False Start (Red Zone Rivals, #5)

by Kandi Steiner

“Your Honor, if there is one thing I am sure of in this world, it’s that I am a great mother. I was meant to be a mother. I know, with my entire heart, that Sebastian is safest with me. That with me and with Kyle and with his baby sister who will arrive later this year, he will not just survive, but thrive. He will love and laugh and learn. He will be surrounded by people who care for him, and who will stop at nothing to see him succeed. “So, I am asking you to see that truth with me. I am asking you to think of Sebastian and his future as you make your decision. I am asking you to keep this little boy with me, and with my fiancé, and with the home where he feels safe and warm and protected. I am asking you to believe me, even though I was too afraid to speak up before, even though I have been weak in the past. I hope you see that now, I am strong. I am resilient. And if sole custody is to be bestowed to only one parent, it should — without question — be to me, his mother. Thank you.”

“In my twenty-two years of serving as a judge, I have never ruled in court during a case such as this. I have always taken at least two weeks to deliberate before coming to my decision.” He shook his head, glancing at his notes before his eyes were on the courtroom again. “But, with the evidence presented before me, along with the uncontrollable outbursts from the plaintiff that I witnessed myself, I have made my decision. And I cannot, in good conscience, wait to pass my judgment.” He caught my gaze, a soft smile on his lips before his eyes slid to Marshall. He gave him what I could only describe as the look of a disappointed father before he sat a little straighter in his chair. “I hereby grant full custody of Sebastian Calvin Hearst to his mother, Madelyn James Hearst,” Judge Hall said. “Effective immediately.”

“I will be the best man I can be for you,” I whispered to my sleeping fiancée. “And for you and your brother, too,” I promised our daughter, gently rubbing the belly where she grew. It was one of the last quiet, calm moments of my new adult life. Because fifteen weeks later — our daughter was born.

The only thing Sebastian loved more than his little sister was playing football.

“Madelyn, finding the right words to tell you how much you mean to me, to promise everything I want to promise you… well, it has proved impossible. We all know you’re the writer. I had no doubts you would put my vows to shame,” he said as the crowd chuckled. “But I happen to know you better than anyone else in the world. And because of that, I know that for you, it’s the simple things that matter most. “I know you love Earl Grey tea when you’re tired or feeling down. I know the exact amount of ice to put in your water before placing it on your nightstand each night. I know when I make chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for the kids, that I have to make a separate batch of mac just for you — and load it up with extra cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives.” The guests laughed a little as I covered my face, embarrassed at the truth in that statement. “I know a lot of other things about you, too,” he continued. “Like the two lines that crease on your forehead when you’re thinking about the next line you want to write in your book. I know the difference between a real, genuine laugh, and the laugh you give me or the kids when we’re walking a thin line between being funny and getting into trouble.” Another laugh sounded from the guests, and I felt my nose stinging, eyes watering at how well this man did know me. “But there’s so much more I still want to know about you,” Kyle said, his eyes finding mine. “And I know that will never not be true. There is nothing in this world...

I thought I heard the officiant announce us as husband and wife. I thought I heard cheers and felt the dried flower petals we’d given our guests raining over us. I thought I heard the universe exhale a sigh of relief that we’d finally figured it out. But none of it registered — not the music or the applause or the smell of the rain moving in. Because all I could hear, see, and feel in that moment was the most beautiful truth I’d ever known. I had Kyle Robbins, and he had me.