Accent Hussy (It Had 2 B U) (32 page)

I’m starting to get annoyed with courtrooms. This judge and I are not becoming fast friends like I hoped. He stares me down when I enter and almost chuckles when I wave.

“Miss McGowan, it seems like you’re always in my courtroom lately,’ he grumps.

“I missed you,” I remark.

He laughs. “Do you want to tell me why I am seeing you in my courtroom again?”

I take a deep breath and I’m about to answer when the doors to the courtroom open and in strolls Caleb with all of my girls. They are all chattering away and when they see me, they squeal and wave.

Caleb is carrying Holly. She’s nestled into his shoulder and it’s probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. He puts her down and the judge bangs his gavel.

“Mr. Conaway, do you want to tell me why you are bringing a pint-sized intrusion into my courtroom?”

They know each other? I look over at Caleb who just winks. How does Caleb know my judge?

“Hey Dean, nice to see you again. I have brought some character witnesses inside your courtroom to talk on behalf of Everly McGowan.”

“Character witnesses, huh? I haven’t even found out why she’s here yet.”

“I kneed a security guard in the balls while in Las Vegas, to get to the boxing ring and make sure that idiot didn’t lose his fight,” I blurt out while hooking a thumb at Caleb.

Everyone in the courtroom laughs.

“It’s true, Dean. If it wasn’t for Everly, I may not have won that fight,” Caleb pipes in.

“I watched that fight. That first half was horrible,” he says, sifting through some papers on his desk. “Everly, the security guard back in Vegas has filed charges against you for assault and battery. He says that because you kneed him in the balls there’s a chance he may never have kids again.”

I try not to laugh, but it comes out anyway. “Again? The dude was older than my father. I’d be surprised if he has any swimmers left in those wrinkly balls of his.”

All of my girls laugh. The judge frowns and I realize that maybe I shouldn’t let my mouth run so much. The judge bangs his gavel again and all the girls quiet down.

“Miss McGowan, I don’t have time for comedic relief in my courtroom, so if you don’t mind, please keep your juvenile attempts at comedy to yourself. You’re in some serious trouble right now. In the last six months, I’ve seen you in my courtroom a total of three times. Granted, the last time wasn’t for a felony, but I gave you community service for a reason, and it pains me to see that you’re not taking it seriously. I’ve gotten great reports of your miraculous work with the girls over at The Youth Center, but unfortunately one good deed is not enough to make up for your DUI.”

“Dean, if I may interject, I would like to call in a witness to speak on Everly’s behalf,” Caleb announces, taking a step forward.

“If it’s more children, I’m not interested.”

“No Sir, this one is definitely going to change your opinion of her. I promise.”

“Then by all means, please bring in this magnificent witness of yours.”

Caleb ushers the girls into the seats and leaves the courtroom, escorting Keegan in with him. Keegan looks roughed up. He has a giant cut under his already black eye and his lip is busted open. He looks like he’s been in a fight. Caleb pushes him forward.

“Tell him,” Caleb instructs.

Keegan’s hot accent swoons from his lips. “I’m Keegan O’Shea, Everly’s beau,” Keegan says, getting cut off by Caleb clearing his throat. “Ex-beau,” he finishes.

I almost giggle when Caleb smiles.

“And Mr. O’Shea, why are you in my courtroom right now?” Judge Anderson asks him.

Keegan looks over at Caleb who crosses his arms. Well, now I know why Keegan looks so roughed up. “I have come to make a wee bit of a confession. It was I and not Everly, who was behind the wheel during her accident. She was covering for me, because I have a record, Sir. I’m thankful that she took the blame for me, but I feel bad that she’s had to serve all this community service because of it. She’s a good lass, please go easy on her.”

“Mr. O’Shea, I appreciate your confession, but if you do have a record, you do know what that means for you, especially when you withhold information in an important case?

“Jail time?”

Judge Anderson nods. “At least, six months.”

“Feck me.”

“Tell him the rest,” Caleb orders.

Keegan sighs and runs a hand through his sexy black locks. It hurts how beautiful he is. He’s such a waste of a sexy accent. “I’d like all charges to be dropped against Everly McGowan. I take full responsibility for the DUI. She was never behind the wheel; I placed her there when she was unconscious. Everything is my fault.”

I gotta hand it to Caleb, he must’ve done some great persuading to get Keegan to confess to all this shit.

Judge Anderson shakes his head. “And let me guess, you kneed the guard in the balls, too?”

“Nope, I take full blame for the nut assault,” I pipe in.

“Well, Everly, it looks as though your prior offense needs to be reevaluated, and your community service dropped. Why didn’t you just throw Mr. O’Shea under the bus and keep yourself out of trouble?”

“Not in my nature. Besides, if this all didn’t happen, I would’ve never gotten to know the girls at The Youth Center. I totally have fallen in love with each and every one of them. I can’t imagine my life without them.”

“Please don’t send Miss Everly to jail,” NJ yells, jumping to her feet.

The judge looks at her strangely as she approaches. “May I approach the bench?” she asks.

“By all means, my courtroom has turned into quite the circus it seems.”

“Let me level with you, your Judginess,” NJ says, plopping down in the seat next to the judge smiling. Her hair is braided into corn rolls and I notice she’s missing her front tooth. “Nobody has never got us. Nobody cared. Then Miss Everly came along and suddenly someone gave a shit. I know she may have done a bad thing kicking that old man in the balls, but I think you need to realize how much good she has done for all of us.” She motions to the whole group. “My daddy worked all the time. He left me home alone with my brother and older sister. They picked on me a lot, and I never felt like anybody loved me. Then Miss Everly had a talk with my daddy, and my daddy changed his shift and he loves me now. I guess he loved me before, but now he just shows it.”

