The Switched Baby Scandal (A Scandals of San Sebastian Novel) (Entangled Bliss) by Theresa Meyers Page A

the door.
    It was simple but comfortable, with a dark wooden table and six wooden chairs. A few minutes later, Taylor could hear the outer doors open and the muffled sound of Reece’s voice.
    Taylor tensed. Alex leaned across the table. “Don’t worry about this. We’ve got Judge Harris. She’s very sensitive when it comes to custody issues.”
    She managed a small smile, but felt completely vulnerable and unsure. “We can hope.”
    “I’ll be back for you shortly. I have to make an opening statement, and I want to hear what Wallace has to say before we put you up there.”
    Thirty minutes later there was a knock and Taylor rose. The court bailiff led her out of the room and up the narrow aisle between rows of empty benches. Before her she could see the back of Reece’s head.
    She noticed he sat alone, without an attorney. Her stomach twisted. Of course he was alone. He was an attorney—a family law attorney. Why wouldn’t he represent himself? She resisted the urge to curl up into a ball and instead lifted her head and forced a confident posture into her shoulders. Alex nodded at her and smiled. The invisible weight pressing on her chest lifted slightly, but not enough to give her the confidence she was faking.
    She stepped into the witness box and was sworn in before sitting in the chair.
    Alex stood and approached the stand. “Ms. Lawrence, how long have you been the sole parent of the minor, Emily Lawrence?”
    “Since her birth.”
    The questions continued on in the predictable pattern she had practiced with Alex. Although it was going as planned, she felt like a spring, coiling tighter and tighter. Every time he asked a question and moved away to make a point, she sat facing Reece. His dark hair was smooth and he looked amazing in his gray suit that emphasized those broad shoulders she’d leaned into so easily. Otherwise the courtroom was empty except for a man in a black sweater and jeans in the far back who scribbled away on a small notepad.
    When Alex finished his questioning, Reece rose and approached her. The tension in the air increased, vibrating between them. He looked her straight in the eye, his face impassive and calm, but his deep brown eyes begged without words for her to understand that this was just procedure, that he cared about Emily. “We have no further questions, Your Honor.”
    The bailiff led Taylor back to a seat beside Alex.
    Judge Harris pulled at her glasses, looking over the top edges. “Normally, I would take some time to deliberate such a matter, but as the facts seem clearly outlined to me in this case, I am ready to render a judgment at this time.” She pushed the glasses back into place on the bridge of her nose.
    Taylor’s body was aching with the prolonged tension of the day, and her breathing stopped. “Ms. Lawrence has done an exemplary job in raising the minor Emily Lawrence. She is to be commended and this court recognizes her as the primary caregiver to this minor. Because of this, she shall be awarded full custody of Emily Lawrence at this time.” The tightness in her chest eased.
    “However…”
    Taylor’s stomach sunk to her knees and her hands turned cold.
    “Since the minor has to this time not known her biological father, this court awards liberal weekly visitation to the father, Reece Wallace, so that he may have the opportunity to become part of Emily’s life. Visitation will be no less than three days per week. We shall review custody in two months time.”
    The gavel hit with a resounding crack that made Taylor feel as though she had been hit instead. She grabbed hold of Alex’s sleeve as she rose from her seat when the judge exited the chamber.
    “Taylor, are you all right?”
    She gave Alex a faint nod but refused to look up, since she didn’t want to see Reece across the aisle. “He gets her whenever he wants, doesn’t he?”
    Alex rubbed her arm as they walked toward the chamber doors. “Just three times a week, but you still have full