Exposed (Let Me Love You #3)

Chapter 45

45

CROSSING brIDGES

THREE MONTHS LATER

JASMINE

M att asking me to become Simon’s mom may have scared some girls away, but not me. Not when I’m in love with Matt, and I’ve wanted a family to call my own for as long as I can remember. This is my dream come true.

The trial is over, and we officially have full custody of Simon. Matt, his dad, Hollie and I all testified at the custody trial.

Afterwards, Matt and Hollie had a moment of closure, which was good for them. She’s a sweet, smart 19-year-old, and you can tell she wants the best for Simon. She admitted she was afraid of her parents and that’s why she didn’t testify to begin with.

In a few months, we’ll see her again when there’s a trial to put her parents behind bars. Then, Hollie won’t have to be scared anymore. She’s going to college to be a lawyer and is happy she gets to distance herself from her parents. Hollie told us several times how happy she is that Simon has Matt and I. We invited her to visit Simon when she wants to, so we’ll see what happens.

Matt’s over the moon excited that we’ve got full custody of Simon, and the only thing left is to testify against the Trumans when that comes up.

Enough evidence has been found to exonerate Kevin. Relief washed over me when I found out, because he’s a good guy.

The police found evidence that Ian hacked into Kevin’s user account a little over a year ago. To get a lesser sentence, the executive assistant that was helping Ian finally ratted Ian out. She confessed that they planned to frame Kevin.

Months ago when I found the errors in that spreadsheet, I threw a wrench in their plans. Ian was afraid of me snooping around and decided to take me down. Ian’s goal was to steal another million for him and his assistant, then falsely “discover” that Kevin did it so he’d take the fall.

Apparently, Ian and Kevin were set to take over the company 50/50 when their dads retired. Ian didn’t want to share with Kevin.

Greed and money do crazy things to people. Ian and his assistant have been completely removed from the firm, and Kevin will be the one assuming the role of CEO when his dad and Mr. Crane retire.

We dropped the lawsuit, because Ian is gone, and I like Kevin. If I sue the company now, it would hurt Kevin. They’re trying to recover from all the shit that Ian pulled, and I don’t want to make it worse for them.

And honestly, I want to move on with my life with Simon and Matt. We’ve got one more trial with the Trumans to go, and I don’t want to spend any more time in court than that.

Speaking of moving on, Matt and I have decided where we want to settle down.

“Are we seriously doing this?” I ask for the hundredth time with a silly grin on my face.

“Yeah, we are,” Matt grins.

We’re buying a house in freaking Colorado. I’ve never been to the mountains, but I’ve always thought it would be beautiful to live there. Honestly, anyplace with Simon and Matt will be amazing. Anyplace except this house.

With everything that happened, Matt also wants a fresh start with me and Simon. He said he’d been mulling over the idea for a couple of years since Hope moved to Denver.

We’ll miss Matt’s parents and grandparents, but we’ve promised to come back for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Fourth of July. And they’re going to come visit for all of our birthdays.

Madilyn says counseling has been a huge help in processing her abduction, so Matt and I are seeing her therapist for a while. Therapy has been eye-opening, and it’s helping me process stuff from my childhood.

Noah and Deacon have connections in Denver, and they’ve hooked Matt up with a photography business that works with corporations for marketing and headshots. It’ll give him a 9-5, Monday-Friday schedule so he doesn’t have to work twenty-hour weekends anymore.

He’s taking a pay cut, but he’ll still do engagement and wedding photography occasionally. Newborn photography also interests him, and he’s been studying that. Plus, his presence is worth way more to me than money. We are rich as long as we have each other.

“Ready?” Matt asks as we sit on our back porch with his laptop open.

Simon is sitting up on a blanket on the grass, happily waving his hands in the air while Shani plays with him. I swear, she’s like Nana, the dog nanny from Peter Pan .

“I’m ready,” I say, and we click through the paperwork for our new home outside of Denver, Colorado.

Hope and Noah want to raise their baby away from the hustle and bustle of the city, so they bought a 4-acre property just outside of Aurora. They’re building a house on the land, and they asked if we’d like to have the older house that’s already on the property.

We visited, and it’s a charming farmhouse. Noah and Hope are giving us an awesome price for it. After we do renovation on it, it’s ours. Simon will have plenty of yard to run around, and after Hope and Noah have their baby, Simon will have a playmate to grow up next to.

Once we’re finished with the online paperwork, Matt gets a big bouncy ball, and we join Simon on the blanket.

They’ll overnight the official documents to us tomorrow, and a notary will meet us to sign everything. This house in Miami is already under contract, so we’ll be moving soon. It’s hard to believe how fast everything has fallen into place, but the little girl in me who believes in fairy tales never gave up hope that I’d find my soulmate.

Not only that, but I’ve thought of a way to “pay it forward,” like Matt always tells me.

“I’ve been thinking how I can pay it forward, but it involves all of us,” I say to Matt, and he grins.

“Lay it on me.” He rolls the ball to Simon, and Simon promptly tries to pick it up and chew it.

“I’ve often wondered how my life would’ve been different if I’d been in a loving home. What if I’d been adopted by a mom and a dad who wanted me?”

Matt looks at me thoughtfully, waiting for me to continue.

“What if we pay it forward by adopting? Or fostering, at least? I’d love to give an older kid a chance at a good life,” I venture. “I want to give a kid a better life, a loving and safe home that they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Fostering-to-adopt an older kid isn’t everyone’s dream, so I don’t know if Matt will go for it.

Matt looks at Simon, then back at me. “Six months ago, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be married with a kid. I love the idea of growing our family. Fostering-to-adopt sounds great. We can make sure the kid is a good fit for us, and we’re a good fit for them.”

“Really?” I ask.

“For sure. Once we move to Colorado, we’ll start the process to become foster parents.”

He picks Simon up. “Would you like a big brother or sister, little man?”

“Da-da,” Simon smiles at Matt and grabs his nose.

“That’s right, little man. I’m your Dada.” He turns to smile at me before looking to Simon. “We’re your family, Simon, and we’ll always be here for you.”

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that family isn’t only the one you’re born into. Family is the people you find along the way who make life meaningful and worthwhile. I’ve finally found my forever family, and I’m never letting them go.

“As long as we’re on the subject of another kid, I’ve got a question for you,” Matt begins.

“What?”

“How would you feel about not using birth control?” Matt asks. “I’ve been thinking about it since our wedding night.”

“You want to skip spermicide?” I raise my eyebrows.

“Yeah.” He’s wearing a mischievous smile that makes my heart melt and my clit flutter with desire. “I’d like to fill you with my cum without sperm killer in there.”

“You mean…?” Her voice trails off.

“I’d love to see your belly swollen with my baby, princess. Having a baby with you would be amazing,” he clarifies.

“Wow, that’s romantic.” I link my fingers with his.

“Is it?”

“When you know my dream is to be a mom? Totally.”

“How about after we move to Denver, we go for it?” He proposes.

“I like it,” I nod.

“Good. I’ll fill you with my cum until we make a baby.”