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Brian stared at himself in the mirror. Since when had he started to look so old? He frowned as he adjusted the hair around the crown of his head. Despite his friends’ adamant denial, he knew that his hair was thinning. Maybe he could get a hair transplant like AJ.

“Brian?” Nick pushed into the room and raised his eyebrows. “Why are you just standing there staring at yourself?”

“I have wrinkles.” Brian leaned closer to the mirror and pulled at the skin around his eyes. “Do you see them?”

Nick eyed his friend as if he had lost his mind. “Are you okay?”

Brian let out a massive sigh. He raised his eyes, so that his gaze locked with Nick’s in the mirror. “No.”

Nick sank down onto the edge of Brian’s bed and fiddled with his tie. “You’re going to win.”

Brian turned from the mirror and adjusted his own tie before leaning back against the dresser. “Why are you wearing a suit?”

“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to wear to court?” Nick’s eyes flashed with uncertainty. “I mean, I always wear a suit when I have to go to court. I know that I’ve only ever been to court for a criminal offence, but I figured that a custody case would still require a tie.”

“You’re coming to the hearing?” Brian shook his head in surprise.

“Of course.” Nick stopped fidgeting with his tie and stared at Brian in shock. “Of course I’m coming with you.”

“Why?”

Nick was dumbfounded. “Because you’re my best friend.”

A smile began to tug at the corners of Brian’s mouth. “It’s gonna be pretty boring.”

“I don’t know about that.” AJ appeared in the doorway. He plucked a stray thread from the pocket of his suit jacket and smoothed out the expensive fabric. “Leighanne’s face might be good for a few laughs.”

“Are those tiny skulls on your tie?”

“Yeah.” AJ grinned, but his smile quickly faded when he noticed Brian’s anxious expression. “Do you want me to change it?”

“No.” A full-blown smile appeared on Brian’s face. “It’s perfect.”

“Do I look okay?”

AJ stepped out of the doorway and into the room to allow Baylee access. Although he looked handsome in his miniature Ralph Lauren suit, Baylee also extremely uncomfortable.

“This shirt is itchy.”

Brian bent down to smooth out the arms on his son’s jacket. He quickly pulled Baylee’s jacket together and buttoned it in the middle. “Who helped you with your tie?”

“Uncle Howie.” Baylee supplied. “He told me that this one looked the best.”

Brian raised his eyes from his son to see that Howie had slipped quietly into the room. He, too, was dressed in a suit and tie; ready to go. “Uncle Howie was right. You look great, Bay.”

“You look nervous.” Baylee locked eyes with his father. “Are you scared?”

Brian could feel the tears prickling his eyes. He debated about whether or not he should lie and tell Baylee that everything was fine, but he was pretty sure that his son would be able to see right through him. “Yeah.” Brian choked. “I’m scared.”

“Uncle Alex says that the judge would have to be a total prick to not let me stay with you.”

AJ coughed, Nick snorted, Howie stifled a laugh with his sleeve, and Brian simply stared at his son. “Your Uncle Alex is right, but I’m still scared.”

“Your Uncle Alex also needs to watch his language.”

Brian slowly returned to a standing position as his cousin strolled into the room. Kevin was dressed impeccably in a dark grey suit and polished leather shoes. Brian didn’t know why he was surprised to see him; this was clearly going to be a full band event.

“I let myself in like ten minutes ago. What’s taking you guys so long?” Kevin frowned.

“Brian was inspecting his wrinkles.” Nick answered with a perfectly straight face.

Kevin’s lips parted slightly in confusion as he turned from Nick to Brian. “What?”

Brian shook his head; laughing slightly at Nick’s seemingly innate ability to stir the pot. “Nothing. We’re ready.”

“We’ll take two cars.” Kevin decided. “Who’s coming with me?”

“Me.” Howie announced. “Nick’s driving makes me feel car sick.”

“I will.” AJ also volunteered. He shot a quick glance at Nick. “Try to make sure that Brian isn’t late for his court appearance.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “I’ll be right behind you guys the whole time. Provided that Kevin doesn’t drive like a senior citizen, we’ll all be on time.”

It was Kevin’s turn to roll his eyes. “We’re not in a video game, Nick. The speed limit is posted for a reason.”

“Let’s just go.” The anxiety was creeping into Brian’s voice. “I need to get this over with.”

Nick looked quickly in the rear-view mirror. Baylee had his headphones on and was bobbing his head in time to whatever it was that he was listening to. He figured that it was safe to talk. “Have you spoken to her?”

“Who?” Brian turned his head away from the window to look at Nick. His left leg was bouncing with nerves.

“Leighanne?”

“Oh.” The frown on Brian’s face intensified. “No.”

Nick struggled to keep his eyes on the road. He always found it easier to talk to Brian when he was able to read his friend’s face. “You thought that I was talking about Kayla?”

Brian flushed. “No.”

“I shouldn’t have asked her to kiss me.” Nick blew through a yellow light in order to keep up with Kevin. Apparently, his eldest friend had taken his comment about not driving like a senior citizen to heart. “I feel really guilty.”

Brian was now rubbing furiously at the back of his neck. “You kept my ass out of trouble. I told you that I’m not mad.”

“Are you going to call her?” Nick threw on his turn signal and looked hurriedly over his left shoulder as Kevin suddenly swerved into the left-turn lane. What the hell was up with him today? He never drove carelessly. “After the hearing is over?”

“I’ve been calling her.” Brian mumbled. “She doesn’t seem to want to call me back. I need to let her go.”

Nick shook his head. “I bet that she’s just waiting until after the judge makes a decision this afternoon. AJ seemed pretty convinced that she feels the same way you do after ...” Nick stopped himself mid-sentence. He dared a quick glance at Brian out of the corner of his eye. Maybe his friend hadn’t realized his mistake.

