“He had a call come in that he’d been expecting. He said he would be right behind us,” Aidan says. The only indication of his anxiety is the steady tap of his foot on the floor. I have to stop myself from putting my hand on his knee to stop him.
“We’ve only got a few minutes left,” I snap as I pick up my phone to try Max again. The judge opens his door at the same time that Max walks in from the hallway with a sober look on his face. Aidan steps forward to speak to the judge as Max grabs the back of my jacket, halting me in my tracks.
“Luc,” he says under his breath, “we need to ask for a continuance. I know who April Chester is…and it’s not good.”
The judge is giving us a look filled with impatience as Max continues to prevent me from moving forward. “Gentlemen, please come into my office so that we may begin.”
Max clears his throat and steps forward. “Your honor, I’d like to file a motion for a continuance. I have not had sufficient time to prepare and—”
“Mr. Decker,” the judge interrupts Max, “this is just a preliminary hearing and will not be postponed. It is my hope though that all parties may be able to reach a compromise today in order to see that the care of the young woman in question is continued without interruption.”
“Fuck,” I hear Max bite off and hope the judge didn’t hear him. I give him a sideways frown, wondering what in the hell is going on. If Max is this upset, it can’t be good. “Prepare yourself, Luc,” he adds, making me want to run in the other direction. Aidan gives us both a questioning look, but we have no privacy to talk. The judge points to the chairs in the front of his desk and we have a seat. The introductions are made and the judge advises we’re waiting for the other party to arrive. Max is still trying to convey something to me when the door opens again and I turn in my seat to see someone I never would have expected.
“What?” Aidan half stands in confusion before dropping back into his seat.
“Ms. Chester and Mr. Banks, please take a seat,” the judge says as he too settles in his.
While I’ve been trying to regain my composure, Aidan finally looks at the newcomers and his voice rings out loudly in the small room as he asks, “What’re you doing here?”
Monique Chandler turns in her seat to flash us a demure look full of innocence, but I’m not fooled. What the fuck kind of game is she playing? Now I know why the normally unflappable Max is so rattled. Wait, does this mean that Monique is April Chester? Was that what he was trying to tell me? I get to my feet, causing the judge to look at me in surprise. “Your honor, with all due respect, I, for one, would like an explanation before we go any further.”
He gives me a look full of confusion as he asks, “What type of explanation, Mr. Quinn?”
Max gets to his feet as well and places a hand on my arm. “What Mr. Quinn means is that the woman you know as April Chester has long been known to my clients as Monique Chandler. Until this moment, they had no idea of her identity nor that she was in some way related to Ms. Wyatt. Before we begin, Your Honor, it seems only fair to Mr. Quinn and Mr. Spencer that this confusion be cleared up.”
Monique’s lawyer, Mr. Banks, gets to his feet and gives us a polished smile. “If it’s all right with you, of course, Your Honor, I would be happy to give these gentlemen an explanation on behalf of Ms. Chester.” The judge waves him on, looking more than interested in this new information. “Ms. Chester was married briefly when she graduated college. Her spouse was abusive and she sought a restraining order to protect herself. This order was repeatedly violated and Ms. Chester was advised by her legal counsel at that time to legally change her name. For this to be successful, she was forced to distance herself from her family and relocate. She left behind her father and her stepmother, who was also the mother of Cassie Wyatt.” The lawyer hands the judge a folder saying, “This contains the supporting paperwork for the information I’ve revealed.”
Running a hand through my hair, I attempt to make sense of what Monique’s lawyer has said. “So, let me get this straight,” I say, addressing my question to Monique. “You’ve known about Cassie since your father married her mother?” I find it damn hard to believe that Cassie would have kept a stepsister to herself.
Monique looks at her lawyer, only answering my question when he gives her a nod. “I knew that my stepmother had a daughter from a previous relationship, but I didn’t find out her identity until a few years ago when my stepmother passed away. I was helping my father sort through her things and came across a copy of Cassie’s birth certificate. My father was concerned about her welfare so I told him I would attempt to locate her, having no idea she was in a mental hospital.”
Beside me, Aidan gives a snort of disbelief. “So, you didn’t think to mention any of this to me while we were seeing each other?” he asks Monique sarcastically. “You led me to believe that you knew Cassie from college.”
Looking so sincere that even I have a hard time not falling for it, Monique looks at Aidan with wide, teary eyes as she says, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I found myself in a difficult position and I had no idea what I should do until I spent time with Cassie at the hospital. After that, I just couldn’t walk away and hope she would be okay. I owe it to my stepmother to make sure that she has the best care possible. Both you and Lucian have done so much for her. It’s not fair to either of you to continue letting you shoulder the responsibility, though. My father and I feel that she needs her family now.”