Previously…
– Molly asked for Trevor’s help in determining exactly what Gia and Finn are plotting at Objection Designs.
– Brent and Molly remarried in a private ceremony at home, held during a supervised visit with Gabrielle.
– The day of the hearing to determine Gabrielle’s custody arrived.

The asphalt of the parking lot soaks up the heat of the summer sun, making it feel even hotter outside the courthouse. However, Rosie Jimenez and Travis Fisher stand at the base of the stairs leading up to the main entrance, so preoccupied with anxiety that they hardly notice the punishing temperature.

“She’ll be okay,” Travis tries to reassure his wife, as they watch the social worker lead Gabrielle inside the building. “She’ll just be playing.”

“While we’re in court finding out if she gets to stay our daughter or not,” Rosie replies. “I hate this.”

“I hate it, too,” Travis says. He wraps Rosie in his arms, and they fall silent as the doors close behind the little girl and the social worker.

“I don’t even get why we had to bring her,” Rosie says. “She could’ve stayed with my mom–“

“Because the judge told us to.”

“It just makes it feel like… like they’re holding her in escrow until they decide who she gets to go home with.”

Travis swallows the lump that has formed in his throat before summoning his strength to tell his wife, “There won’t be a decision today. There’s too much to get through.”

Instead of voicing a response, Rosie lets out a heavy sigh and leans her forehead against his shoulder. They stand there, baking under the sun, for a few seconds until they hear a car door slam shut and footsteps hurrying toward them. Both of them turn to see their attorney, Jaimie Thompson, approaching.

“Why didn’t you two tell me?” the lawyer asks with great urgency.

Travis and Rosie pull apart, though their hands linger upon one another as they toss confused looks at Jaimie.

“Tell you what?!” Rosie asks, concern spiking in her voice.

—–

Inside the courthouse, Brent Taylor paces back and forth over the scuffed linoleum floor, while his wife stands with her arms folded, consulting their attorneys.

“But it’s possible the judge will make a ruling today, isn’t it?” Molly presses.

Conrad Halston and Elly Vanderbilt exchange troubled looks. A long moment passes in silence before Conrad presses his lips together in a sympathetic half-smile.

“It’s possible, of course,” he says. “But it isn’t likely. Today will probably be a lot of establishing the status quo for the court–“

“Didn’t we do that in the preliminary hearing?” Molly asks, her impatience coming through loud and clear.

“We did,” Conrad tells her. “But there are reports from the social worker to get through, pertaining to your supervised visits, for one.”

“We don’t want you getting your hopes up, that’s all,” Elly chimes in.

Brent stops pacing and sidles up beside Molly.

“You both have to understand how desperate we are for some movement,” he says. “The visits we’ve had with Gabrielle, they’ve been great, but they’re so short, and a week goes by between each one.”

“We’re going to do everything we can today, Uncle Brent,” Elly says.

“Why? What other tricks do you all have up your sleeves?” Travis asks as he and Rosie stride down the corridor with ferocious intensity.

“Excuse me?” Molly questions her nephew.

“We know what you did,” Rosie says. Behind her and her husband, Jaimie Thompson turns the corner, looking troubled by the emergent conflict.

Brent places a protective arm around Molly, but neither they nor their attorneys offer any verbal response.

“We had to find out from our lawyer!” Rosie exclaims.

“You used a supervised visit to get married and didn’t tell anyone?” Travis asks them. “You had a confused little girl participate in a wedding with people she barely knows? What is wrong with you?”

At Objection Designs’ headquarters in Winston Tower, located right in downtown King’s Bay, Trevor Brooks lingers near the threshold of his office. The steady din of office chatter and one-sided phone conversations buzzes through the air. When Trevor spots Finn Campbell winding his way through the bullpen area, he steps out into the walking path.

“Finn. Hey,” he says.

The somewhat younger man stops in his tracks, but instead of greeting Trevor with enthusiasm, he eyes him warily. “Hi,” he finally replies.

“Do you have a minute?”

After appearing to weigh this for a few seconds, Finn nods. “Sure.”

