Concealed (28 page)
“Y-You applied for custody?” Wade nodded his head slowly, letting her take it all in. “Why?”
“It was your idea, remember? Months ago, you made me promise not to let her end up in someone else’s care. Your exact words were ‘keep her for yourself,’ so I did.” He would have custody of Faith. It was a done deal. But what about her? Had she just lost both of them?
“Your honor!” Sydney sprang to her feet and once again silencing the courtroom with her outburst. The judge looked over the top of his glasses at her with raised eyebrows.
“Yes, Miss Jackson?”
“Wade and I are...involved. Dating. Serious about one another.” She took a deep breath and tried to stop making a fool of herself in front of the man who would decide her fate. “I love him.”
The corner of the judge’s mouth turned up in a grin. “I can see that.”
“But if he has custody of Faith, does that mean I have to give up both of them? Because I don’t know what I’d do…”
“I don’t think you understand my ruling, Miss Jackson. Mr. Jenkins has full custody of the child now. As her custodial parent it’s up to him to decide who the child is able to be around. If he deems you a suitable person in the child’s life,” he shrugged his wide shoulders and sat back in his padded chair, “then who am I to say who can and cannot be a part of this sweet girl’s life?”
Sydney’s heart sprang back to life. “S-So I can see her?” The woman from Children’s Services led a smiling Faith into the courtroom.
“I think he wants you to do more than see her.” The judge motioned back towards Wade who had slipped out of his chair and was beside her, down on one knee with a gorgeous sparkling ring in his outstretched hand.
“Oh, my.” Sydney’s eyes filled with tears as her hand fluttered over her heart.
“Sydney Ross-Jackson, will you do me the honor of marrying me and spending the rest of your life with me and our beautiful daughter?”
“Say yes, Mommy!” Faith squealed in excitement as she ran over and wrapped her arms around Sydney’s waist, jumping up and down. “Do it, do it!”
“I love you so much,” Sydney said looking into Wade’s eyes which were filled with love and adoration. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Wade put the ring on her finger and scooped her up into his arms, pouring all his love and joy into a single kiss. The courtroom erupted into cheers. Everyone from their friends, to the courthouse staff, and even the judge clapped and offered their congratulations as they filed out of the room, giving Wade and Sydney some privacy.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” She already knew the answer, it was written all over his face. He was thrilled with the idea of being a father and a husband.
“You and Faith are the two most precious things in my life. I love you both.”
Sydney threw her arms around his neck and held onto the man she loved. She never would have guessed what fate had in store when she climbed into her car all those years ago, but she made it through the heartache, and along the way, finally found where she belonged. She laced her fingers with Wade’s and led him toward the door.
“Let’s go home.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am beyond thankful for the amazing people in my life who have helped me along the way. Thanks to Patty who takes a peek to tell me if I’m on the right track. To Niki and Heather who both put up with my inability to correctly place a comma to save my life. I thank you both for your editing skills, your ability to help me avoid my nemesis, the semicolon, and above all else, for your honesty.
None of this would be possible without my dear friend Barb who has been with me since the very beginning of it all. She is the voice of reason yet cracks the whip when necessary. She constantly inspires and helps me with the things I stink at like cover design, web layout, and formatting. This wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without you, Barb, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Last, but never least, to my wonderful family who makes me laugh and continues to inspire me in ways they never even imagined. I love you and our crazy cats more than I can say.
ALSO BY VICTORIA MICHAELS
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, publications, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
CONCEALED. Copyright © 2013 by Victoria Michaels. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Crazy-Bee Press LLC
First Crazy-Bee Press LLCedition, December 2013
First Crazy-Bee Press LLC trade paperback edition, December 2013
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Michaels, Victoria.
Concealed / Victoria Michaels. — 1st ed.
ISBN 978-0-9841137-3-6 (Trade Paperback)
ISBN 978-0-9841137-2-9 (e-book)
1. Romance—Fiction. 2. Mystery—Fiction. 3. Small Town—Fiction. I. Title.
First Edition: December 2013
ABOUT VICTORIA MICHAELS
Victoria Michaels is a wife, and mother of many who lives her life in what seems like a constant state of motion. Kids’ sports, meetings, homework and general family fun take up twenty-seven hours of her day. In her thirty seconds of free time, Victoria likes to read, write and travel the country with her husband. She most enjoys writing about love and laughter, two things that are central to her everyday life.
If you would like to know more about what’s coming next from Victoria, please check back at
www.victoriamichaels.net
for updates, news and sneak peeks of future releases, or follow her on twitter
@vic_michaels
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