Brian had indeed picked up on Nick’s slip of the tongue. His mind flashed back to the conversation that he had been having with AJ in the living room on Wednesday afternoon. “What did AJ do?”

“Nothing.”

Brian could see the beads of sweat forming at the base of Nick’s hairline. “What did AJ do?”

“He may have gone to see Kayla.” Nick’s hands twisted on the steering wheel. “He may have tracked her down at her office.”

“When?”

“Last week.” Nick was mumbling now. AJ was going to murder him.

“What did he say to her?”

“I dunno.” Nick’s tongue felt awkward and heavy in his mouth; bumping against the back of his teeth.

“What did he say to her?” Brian repeated.

“He may have told her that you loved her.” Nick slowed the car to a stop behind Kevin’s. They had arrived at the court building, and Nick watched intently as Kevin’s long arm snaked out of his window in order to hand his credit card to the parking attendant.

“Jesus.”

Nick fumbled with his wallet as the car inched forward. He rolled down the window and an icy blast of winter air smacked him in the face. His fingers immediately absorbed the chill as he thrust his Visa card into the attendant’s gloved hand. “He was trying to help.”

“Fuck.” Brian cursed.

The parking attendant gave Nick a weary look as he returned his credit card and the parking pass. He clearly wasn’t impressed by Brian’s tortured expression. “The third row on your right has available spaces.”

“Thanks.” Nick smiled at the half-frozen man and tossed the parking pass on the dash. “He really was trying to help. AJ said that Kayla loves you too.”

“Did she say that?”

Nick navigated the car into a space next to Kevin’s BMW. AJ, Howie, and Kevin had already gotten out of the car. They were shivering in the cold, waiting for them. “No. AJ said that he could just sense it.”

“Argh!”

Nick killed the ignition and turned to face Brian, his fingers still curled around the key. “Sorry.”

Brian pulled his head away from the back of the headrest and stared at his friend. Nick really did look sheepish; pathetic even. “I really could have done without knowing this, today.”

“I know.” Nick’s face fell even further. “At least you won’t have to face Kayla today. You can bet your ass that Peggy isn’t going to let her show up at your hearing if she thinks that we’re sleeping together.”

Brian actually felt a sense of relief at Nick’s words. “Thank God for that.”

“Let’s go!” AJ rapped on the window, causing Nick to flinch. AJ had his face pressed up against the glass; his warm breath creating a small circle of fog right in front of Nick’s nose. Drips of moisture clung to his beard and he was hopping from one foot to the other in an attempt to keep warm. “It’s freezing out here you asswipe!”

Nick jammed his middle finger against the window before tearing the keys out of the ignition. He gave Brian one last look of encouragement before he pushed his door open; knocking AJ in the stomach. “You got this.”

Brian simply shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. “You just hit AJ with the door.”

“Really?” Nick faked concern. He stepped out of the car and grinned down into AJ’s twitching face. “I didn’t see him.”

“You’re lucky that we’re in front of a court house.” AJ hissed in Nick’s ear as the six of them began shuffling towards the entrance. “Or else I would kick your ass, Carter.”

Nick feigned ignorance. “That’s not a very nice thing to say.” He gave AJ one final smirk and lifted his eyes upwards just in time to slam directly into Brian’s back. Nick stumbled, one foot shot forward on the ice and he grabbed onto AJ’s arm to steady himself. “Why are we stopping?”

“Shit.”

Brian had stopped at the edge of the icy parking lot and was staring straight ahead. His nose and the tips of his ears were pink from the cold and his breath was coming out in frosty puffs. Nick could see his friend’s chest rising and falling with his laboured breaths, even through the thick fabric of his trench coat. He followed Brian’s gaze and echoed his sentiment.

“Shit.”

Peggy and Kayla were walking towards the steps of the building. Kayla’s heeled boots were clacking on the heavily salted sidewalk and she had her head down to brace herself against the wind. Leighanne was approaching the same set of steps from the other direction. Flanked by her lawyer, Leighanne also had her head down to protect herself from the wind. The click of her stilettos pierced the early morning stillness in between the steady clack of Kayla’s heels.

“This. Is. Not. Happening.” Brian sounded as though he were on the verge of a panic attack.

The two women reached the stairs at virtually the same instant and began to ascend at the same time. They were practically shoulder to shoulder as they hurried towards the promising warmth of the building; both of them completely oblivious to the other as they continued to shield themselves from the wind. Kayla reached the door first and she pulled it open, stepping back to allow Leighanne to enter ahead of her.

Even though they were standing in the parking lot, Nick saw the look of recognition register on Kayla’s face as she stared directly at Leighanne for the first time. Nick watched as Kayla swept her long hair away from her face and struggled to maintain her composure. Even from several feet away, Nick could see that Kayla’s eyes were giving her away; she looked guilty.

As if sensing that something was off, Leighanne turned her attention from Kayla and caught sight of her former husband standing at the edge of the parking lot. Kayla followed Leighanne’s line of sight and her fake smile immediately wavered. Nick could see Leighanne’s mouth moving, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. Kayla simply nodded and the two of them disappeared inside, Peggy and Leighanne’s lawyer bustling in after them.

“She’s not supposed to be here.” Brian voice had apparently returned. He turned and stared accusingly at Nick. “You said that Kayla wouldn’t be here.”

“Nick couldn’t possibly have known that for sure.” Kevin snapped. “You’re going to be late if you don’t move.”

Brian hung his head in defeat and began to trudge towards the stairs. “I can’t believe that they were just together like that; so close together.” He shuddered.

Nick offered Brian a reassuring pat on the back. “You got this.”