Part 1

The bailiff’s voice cut through the murmurs like a blade. “All rise. Honorable Lauren Lake presiding. Division 12, City of Detroit. This is a case of Tucker versus Riley, and Bauer versus Riley. Please be seated.”

Judge Lauren Lake swept into the courtroom, her black robes catching the morning light filtering through the tall windows of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. She settled behind the bench, adjusted her reading glasses, and scanned the room with the kind of tired precision that only came from twenty years of watching families fall apart.

“Hello, Your Honor.” Courtney Riley’s voice was small, almost swallowed by the cavernous space. She stood next to her husband, James, though they hadn’t looked at each other once since walking through the metal detectors downstairs.

“This is a case of Tucker Riley versus Riley,” Judge Lake continued, her tone clipped and professional. “Ms. Tucker, you and your son, Mr. Riley, are here today to determine the paternity of his alleged four-month-old baby. You state that his wife, Ms. Riley, admitted to having sex with two different men in addition to your son during the time the child was conceived. You argue that your son’s wife lies and cheats, and you are here hoping to put an end to their marriage.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Belinda Tucker stood ramrod straight in a powder blue pantsuit, her pocketbook clutched in both hands like a shield. Her eyes, red-rimmed and fierce, never left the judge.

Judge Lake turned slightly. “Now, Mrs. Riley, you admit to having a one-night stand with one potential father as well as a month-long affair with another man while married to Mr. Riley.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Courtney’s voice cracked. She was twenty-three but looked forty, the kind of weariness that came from sleepless nights and a four-month-old who didn’t care about anyone’s drama.

“Paternity tests have been administered on two of the men, and we will reveal those results today.” Judge Lake set down her notes and removed her glasses. “Now, Ms. Tucker, I understand you would like your son, Mr. Riley, to leave his wife. Please tell the court, why are you so adamant about it?”

Belinda Tucker didn’t hesitate. “My son is married to a—”

“I’m not a—”

“I’m speaking—”

“—healthy. I’m not a—”

“You’re the—”

“Let’s get some order, please.” Judge Lake’s voice didn’t rise, but it didn’t have to. The courtroom went silent.

Belinda took a breath, composing herself. “She’s had affairs numerous times. Lived with the man, whatever. Has no clue who the father is, or we wouldn’t be here today. At least I’m finding out. And hopefully, when we do find out who the father is, he’s not going home with her. He’s coming home with me. He can stay with me.”

“So the truth is, you’re a mother,” Judge Lake said softly.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And you’re hurting for your son.”

“Yes.”

From the gallery, Courtney spun around, her voice rising. “I’m married to her son. I’m married to my husband, James Riley. And he’s still my—”

“And he’s still my son and will be my son till the day he dies,” Belinda shot back.

“And he’s still my husband, whatever.”

Judge Lake raised a single finger. “Ms. Tucker, what is it that you see going on in their marriage that causes so much concern?”

Belinda’s jaw tightened. “The incident with the whole baby thing. She’s the one that told me, ‘Oh, I didn’t go home one night. I stayed at my friend’s house. I’m going to stay with my friend for a little while.’ Come to find out, that’s when she got pregnant. And now we don’t know who the father is.”

“So she’s admitted to cheating. Why do you think your son stayed with her?”

Belinda shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”

Judge Lake gestured to the bailiff. “Jerome, could you please escort Mr. Riley into the courtroom?”

“Certainly.”

The side door opened, and James Riley walked in—six foot two, broad shoulders, a face that looked like it hadn’t smiled in months. His mother immediately started crying.

“I haven’t seen him in four months,” Belinda whispered. “He looks very well.”

“Because of her,” Courtney muttered.

“I’m not—because of me.”

James took his place between his mother and his wife, the physical distance between the two women mirroring the emotional chasm. He kept his hands in his pockets.

“Mr. Riley,” Judge Lake began. “You got our number, you don’t call. So this is your mother, Ms. Tucker, and your wife, Mrs. Riley. I want to understand—why do you doubt this woman? What has happened in this marriage to cause you to be so doubtful?”

James exhaled, long and slow. “We were together for three years. We couldn’t get pregnant. We were taking fertility pills that we ordered offline.”

