Fake Marriage Box Set

He laughed and pulled away, letting me know he would contact me soon to meet with the attorney. I was shocked at how good his hug felt, and how unhappy I was to feel him pull away. I could have stood there all night feeling those strong arms around me. Instead, I climbed into my car and headed home, replaying everything in my mind and considering the reality of what I had just agreed to do.

Over the next week, I was inundated with phone calls, meetings, and thank you cards from Luke, which made me laugh every time I got one. We came up with a plan with the attorney, who I had to say, was pretty bad ass. She didn’t give a shit about telling you how it was, and when she heard who I was and how much I cared about Jake, she was more than ecstatic. The woman really seemed to believe in Luke, which made me feel a whole lot better about my choices and the nerves I had running through me, still wondering if the allegations of abuse could possibly be true. She seemed like a really good judge of character, and though I used to be one too, but after my ex-husband failed me so badly, I tended to question myself and my thoughts on those things.

During the daytime, I was still watching Jake at Sarah’s, preparing myself for the fact that I would soon be out of a job, though Jake would be reunited with his father. I hoped that once it happened, I would be kept on at Luke’s and able to spend time with the little boy there. Either way, I had made the decision knowing that when it was over, there was a chance that I wouldn’t be watching Jake even at Luke’s house.

The night before court, I hugged Jake goodbye at his mom’s and set out for my house, hoping that wouldn’t be the last time that I got to see him. Steve waved at me as I pulled up and got out of the car, walking up toward the house. I had so much going on for the last week that I hadn’t once thought about the past and how hard coming home to this house was. The distraction was a nice added bonus, and I walked in the house, pushing the thought from my mind. I made myself some dinner, poured a glass of wine, and sat at the table, looking out the window. I was nervous about court, no question, but I was even more nervous that I would find out something that I didn’t like. If I told a judge what we had done, I would be in trouble too, and that could mean jail time for deceiving a court of law. I was putting a lot of faith in Luke and his attorney, but in the end, I still thought it was a good idea for the sake of that precious little boy.

Still, the uneasiness was thick all night, and I didn’t get very much sleep. I was the key to the happiness of a little boy I barely knew, and a man who plucked at my heartstrings every time I was close to him. Hopefully, I hadn’t made the wrong decision.

Chapter Thirteen

Luke

“So, everything is set, right?”

“Yes, Luke,” my attorney said, sighing. “For the hundred and seventh time, everything is set in stone. Quinn knows exactly what to say, how to answer questions about the legitimacy of your relationship, and how to make the judge believe that she is an asset to your life. I feel good about this.”

“I’m glad somebody does,” I said, ringing my hands.

It was the final showdown, the day that I would find out if the judge would start letting me see my son. Nerves were flooding through me, but they calmed a bit when I looked up to see Quinn walking through the hall of the courthouse. She looked amazing, and I almost didn’t recognize her. She was dressed very conservatively, which was great, but even in her thick sweater, long pencil skirt, and heels, she couldn’t hide how attractive she was, and what made it even hotter was that she had no idea at all. She didn’t even notice the men staring as she walked through the hallway, tossing her hair back behind her, and strutting toward me. I even noticed that my palms were getting sweaty and my heart beat faster when her eyes met mine. There was definitely something about her that I hadn’t taken the time to notice before, but I was definitely noticing now.

Amanda looked up from her paperwork and over the top of her glasses as Quinn approached. She nodded her head at her in greeting and then closed her folder, realizing we were getting close to starting. Quinn smiled slightly and waved as she approached, her face looking extremely nervous but her body language showing cool and calm. I, on the other hand, was ready to get this show on the road, wanting to feel my little boy in my arms again. Everything took so long in court, but the reality of it was, the situation was really simple. Sarah was a liar, and she didn’t take care of Jake the way she should. I was not an abuser, not even for a second, and the judge needed to see that.

“All right,” Amanda said, looking at the both of us. “Here is the plan.”

Amanda launched into the battle plan, going over every second of the proceeding that we were about to walk into. I looked over at Quinn who had moved to the side, out of sight of the people walking toward us just in case Sarah came around the corner. We wanted Quinn’s involvement to

be a surprise, giving Quinn and her attorney no time to fight against it. She stood there listening intently to Amanda, taking in every word she was saying and nodding her head as if she were making a mental note of everything that the lawyer was saying. I had complete confidence that she was going to be amazing in there.

“So, that is the gist of it all,” Amanda said, taking a deep breath. “After that, we wait for the judge to make his ruling. They are usually pretty quick with things like this, and hopefully, when we show that what Sarah has been saying is a trunk full of lies, he will come to his conclusion extra fast. Okay, I’m going to use the restroom. You guys should wait until Sarah is in there and settled. Sit separately in the room, so she doesn’t see Quinn. I’ll be in there in a few minutes, and court will begin.”

