Exposed

Chapter Fifteen

It's 5 a.m., the sun isn't even up, and I'm sitting in the kitchen, watching the small child play with his Cheerio's. The coffee mug can barely stay upright in my hand. I've doused myself with it more than once. Giving up on it, I place the mug into the sink.

"Ero's," he mumbles excitedly. "Yum."

I nod, smiling at how cute he sounds when he tries to say Cheerio's. The yellow curls on top of his head are like waves, ocean waves. They curl over just enough to form a crest. He has deep dimples, although his face is pretty thin. His rosy bottom lip is swollen from biting it. He doesn't look at all like his mother or even Matteo. I guess he takes after his father. I walk over to where he's sitting, pursing my lips.

"Hey, Charles, Charley... Are you sleepy now?"

He shakes his head and I lean back, rolling my eyes.

Of course not.

***

Closing my eyes, I press my hand to my head, holding my phone in the other. My sister's number is on the screen, but I can't bring myself to hit send.

Charles, who I'm finding is not so bad in the day as he is in the night, is playing with toys in his play pen. He's been like that for a whole ten minutes, and it's a record. I'm waiting for Matteo to exit the room so we can eat lunch before heading to the court house.

Come on, Simone. I mean, Giordano.

Holy shit. I'm married.

I shake my head in shock and press call, praying it goes to voicemail.

No such luck. "Well, there you are!" my sister gasps. "We're just getting back into the city now. How's Matteo doing? Have you heard anything about the aunt? How did she die?"

"I should tell you I'm married and am now a guardian to a two-year-old boy named Charles," I confess as quickly as I can, finally releasing the breath I'd been holding when the words are out. The line is completely silent on the other end. "Hello?"

"Is this a joke?" she asks. "This is a joke. You are fucking joking, Em? It's not funny."

"I... wouldn't joke about this."

"Married? You are taking care of a kid? Temporarily right?"

"No. The child, Charles, would be... mine. Ours. He was Gwen's son... Is Gwen's son." God, get it together.

"When the hell did you get married? You left not even two days ago? He wasn't expecting to propose for another two weeks!"

"Yesterday. We didn't really have a choice. The baby would go into foster care if we didn't take him. And the judge wanted a secure home for him so the lawyer suggested we marry so I can name myself a legal co-guardian and so he could live in a stable environment."

"And you fucking did it? Jesus, holy mother of... Emma, what the hell are you doing? I know you love him and I know you have a heart but-"

"He's Matteo's blood. We couldn't turn him away."

"Matteo is okay with having a child? Because that is what you're telling me. That you now have a CHILD."

"He's still shocked. So am I. I mean, neither of us expected this. We have been really happy. I'm not really sure what we're doing, what we're going to do."

"I need to see you. Are you going to be home?"

"Matteo has a show tonight so you can come then. We're headed to the courthouse now to see if we've been granted custody of him."