21. Raina

W here was Susannah?

How could she not be here yet?

Since the judge hadn't yet left his chambers, Raina looked around the small courtroom from her vantage point at the front table between their attorney, Tim Sherwood, and Chase.

"I have to find out where my mother is," she leaned over to whisper to Chase. "She can't miss the second half of this hearing."

"She'll be here," he assured her. "What could be more important?"

"Nothing, but remember, she doesn't know the surprise I'm cooking up at the end." Standing, Raina quickly scanned the familiar faces scattered through a few rows of mahogany seating, sun-washed by the large windows along the second floor of the Old Nassau County Courthouse.

From two rows behind Raina, Rose gave a hopeful, excited wave. She tenderly lifted baby Lily, who was doing her best to get the pink ribbon off her head.

"You got this, Raindrop!" Rose stage-whispered while her daughters, Alyson and Avery, giggled over Lily and the hair bow. Next to them, Gabe and the boys sat solemnly in their Sunday best in the same row.

With two fingers to her lips, Raina blew the crew a kiss, then mouthed, "Where's Suze?"

From behind Rose, flanked by her fiancé and her two teens, Tori leaned forward, concern in her eyes, Charlie in her arms.

"I haven't heard a word!" she whispered.

Chloe and Sadie weren't here yet, either, but they'd both texted the 7 Sis group chat to say that they had a quick errand and promised to be there as soon as they could.

Once again, Raina had to wonder what could be more important than six adoptions.

They knew that Raina had planned the big surprise for Susannah, so maybe they were getting flowers? Balloons? Something?

Just then, Dad and Madeline walked in, deep in conversation—but without Susannah! Unable to stop herself, Raina pushed her chair back and darted down the aisle to talk to them.

"Good luck, Raina," Grace called as she passed, looking up from the book she was flipping through with Nikki Lou on her lap.

Raina smiled and gave her sister a thumbs-up and the same to Blake and Dani, sitting further down with smiles of love and support.

Behind Grace, Valerie Wallace, looking fresh from her weeks abroad, reached out a hand.

As much as Raina wanted to get to Dad, she had to stop and acknowledge how incredibly sweet it was of her former mother-in-law to be here.

"Thank you, Val," she said, leaning over to give her a kiss. "You're an angel for this."

Yes, the babies were Val's grandchildren—but their biological father was her son. And for her to stand with Raina and support another man adopting them showed just how much Val's formerly crusty heart had softened.

"But where is their other grandmother?" Val asked.

"I'm trying to figure that out," she replied, just as Dad barked something to Madeline, his face flushed. "'Scuze me."

She rushed to Madeline and Dad. "You still don't know where she is?" Raina asked.

"He's called her ten times and so have I," Madeline said. "She left at seven while Dad was in the shower and didn't say where she was going. How weird is that?"

"It's got to do with that Ivy woman," Dad grumbled. "I just know she's trying to put an end to this, even though I'm willing to go to court to fight her."

"She'd do that now ?" Raina asked, having a hard time believing her mother would put that situation above this moment, even if she had no idea that Raina was planning a surprise. "Plus, she told me she was resolute that she was fighting that woman through legal measures."

"I don't know," Dad said, shaking his head with palpable frustration. "She left a note that said she'd meet me here. I just wish she'd answer my texts. The only thing that would keep her from answering is if she's driving. But where would she go?"

"Where's Adam?" Raina asked Madeline.

"He had to take a call, which he said was an emergency, and he took off to handle it. He did tell me that Susannah had asked for the phone number and address the FBI found for Ivy Button in Minnesota, but she didn't drive there, for heaven's sake."

Raina sighed, not liking the way this was going at all.

"You'd better get seated," she told Dad and Madeline, ushering them to the row in front of Grace and Isaiah. "She has to show up soon."

"From your lips to God's ears," her father said.

"Then I hope He's listening," she replied softly.

Isaiah leaned forward and gave his typical huge smile. "Oh, He's listening, Raina. And He's got this. Probably in a way you've never imagined, but that's how our Lord works."

"Thanks, brother." She put a hand on his sturdy shoulder, so grateful to have this man of faith in their family. "I want you to be right."

Next to him, Grace chuckled. "Trust me—and God. He's right."

Clinging to their confidence, Raina hustled to the front table but she'd barely hit the chair when the back door slammed open with force, making every head in the place swivel, except Raina's. She just closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, grateful Isaiah had been right.