I watched as Amanda turned and walked away, patting Quinn on the shoulder and smiling. I took a deep breath and turned to Quinn, taking her by the hands and shaking my head, careful to be sure she was still tucked around the corner enough to be out of sight for those walking towards the courtroom. I couldn’t be more grateful to anyone than I was to her at that moment.

“I just want to thank you again,” I said, smiling. “You have been an angel that came out of nowhere.”

“You led me straight down the path of what I was supposed to do,” she said, modestly. “All I’m doing is providing the vessel for the information.”

We had talked several times on the phone and gotten together once since we last saw each other to go over all of the details. She was right on target with everything, and when we had rehearsed it all before coming to the courthouse, she was collected and smooth in her delivery. I felt very comfortable with her representing exactly who I was as a person.

“I am really hoping the judge comes to a swift and decisive decision today,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “Then I can release you of all of this and let you get on with your life. I know this must be really hard for you, especially since you’re doing it for someone else.”

Part of my heart fluttered, and a knot grew in my chest realizing that when the judge made the call, that would be the end of us spending time together. I hadn’t realized that it would be sad until that moment, and I was pretty sure she could see that on my face. Her eyes moved over my face trying to decipher my emotions. I really enjoyed talking to Quinn, especially as much as we had talked over the last week. She had a really good head on her shoulders, a stark contrast to most of the women I’d been ‘dating’ most recently. She actually had something intelligent to add to the conversation, which was refreshing considering I probably never talked to a woman I was involved with in any manner other than flirtation, even the ex-wife, which was probably why things didn’t work out very well. Either way, no matter what happened in the courtroom, my time with Quinn was drawing to a close. Though I was willing to do anything for Jake, this made me sad.

I took a deep breath and dropped Quinn’s hands, still smiling at her as we stood there. Part of me wanted to hug her, to show her how much I appreciated everything she was doing, but before I could move, I saw Sarah out of the corner of my eye. She came bounding into view, a scowl pointed directly at me. She was holding Jake’s hand, but when he saw me, he tried to wriggle free, his eyes getting wide and his frame jolting toward me. I smiled big and leaned down to catch him, but Sarah refused to release his arm, holding it tightly and causing him to flinch. He pulled at her and groaned, begging her to let him go, but she just yanked at him harder, refusing to let him see me.

Instead, she yanked him hard again and literally dragged him through the courtroom doors without the least bit of acknowledgment. I couldn’t believe she brought him to court to witness all of this. She was trying to make him upset with me, and she probably thought she had all kinds of damning information, something I already knew was coming, even though it was going to be all lies. I just hated that Jake had to see it at all, and I hoped the judge would feel the same way. I could feel the anger inside of me starting to rise, pissed as hell that this woman had the audacity to keep my son from me. If I were a bad guy, I could understand acting that way, but I had always been a loving and devout father. It frustrated me that she was taking out her anger on my relationship with my son. He had a right to have me in his life, but she didn’t give a damn about him or his rights, she only cared about herself.

Just as I was about to get really mad, I stopped, feeling Quinn’s warm hand on my back. It was instantly calming, and suddenly I was extremely grateful that she was there supporting me. She didn’t have to do that, she was already putting herself out there, and being a support system for me wasn’t part of the deal. I smiled at the gesture and felt her lean in close to my ear, making the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

“You need to take a deep breath and calm down,” she whispered. “This is really important. You need to appear calm and collected, especially since everyone is looking for you to snap. You can’t let Sarah piss you off before you walk in there. She is doing that shit on purpose, trying to make you look like the villain. You need to prove to the judge that no matter what she does, you won’t get angry and lash out. And the judge will take notice that she brought Jake to the court; they take notice of all of those things.”

I took a deep breath and nodded my head up and down. I needed to do what she was saying; she could see it all from an outside perspective and had a clear and calm mind going into this. Well, at least clearer and calmer than my own was at the moment. The only person with any further detachment from the situation was Amanda, but it was her job to make the best of everything that would be thrown at us. I was just really happy that I didn’t have to go through it alone after all of this. I turned around and smiled at Quinn, feeling like her calm sensibilities and her beautiful smile were comforting and normal. It was a strange feeling to have with someone I barely knew, but I was definitely not going to ignore it. Maybe when all of this was over, I could ask her out on an actual date or something, or maybe I was just feeling sentimental about nothing.

“You ready? Court is about to start,” she said, smiling. “I’ll slip in after you, and take a seat in the back corner, so Sarah or Jake don’t spot me. Remember: keep your cool, don’t let anything she says get to you, and know that you have a secret weapon in your back pocket. The judge isn’t stupid, and they can’t ignore the truth when it is glaring in their faces. Be strong and remember that nothing is forever, no matter what the outcome of this time becomes.”

“Thank you,” I said, with a smile. “I’m not sure what I would have done without you today. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to keep my cool, and probably would have made everything worse before court even started. Good luck, and no matter what, thank you for doing this for me, I mean Jake.”

“I guess it’s for you, too,” she said with a grin. “Just a little, though.”