I have tears in my eyes. It’s not easy hearing how I changed these girls’ lives. I just wanted to help them. I wasn’t expecting to make a difference. Cornell and Marks step forward next.

“We have a lot of family. None of them speak English. When our father lost his job, it was Miss Everly who helped him find something new. He now owns his own landscaping business, and we are finally buying a house.” I really didn’t help their dad like they said. All I did was make a referral to a landscaping business. What he did from there was all him.

NJ speaks up again. “She’s changed all of our lives, but not as much as Hopscotch, your Judginess.” Holly steps forward but tugs Caleb behind her. Since we saved her from her foster home, she’s been overly shy and clingy. Not that I mind. Her hugs are the best. “We ain’t going to talk about what happened to Holly. Let’s just say bad men did bad stuff to her. Miss Everly and her family took her in and now she’s part of their family.” Holly waves at the judge and he waves back, smiling. I almost forgot that they know each other.

“Almost,” Holly whispers, “They won’t let Miss Everly be my mommy because of the bad things she did.”

I frown. I was hoping Holly didn’t overhear that conversation with my mother, obviously she did. The one thing I want most in this world is to have Holly officially become part of my family. The night I got back, I went into full detail about me being almost arrested in Vegas. My mom laughed throughout the whole story when I told her about it, then we proceeded to discuss Holly and how she hopes I can be her mommy. Of course, both my mother and I know that’s borderline impossible. I love that little girl so much. I’d do anything to make her mine for good.

In Vegas, no charges were filed, but then we get home and suddenly the security guard starts complaining about his balls hurting. I think he realized what being Caleb’s girlfriend actually meant and he wants a payout. Caleb said he pulled some strings so that I could see Judge Anderson instead of traveling to Vegas for my hearing. Now here I am, sitting in a courtroom, again.

The tears are coming down even harder. I try to wipe my face, but the more I wipe, the more my makeup smears. I have no heartstrings anymore; these girls play jump rope with them now.

“Be your mommy?” The judge questions.

“May I approach the bench?” I ask quietly.

He nods and motions me forward. “I want to adopt her. I know that’s not possible with my impending battery charges, and my not-so-DUI, but that’s what I want. I want it more than anything in this world.” I bite that last word as more tears stream down my face.

“It’s true, Everly. This assault and battery charge is definitely not going to look good on an adoption application. Fortunately, today is your lucky day.”

“It is?”

“It is. When they allowed you to leave Vegas without formally charging you in the State, the assault and battery charge became null and void. Those Las Vegas officers have to put up with so much crazy, that a charge against a guard being kneed in the balls was going to get dropped anyway. It’s going to take some paperwork, but I’m going to drop all charges against you for your DUI and Keegan will be formally charged for it instead. As for your Vegas stunt, where I understand the importance of getting to Caleb so he wouldn’t lose his fight, please remember that the man’s scrotum is the most sensitive area on the body. It doesn’t like to be kneed.”

I’m trying to stifle my giggles, but it comes out anyway. “Yes, Sir.”

“You are no longer obligated to your community service time, either.”

“Oh, I plan on staying, at least when I’m off work at the gym.” The girls all cheer behind me and I laugh.

“Miss McGowan, please do me a favor.”

“Yes, Sir?”

“Stay out of my courtroom from now on! The next time I see you, it better be because you’re adopting that little gem over there. I’ll make sure you get the help you need to make that happen.”

I’m speechless. “Oh wow . . . um . . . thank you so much.”

“Now get out of my courtroom and take your circus with you.”

“Will do! Come on, Jumpers, let’s get back to The Youth Center.”

As Caleb and I cart the girls out the door, I see Keegan being handcuffed. I send him a snarky smile, and with my best Irish accent, I say, “Feck off Keegan, remember to protect your leprechauns in the showers.”

Caleb pushes me out the door.

Once outside, I take a long, much needed inhale of fresh air. I’m free, the DUI is lifted. I have a boyfriend, and he’s looking mighty sexy right now ushering the girls towards the bus.

“All right everyone, get on the bus. Except you, you’re not going anywhere,” I tell Caleb, as the girl’s pile onto the small short bus The Youth Center uses to cart around the youth basketball team.

Caleb faces me smiling. That gorgeous grin of his makes my heart palpitate beneath my shirt. “We have some unfinished business when we get back to The Youth Center,” I tell him, tickling my fingers up his chest. He gulps, knowing we can’t do anything where we are right now.

“Oh yeah? What exactly do we have at The Youth Center to do that is unfinished?”

“I guess you’re just going to have to wait to find out.

The moment the last girl leaves, and my mom picks up Holly, I’m making a mad dash to Caleb’s office. We’re the only ones left in the building. The desire in me has been building since we left the courtroom. The way he stood up for me, beating the shit out of Keegan to get him to confess, the crazy look he gave me from across the bus when he caught me picturing exactly what’s about to happen in five minutes, all of it has me on the verge of exploding.

Caleb’s sitting at his desk when I enter. I purposely didn’t change from earlier because I was hopeful I’d get him alone like this. I knock on the door and he looks up; that sexy smile of his spreads across his face.

“Mr. C., can I speak with you for a minute?”