He was relieved to be out of there. He stalked over to his car and climbed in. Glancing toward the house, he saw the silhouette of his father in the window. The anger dissipated. The man wasn't worth it.
Adrian knew his visit wouldn't make any difference. His father didn't give a damn.
But as he backed out of the drive, the chains that had bound him to this place for so long gave way.
He was no longer fearful of this man.
He was no longer a prisoner of his childhood.
He was free.
***
The next morning dawned sunny and bright. Adrian was up early and spent an hour pounding out his nerves on the treadmill.
Today would decide his and Kate's fate.
After facing his father, he felt more optimistic than he had since the whole saga began. The visit had proven to him that he was nothing like his father.
Afterward he'd called Hank and Marla to see if they had any record of Hank's meeting with Adrian's father. Hank had recorded the whole event meticulously and Adrian read the information with interest. It showed him how easily his father had given them up, which was bound to help the case.
Adrian made breakfast and ate it with gusto. He was going to win this.
As he was struggling to do up his tie, the phone rang. It was Kate.
"Uncle Ade, it's going to be all right, isn't it?" Her voice was small and scared.
Adrian wished he could tell her it would be. "No matter what happens, we'll still see each other." He paused. "I love you, kiddo. Nothing is going to change that."
Kate sniffed and Adrian's heart ached. "I love you too, Uncle Ade," she said.
Adrian checked the time. "I'll see you soon." He hung up.
***
George met him outside the courthouse and they walked in together. Susan and her parents were on one side of the room with Kate. Adrian acknowledged them with a nod of his head as Kate ran over and threw her arms around him.
"I've missed you," she told him.
Adrian squeezed his eyes tightly. "I've missed you too, kiddo. Have you had fun with Jemma?"
Kate checked if anyone was near enough to hear. "Not nearly as much fun as we have at our place."
Kate's grandmother walked over.
"How are you, Virginia?" Adrian asked.
She was stiffly polite. "Well, thank you, Adrian." She turned to Kate. "Katie dear, you need to come with me now."
They had arranged for Kate's grandmother to take care of Kate during the hearing. The judge would talk to Kate at the end.
"I'd rather wait with Uncle Adrian until he goes in, Grandma," Kate replied.
Adrian smothered a smile at the way Virginia pinched her lips.
Before she could argue, a clerk came out, took everyone's details and invited them into the room.
Adrian turned to Kate. "Be good for your grandma, kiddo. I'll see you when we finish." He gave her a hug and she clung to him for a minute longer. Adrian shut his eyes. When he looked up, Virginia was waiting impatiently.
"Come along, Katie."
Adrian watched his niece go and then walked into the courtroom with George and his lawyer by his side. He had to win this.
When the preliminaries were done, Susan stated her case, explaining why she was seeking custody of Kate.
"Kate needs a stable family environment. The recent incidents have shown Adrian cannot provide that for her. She has been assaulted by the media and hasn't been allowed the freedom a child needs to explore." Susan paused. "In addition, she needs siblings and a woman's influence in her life, particularly as she reaches puberty. Her best friend is my daughter, Jemma, and they will be able to grow up together.
"Adrian's behavior on his most recent tour has shown he is irresponsible and cannot possibly give her a safe environment to grow up in."
"Please elaborate further," the judge requested.
Susan went into detail about the Emily incident and showed the footage of Kate in front of the media. "The matter involving Adrian's father have shown that Adrian is irresponsible and turns his back on family when it doesn't suit him. He is likely to decide one day that he no longer wants Kate and will leave her heartbroken."
Adrian's mouth dropped. He hadn't been expecting that. George looked equally surprised.
"Do you have anything to prove these claims?" the judge asked.
"Adrian's father has been on a number of talk shows." One of the clips was played.
"He's lying," Adrian said calmly.
"You will get your chance to respond, Mr. Hart."
Adrian sat there drumming his fingers on the table while Susan summarized her case. The tour schedule wasn't suitable for a ten-year-old child, she was surrounded by adult men frequently, there were no children for her to play with, her nannies were more interested in her uncle than her and she had been exposed to an unhealthy relationship model.
Adrian simmered with anger. How could Susan portray Libby like that? She knew nothing about her. She hadn't seen Libby helping Kate with her story, playing games with her, teaching her to cook. Libby had given up her writing time to be with Kate when the media had been at their worst. She'd done everything a mother would do for her child.
He froze. He examined the thought carefully, poking it from all sides to see if it held. Yes, Libby had loved Kate.
Adrian was so distracted he didn't realize it was his turn to speak until George elbowed him. Adrian refocused on the scene. The judge was waiting for him. George shoved a notebook at him, outlining all the points he needed to respond to.
Adrian stood up. He wasn't going to let Kate go without a fight. He breathed in to calm his nerves and breathed out again. "Your Honor, I love my niece and I want the best for her. If at any stage I believed I couldn't care for her properly, I would hand her over to her aunt." He paused. "The recent publicity surrounding my tour has been difficult. Emily was Kate's nanny, but she quit when I rejected her advances. She left me without a nanny for Kate and I was fortunate a friend offered to help. A couple of weeks ago Emily admitted this in an interview."
The footage was played and Susan murmured, "How much did you pay the poor woman?"
Adrian breathed deeply to control his anger and continued. "I took Kate on tour with me as I wasn't comfortable with her going to summer camp. She still has nightmares about the crash in which her parents died and I didn't want her facing them alone. I offered to take Kate's cousin Jemma with us, so Kate would have someone her own age to play with, but Susan didn't allow it." He picked up a copy of Libby's contract. "This is the schedule both nannies had. You will note they only looked after Kate when I had work commitments. The schedule was designed to ensure I had time with Kate, and so we could explore the countries we were in. I thought it was a good opportunity for her to expand her horizons and learn about the world." He held up another statement. "This is from one of my road crew. It states that Kate rarely socialized with the crew. I was concerned some of their more colorful language might rub off on her and so I kept her contact with them to a minimum."
The clerk read the statement out.
Susan sniffed but didn't say a word.
"My father's accusations are entirely false." He took a deep breath. "The truth is my brother and I ran away from home many years ago. I was twelve and he was sixteen." The admission was a relief.
Susan gasped but Adrian didn't give her a chance to speak. "My father is an alcoholic and abused us. We had to steal money from his wallet to buy food to survive. When he found out, he would beat me or lock me in the basement for hours." Adrian peeked at Susan to gauge her reaction. Her mouth was open and she looked stunned.
"Do you have any proof?" the judge asked.
"My foster-father documented everything." Adrian handed over Hank's records and waited while the judge reviewed them. Finally the judge nodded for Adrian to continue.
"I know what it is like to be neglected, to have an unstable home life and to fear for your safety. If I ever thought Kate was in danger, or that my lifestyle would disadvantage her in any way, I would allow Susan to be her guardian." He paused. "I truly believe I can care for her." He sat down.
The judge gazed at him for a moment, with a look Adrian could not read, and then glanced down at his notes. "You haven't mentioned this last nanny, Libby," the judge said. "There was a photo which showed the two of you together, and reports that you were a couple."
Adrian still remembered the warmth of Libby in his arms. How she felt so right and filled him with such joy. He paused. "Libby cared for Kate until the publicity around Emily and my father became too intense. After Kate had her say on camera, we parted company."
"Did this Libby make a statement?" the judge asked.
Adrian stood. "No – "