Lots of Naughty & A Little Nice - Leigh Lennon Page 0,49

mother’s attorney had no problem getting read in on everything.

“Yeah, she’s up to speed and had no problem being here,” I explain, and my very inquisitive sister is quiet. But since her encounter with her father, she’s not been her normal angsty self.

“I’ll be in there if you need anything. Remember, I’m on your side.” She turns to the courtroom, and I’m left with Whitney.

“What’s going on with you? I haven’t pushed, but I was hoping you’d come to me.” I touch her knee, and she covers my hand with hers, and she does something I’ve not seen since she was seven and had fallen off her bike and broke her arm. Tears stream from her eyes.

“Whitney, baby, I’m here. Just talk to me,” I begin, but her body stiffens immediately. I tip my head to the person in front of us, and my skin crawls at his presence. Standing in front of me is my former stepfather and everything I hate in this world.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he addresses Whitney. “It’s good to see you.”

My sister turns her face from her father’s because she’s never let anyone but our mother and me see her cry. It’s obvious she won’t answer the man, and he turns his attention to me.

“Hey, Avery, glad to see you’re making a mess of your life.” Whitney pushes to her feet, but I pull her back down to me, and Dennis leaves laughing.

“Don’t let him get to you.” And our attorney, Ruth Anderson, calls for us.

I drop a kiss on her forehead. “You’re not going anywhere.” In this split second, I’m flooded with so many memories. The day she was placed in my hands, and I looked upon her scrawny and ugly little face because all newborns aren’t pretty. But they are precious, and she instantly wormed her way into my heart. I can’t forget the first time Mom had her sitting on the couch after the principal had called her because Whitney gave a little boy a black eye in her kindergarten class. Mom was so mad. I sat next to her. “Tell me what happened?” I’d asked, and she turned her eyes to me, knowing her secret was always safe in my care. “He slapped my best friend, but no one saw it or believed me.” It’s when I knew Whit was the kind of girl who’d forever be able to take care of herself. So many memories hit me, and I can barely swallow.

I just promised her that I was going to keep her. Fuck, I hope it’s a promise I can keep.

“This is a unique situation to get pulled into at the last minute,” the judge begins after she bangs her gavel. “I see that the biological father gave up his rights and the minor child in question is happier with the older sister, correct?” the judge addresses me.

“Yes, your honor, that’s right.” She’s thumbing through pictures, and I shudder to think what she’s looking at.

“Your honor,” my lawyer begins, and I didn’t think I needed her until the judge started to question the pictures she’d just been thumbing through.

“Yes, counselor?” she questions.

“If you would allow, before we really dig into this case, Whitney Masterson would like to address the court.”

My former stepfather’s lawyer objects. “Counselor,” she refers to Dennis’s lawyer. “I think your client can wait. He, after all, was the one who allowed this by giving up his rights to Ms. Masterson.”

I lean forward, and Dennis’s brows angle so far down, his eyes are almost covered. But it doesn’t fill me with a bunch of confidence. We still have a long way to go.

“Go ahead, Ms. Masterson. After all, you’re sixteen, and I value your opinion. And by looking at your grades and recommendations by teachers and coaches, I can tell you have a strong head on your shoulders.”

Whitney clears her throat. “Thank you, your honor.”

Watching my sister plead for a verdict in her favor makes my stomach recoil as if I may have to dart out of the room at any second. I push down the nauseous feeling that has everything to do with the little girl I held just minutes after her birth. I want to hold her hand and tell her it’ll be all right. I want to shield her from the man who’s pure evil on the other side of the court. And I can’t. It’s what’s making me sick at the moment. I can’t protect my sister.

The lawyer, who is still standing next to her, begins,