lizzie!” she sobbed. “Thank you.”

  Lizzie rocked back and forth, holding both children tight. She could hear Henry pushing his chair back and getting up. She slowly released Julia and turned around. He was staring at the door, looking annoyed.

  Lizzie hugged Ms. Fish, who looked a little less flustered this time, and then they were all ushered out of the room, to make room for the next hearing.

  Outside in the corridor, Ms. Fish said goodbye to the children and wished them the best of luck. Then she shook hands with Henry and accepted another hug from Lizzie. With a small wave, she disappeared toward the stairs.

  Henry kept looking up and down the hallway. Lizzie took a step closer. “What are you doing?” she asked. “Are you waiting for someone?”

  Then she heard Julia’s voice behind her back. “Aunt Heather? What are you doing here?”

  49

  Henry

  Things were a bit chaotic, to be honest.

  He had been pleased that the hearing had gone so smoothly, but couldn’t understand why the judge had made a joint ruling for both children. He had explicitly told the social worker to draw up separate documents so that the judge would have to rule separately for each child.

  But now, Julia was staring at him with daggers in her eyes, and Lizzie was looking from the teenager to the middle-aged woman and back to him, with a slowly fading confusion in her eyes.

  “That’s the reason you’d asked Ms. Fish for separate documents,” she said, her voice faint. “But Henry, how could you? We promised them they could stay together!”

  Henry frowned. “Honestly, Lizzie. This is no longer any of your business.”

  She stared at him; her beautiful face distorted in disbelief. “Not my business?” She looked at Danny, and then at Julia. “I’m the closest thing these children have to a mother, and I have promised to care for them from now on. The judge just awarded us custody. You and me. We are a family now.” She paused and then added with an audible pain in her voice. “The four of us.”

  He shook his head. “That was just for show, and you know it,” he said, and the look on her face couldn’t have been more wretched if he’d hit her. “But the show is over now.” He stepped forward and reached out his hand to greet the woman. “Heather Pembroke? So nice to meet you. I’m Henry Brown.”

  The woman giggled. “Well, of course you are. I’m such a fan. I’ve read all your books,” she gushed.

  He smiled at her. “How nice.” He turned toward Julia. “I know this isn’t exactly what you wanted, darling.” Oh, it felt good to call her that. “But you must understand that this is all for the best. Danny will be so much better off with his aunt in California.”

  Julia didn’t look the least bit understanding. “You promised!” She spat the words out, her eyes darting from him to Lizzie and back again. “You promised that we would all be together.”

  He could tell that Lizzie was hurt by Julia’s accusations. “Don’t blame her. She was just doing all this because I asked her to.” He put one hand in his inside pocket, pulling out an envelope. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done,” He said, handing Lizzie the envelope. “I hope that this will show you how very grateful I am.”

  Lizzie stared at the envelope. It was brown and narrow and had a bulky bump in the middle. “What is this?”

  “It is the lease and the keys for your new condo,” he announced proudly.

  He’d expected her face to light up. Instead, her eyes went all shiny, and she looked again as if she’d been physically hit.

  “M-my new condo,” she said, her voice no more than a whisper.

  He nodded. “I’ve asked my lawyer to draw up divorce papers. He’ll messenger them to you after the weekend.” He turned toward Heather. “You being late rather complicates things, I’m afraid. But I’ll get my lawyer to sort all of that out as well. Danny can still go back with you, as we discussed. It will just take a little more paperwork before the official custody can be transferred.”

  He looked around and suddenly realized that they were all staring at him. Heather with confusion in her eyes. Lizzie with tears.

  And Julia with dripping contempt.

  “You liar,” she said through gritted teeth. She started moving back to the door where they’d just come out. “Where is that judge woman? I’ve got to speak to her.” She tugged at the door handle, but the door was locked. Another hearing was in session.

  “Julia, please calm down,” he said, glancing around him. She was causing quite a scene. People were looking at them. “You’re going to have to trust my judgment on this matter. This is for the best.”

  But Julia was not going to calm down. “Never. I’ll never trust you again for as long as I live.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’m going to call Ms. Fish and tell her that we’d rather go to a foster home. I’d much rather stay with some complete stranger than with you.” She glared at Heather. “And I’m definitely not lettin
g her get custody of Danny. She’s only after our house; she doesn’t give a damn about him.”