Courtney jumped in. “The beginning, when we went to the doctor’s office downtown, him and my ex-boyfriend both went. He never—”

“Wait a minute.” Judge Lake held up her hand. “Wait a minute. You went to an ultrasound appointment during your pregnancy with your husband and your ex-boyfriend?”

Courtney nodded, defiant. “He never told me not to.”

Part 2

“So I don’t see why she’s here trying to break his heart,” Courtney continued, gesturing toward Belinda. “She don’t need to be here. This ain’t her fault.”

Judge Lake leaned forward, her elbows on the bench. “In your statement, Ms. Riley, you admitted to a one-night stand. Tell me what happened.”

Courtney shrugged, a strange half-smile playing on her lips. “Me and him was fighting. It got escalated. I called a family member. He had a friend, Mr. Shafer. They helped me move some things in, and I moved out. We was all hanging out, having a good time, drinking. The guy was ugly. I didn’t even like him.”

She paused, then added with a bizarre note of pride: “It was the best sex of my life.”

“Okay, well, I really didn’t have to know that to make a determination.”

“I will admit that.”

“Right.” Judge Lake sighed. “Because you’re—”

“No, I’m not a—”

“That’s you. I’m far from it, honey.”

“Really? She don’t have no respect for me.” Courtney pointed at her mother-in-law. “I’M HIS WIFE.”

“YOU ALL DON’T HAVE ANY RESPECT for yourselves, each other, BUT YOU WILL HAVE RESPECT FOR THIS COURT.” Judge Lake’s voice cracked like a whip. “Now, I’m trying to get you the answers that you came here for. Mr. Shafer is the gentleman you had the affair with, am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“He submitted to a DNA test as well, and we also have a video statement from him.”

The monitor flickered to life. A man in his late twenties, unshaven and uncomfortable, stared into the camera from what looked like a hotel room.

“When I first met her, like, you know, I wasn’t really attracted to her or anything like that. I had a one-night stand with her just because that night, we were partying and, you know, I got a little messed up and then things started leading to one thing to another. After I messed around with her, she texted my friend like every day wanting to hang out. I still texted her for a little bit, but she started getting like stalkery. I found out she was married after I messed around with her, and I’m like, I can’t do that. First, she’s a married woman. Two, she’s ugly. Three, I don’t want anything to do with her.”

Courtney scoffed. “No. Why don’t you look in the mirror?”

Judge Lake muted the video. “You’ve explained the one-night stand as best as you could. How did you end up back with this boyfriend?”

Courtney’s voice softened, almost theatrically. “I went back to my husband. I thought everything was going to be better. He kept telling me that we’re working on our marriage, he’ll treat me right. Again, things kept escalating. I stayed with the boyfriend at a hotel for two weeks. It was great.”

“So you said you were at a hotel for two weeks?”

“For my husband—for the boyfriend. I kept telling the boyfriend I missed my husband. I want to be with him. That’s who I’ve been with for five years of my life. That’s the only man I really know. So I go back to my husband. I explained my boyfriend didn’t have no work to go. He was going to be homeless. I felt bad for the guy. I asked my husband if it would be okay if he stayed with us till he got on his feet.”

“WAIT A MINUTE.” Judge Lake’s pen clattered onto the bench. “You asked Mr. Riley, your husband, if your boyfriend—the man you laid up with at a hotel for two weeks—could come and stay because he didn’t have anywhere to go?”

Courtney nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“Mr. Riley, please tell me you said no.”

James looked at the floor. “I didn’t.”

“You let the boyfriend move in?”

“They went to the casino and everything together. I felt bad for him. She told me that he didn’t have no place to go. And she lied. He did have somewhere to go.”

Judge Lake stared at him for a long moment. “Mr. Riley, I think you may be too kind for your own good. How long did you all live together?”

“About a month,” Courtney said.

“What? She was sleeping with them both.”

“Yeah.”

“You slept with them both during that time?”

“I will admit that because I WAS CONFUSED.” Courtney threw her hands up. “I was confused at the time.”

“Hold on. Mr. Riley, were you aware that she was sleeping with the boyfriend and you at the same time?”

James’s voice was flat, hollow. “Well, one night she’d sleep with him on the couch, and then the next night she’d be like, ‘I’m with you,’ and then she’d sleep in the bed with me.”

