Guarding Hearts (Living Again #3) (35 page)

“It was actually Sean that brought all of this out,” she said, laughing bitterly. “Imagine that. Something good actually did come from his psychotic obsession with me.”

Ellis kissed her softly. “I’m sorry. I wish you never had to go through any of that.
You
are the strongest person I know.”

She shook her head and kissed him again. “Are you ready for possibly taking a child home this week?”

His stomach flopped as her words registered. He had thought of this day every day for the last thirteen years, but was he really ready? Could he be a parent to Mason, the kind of parent he deserved?

“Ellis, stop doubting yourself. You’re going to be an amazing father to him because you’re not only the kindest, most selfless person I’ve ever known, but you know that you want to be the opposite of the kind of parent your mother was. Carl has shown you the love of a true parent, and you have such a big heart. Even though you don’t think you’re a good person, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Mason is going to love you.”

“But he’s a teenager,” Ellis said. “Teenagers hate their parents. And here I am, this guy that has never claimed him before now, trying to take him away from the only place he knows.”

“His mom just
died
, Ellis. Not in some random accident or from some terrible illness. She died because instead of being at home with him, she was out selling drugs and probably selling herself, and she got shot. You know that at a minimum, Mason is used to taking care of himself. Will it be perfect? No. But if anyone can show this child that you can overcome adversity, it’s you. Your story in itself should be enough to inspire him. You need to be honest with him, tell him what happened and why you haven’t been here. But you also can show him that no matter what’s happened in the past, you’re going to be there
now
. That you aren’t going to let him grow up without the love of a parent.”

“You know just what to say,” Ellis breathed out. “I wish you could explain it all to the judge and to Mason. I don’t think I’ll be able to talk.”

“Yes you will,” she said. “And I’ll be there, every step of the way.”

“What if they do give him to me?” Ellis asked. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? To be raising a teenager?”

“Baby, he’s yours. It would be just like if I had the chance to be a mom to my daughter, you’d support me 100%. I feel the same way. I’m all in, Ellis.”

Ellis walked into the courtroom, Carl on his left and Sammi gripping his hand on the right. They were led in by Steven Moore, his attorney. He scanned the room but only saw CPS on the opposite side, not Mason. Then again, they probably didn’t want him in here to listen to everything. He hadn’t slept a single minute last night, and knew he looked like it.

“Relax,” Sammi whispered to him as they sat down. He was sure she knew that wouldn’t be possible, but she was trying.

Steven was shuffling papers and Carl was whispering to Sammi, but he couldn’t do anything but stare at the people that were going to help decide if his son could come live with him.

“All rise,” the bailiff said, shaking Ellis back to attention. He stood, his eyes fixated on the judge walking into the room. Another judge, another life altering decision happening that would affect his life forever. The nameplate in front of the judge said Judge Lawrence Abbott. He was a portly gentleman with a round and kind face. He actually looked like someone who would prefer reuniting families.
Really, Ellis? He looks like he wants to reunite families? You have no damn idea what he will do
.

“We’re here to determine the best course of action for a minor child, Mason Wright, age thirteen. CPS, are your representatives all here?” They answered that they were. “Guardian ad Litem for the child?” Ellis’ eyes snapped to an older gentleman siting right behind the CPS representatives when he said yes.

The judge turned to their side. “Representatives for Ellis Warner all present?”

“Yes,” Steven answered. Ellis thought he might be sick. His breath was ragged, and he was sweating like crazy. Sammi reached over and held onto his fingers, and he relaxed. Whatever happened, she was here.

“Ellis,” Carl said quietly. “Whatever happens, son, I love you.” Ellis met his eyes but could only nod. He noticed Sammi had tears in her eyes, but he couldn’t even ask her if she was okay. He felt frozen in fear.

The judge asked the lawyer for CPS to come up, as well as Steven and the Guardian ad Litem. As they began discussing Ellis and the reasons why his rights had been taken away and what was different now about him, he tried to listen. He really did. But it was all too hard to hear, so instead he scanned the room, hoping at any moment the door would open and Mason would come in. They were going to bring him in here at some point, right? He thought he might die if he didn’t get to see him.

“Mr. Warner? Can you and your character witnesses come up, please? CPS, your case worker can approach as well.”

This was it. They stood and walked to the front of the courtroom. He knew that his hands were sweaty, but Sammi and Carl each held one anyway.

“Good morning, Mr. Warner, Ms. Kerrigan, Mr. Richards. Thank you for being here on such short notice. We want to do what’s best for the minor child, Mason Wright. We’re going to start with CPS and let them tell us a little about Mason and let the Guardian ad Litem tell us what his recommendation is based on his dealings with Mason. Then, I will talk to you and your witnesses.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Ellis choked out.

“I’m Alison Bailey, caseworker for CPS,” the woman said. “I met Mason many weeks ago when we received a call that he might be neglected. I’ve spent several hours with him at this point, and my findings at the time of the report were that while he didn’t live in the best conditions, he was provided for.”

Ellis exhaled. He hoped that was true and he hadn’t been living in filth. “However,” she continued. “Mason did express his dislike of his mother’s boyfriends, and often feeling afraid of being at home. It wasn’t enough to remove him, but I did talk to him about what to do if anything ever happened that made him uncomfortable.”

It took all Ellis had not to lose his temper. Were these people actually in the business of protecting kids?

“Of course, everything has changed now that Ms. Wright has passed away,” the attorney spoke up. “We would love to see Mason go to a loving home. As you know, he’s not likely to be adopted out of the system at his age, so in our opinion, if he has a family member willing to take him, that would be the best possible outcome for him.”

Ellis wanted to shout. He took back everything he just thought about them. They were on his side! The judge looked at the Guardian ad Litem.