  “Oh, shut up, Julia,” Heather said. “No one cares what you think.”

  Henry raised an eyebrow. No one spoke to his daughter that way.

  “Everyone should just calm down,” he said, quite loudly. “I have made my decision. And that is final. Danny is going to live with his Aunt Heather. And Julia, you are going to live with me.”

  “Never,” his daughter screamed, her voice shrill. “I’d rather live on the streets than with a liar like you!”

  50

  Lizzie

  The blows just kept coming. Lizzie was still reeling from the realization that Henry had intended to separate the children when he told her that he’d already arranged for their divorce. And then Julia started screaming that she’d rather live on the streets. Her hysteria made little Danny start to cry again, in a loud, high-pitched wail that echoed against their marble surroundings. Her head felt like it was going to split open.

  “Everyone, please just be quiet for a second,” she said loudly, and to her surprise, it worked. They were all staring at her. She looked at the woman from California who looked insulted, at the teenage girl who looked hysterical, and then at Henry, who mostly looked annoyed.

  How could she have been so stupid? She had honestly believed that he had feelings for her. That he wanted them to be together as a family. The four of them. All week, she’d been bobbing around on cloud nine. Smiling like a fool all day at work. Taking care of the children all evening, getting to know them better. Getting to love them. And then crawling into bed with Henry every night, losing herself in his arms. Making love, she’d thought. But it had all just been a lie. He had lied to Julia. And he had lied to her.

  She shifted her hold on little Danny, and the envelope in her hand crinkled. A condo. He had bought her a condo.

  Her very own apartment.

  The idea should make her elated. Relieved. Jubilant.

  But all she felt was grief.

  “You got me an apartment,” she said slowly.

  He nodded. “It’s all arranged. Furnished and everything. You can move in right away.” He sounded almost proud. And somewhat annoyed at her lack of joy over the surprise.

  Slowly, it dawned on her. He had no idea how she felt. He had just been acting all week, and it never occurred to him that she’d been honest and not pretending at all.

  “I can move in right away,” she said slowly, as the cogs in her brain slowly turned. So much had happened in such a brief period of time. Less than twenty minutes ago, the judge had awarded her and Henry custody of the children, and she’d been the happiest she’d ever been. Now, Henry had taken everything from her. She no longer had a husband. No children. No family.

  And then he’d given her a condo.

  On some level, she realized that she should be elated. Not too long ago, she’d been on the streets. She would have been absolutely thrilled to get any apartment at all, let alone a furnished condo. That would have been beyond her wildest dreams.

  But now, she clutched little Danny to her chest and stared at Julia, who was still glaring at her father. This was her family. Her children. And she loved them, just as much as she loved Henry.

  They were all supposed to be together, forever. She had truly believed that, less than half an hour ago.

  And now, she had lost them all.

  Heather came toward her. “I’ll take the little one then,” she said, grabbing the stroller and rolling it in front of Lizzie, nodding at her to put the boy down. Lizzie just stared at her. The woman turned and looked at Henry. “And I don’t think it’s unreasonable that the estate should come with the boy. The house belonged to my brother. The girl was no relation to him.” She glared at Julia, then looked back at Henry. “But we can discuss that further at some other time.” She turned toward Lizzie. “Go on then. We’ve got a plane to catch.”

  Lizzie clung to the boy. His little body was warm and soft in her arms, and he’d just calmed down. No. No!

  She couldn’t let this woman just waltz in and take her little boy. She hadn’t even spoken to the child. Didn’t seem the least bit interested in him, to be honest. Was it true, what Julia had said, that she only wanted custody of Danny to get control of her brother’s estate?

  “No,” she said, backing away. “He’s not going anywhere with you.” She looked from Heather to Henry and back again. “No, you can’t just take him.”

  Julia rushed over and wrapped her arms protectively around her little brother. “I won’t let you take him. He’s supposed to be with me,” she shrieked.

  “Julia, please,” Henry said, and he looked almost embarrassed at the scene they were causing.

  Well then. She was going to put an end to all of this. She had only known Julia and Danny for a short time, but she had taken both children into her heart, and committed to loving and caring for them, both of them.