“They both knew. I never lied about anything.”

“I actually caught them having sex on the floor while I was at work.” The words came out of James like a confession. “I was at work, she was with the other man. I got off an hour early and I felt a gut feeling. The blinds were shut. I come in and unlock the door real quick, open the door up, and they’re on the floor having sex.”

Every person in the gallery was holding their breath.

“Tell me this was the last straw,” Judge Lake said quietly. “Tell me this is when you decided, this is it.”

James shook his head. “No.”

“You took her back again?”

“Well, she told me he apparently moved out or whatever. And then the day I come home from work, she says, ‘I got news for you.’ I walk in, and he’s there, and she’s there, and she’s like, ‘I’m pregnant.’”

The courtroom erupted. Belinda Tucker put her hands over her face.

Part 3

Judge Lake raised her voice over the chaos. “I have to understand why he may be doubtful, seeing as though you admitted to cheating.”

“Yes, I understand that,” Courtney said.

“You’re doubtful now. Yes. Are you giving it your best effort?”

“Yeah, 100%.”

“When she ain’t in the relationship, he does,” Belinda muttered.

“I haven’t been in a relationship for four months,” James said.

“Because he texted you and told you not to be.”

“Because of this right here. The last time I heard, marriage was between a man and a woman, not a man and a woman and the mother. So you really shouldn’t have been in the relationship ever.”

Belinda stood up straighter. “I should still be able to have contact with my son. He is twenty-something years old.”

“Let’s talk about the pregnancy,” Judge Lake interrupted. “When you found out you were pregnant, did you know who the father was?”

“No.”

Courtney grabbed a calendar from her purse. “I got everything straight here on the calendar. If you look by the dates, it’s James’s.”

“Let Jerome hand me that calendar.”

From the gallery, Belinda held up a photo. “That baby looks just like him. I got a baby picture of James. He looks dead on.”

“He does not look like James,” Courtney shot back. “I’m not saying he don’t look beautiful, but he don’t look like James.”

“Are you all right, Mr. Riley?” Judge Lake asked. “You seem emotional.”

James’s eyes were wet. “I love him.”

“Well, of course he does,” Belinda said.

“That’s his son. He’s been with him since he’s been born. He was there when he was born.”

“Who wouldn’t fall in love with a child if I was around him all the time?” Courtney’s voice dripped with venom. “Which I’ve never got to see him.”

“Ladies, ladies, ladies.” Judge Lake’s voice was low but carried absolute authority. “You’re so busy screaming back and forth, you don’t understand this man is standing here looking at a child he may have raised for four months, not knowing if he’s the father. The bottom line is, not only does he have the right to know whether or not he’s the child’s father. The child has a right to know if he’s his father. And what I’m saying to you is, it’s obvious that you two enjoy going back and forth at one another, but you’re not supporting him on either level—as a mother or as a wife.”

She turned to James. “You say you love your child and you’ve been there.”

“Yes, ma’am. Since day one. I want him to be my son. I’ve been wanting a kid since I first got with her. And then two other men come in our life saying that she’s pregnant while we’re always taking fertility pills. This is rough.”

“Your emotions are understandable. Now, I need to go to this calendar that Ms. Riley submitted to the court, which outlines the days she conceived.”

Courtney pointed at the color-coded grid. “The days I conceived is when I was with James. For the months of June and July, the estimated date of conception is July 2nd.”

“But you admit to being romantically involved with your boyfriend and your husband in the same time frame.”

“Yeah. Yes.”

“And then you admit to having that one-night stand, all within the window of conception.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So there could potentially be three different men who could be that beautiful child’s father.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Judge Lake looked directly at James. “What are you hoping for today? What do you want?”

“I want him to be mine.”

“And you want him to be yours because you want to be his dad.”

“Yes, ma’am. You want to be in his life. Through my life, my father was never there. And I couldn’t imagine putting another person through that and not having a father. He’s the only person I’ve seen—that he’s seen since he was born. And I couldn’t put him through that.”

Judge Lake’s expression softened. “I commend you for that. Ms. Riley, every time he looks at a picture of this baby, he’s overcome with emotion.”

Courtney shook her head. “But me and him have problems. And when I tried to work my problems out with him, he didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to be there.”

