She's Mine: Chapter 30 *ENDING*

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*I have no solid legal background, but I definitely do my best to research. So I beg of you... please, please be merciful lol.*

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Chapter 30

Eliza turned around and showed half a smile as she witnessed Pete approaching from the distance. Once he was near, he pulled his big sister in for a tight and long hug.

"I'm not worried about you. Never have before, never will," he said against her ear.

They pulled apart, and Pete lifted his head to see a man watching them.

"This him?" Pete murmured.

Eliza turned around and smiled nodding. Troy immediately extended his hand to Eliza's brother. Troy was relieved that their first exchange was amicable, but couldn't ignore that it was unfortunate it was happening in a courthouse.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister," Pete nodded.

Troy shrugged, "I'm just glad she ever let me take care of her."

Eliza held her breath as she turned away from them. She had been working up the nerve to keep it together all morning. Weeks had passed since she had last seen Andrew, and all that time she had psyched herself to be ready for this moment. Of course, standing outside of a courtroom wasn't helping. Everything she knew she was going to say was jumbling in her mind.

She pulled away from her thoughts when Helen put her hand on her shoulder.

"You going to be okay?" Helen asked, dipping her head level with Eliza's.

Eliza exhaled and rolled her eyes up, angry that she was feeling so uneasy. This wasn't an event she could just attempt; it would be a life changing situation for her and Lulu.

Helen looked over to her brother who was sadly watching the two of them.

She squared her shoulders with Eliza and reaffirmed, "Don't worry, okay? We're all going to get through this. You're family, and we love you. We are all here for you."

Eliza looked into Helen's familiar eyes and then to her brother's and Troy's. All watching her, cared for her-they were her support system, her crutch. Pete walked up to his glassy-eyed sister and held her again. Helen and Troy could guess why Eliza was crying, but Pete knew exactly why. 

But suddenly, Eliza's worries eased to a halt when she heard her brother say, "She belongs to you, and she always will."

She looked up to him, no trace of fear in his eyes. Eliza remembered this moment. Except this time she saw herself in him.

"You've always been many great things Eliza, and now... you're a mother. An amazing mother. The beginning to motherhood was rocky, but it was never about you learning to love Lulu. It was about loving and appreciating who you were, what you have always been capable of doing, and finding that within yourself so that you could share that with your baby girl- my beautiful niece. She's still with you because your instinct to protect never went away. Never."

Abruptly, the doors to the courtroom opened and she felt her stomach turn. The hearing had begun.

*

"Thank you, please be seated," the bailiff commanded.

"Thank you," the judge said. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Judge Rick."

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