  “She can’t have Danny,” she said to Henry, and she was surprised to hear that none of her fears or trepidations could be heard. She sounded completely confident. As if she knew exactly what she was doing.

  She honestly didn’t.

  “Lizzie,” he said warningly. “Give the baby to his aunt. This has nothing to do with you anymore. It is none of your business.”

  She pulled herself up and met his angry stare without blinking. “None of my business? Didn’t you hear what the judge said just now? She awarded us joint custody.” She wrapped her arm around Julia. “These are my children. And if you don’t understand that they need to be together, they can both come and live with me.”

  Part III

  51

  Henry

  The apartment was silent.

  It always was, nowadays.

  It probably always had been, but he’d never noticed it before. It had used to feel like a calm retreat, a place for work, and focus.

  Now, it just felt … empty. Deserted.

  Henry sat in his office, staring at the computer screen.

  The page was blank, and there was a blinking cursor at the top left corner.

  He had no idea how long he’d been sitting here, but it felt like weeks.

  Months.

  He was supposed to be writing. Working on his next masterpiece. He had all the time in the world now. No excuses.

  The apartment to himself, with no distractions. No children.

  No Lizzie.

  That blasted woman. She had ruined everything. A bloody stripper, coming between him and his daughter.

  He couldn’t believe how quickly Julia had sided with Lizzie. Just because she had promised that Julia and her brother could stay together. That snotty, wailing little brat …

  Henry frowned and switched off the computer. He was startled to see the time at the corner of the screen before it went dark. Almost four in the morning.

  He hadn’t slept. But then, he hadn’t slept much at all during the last few weeks.

  With a tired groan, he got up and walked out into the living room, pouring himself a drink.

  The bourbon tasted like death, and his stomach felt hollow. When had he last eaten? He couldn’t remember.

  On some level, he knew that he needed to go to bed. Get some sleep. And then wake up and eat a proper breakfast.

  Instead, he slumped down on the couch, clutching the tumbler.

  No way was he going to be able to sleep in that bed. Even though he’d changed the sheets several times since she left, he could have sworn that they still smelled of her.

  And if it was a struggle, staying here in this empty apartment, trying to write in all of this … silence … laying alone in that bed, surrounded by her sweet scent, was torture.

  Surrounded by memories of her.

  He groaned and slid further down the couch. Perhaps he could sleep here. Another drink or two would knock him out, surely?

  But the bourbon tasted like poison.

  And in the end, he got up, grabbed his jacket, and lef
t the apartment.

  He walked around for hours. The city that never sleeps was dozing pretty heavily, but as he walked, it slowly came to life around him. The streets were swept. Newspapers were delivered to newsstands and corner stores. Bakeries opened their doors and let out intoxicating scents of freshly baked bread and breakfast pastries that made his empty stomach turn, and he hurried past.

  But halfway down the block from one of them, he suddenly had an idea and turned back.

  At about twenty past seven, he stood across the street, watching his daughter leave for school. She wasn’t wearing the Hennessey school uniform. Instead, she was wearing skull-patterned leggings and a frilly dress under what looked like Lizzie’s denim jacket. On the corner, she met another girl with startling pink hair, in just as weird an outfit, and they continued together, arm in arm, toward some school that wasn’t Hennessey’s.

  It pained him to admit it, but she looked happy.

  He crossed the street and entered the building as one of the neighbors were leaving. He found the right apartment number on the fifth floor and knocked gently. If the baby was asleep, he didn’t want to wake him.

  The door opened. “Did you forget your—” Lizzie stopped speaking abruptly and just stared at him. Her grip on the door tightened. “Julia isn’t here. You just missed her,” she said, her face tense.

  He nodded. “I saw her leave.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Did you speak to her?”

  He shook his head. “No. I wanted to speak to you first.” As much as it pained him to admit it, he didn’t think Julia would want to talk to him right now. He needed Lizzie’s help with that. Surely, she could convince Julia to forgive him. There had to be a way to fix this. Sort this out.

  And Lizzie was the key.

  She made no move to let him in. He noticed that she was still in her bathrobe. The silky green kimono robe that she’d worn the first night they met. “Aren’t you going to work?” he asked, pulling his eyes away from the smooth fabric, the even smoother skin underneath.