Trevor leads them both into his own office and closes the door.

“Why do I get the feeling this is bad news?” Finn questions. “Are you selling the house? Do I have to move out?”

“No. No! Nothing like that.” Although tempted to round the desk and take a seat in his chair, Trevor remains where he is, standing with Finn just beside the bookshelf. “I thought we should talk, that’s all.”

“You haven’t seemed much like you wanted to talk to me. Not since Pride.”

“I know. And I’m sorry for that. The thing is…”

Finn waits, his eyebrows creeping upward with interest.

“The thing is,” Trevor continues, “I’ve been confused.”

“What do you mean? Confused how?”

Trevor bites down on his lower lip. “Ever since you– since we kissed.”

—–

Tension hovers like a thick cloud of smoke in the corridor outside the courtroom.

“Nothing is wrong with us,” Molly responds to her irate nephew. “Your uncle and I wanted all three of our children present at our wedding.”

“But don’t you get why that must’ve been confusing for Gabrielle?” Rosie asks.

“She wasn’t confused,” Brent says. “She was fine. It was a nice visit.”

“The social worker’s report makes it clear that it was a totally normal day,” Elly chimes in. She and Conrad stand to the side, tensed as if ready to break into the fray at any second. Travis shoots his ex-girlfriend a glare.

“If it was just a nice visit, why weren’t we told what was going on?” Rosie fires back.

“Because we knew you would react this way,” Molly says.

Rosie lets out a low, guttural groan of frustration. As she does, Paula Fisher comes around the corner, one hand on the brown leather purse that hangs from her shoulder.

“We’re reacting this way because you held a major life event with our daughter and didn’t even think to give us a heads-up,” Travis says. “Or, even worse, you thought about it and decided not to give us a heads-up — because, why? We might not have wanted Gabrielle there?”

“Gabrielle wasn’t even aware what was happening,” Molly counters. “Not really. She was having a nice day in the backyard with us, her brothers, and her grandmo–” She tries to stop herself mid-statement, but it is too late.

Travis wheels around toward Paula, who has frozen herself.

“You were there?” he asks in disbelief.

“I– Well–” Paula stammers. “Your aunt asked me to be there, especially since your grandfather couldn’t be, and…”

“We asked her not to say anything,” Brent interjects. “Don’t blame her.”

Rosie shakes her head with great annoyance.

“So who can we blame?” Travis questions. “We can’t blame you, or Aunt Molly, or the social worker, or Grandma. Do none of you understand why this would bug us?”

“Travis, dear,” Paula says.

“No!” he says hotly. “Don’t ‘dear’ me. I’m not some little kid you need to coddle. It’s super-clear which side you picked, Grandma. And I don’t know if there’s any coming back from that.”

—–

Finn cocks his head to one side as he takes in what Trevor has said.

“So you’ve been thinking about our kiss,” he finally says.

Trevor chuckles. “Kinda hard not to think about it.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Finn replies with a wink.

“It is one.” Trevor exhales as he gathers his words. “The thing is, I can’t deny there’s this… this tension between us, Finn. So I won’t pretend it isn’t there.”

“Good. Because I feel it, too.”

“But I’m married.”

Finn sighs. “I’m aware.”

The two gaze at one another for several seconds. The silence crackles with the intensity of feelings unspoken.

Finally Finn asks, “Have you and Alex ever talked about… you know…?”

“Opening things up?” Trevor finishes for him.

“Yeah. Is there any world in which that happens…?”

“Not separately, no. But the prospect of doing things together…”

“Interesting,” Finn says, lighting up. “Do you think he would be,  you know, into it?”

“We might’ve talked about it,” Trevor admits with a smirk.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Not in depth, but it came up, and he didn’t sound totally opposed to the idea.”

“You mean, with me? Or in general?”

“Both.” The tip of Trevor’s tongue glides over his top lip. “We haven’t really talked about that since the whole thing with him seeing that Katherine Fitch was calling you, though.”