But when she turned to give her mother a "where have you been" scowl, her gasp was the loudest of all.

Ivy Button stood in the back of the room, her beady gaze straight ahead.

That was awful enough, but what really made Raina sick was the fact that Hyphenated Helen, who held her fate in her hands, was right next to her. And behind them, two writers for the local newspaper that Raina knew personally.

A breath whooshed out of Raina's mouth. This just got… ugly .

"All rise for the Honorable Francis John Strayton."

Raina was so frozen in shock that Chase had to take her by the arm and ease her up when the judge walked in.

A gray-haired man well past sixty and a local well-known to this group, Judge Strayton gave a warm smile as he took the bench. He wore a dark suit and tie, with no robes or overt formality, as if to remind them that this was a happy occasion—no crimes, no sentencing, no victims. They were here for adoptions.

She hoped .

She squeezed Chase's hand. "Do you see—"

"Yeah. But first things first, Raina." His dark eyes shuttered as he swallowed. "I want my girls. I want my daughters."

The words touched her, along with his calm but determined demeanor, and that excellent advice. She couldn't do anything about Ivy or Helen or her missing mother and two sisters.

What mattered was this man who loved her—and her babies—so much that he wanted to take the wholehearted responsibility of being their father on his broad shoulders.

The "four sisters" adoption was icing on the cake, but this was the real reason they were in the room.

The judge flipped open a file. "The matter before this court is the formal adoption of minors Lillian Susannah and Charlotte Rose Wingate by Charles James Madison, who has petitioned for legal fatherhood."

Just hearing that gave Raina a thrill, and she and Chase tightened the grip on their still-connected hands. When the judge invited the attorney to speak, Tim rose and cleared his throat to begin a short speech about the appropriate paperwork, the forms that had been signed, the interviews that had been conducted, the background checks that were now complete.

Judge Strayton looked bored, so much so that he held up his hand to politely cut off the speech, his attention shifting to Chase.

"Mr. Madison, could you approach the bench?"

"Of course, Your Honor." Chase stood and the judge pointed to him, and then behind him.

"With your soon-to-be daughters, please. Assuming you can hold both at once."

"Oh, I can." Chase gave a quick smile and turned to the rows behind them, taking Lily from Rose and meeting Tori in the aisle to take Charlie.

No surprise to anyone but maybe the judge, Chase was an expert at perching those two, one in each arm, carrying them like princesses on display for their adoring subjects.

As always, his face lit up as he looked from one to the other. Lily smiled at Chase like he hung the moon. Charlie pulled his earlobe and made a raspberry.

Chuckling, he took a few steps closer, standing to the side so Raina could see and hear the judge, whose eyes danced with amusement at the sight.

"Do you have a favorite?" the judge asked, making Chase's eyes widen.

"No, sir. I love them both equally. Lily's a great sleeper, and I can already tell she's going to be the peacemaker in the family. And Charlie? Well, I think she'll be unstoppable." He grew serious. "But I'll stop her from anything not…right, sir."

The judge gave a quick laugh. "You'll try, but as the father of three girls, I can tell you, it ain't easy." He looked at the group, his gaze resting on Rex. "Bet your future father-in-law could back me up."

Again, everyone laughed, the whole vibe shifting to relaxed and happy.

"So, Mr. Madison," he continued. "You're not a young man. You'll be nearly seventy when they graduate from high school, correct?"

Chase lifted a shoulder. "But I'll be there, for that day and every one before. Including their dates. You don't think they'll mind if I chaperone?"

That made the judge laugh. "Brace yourself for dating. You'll hate every guy until…you don't."

Chase smiled and nodded, waiting for the next question in the unorthodox interview.

Quiet for a beat, the judge looked at him, then the babies, then back to Chase. "If you had to give your daughters a piece of advice on their wedding day, right now, in advance, what would it be?"

He thought about that for a moment, then rested his head on top of Lily's when she nestled closer.

"I'd tell them that whenever they need to make a decision in life, they should ask themselves: what would their mother do," he finally said. "Raina is the wisest, strongest, best person I've ever known, and if they grow up to be exactly like her, they will help make the world a better place."

"Oh." Raina pressed her fingers to her lips to hold back the tears that were threatening.

"And," he continued, "I'd tell them both that their last name might be Madison, but they are Wingate women. That carries weight and responsibility, and tremendous blessings. That means they are ladies who love first, forgive fast, laugh constantly, and stick together through thick and thin."

