“Mr. Beaumont, do you still claim to be not guilty of the murders of Mark and Cathy Davidson?”

“Your Honor, I’m not guilty.”

“Then on behalf of the Court of Criminal Appeals, with regret and sorrow for the trials you have been through, and the seven years you have served, may God forgive us all for what we know now, you are a free man. I hereby reverse your conviction for the murder of Mark and Cathy Davidson.”

The room explodes in applause. Daddy turns to us immediately, Mama falling to her knees, but this time praising God. I cover my mouth with my hands. Jamal can’t get to Daddy on his side so he just puts his arms around Quincy and me, Corinne squishing in the middle. Crying out in joy. Unbelievable joy that it’s all finally over. I’m bursting so much my chest feels like it’s exploding. Buzzing and zipping inside.

It’s over. The clock has stopped. We can stop living our life counting the days, counting the time between Saturday and Monday visits.

Jamal takes Corinne to see Daddy. Quincy places his hands on either side of my face and kisses me.

“You did it.” Quincy presses in closer to me, resting his forehead against mine.

I flick my eyes at him but don’t move.

“Completely platonic, don’t get excited.” Quincy’s voice is soft, but there’s a shakiness behind it because we’ve been inseparable ever since Jamal’s been free.

“Maybe it should be more,” I whisper.

Quincy stops joking and kisses me again. Each time I kiss him, I’m lost in us. He places his hand by my ear and kisses my lips once more. Quincy gives a halfway grin. I hold on to his hand until it’s time for Daddy to speak.

We follow Daddy through an exit that leads to the front steps of the court, where the media has been gathering, waiting for him to speak. Before he goes to the mic, Daddy extends his arm to grab my hand and pull me up next to him. I look out at the crowd. The courtroom catching up to us and surrounding the cameras. Across the street, the sidewalk is filled with people who weren’t able to come to the courtroom but wanted to make sure there was justice. I’m taken aback by the swarms of people here to see my daddy free.

Daddy whispers, “Baby girl, this is all because of you.”

He gets on the mic, going down the list of everything he’s thankful for. He sticks to the speech he wrote because he didn’t want to miss a name or a moment. The crowd is overflowing, growing. I breathe out slowly, take pride at being able to stand next to my daddy. No longer in Polunsky Prison, a free man, for the first time in seven years.

Daddy finishes to cheers.