“Oh my god. Why is he so hung up on that?” Finn asks, irritated. “I told you–“

“It was just a call to Gia. I know. I get it.” Trevor lifts his hand, then hesitates for a moment before touching Finn’s chest, which feels unsurprisingly firm. “Alex is close to Molly and her family. You must be able to understand why it sounded an alarm for him.”

“I get it… but, like, come on. I told you I don’t know anything.”

“I hear you. And I believe you.” Trevor flashes a grin at Finn. “I need to get to a marketing meeting, but I’m glad we had a second to chat.”

“Me, too.” Finn gazes up at the taller man. “Maybe we can continue this conversation later?”

“You know it.”

Trevor goes to the door and pulls it open. With a hint of hesitation, Finn moves toward the exit.

“Let me know,” Finn says as he slides through the doorway.

“I will.” Trevor flashes a final smile before Finn departs. Then he steps through the doorway himself, intentionally moving in the opposite direction even though he has no actual destination. He reasons that he can go down to the café in the lobby for a coffee since he’s on the move anyway.

I’m going to figure out what you and Gia are up to, Trevor thinks, even as the intimate encounter with Finn continues to send a buzz coursing through his body.

—–

Meanwhile, Finn returns to his desk in the anteroom outside Gia’s office. Quickly he glances at the desk phone, but the light that indicates messages is not flashing its usual red. With Gia out on a vendor meeting and the other assistant not at her desk, he sinks into the chair, relieved to have a few moments of peace.

He pulls his cell phone from the pocket of his black linen Dolce & Gabbana pants and begins to scroll through Instagram, but he remains distracted by his conversation with Trevor. However, when the algorithm brings up an ad for Objection’s clothing, he pauses.

He glances around at his desk and the surroundings. Such a typical assistant setup.

With a huff, he scrolls to a photo saved in his camera roll, depicting the late Camille Lemieux.

“I wish I’d gotten the chance to know you before you died, Mom,” he says, half-under his breath. “But someday soon, this place is going to be mine. Just like it should’ve been all along.”

—–

The heated confrontation at the courthouse continues, as Jaimie steps in front of Travis and Rosie.

“Let’s keep our emotions in check, okay?” she warns them.

“We’re trying,” Rosie says through gritted teeth. “But the judge will see that this is a stunt–“

“Our marriage is not a stunt,” Molly replies angrily.

“The timing is pretty convenient,” Travis says. “You go off and have a secret wedding after the judge grants us temporary custody?”

“Don’t forget that we’re here in the first place because your aunt and I conceived Gabrielle together,” Brent says. “We would have been back together years ago if Loretta and that doctor hadn’t played God with our lives.”

Travis simply rolls his eyes in response.

“Will everyone please calm down?” Paula says. “I will not see this family torn apart over this!”

“Kind of hard when my aunt and uncle over here have been treating Rosie and I like villains for months,” Travis asserts. “We’ve tried our best–“

“How?” Molly interrupts him. “When you refused to let us so much as see Gabrielle until the judge granted us visitation? I don’t understand how–“

But she stops herself mid-thought, her jaw going slack, and the others’ eyelines follow hers. Soon enough, everyone has seen him: the gray-haired judge, already outfitted in his black robe, standing several yards away from all of them.

“This is not what I expected to find outside my courtroom today,” he says sternly.

Both couples, Paula, and the attorneys are silent. Finally Conrad is the one to speak up:

“Your Honor, this is a highly emotional situation involving family members. You’ll have to excuse everyone letting their emotions overwhelm them.”

“I understand the case just fine,” the judge replies, “but I will not have this kind of squabbling in or around my courtroom. We’re here to resolve this matter as civilly as we can. I suggest all of you get yourselves under control before I see you inside.”

With that admonition delivered, he moves toward the double doors and enters the courtroom. The others remain where they are, unsure what to say now, as a new layer of anxiety settles over them.

END OF EPISODE 1193

Will the judge be affected by what he witnessed?
Can the Fisher family recover from this schism?
Is Trevor playing with fire by manipulating Finn?
Discuss all this and more in the comments below!

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