“He’s been there. How’s he not been there?”

“You ain’t there. Did you live with him?”

“HE’S NOT WITH ME. HE’S WITH ME. THAT’S HOW I KNOW.”

“I will say this,” Judge Lake interrupted. “Yes, I do. He may not have given you the attention you needed, but he most certainly gave you a lot of forgiveness that I’m not sure even I could have given him. So the only way we’re going to be able to see how to proceed from here is to get the results.”

She looked at the bailiff. “Jerome, do you have the envelope?”

“Here you go, ma’am.”

“These first results, as prepared by DNA Diagnostics, for Mr. Shafer.” Judge Lake opened the seal. “In the case of Tucker versus Riley, when it comes to the paternity of four-month-old Bryson Riley, Mr. Shafer—the man Ms. Riley had a one-night stand with—is not the father.”

Courtney exhaled. Belinda didn’t move.

“Let’s go to the next result. Jerome, the other envelope, please.”

The second envelope opened with a crisp tear.

“As it relates to Tucker versus Riley, when it comes to four-month-old Bryson Riley… Mr. Riley, you are not the father.”

The words landed like a physical blow. James Riley’s face crumpled.

“That’s okay,” he whispered. “He’ll still be Bryson in my family.”

“Don’t you dare touch him,” Belinda hissed at Courtney, who was reaching for James.

“Let’s get some order.”

“Mr. Riley, I know that was not the news you wanted to hear.”

“He needs to come home with me and stay with me,” Belinda said.

“I love that kid no matter what.”

“MS. RILEY.” Judge Lake’s voice thundered. “That mouth is not going to undo the damage you’ve caused. You need to stand there and accept responsibility.”

“I have been from day one.”

“But you went running all over town instead of keeping your problems within your home. And now this man who has accepted your child from day one, been there for your child, and desperately wanted to be the biological father of your child has just had the letdown of his life. And you yapping and talking and yelling is not helping. You have a good man. I’m not saying either of you have been perfect in this marriage, but I’m talking about what I see in terms of genuine emotion and commitment to a child and to this marriage. Taking you back and taking you in with your boyfriend? Nobody would do that.”

She turned to James. “Mr. Riley, I am sorry. This was not what you wanted to hear. You know, we say in this courtroom it takes DNA to make a father, but it takes love to be a daddy.”

James nodded, tears streaming.

“And you, sir, are most certainly the daddy.”

“Thank you.”

“And Ms. Riley, you have gotten a gift that I don’t even know if you deserve. But you have a man that loves you and loves your child even though it was determined today he wasn’t the biological father. Honor that gift by getting it together. Are we clear?”

“Yeah.”

“Court is adjourned.”

Part 4

The gavel fell. But the story wasn’t over. Two months later, the same courtroom, the same bailiff, the same Honorable Lauren Lake—but a different case number.

“Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor.”

“Hello. This is a case of Bauer versus Riley.”

Jerome handed up a new file. Judge Lake opened it, scanned the first page, and looked up at the familiar face standing before her.

“Ms. Riley, welcome back.”

Courtney offered a tight smile. Beside her stood a man the court hadn’t seen before—lean, nervous, with a gold chain and an expression that suggested he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Mr. Bauer, you are here today to find out if you fathered the child of a married woman.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Two months ago, the defendant appeared in our court and tested both her husband and another man for the paternity of her child. Today, you’ve brought both Mr. Bauer and another man to finally find out who fathered your son.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Judge Lake glanced at her notes. “The second man is your best friend’s fiance.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And he claims she will not marry him if today’s results prove he’s the father.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“He’s waiting outside, and we’ll meet him shortly. So, Ms. Riley, last time you were in court, we knew there were three potential fathers. Now, how are there four potential fathers now?”

Courtney’s voice dropped. “The fourth one is my best friend’s fiance. We tried to keep it a secret. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

Judge Lake pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh my goodness. We tested two previously. And now two more are here today. Total of four. And we will find out today. Now, you were dating Mr. Bauer at the same time you were with your husband.”

“Yes.”

“Since that time, what has happened with you and your husband?”

