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Before we can say anything else, our case is called, and the mood plummets. Dani nods at us, her face going into “killer mode,” as I’ve started calling it, much to her delight. She’s made it a few times after Katie described some of the shit Bryce has put her through.
We follow Dani into the courtroom. My family finds seats in the small gallery. I sit in one of the chairs in the front row behind the railing separating us from the front of the room. Katie and Dani make their way to the tables. Dani gets settled, organizing the paperwork she pulls from her briefcase. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Bryce staring at Katie. He’s clearly trying to get her to look at him with his eye daggers. Katie studiously ignores him like the badass she is.
We stand as Judge Abbot enters the courtroom. She sits down, the sleeves of her black pleated robe billowing around her. She tells us we may sit and then dives straight into the case, indicating Bryce to start since he’s the one who filed the complaint.
Bryce’s lawyer makes him seem like a father who has been denied the opportunity to get to know his son. Katie’s hands are fisted in her lap. I can only imagine how hard it is for her to listen to the shit being spewed. I want to punch him, and I’m not technically Cody’s parent. I wish I could hold Katie’s hand right now. It’s killing me to be back here instead of by her side.
Then it’s time for Dani to state her response to Bryce’s claim. “Your honor, Mr. Aldrich’s claim that he has been denied access to his son is patently false. We have physical proof that Mr. Aldrich and his family did not want anything to do with his son or Miss Cole. Before her son was even born, they made Miss Cole sign legal documents stating she would not contact Mr. Aldrich or his family for any reason at any time. They gave her a payout to ensure her silence, of which she hasn’t spent a single penny, and proceeded to never speak to Miss Cole for the last nine years.”
Holy shit. We didn’t know the documents Katie signed said she was never allowed to contact them for any reason. We thought it was strictly about not contacting them for money.
“Is a man not allowed to grow up and mature enough to be ready to have a relationship with his son?” Bryce’s lawyer argues.
“In any other case, I would agree, your honor,” Dani interrupts. “However, in this case, we also have evidence of Mr. Aldrich’s motives for reaching out.”
“And that would be?” the judge responds.
“Mr. Aldrich is currently running for a public office. The press found out that he has a son with Miss Cole, and he was quoted saying, ‘he has a fantastic relationship with his son.’ This article was printed one week prior to his first contact with Miss Cole.”
Bryce’s lawyer scoffs. “A press article? That’s a bit of a stretch.”
“I am happy to bring in the reporter to confirm what was said,” Dani states. “I also have documents to prove the lack of contact.”
“We’ll save that for trial,” Judge Abbot says.
“Your honor, we’d also like to enter a counterclaim at this time. We have reason to believe that Miss Cole and her son are not physically safe with Mr. Aldrich and are seeking to file a restraining order. After he reached out with his desire to meet his son, Miss Cole proceeded to set up visitation appointments despite her reservations. At one such visit, Mr. Aldrich physically assaulted Miss Cole, to which she had to use self-defense maneuvers to escape. This incident happened in front of her son. I also have the proof of this incident as well as a witness.”
I didn’t know Dani found a witness. That’s new information to us. Dani proceeds to go through the legalities of our claim that Katie and Cody would be in danger if it’s decided that Bryce gets any form of custody or visitation.
Once everyone has finished entering their pleas, the judge rules on Bryce’s claim for a temporary change in custody. “Due to the evidence presented of a physical altercation, which occurred in front of the minor child, it’s my ruling that Mr. Aldrich will not be granted temporary custody. It is also my ruling that he will cease all further visitations at this time. Miss Cole shall retain sole and legal custody of the minor until my ruling at the conclusion of the trial. However, the facts presented during this hearing do not substantiate the granting of a restraining order at this time. The trial will begin in three months.” She bangs the gavel, and that’s the end.
Katie turns to me, her eyes wide after everything that was said. What a fucking relief. We were both so worried Bryce would be able to convince the judge to give him visitation rights. We don’t have to do jack shit to cater to him now.
She leans over the railing and hugs me tight. Her exhale is full of the same relief I feel, especially after the stress leading up to this hearing.
I feel eyes on us and look up to see Bryce glaring at me. The anger in his eyes is disconcerting. He didn’t even want anything to do with his son. How could he be this mad about not getting to visit?
Whatever. All that matters is that Cody is staying with us, and based on how Dani did against Bryce’s lawyer, I think we have a good chance of getting this to go the way we want.
CHAPTER 38
Nolan
“Is Noah coming to my class today?” Cody asks as we walk into the library.
“I don’t think so. This is our last class on gravity, so I think he’ll join next week.” We make our way to the back of the building where the class is held. Dr. Pulaski, the instructor, is standing at the front. His white lab coat is buttoned to his throat, and wire-framed glasses surround his kind brown eyes. He’s a retired physics professor, and all I can imagine him wearing is one of those tweed suit jackets with elbow patches.
“Hello, young researcher!”
“Hi, Dr. Pulaski!” Cody waves before heading to the table we always sit at. One of the many things I enjoy about this class is how the instructor talks directly to the students while teaching. When we get to the experiment phase, he’ll add extra information for the parents to help complete the task, but his main focus is on the students. He never talks around them.
The class fills out with kids and their parents sitting at each empty table. A few minutes later, Dr. Pulaski begins the class, and we all become engrossed in the lesson.
“Today is our last unit on gravity. We’ve learned all about Sir Isaac Newton, how gravity affects us every day, and what it would be like if we did not have gravity. Now, we’re going to take all the things we’ve learned and apply them to different settings. Students, please come grab your materials from the front table, and we’ll get started.”
They follow the instructions, forming orderly lines to grab the boxes Dr. Pulaski has created for them. Cody comes back with his arms full and his eyes bright with excitement. He enjoys the other lessons, but the experiment days are his favorite.
“Inside your boxes are a multitude of items we’ll be testing to find out how fast they fall. Then we’ll discuss the reasons for each.” Dr. Pulaski then goes through each item in the box. He asks the adults to hold the items as high as possible to get the maximum effect while the kids use the stopwatches to time the fall.
