11:45 AM

Courthouse

Charlotte was sitting on the step outside the courthouse, leaning forward slightly on her legs, her head tilted down, her hands clasped together. She took in a shaky breath, lifting her head and opening her eyes. "Coop, I have a bad feelin' about this."

Cooper turned his body towards her and brushed her hair out of her face. He pressed his lips against her soft forehead and wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "I'm not worried. A custody case between an ex-con and two doctors? Please, Charlotte, Zoe's ours."

She sighed and glanced at her watch. She blinked away her tears and rested her hand on his knee. "As strong as our case is, I just—my gut is tellin' me we're about to lose her, Coop."

He placed his hand on top of hers and kissed the side of her head.

"And my gut is never wrong," she added.

"It is today." He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on, sweetie."

She let out a breath as she got to her feet. She took his hand and squeezed it. "I don't even wanna go in there."

"We have to."

She nodded. "I know." She took a few steps closer to the double doors, but stopped.

"Char?"

She shook her head and continued into the courthouse. She stayed silent as they stood in their spots again.

He held her hand and leaned in close. "It's gonna be okay. Either way, it's gonna be okay," he whispered.

The judge banged his gavel to signal court was back in session. Everyone took their seats as he began. "I've weighed both sides and took Zoe's choice into consideration when making this decision." He took a long pause, the courtroom completely quiet. You could almost hear the harmony of nervous heartbeats in the room—that was how quiet it was in there as the judge read the verdict. "Custody of Ms. Zoe Baker is hereby granted to Mr. Tyler Baker, affected immediately." He banged his gavel. "Court dismissed."

Charlotte jerked her shoulders forward and put her head in her hands.

Cooper blinked and rubbed her back. "Sweetie—."

She popped her head up. "You said everything would be okay! I told you my gut's never wrong. I told you!"

He pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin on the top of her head and slid his hand up and down her back. "It will be okay. We still have each other. I'm not going anywhere." He was attached to Zoe, but he knew that Charlotte was even more attached to the little girl. After all, she did spend the most time with her.

Zoe bolted through the door and ran down the aisle. "Momma!"

Charlotte swallowed and separated from Cooper. She looked at the little girl and her heart broke into a million little pieces, seeing the fat, crocodile tears streaming down her face. "You have our numbers, Zo. You can call us whenever you want, day or night." She gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the top of her head. She wiped away the girl's tears and smiled, trying to hide the fact that she was hurt.

"Zoe, come here now," Tyler ordered.

Zoe didn't move. She looked at Charlotte and pouted her lips. "Why can't I stay with you? Don't you want me?"

"I'd give anythin' to have you stay with us, sweet pea, but the judge said you had to stay with your uncle." She paused. "We're gonna miss you a ton."

"Zoe, now!"

Zoe swallowed and ran over to her uncle.

Charlotte waved and collapsed into Cooper as soon as the doors clicked shut. "Biology and familiarity—that's the only reason why she's goin' home with him instead of us."

"Let's get out of here."

She stood up and rubbed her eyes. "This is all your fault, y'know?"

"How is this all my fault?"

"It's your fault that I got attached so quickly."

He laughed. "That's all on you, sweetie. You've got a big heart which is one of the reasons I love you so much." He kissed her on the lips and hooked his arm around her. "Let's take a drive. We won't stop until we need to."

She leaned against him. "What's gonna happen to her?"

"I hope she'll be happy, but I still wish she was with us."

She nodded. "Me too."

"Is it wrong that I wish something bad will happen to her, so we'll be granted custody?"

"If it is, we're both goin' to Hell." She looped her arm around his back and sighed. "But maybe we thought he was a bad guy 'cause we wanted Zoe for ourselves. The judge obviously saw somethin' in him, somethin' that makes him a better parent than you or me. Maybe we were too close to the situation to realize that the judge might be right. We've known Zoe for what, two weeks? Tyler's known her for her entire life."

"You don't believe anything you just said, do you?"

She laughed. "You know me too well."

He opened the door and they walked out into the hallway.

"Dr. Freedman, wait!" His lawyer ran to catch up to them. "I'm so sorry we lost the case. I was so sure we would win."

Cooper sighed. "I'm sorry too."

"If this makes you feel any better, a social worker is required to check up on Zoe, twice a month, for the next year. These visits are unannounced and completely random."

He nodded. "That makes us feel a little better."

"I'm so sorry. I really thought this case was a slam dunk."

"You win some, you lose some," Charlotte said, pretending she was okay with this, though she was still pissed and upset. "Come on, Coop."

"Enjoy the rest of your day if you can," the lawyer said, walking in the opposite direction.

She sighed, her shoulders dropping. "I'm even gonna miss the dog."

He laughed. "Me too, Char, me too." He closed his eyes for a second and then they walked out of the courthouse.

A/N: just a short little chapter written by my cowriter. I promise this isn't over yet. More drama to come.