shall we?” He took the lead and found us a small bench across from a courtroom, and the guys formed a barricade of sorts as Mr. Wittaker and I sat together.
“All right, Frankie, this is what’s going to happen. We’re going to go inside and sit. We’re on the docket for Judge Andrew Novak. He’s in his fifties, married—second wife. He has two children from his first marriage and two from his second. His oldest, a girl, is pregnant with his first grandchild.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but Wittaker shook his head.
“Just listen for now.” He didn’t wait for me to nod, just continued on. “His oldest is in her last year of college. He’s a blunt-spoken, straight shooter, who sees more abused kids in his courtroom than he can help. While he’s not a man on a mission, he does do what he can when he can. This is all good for us, because he’s going to like you. When we get in there, we’ll wait until we’re called, then you and I will move up to the table at the front. He has a copy of the briefs and the affidavits, and he will likely have questions for you. Just answer them. Don’t worry about how it sounds or trying to make it sound better, just tell him the truth.”
Okay.
“As of…” He checked his watch before continuing, “an hour ago, your mother’s attorney had not withdrawn their objections, however, they have also not filed any evidence or briefs on why they want to deny you emancipation.”
So, Maddy wasn’t fighting me per se, but she wasn’t helping either.
“The judge will be looking for her in the courtroom. If he calls for her, don’t react, don’t get upset. He’s going to have questions for her, and if she isn’t there, that’s even better for us.”
I knew we’d talked about this a few times already, but the quick pace of his recitation actually settled my nerves.
“In all likelihood, it will be fifteen minutes from start to finish, but don’t be dismayed if the judge wants to take longer or if he postpones making an immediate decision.”
My stomach sank. “Why would he postpone it?” Coop asked, and I glanced up to find him focusing on us grimly.
“To give it all due consideration, or he could simply want to have a couple of hours to think about it. He has been known to withhold judgments until the end of the day. Not always,” Wittaker cautioned me, “but it does happen.”
That sounded awful. “Do we have to wait?”
“No, the court clerk will call me. Once we’ve been excused from court, you’re done here. Now, if things don’t go our way for whatever reason, I’ve already got a second brief ready to file and keep your temporary emergency order in place,” Wittaker said. “So, no panic. We’re going to take care of this, Frankie. Are you ready?”
Not even a little. My nerves had nerves. I glanced up to find the guys all studying me. Each one had a confident look on their face, but Coop managed to cross his eyes and Archie stuck his tongue out at me.
Real mature.
“I can do this,” I said. Ready or not.
“Excellent, as for you gentlemen,” Mr. Wittaker stated as he stood. “I don’t care what the judge asks or what is said in there. You four stay quiet. No outbursts. No rushing to her defense. No cutting off anyone else. Allow me to do my job. You are here as silent but very helpful support. Understood?”
One by one, they nodded, save for Archie, who just shrugged. Yet when I squeezed his hand, he summoned a smile and said, “Just make sure you do protect her.”
“Be nice,” I teased him and leaned up to brush a kiss to his lips. There was a scrape of shoe that seemed to cut right through the sudden silence, and I glanced over to find Maddy and Edward standing there.
They both wore shocked looks.
I didn’t smile.
I didn’t say anything. I just kissed Archie again and squeezed his hand.
Bad meatloaf didn’t move as we walked past them and into the courtroom. It was a lot more crowded than I would have expected, but Wittaker directed us to a couple of rows that were four seats wide. Ian and Jake grabbed the seats directly behind us, while Coop and Archie flanked Wittaker and myself. They had me as close to the corner as I could get.
The weight of Maddy’s stare bore into me, but