Chapter 203

ARIA'S POV

We went straight into the back of Brandon's waiting car, and the heavy doors shut out all the loud noise of the world.

The moment the car pulled away from the curb, Amelia moved across the leather seat. She didn't come to me first. Instead, her small, shaking hand reached out and held tightly onto Brandon's big hand.

Brandon looked down at her right away, his face turning completely soft as he squeezed her tiny fingers. "Are you okay, princess?" he asked, his deep voice sounding very soft and full of worry.

Amelia looked up at him through her wet eyes. A small, real smile finally came through the fear on her little face, and she nodded her head softly.

"Yes," she whispered, leaning her head against his arm. "I am okay now, Uncle Brandon.”

The quiet inside the car was totally different from the loud noise of the courtroom. As the car drove through the city streets, moving away from the court, Brandon turned his head toward me.

He looked at me with a quiet, deep care on his face. "How do you feel?" Brandon asked, his deep voice making me feel calm.

I looked at him, feeling the heavy weight of the whole day in my chest, and just nodded. I didn't have the words to explain the crazy thoughts in my head, but that simple nod was enough to let him know I was doing okay.

When the car finally pulled up to the gates of the house and we walked through the front door, the quiet safety of my home made me feel a little better.

Sarah stepped forward right away, her face looking kind and gentle. She took Amelia by the hand, leading her smoothly toward the big stairs.

"Come on, princess," Sarah said softly, leading her away. "Let's go upstairs and get you changed into some comfortable clothes."

I watched them go up the stairs, waiting until I couldn't hear their footsteps anymore before I turned back to Brandon. Without saying a word, I reached out, took his big hand in mine, and led him down the hall into the quiet privacy of my bedroom.

The moment the door shut behind us, all my strength left my body. I stepped close to him and wrapped my arms tightly around his body, hiding my face deep against his chest.

I held onto him with a tight, desperate grip, like he was the only safe thing keeping me from falling apart after the trial.

Brandon didn't wait at all. His strong arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling me as close as possible against him as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head gently.

We just stayed there in that position, holding each other, letting the heavy quiet of the room surround us. But beneath the quiet outside, my thoughts were a complete, messy mix.

A heavy feeling of worry settled deep into my chest. Even though the court was done and I had just won full custody of my daughter, my relief was ruined by a dark, creeping fear.

The image of Julian's crazy, broken face on the court floor kept coming back to my mind. I had seen the empty desperation in his eyes and the wild way he acted after losing everything.

A cold hit of fear went through me. What if losing his daughter was the final blow? What if Julian got so lost in his drinking problem that he ended his own life?

What would happen then? How would I ever tell Amelia that her father broke himself because of the war we fought? The scary questions moved fast in my mind, making my heart beat hard against Brandon's chest.

Feeling the change in how I was holding him, Brandon slowly pulled back, his big hands moving to grip my shoulders gently. He looked down into my eyes, his face full of a strong, safe certainty.

"It's over, Aria," Brandon said softly, his voice firm and steady. "The court picked us. You and Amelia are safe now." I looked up at his handsome face, seeing the real love and relief in his eyes.

He had given up so much, using his own big power and name to fight for my daughter's freedom. The very last thing I wanted was for him to feel like I was wasting my time thinking about the man who had thrown me away.

He didn't deserve to carry the weight of my worry over my ex. So, I pushed the dark, scary questions deep down into a locked place inside my soul.

I kept my messy thoughts a complete secret from him, hiding my worry for Julian under a fake look of peace. I looked up at Brandon, gave him a soft, comforting smile, and leaned back into his warm touch.

After a while, I held onto Brandon’s suit jacket a bit tighter, looking up into his dark, safe eyes as I tried to forget the loud noise from the court.

"Will you stay with us today?" I asked, my voice sounding soft and pleading. "I think... I want to tell Amelia that we are together."

Deep down in my thoughts, a sudden wave of guilt hit me. I was feeling confusing feelings that I did not want to feel for Julian anymore, and I really needed something else to think about to bring me back to reality.

Brandon was my boyfriend now. He was the one who had stood by me, protected my daughter, and fought for my family. That was all that should matter, but as I stared up at him, a cold ache stayed in my chest.

Why did it still feel like my heart wasn't completely there?

Brandon’s face turned completely soft, and a warm, real smile came across his face. "Of course I will stay, beautiful," he whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to my forehead.

I managed a small smile, trying to push away the numb fear. "Thank you. I'm going downstairs to make some lunch for us."

Since the court fight had kept Amelia home from school, I left my bedroom and walked down the hall to my daughter's room. I opened the door to find Sarah busy folding some clothes while Amelia sat on the rug.

"You can take the rest of the day off, Sarah," I said gently, telling the nanny she could go with a small wave of my hand. "We won't need you for the afternoon."

Sarah nodded smoothly, gathering her bags with a polite smile before slipping out of the room. The moment she left, Amelia jumped up from the rug and ran fast down to the living room to play with Brandon, her previous fear completely gone because he made her feel safe.

I watched them for a short second before heading into the kitchen to make the food. When I finished cooking, I put the food on plates and brought it out to the table, calling Brandon and Amelia over.

We all sat down together, and the room finally felt light and peaceful for the first time in days. I cleared my throat softly, setting my fork down as I looked across the table at my daughter.

"Amelia, sweetie... Mommy has something to tell you." Amelia stopped eating, her big, innocent eyes looking straight at my face.

I reached out, gently putting my hand over Brandon's big hand on the table. "I wanted to let you know that... Uncle Brandon and I are in a relationship. We are together now."

Amelia blinked, looking down at our hands together, and then slowly looked between Brandon and me. "Does that mean Uncle Brandon is going to be my new daddy now?" she asked simply.

Brandon laughed softly, a warm look in his eyes as he looked at the little girl. "Well, princess, that all depends on your mummy," he said, leaving the choice completely up to me.

I froze a little, the words sticking in my throat. I didn't have an answer for that question. My mind was still too messy from everything that happened today to even think about marriage or a permanent replacement.

Amelia stared at my unsure face for a second, and then a bright, happy smile came across her small face. "Okay," she said happily, before going back to eating her food.

I let out a quiet breath I hadn't realized I was holding. My daughter had taken the news much better than a normal five-year-old kid should have, showing a level of understanding that made me very proud.

But as I looked at Brandon smiling warmly at my daughter, a quiet, scary doubt came back into my mind. I just hoped I didn't end up messing my relationship with Brandon up. Amelia was truly happy with him, and he loved her.

That was all that mattered, right? I didn't even have an answer to that.