For a second, there was silence, then a chorus of, "Aww!" and, "Yes!" and a noisy sniff from Rex.

Just as Raina dabbed under her eye and turned to look at Tori, the back door opened and Susannah walked in.

Hallelujah!

But right behind her was another woman, a complete stranger with stylish dark hair swooping around an attractive face. She was dressed in navy Chanel from head to toe, and, like Susannah, wore a stoic, unreadable expression.

With the riveting exchange happening in the front of the courtroom, no one else noticed the new arrivals, and Raina quickly turned back to hear what the judge said next.

"Good answer for this crowd, Mr. Madison," he joked. "I predict a happy life for you, and am confident you'll be a terrific father." He picked up his gavel. "I hereby decree you are the legal father of Lillian and Charlotte, with the full burden of responsibility as their parent to protect, guide, educate, feed, clothe, and inspire. Best of luck to you, Dad. Remember all this when they're sixteen and want to drive your car."

He slammed the gavel down to a noisy cheer from the rest of the room.

Raina rose to round the table and take Charlie, giving Chase a celebratory kiss on the lips. All around them, the family clapped and called their congrats—until the gavel came down again, hard.

"We are not done here," the judge announced noisily, bringing instant quiet to the room.

With a quick intake of breath, Raina glanced around, noticing Susannah and the other woman had stayed standing in the back. She tried to get her mother's attention to beckon her closer for this part.

But Susannah had her gaze locked on the back of Ivy Button's head, so fierce it was a miracle the woman's hair didn't ignite.

"The next matter before the court is the formal adoption of Madeline Anne Logan, Victoria Lucille Wingate, Rose Lydia D'Angelo, and Raina Deborah Wingate by Susannah Jean Wingate, to be named their legal mother…"

With each word the judge spoke, Raina—and her sisters—took in the expression on Susannah's face.

Confusion made her frown. Her mouth opened to a round O of shock. She shook her head, searched the room, and let her gaze stop on Raina, then the judge. Even from across the courtroom, Raina could see her struggle to get her next breath, pressing her hands to her breastbone as she let out a soft mew of delight and disbelief.

In that split second, Ivy was forgotten. The only thing that mattered was the love between this mother and her daughters and the joy of seeing someone receive the perfect gift.

"Mrs. Wingate, can you come forward?" the judge asked.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, throwing a quick glance at the stranger with her, then gliding up the aisle with her usual grace and poise.

Madeline rose to get next to her, beaming through a teary smile. Tori and Rose slid out to the center aisle to join them and as they came to the front, Raina reached her hand to Susannah.

"Surprise," she whispered.

"Oh…oh…" She blinked back tears. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, I do." Ivy Button shot into the middle of the aisle, her gaze piercing, stunning them all. "And I say, not so fast, Your Honor. I think there are a few things you need to know about this family."

As shock reverberated through the room, the little brunette barreled closer.

"Let's start with the fact that their father is a rapist, the mother is an extortionist, and every one of these seven sisters is guilty of cruel and unusual punishment inflicted on a family employee."

Instantly, everyone in the room tried to talk over everyone else, only silenced when that gavel hit three times.

"Everyone sit down. Order. And you, ma'am. Who are you and what are you trying to claim?"

"I understand I get to say my piece before this sham of an adoption goes through," Ivy said.

The judge just stared at her and dipped his head in concession. "Fine. Name and purpose, please."

"My name is Ivy Button, my purpose is—"

"Oh, no, it's not!" The woman in Chanel marched forward. "She is not Ivy Button. I am. My name is Ivy Button and this woman is an imposter and a con artist."

The judge quieted the next noisy response again with a furious gavel. "Everyone sit down! Everyone except…these two women."

The family slid into seats obediently, but Raina was certain no one could actually breathe as the scene unfolded. Every single person in the courtroom looked dumbfounded and riveted…except Susannah, she suddenly noticed.

She was the only person, along with the new Ivy Button, who didn't look confused. In fact, she smiled like the cat who ate the canary.

And Raina had a feeling Ivy Button—or whatever she called herself—was the canary about to be devoured.

For once, Raina hadn't done the fixing. But then, she'd probably learned all her problem-solving techniques from Susannah Wingate, the woman she couldn't wait to call Mom.

So she sat back, let out a breath, and trusted whoever was in charge, because, this time, it wasn't Raina.