Courtney’s face flickered—something between regret and relief. “After court, me and my husband went home. We tried to work on our problems. Just so much pain and hurt. There’s no way it could work. He loved that baby, and just even looking at him was a constant reminder. We recently filed for divorce. We’re friends, but as a marriage, it’s never going to work.”

“So you were dating Mr. Bauer at the time.”

“Yes. Me and Mr. Bauer, we moved in shortly after we met. We were living in a hotel with him. Shortly after that, we moved back in with my husband. We lived there for about a month together. I was going back and forth. Really didn’t know what I was wanting.”

Mr. Bauer spoke up, his voice tight. “We moved in together. She didn’t tell me about her husband at first.”

“He knew from the beginning.”

“No, she didn’t tell me anything. He would come over to my house when my husband was at work.”

“There’s pictures of us—our marriage photos,” Courtney said. “How wouldn’t you know?”

Judge Lake raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Bauer, you’re suggesting that when you moved in with Ms. Riley and her husband, you didn’t know it was her husband?”

“I didn’t know nothing about it until we got there. She’s lying. He didn’t know.”

“How can you see photos of me and my husband and not know I’m married?”

“Okay, so first you had a hotel. Then you moved in with her and her husband. Who did you think he was?”

Mr. Bauer shifted his weight. “Well, I knew it was her husband. We actually became friends because I could relate to him a lot. With her.”

“So wait. You move in with the husband, and you all become friends.”

“Yeah.”

“But who was she sleeping with at the time?”

“Both of us. There would be days I would wake up, and she’s sleeping in the next room with him.”

“It’s all the way true,” Courtney admitted. “They both would leave me on read. Both tell me different things. Both say they want to be with me. It was like competition to them.”

“Now, we know good and well you were sleeping with both of those men,” Judge Lake said. “And they both knew good and well, too. But the point is that you don’t know who the father of your child is. And that’s why I’m here—to find out. Now, when we were in court last time, we tested two fathers. That’s correct. And you were only the third possibility. So when court adjourned last time, we said there was one more guy, and so we’ve now identified who the father is because two were out, number three’s got to be it. But now we’ve come to realize that there is another man. A fourth prospect.”

“I came clean. Get it all out there.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re coming clean. So, Ms. Riley, who is this fourth man?”

“My best friend’s fiance.”

The gallery erupted. A young woman in the second row stood up, face blotchy with tears.

Judge Lake pointed. “Ma’am, please stand. State your name for the court.”

“My name is Pamela Britt.”

“Ms. Britt, I’m glad you’re here today. So Ms. Riley, your supposed best friend, is admitting that she slept with your fiance?”

Pamela’s voice shook with rage. “Yes. I was at work. I’ve been friends with her for ten years. I had no idea. She told me there was another guy, but she gave me this fake name, and I’m like, ‘Who is that?’”

“I told her the truth. I came clean.”

“Yeah, months later. That doesn’t change anything.”

“Look at you, too,” Courtney shot back. “I mean, that’s your fiance. Obviously, you wasn’t giving him what he needed if he had to come to me in the first place.”

“I’ve been with him for seven years. I have been giving him what he needs. That’s why he’s been with me for seven years.”

“Okay, then. I mean, you want to act like I’m the bad person? He also came to my house while he was drunk.”

“You came to him. He didn’t come on to you. You came on to him.”

“It doesn’t matter who came on to who—”

“Yeah, it does. But you came on to him.”

“And that’s supposed to be the man you’re going to marry?” Courtney laughed—a cold, ugly sound.

“At least he didn’t sleep with four men in two weeks!”

“Come on now.” Judge Lake banged her gavel once. “Ms. Riley, how did this happen? How did you end up sleeping with your best friend’s fiance?”

Courtney crossed her arms. “I went over to his house to see Pamela. She was at work. He said, ‘Come in, you can wait on her.’ Started talking to him. He was trying to comfort me. He kissed me first, actually. One thing led to another, we had sex, and we’re here today.”

“So let me get this straight.” Judge Lake began counting on her fingers. “You were sleeping with your husband. Then you had a one-night stand with a friend. Then you ended up with Mr. Bauer. Then you ended up with your friend’s fiance.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“All in a two-week period.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And the calendar will show, like, this is the day I had sex with Mr. Jenkins, and then the whole week after was all Mr. Bauer. That baby is his.”

