The courtroom was cold and sterile, much like Stacey found the hospital room to be where Rachel had been born. Cameron still hadn’t come in yet, and Joey sat next to her bouncing his leg so fast she was getting annoyed.
Rachel squirmed in her arms, and she fought to keep her happy.
“I think I’ll take her outside. She’s getting restless,” Stacey said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. They went out to dinner sometimes with Rachel, but it had never been necessary to keep her quiet.
“I’ll take her,” Ms. McCrary said behind her in a hushed whisper. Stacey hadn’t been sure if her mother-in-law would come, but she was glad she had. It was nice to have a friendly face there.
When Rachel was out of the courtroom, Joey gently took Stacey’s hand and kissed her fingertips. “Thank you for coming, Stace. It means the world to me.”
“I did what any decent wife should do.”
“Maybe so, but it doesn’t mean I appreciate it any less.”
Stacey nodded silently and squeezed his hand. “It’s what love is, Joey. And I’ve meant it every time I’ve said I love you.”
Only for her, the feelings also came with the choice.
Joey didn’t say anything and before long, Cameron was ushered in. Her blue eyes honed in on Joey immediately, looking sad and a bit lost. Then, her gaze landed squarely on Stacey’s.
At first, Stacey wasn’t sure what to do. She almost pulled her grip away from Joey, but he tightened his hold, and she sensed he needed her touch then. Whether it was a touch he wanted from a friend or his wife, she might never know, but she did know she couldn’t deny him.
Cameron offered her a wan smile, void of any emotions and sat down, keeping her back to them.
Joey rubbed his fingers across the back of her hands. When she looked at him, she saw his gaze was centered across the room, at nothing in particular. What was he thinking? What she wouldn’t give to know right then.
“Mamamamama!” Rachel’s voice called out just before the hearing was about to start.
Stacey turned and smiled as Ms. McCrary brought Rachel in. The second she took her baby girl, it hit her like a punch to the gut. Cameron had just witnessed everything. And not only that, the first time she’d seen her daughter since the day she was born, she was calling another woman her mother. Stacey’s heart hurt for her. But she didn’t feel guilty.
Turning slowly, she saw Cameron watching them with huge tears in her eyes. Not knowing what to do, she sat down next to Joey again. Rachel laid her head on her chest and shoved her thumb in her mouth. Stacey wasn’t up to speed on how she should behave, so she decided not to act any different with Rachel than she had since day one. She wanted Cameron to see Rachel was in good hands.
Stacey just didn’t want Cameron to think she’d been replaced, even if Rachel didn’t know the difference.
As the judge came in and the hearing started, Stacey frowned at Cameron, huddled with her lawyer. Something in her gut told her it wasn’t good, especially when they both turned and looked at her holding Rachel.
She and Joey exchanged looks, but eventually he shrugged and turned his attention to the judge.
They soon learned Cameron’s parole had been granted, and she would be released from prison immediately. The judge then set the custody hearing for the following week. Until then, she wasn’t allowed to see Rachel.
It all happened so fast, Stacey wasn’t sure what to make of it. She did have enough presence of mind to realize they had one week to make sure Cameron couldn’t hurt Rachel. One week. After so many months with the baby she’d come to know as her daughter, it came down to the next seven days to prepare her for an introduction to her biological mother.
When Stacey was honest with herself, there was no way a judge wouldn’t grant some sort of visitation for Cameron. And even worse, she wasn’t sure what would be best for her little girl. Should she know the woman who gave birth to her? Stacey needed to think on all this and pray. God would give her the peace of mind she needed to get through the next few days and coming months.
“Well, I guess that’s that,” Joey said, standing and watching Cameron exit the room. She didn’t even look back as the door clicked behind her.
“A week, Joey. In one week, it’ll be over, and we can quit wondering. We’ll have answers then. And we can learn how to deal with them.”
Despite the fact she felt worlds apart from her husband since he’d revealed his lies, she still leaned into him when he wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll deal with it together, no matter what, Stace. I love you.”
Stacey’s world crumbled all over again.
****
Would Stacey leave him? Joey wanted to believe she wouldn’t. Needed to believe she wouldn’t. But when push came to shove, he just didn’t know what their outcome would be once Cameron was in their lives again. She’d always been the pink elephant in the room with them, but he was determined to make the next seven days the best he’d spent with his family yet.
“Let’s go away together, Stace,” he said the next evening. “Just you, me and Rachel. Let’s go to the beach and spend our days playing in the sand and eating seafood. I want us to be together as a family.”
“We’ve been together as a family for a while now, Joey,” she said as she folded a onesie.
“I know. But I also know we’re both feeling the pressure of next week’s custody hearing. We need a few days away.”
“I’m game for anything you’d like to do,” she said with a small smile.
He still didn’t feel like they were back on even ground. It was all his fault, like he hadn’t apologized enough or done enough to make her understand how much he regretted his bad decisions. And not only had he made poor decisions, they’d also had very little time together as a couple since they’d gotten married. After all, Rachel had been born only a few days after they’d said their I do’s.
“I’ve made reservations for us. Will you come with me?” He stood and walked over to her, taking the onesie and putting it in the right pile.
“Yes.”
“Look at me, Stace.”
She did as he commanded but said nothing.
“I love you so much. You’ve done a lot for Rachel and me. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever known.”
“There were some selfish motivators in there, too. I got to have the family I’ve always wanted.”
“Either way, there’s very little I could do to ever repay you.”
Stacey studied his chest for a moment and then smiled. “I don’t want you to repay me. Just love me.”
With a smile, Joey kissed her nose. “I do.”
“Love me even when things get tough.”
“I will.”
“Love me enough to always tell me the truth.”
“Deal.”
Joey took her face in his palms and ran his thumb along her cheekbone. His wife was the most beautiful woman to him. Not just physically, although there was plenty of physical attraction, but her beautiful heart was enough to challenge Mother Teresa for Woman of the Year. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he’d come to discover he needed Stacey in a way he’d never needed Cameron, or his mother, or any of his friends.
Stacey balanced him in a way he couldn’t describe. She gave his life purpose and made him want to be a better person. Along the way somehow he’d screwed up and hurt her deeply, but through it all, his heart had never waivered. She was the woman he wanted to be with.
Slowly, giving her time to pull away, he lowered his mouth to hers and claimed her lips in a kiss meant to show her how much he truly loved her. Their lovemaking had never been wild or reckless, but this kiss surpassed anything they’d ever experienced together.
Finally, they were getting somewhere.