Vesper’s POV
I read the judge’s decision three times before my brain finally processed the words.
TEMPORARY CUSTODY GRANTED.
My knees nearly gave out.
Three months.
The court was giving me three months with Sunny before the final hearing.
A laugh burst out of me suddenly, half broken and half hysterical, before tears followed.
“Miss Hale?” I looked up to find Nina frozen beside my desk, holding coffee and looking deeply alarmed.
“I’m fine,” I choked out immediately.
Nina carefully placed the coffee down, as if I might collapse if startled too quickly.
“The lawyer said the evaluator’s report strongly favored you,” she said softly.
“And Julian’s overseas project hurt his case.”
Relief hit me all over again.
Because somehow that arrogant menace had transformed into Protective Husband of the Year the second the evaluator stepped inside the villa.
My phone buzzed, and it’s from LAWRENCE & ASSOCIATES.
I answered instantly.
“Hello?”
”Miss Hale, congratulations.
You can bring Sunny home this afternoon.”
I covered my mouth.
Sunny is actually coming home.
“The final hearing will still take place in three months,” he warned carefully.
“For now, custody is yours.”
Mine for now, the word nearly shattered me; at least she wouldn’t be alone.
The office door suddenly opened.
Jaxon walked in wearing black sweats, dark sunglasses, and an expression that screamed problems.
He stopped when he saw my face.
“You’re crying.”
I wiped at my eyes aggressively.
“Don’t start.”
Nina quietly escaped the office without another word.
Traitor.
Jaxon pulled off his sunglasses.
“You look terrible.”
”How romantic.”
”Murder, funeral, or taxes?”
Despite myself, I laughed weakly.
“We got temporary custody,” I said softly.
For the first time since I met him, Jaxon Laurent looked genuinely stunned.
His jaw loosened before he exhaled a long breath.
“Good.”
Jaxon stepped closer to my desk while I grabbed the stack of legal paperwork.
“That’s the contract?”
I looked down at the marriage agreement sitting beside the custody papers.
“Your lawyer finalized it this morning,” I said quietly.
“Still backing out?”
”You say that like I have options.”
”You always have options.”
I looked up at him.
This was the same man who stood in front of a court evaluator, acting like protecting me was second nature.
“I’m signing because of Sunny,” I reminded him carefully.
“I know.”
I signed the contract anyway.
The second I finished, Jaxon picked up the papers.
“Well,” he murmured, a slow smirk pulling at his lips.
“Guess you’re officially stuck with me now.”
”I already regret it.”
”Liar.”
Unfortunately… maybe.
Two hours later, we arrived at the foster center.
The second we walked inside, reality crashed over me.
There are bright walls, tiny shoes near the entrance, and children’s drawings taped across the hallway.
Sunny was here without Chloe, and the grief hit so suddenly that I stopped walking.
Jaxon noticed immediately, and His hand pressed lightly against my lower back.
Steadying me.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
No, I’m not, but I nodded anyway.
The social worker greeted us near the front desk before leading us toward one of the smaller rooms.
“She’s been struggling since the accident,” the woman explained gently.
“Very withdrawn with minimal communication.”
Each word felt like a knife because Sunny used to talk nonstop.
She once spent twenty minutes explaining why dinosaurs would’ve loved chicken nuggets.
Now she barely spoke.
The social worker hesitated outside the room.
“Physical contact has been difficult, too.”
My chest tightened painfully as I stepped inside slowly.
Sunny sat curled into the corner of a couch, clutching a stuffed rabbit against her chest.
My throat burned instantly.
“Sunny?”
She flinched hard at the sound of my voice; the reaction physically hurt.
“It’s me,” I said softly.
“Auntie Ves.”
Her big brown eyes lifted slowly toward me, and recognition flickered there.
Then fear covered it again.
I crouched carefully in front of her.
“You don’t have to be scared, baby.”
Sunny pressed herself farther into the couch, and Panic flooded me immediately.
Please no.
“I’m not gonna force you,” I whispered quickly.
“I promise.”
There’s no single reaction from her, and that was slowly eating me up.
What did they say to her?
She’s always happy around me.
Just those frightened little eyes staring at me like she didn’t know if the world was safe anymore.
My chest cracked wide open, and beside me, Jaxon stayed silent for once.
Then slowly, he crouched beside me.
Sunny immediately looked at him warily.
“This thing almost ruined my career once,” he informed her seriously.
I blinked at him.
Sunny stared at the puck.
Jaxon lowered his voice conspiratorially.
” You know, it hit me directly in the face during practice.”
There’s a tiny pause then—Sunny blinked again, which was progress.
“It was very tragic,” he continued solemnly.
“People screamed a lot, though.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
Was he emotionally bonding with a traumatized child through fake sports injuries?
Apparently yes.
Because Sunny’s fingers loosened slightly around the stuffed rabbit.
Jaxon rolled the puck gently across the carpet toward her.
“No pressure,” he said softly.
“You can ignore me if you want.
Vesper does it all the time, too.”
”I do not.” I defended sharply.
I’m not ready to be the devil before Sunny.
“You literally threatened to kill me last week.”
”That was professional, I was doing my job.”
A tiny sound escaped Sunny suddenly, it’s small and barely there, but definitely a laugh.
My breath caught instantly.
Jaxon noticed too, but unlike me, he didn’t react strongly enough to scare her away.
God, he was good at this.
Sunny slowly picked up the puck, and Jaxon rested his elbows loosely on his knees.
“Wanna know a secret?”
She looked at him carefully.
“That puck’s lucky.”
Sunny stared down at it.
“It helped me score a winning goal,” he added quietly.
“So technically you’re holding sports history.”
There’s another tiny pause, then slowly—Sunny held the puck tighter to feel it, she swayed it a bit, but it seemed heavy, and my eyes burned immediately.
Jaxon held out his hand after a moment, and he’s not even demanding.
“You wanna come home with us, kid?
You’ll see a lot more than this.
You’ll want to watch me play on the ice, right?”
Silence filled the room, and for one horrible second, I thought she might pull away again.
Then slowly, Tiny trembling fingers slipped into his hand, and I stopped breathing.
Because Sunny hadn’t willingly touched anyone since the accident, but she touched him.
Jaxon’s entire expression softened slightly as he closed his hand carefully around hers.
And suddenly, the arrogant hockey player who drove me insane didn’t look dangerous at all.
He looked safe, and Sunny looked at him like she believed it too.
Then she turned toward me quietly and whispered the first words she’d spoken since we entered the room.
“Can he come with us, Auntie Ves?”
My heart shattered completely.