Judge Lake looked at the updated calendar on her bench. “The first three X’s were when you were intimate with your husband in yellow. That’s correct. And there’s an X over them because it has already been determined he is not the biological father. Then the X in pink is the one-night stand. And there’s an X there because we’ve determined already he is not the biological father. Then on the 30th, we move into orange. That’s Ms. Britt’s fiance. You had sex with him then. And then all the following week, you really got busy with the plaintiff, Mr. Bauer.”

“Yes.”

Pamela spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ve known her since she was ten years old. She’s always looking for comfort in all the wrong places. She’s done it to me before when we were younger, too. She always has done this.”

“Yes, I slept with four guys,” Courtney said. “I learned from that. Guys take advantage of you. They really do. They get you when you’re weak.”

Judge Lake sighed. “Jerome, I’m ready to meet this fiance. Please bring Mr. Jenkins in.”

Part 5

The man who walked through the side door looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. Late twenties, wearing a plain white tee and jeans, with the kind of hangdog expression that said he knew exactly what he’d done.

“Thank you for joining us, Mr. Jenkins. And you are possible father number four.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What do you know about this situation? How did you find out that you were a possible father?”

“I didn’t really find out till not too long ago. But I mean, I knew I did it with her at the time it happened.”

“She’s just a—”

“I mean—”

“You’re the one who came on to me. You kissed me first.”

“No, you kissed me first.”

“He trusted you. You were being a—”

“Let’s get some order. So, Mr. Jenkins, how did you end up sleeping with Ms. Riley, your fiance’s best friend?”

“It was an accident. I was at home. Pamela was at work. She came over and she needed comfort because her and her husband was fighting. And then she kissed me and came on to me, and I was drunk and just kind of didn’t stop.”

Judge Lake stared at him. “I am trying to understand. A girl can’t even go to work these days? This is not right. What kind of friends, what kind of fiances are you two, where she is at work and you two can’t even sit and wait for an hour or so without sleeping together? This is bad judgment. This is lack of respect for yourself and for her.”

“I feel very bad and guilty about doing that to her,” Mr. Jenkins said.

“He’s a good guy,” Pamela interjected. “He doesn’t drink ever. When he does drink, he gets wild.”

“You’re defending him and condemning her?”

“Guys come and go. That’s been my best friend for ten years. They’re both—I mean, I love them both. I love him. I love her. And I hope I can have my friend back. And she leaves. And I really do.”

“After what happened? That’s something that I’m never going to let go. We might be able to make our friendship work, but I will never leave him. I mean, it’s one mistake out of seven years. I don’t think—”

“WAIT. HOLD THE FRONT DOOR. WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?”

Pamela looked confused. “What?”

Courtney took a breath. “I think I might be pregnant again.”

The courtroom went absolutely silent.

“Ms. Riley,” Judge Lake said slowly, “and who do you think the father is?”

“There’s only one. Mr. Bauer.”

Judge Lake looked at the plaintiff. “Mr. Bauer, you didn’t look too sure of that.”

“I’m not too sure of that, Your Honor. With her past, it’s just hard to trust.”

“With my past?” Courtney spun on him. “He cheated on me, too. I just found a girl’s shirt in my house just the other day, and we’re supposed to be together. Too little to fit me. So whose is that? And then I call him while he’s watching my baby—the only day he’s watched my son for four hours—and his ex-girlfriend’s in the background. I called her. She admitted to being with him. He admitted later on that he was with her. But why lie to me? You’re ‘just friends,’ but you’re bringing our potential son around your ex-girlfriend? That don’t make no sense to me.”

“You all obviously haven’t heard the age-old adage,” Judge Lake said. “What goes around comes around. You’re living it. You can’t get trust if you don’t give it. I’m sitting here—you slept with him, you slept with him, but this is your best friend. You don’t know who the child’s father is. Really, Ms. Riley?”

Courtney nodded, defiant.

“And then when I ask you about it, everything is, ‘Oh, he did this to me,’ and ‘Men are no good,’ and it’s always somebody else’s fault. You have not taken responsibility at all.”

“She’s the one who took her clothes off. She could have stopped.”