“You’ve spent quite a bit of time with Mason,” the judge said to him. “Can you give us your recommendations?”

The Guardian ad Litem looked over at Ellis, his eyes soft and reassuring. “Yes, Your Honor. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Mr. Wright during the investigation into his home life. Since then, I’ve seen him several times a week. He’s a delightful young boy. He loves football, he’s a great student, and has a perfect record. He’s never been in trouble for talking, much less anything else.

He’s talked often about the father he knew existed but didn’t understand why he wasn’t around. His mother had only said that he couldn’t be with them, so he grew up naturally curious about him, of course. After his mother passed, we talked more in depth about what he thought about his father wanting to take custody of him. Your Honor, you know that Mason is a teenager, and that often has its own share of difficulties. But, when I told him that his father was petitioning the court to get custody of him and move him to Tennessee, he started crying. He said he had wanted to meet his dad all his life, and prayed every day that he would find him and want him.”

Ellis tried to contain himself, he really did. But the emotion that had been building in him ever since he had gotten the call about Mandy couldn’t be contained anymore. A sob escaped, and he covered his mouth, trying not to completely break down. Tears coursed down his cheeks. His son wanted him. Sammi rubbed his arm, tears running down her own face. Carl held onto his shoulder with his strong grip, keeping him from completely collapsing.

The judge looked at him sympathetically. “Mr. Warner, I see you have quite a support system here. I’ve reviewed your file, the reason your parental rights were revoked in the first place, and what you’ve done with your life since then. I know you came prepared to have these character witnesses testify, but I don’t think that’s necessary. It sounds like you took what happened to you as a young child and adult and turned it into something positive. You’re an upstanding citizen, protecting others and risking your life for perfect strangers. I believe you’re the perfect person to show your son how you can overcome anything and become a success. I have every confidence that you’re ready to be this boy’s parent. I have to warn you, though. As happy as Mason might be that you’re part of his life, he will have some adjustments. You’re planning to move to Tennessee with him, correct?”

Ellis nodded, trying to find his voice over the enormous lump in his throat. “Y-yes, Your Honor. My girlfriend and I are living there.”

He looked at Sammi and then back at him. “Okay. Well I would like CPS to set you up with some resources there to help him adjust. He will need counseling at a minimum, by himself and with you and Ms. Kerrigan.”

“Yes sir,” Ellis agreed. “We’ll do whatever we can to make it easier for him.”

The judge looked back at CPS. “So the recommendation is unanimous. Ellis Warner’s parental rights will be reinstated, and the minor child Mason Wright will be given to his father as soon as the paperwork can be filed for him to be able to take him to Tennessee. Mr. Warner, Mason is in the back room and we will allow you to go back there to meet him, but you can’t take him with you just yet. After we get the paperwork all done, Ms. Bailey will arrange to get him to you.”

Steven looked back at Ellis, then spoke. “Yes, Your Honor. We appreciate the time for Mr. Warner to see his son. Is it possible for them to have an hour?”

The judge smiled at Ellis. “Yes, that’s great. Ms. Bailey, let Mr. Warner see his son for one hour, then take Mason back to your office and wait for the paperwork.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” she said.

“Mr. Warner, it’s not often I see happy endings to these type of cases. Don’t beat yourself up about what you haven’t been able to do in the past. That boy needs you, and he’s still got a lot of growing up to do. These are the most important years for a boy to have his father.”

He nodded. He felt like he was in a dream. Out of all the scenarios he had played in his head, this one wasn’t one of them. He figured he would’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get the chance to be a dad to Mason.

“Court is adjourned. Good luck to your family, Mr. Warner.”

As soon as the judge disappeared into his chamber, Ellis turned to Sammi and buried his head in her neck, sobs wracking his body. “Oh my god,” he cried. “I can’t believe that just happened.” She rubbed his back as Carl came and took them both in his arms.

“Thank God,” Carl said, squeezing them both. “Mason gets to come home. I’m so proud of you, Ellis.”

He lifted his head, his cheeks stained with tears, and saw the same thing on Sammi’s face. She took his face in her hands and smiled through her tears. “I can’t wait to see him. You did it, Ellis. You’re a dad again.”

“Mr. Warner?” the caseworker said from behind them. “Are you ready to go meet Mason?”

He nodded, turning to follow her. It felt like a flock of geese just took flight in his stomach. He was going to see his son for the first time in thirteen years. He couldn’t even imagine what he was about to see. Did Mason still look like him, like he did as an infant, or had he changed?

The walk to the door felt like an eternity. He could still hear Sammi sniffling next to him. Alison stopped and turned back to him before she opened the door. “I’m very happy for you and Mason,” she said, smiling. He smiled back, his throat too thick with emotion for him to answer. Behind that door was his son, his life, the only person on this earth that had his blood running through his veins. He couldn’t wait to make him Mason Warner as soon as he could.

The door opened and the caseworker stepped aside. His breath caught as he saw the most beautiful boy he had ever laid eyes on. Mason stood, his eyes fixed on his. He was his exact replica. He stood only about six inches shorter than Ellis with the same hair and eyes. Mason smiled, closing the distance between them in seconds.

“Dad!” he cried out, wrapping his body around his. “I can’t believe it! You look just like me!”

Ellis wanted to speak, to tell him how thankful he was that he wanted him to take care of him, that he loved him, anything, but all he could do hold his son as tight as he could. His body shook with the sobs that he had held in for thirteen years. The last time he had held him, he had been an infant that fit in his arms. Now, he was a big, handsome teenager, who just so happened to also be crying in his arms. His son was crying for him, just like he had done as a baby when he wanted to be held.