“He was intoxicated—”

“No, no, no. Ms. Riley, you are in paternity court. Let’s keep it real. You’re in paternity court today because you slept with four different men in less than two weeks’ time. Look at the board and the DNA—those don’t lie. You laid it out for us. And those are the actions of an irresponsible, disrespectful woman. I am not going to let this day go by without encouraging you to take responsibility for your mistakes and quit blaming other people for everything that happened.”

“I do, ma’am.”

“So now, as you look at baby Bryson right now, who do you believe is the father?”

“Mr. Bauer. That’s all I see when I look at that baby.”

“And the last time you were in court, you said he looked like your husband.”

“Yes.”

“Do you see Mr. Jenkins in the baby?”

“No. Not at all.”

Judge Lake fixed her with a hard stare. “Let me just ask you right now. Could there be a fifth guy?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Because when I asked you last time you were in court, when we were at three, if there could possibly be a fourth, you told me no.”

Courtney’s voice cracked. “And the only reason I did that was to protect her. I did not want to hurt her.”

“It’s not about me, it’s not about her, it’s not about them,” Pamela said. “It’s about that baby right there.”

“You’re destroying my relationship,” Mr. Jenkins said.

“Wait a minute. You said it’s destroying your relationship. No, YOU’RE destroying your relationship because you’re sleeping with your fiance’s best friend.”

Judge Lake turned to Mr. Bauer. “What are you hoping for today?”

He looked at Bryson, who was fussing in Courtney’s arms. “I want him to have a father. I don’t want to be the father because I don’t want to have anything to do with Courtney. But I want him to have a father.”

“So do you believe that you and Mr. Jenkins are the only two possibilities?”

“Honestly? I don’t. There could be other people.”

“That is not true,” Courtney said.

Ms. Britt sat down, her face buried in her hands. Judge Lake picked up the final envelope.

“These results were prepared by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. In the case of Bauer versus Riley, pertaining to whether Mr. Bauer or Mr. Jenkins is the father of seven-month-old Bryson Riley, it has been determined that the father is—”

She opened the seal.

“—Mr. Bauer.”

Courtney burst into tears. Mr. Bauer looked like he’d been punched in the chest.

“Step up and do your job,” Judge Lake said quietly. “How do you feel, Mr. Bauer?”

“I feel overwhelmed. Definitely relieved.”

“Are you relieved?”

“It’s finally over.”

Courtney reached for him. “That’s who I want to be with. I love this man. I really do. I made mistakes. And I want to be a family. I want to get past this. You know, I got married when I was sixteen. I mean, there was no family. It’s just a lot. I’ve been through a lot.”

Judge Lake leaned forward. “And I want you to know that life is about choice. But now you’ve got to get to the point that your choices don’t just dictate your future and your consequences—they dictate my son. Your son. Now, I am going to order a pregnancy test, and if need be, we will order an additional DNA test to make sure Mr. Bauer is the father of that child. Because I don’t know how you’re going to go forward in this relationship with that doubt laying on the table.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“With that said, court is adjourned.”

The gavel fell for the last time. Mr. Bauer stood frozen. “I’m happy and I’m not happy at the same time. I’m glad that I am the father—for Bryson’s sake.”

Jerome handed a folded paper to Judge Lake, who read it quickly. “Ms. Riley, we got the results of your pregnancy test. As the results read, you are not pregnant. Here, you may have them.”

Courtney let out a sob of relief. “I’m relieved I’m not pregnant. Try working on one kid first and get our stuff together before we want another baby.”

Epilogue

Three years later, the camera found Courtney Riley in a modest two-bedroom apartment in Warren, Michigan. She was thirty-one now, softer around the edges, a toddler on her hip and Bryson—now four—building a block tower on the living room floor.

“As you can tell, I’m pregnant, expecting another child. Me and Steven—Mr. Bauer—we have a great relationship. Me and Bryson have bonded really well. We’re just continuing to keep our family growing. Me and Pamela are no longer friends. Don’t stay in touch whatsoever. My family is more important to me.”

She paused, looked down at the diamond on her finger—small, but real—and smiled.

“I finally figured out who I want to be.”

The screen faded to black.

“Thank you, Courtney. So glad to hear you are doing so well. Thanks so much for joining us today. We’ll see you next time when Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court is back in session.”

The gavel fell one final time.