Exposed

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I look at Eddie. "I wanted to let you know that he has grown too big for a crib. You should look into getting him a toddler bed."

"Daddy!" Charles exclaims, reaching out his arms for Matteo who smiles, but doesn't divert his attention from Eddie, who at the moment, isn't enjoying Charles' idea of daddy.

"Well, don't you two have one? Since you won't need it now, I'm sure you wouldn't mind Charles having it here?"

My eyes widen slightly and dart to Matteo who gestures with his head for me to come to him. Matteo grabs the door knob. "We will be back at three."

"On the dot. Oh and remember, you cannot refer to yourselves as his parents anymore." I watch Matteo go rigid. Eddie looks at Charles who is sucking his thumb. "Bye son. See you soon."

When Charles hides his face in my neck, I feel my skin prickle with fear. Matteo rests a hand on my back then, literally guiding me out of the apartment.

***

"What flavor do you want, bud?" Matteo asks, holding onto Charles hand. They're in front of an ice cream cart.

"I can't see!"

Matteo looks around. "Well, there's chocolate and strawberry. You know what?" He leans down, picking him up with ease. "Point to the one you want."

Charles looks around at the various colors before pointing to the vanilla. "Good choice. I think I'll have that one too." Matteo turns, looking at me by the railing. "Babe?"

"Vanilla is good with me."

I watch them together, unable to get the encounter with Eddie out of my head. He doesn't seem to care about getting Charles what he needs. His home is nowhere near livable for a child. Why would a man that fought so hard to have him not even research how to raise him? How could the courts take him from our home to put him into this one?

I smile as Matteo walks up with an ice cream in his free hand. Charles is holding the other two, still perched on his arm.

"Okay, now you're going to give it to Emma carefully so you don't drop it," Matteo says.

"Here you go, Mummy," Charles says, extending his hand out. I smile wider, leaning forward to kiss his cheek playfully. He giggles and my heart soars. If I didn't know how much I loved him before we lost him, I definitely know now.

"The penguins are around the corner. You wanna see the penguins?"

He nods, licking his ice cream. "Don't go on trip ever."

And our reality, just like that, is back in the here and now, and this happy facade we're portraying becomes harder to pull off.

I look at Matteo, who gapes slightly. "Um, come on, bud. Let's go see what the hype is about these wobbling things."

***

Charles is fast asleep as I carry him back up the steps to Eddie's apartment. Matteo is behind me, carrying Big Bird and the toys Matteo won him at the Aquarium. I'm careful not to move too fast, wanting him to be asleep when we leave.

I try as hard as I can not to think about when he wakes up and we're gone again.

"You should say your goodbye now," Matteo says behind me when we reach the door.

I try to remain calm as I kiss his face, pushing his hair back gently with shaking hands. The tears of fear are building. God, I don't want to leave him.

Nuzzling my nose into him, I pull back, turning him towards Matteo who presses a quick kiss to his head. We look into each other's eyes and nod together before he knocks.

We wait... and wait. And then finally the door opens.

Eddie is breathing heavy in unbuttoned jeans and an open striped shirt.

"Wow, those three hours went by fast."

"We'd be happy to take him longer," I say stiffly. Or forever.

"No, no. Give him to me," he says, holding out his hands. I stare at him, noticing sweat on his brow. My hands clutch to Charles tighter as I try to keep my voice down.

"I think it would be better if I put him down... that way he doesn't cry when we leave. It will save you the trouble."

He smiles and it leaves a tingling down my spine in the worst way. "Well, you are quite the lady."

"Emma, go put him to bed," Matteo says.

I nod, all too happy to get away from him. Eddie moves out of my way enough that I can make my way into the apartment. I walk towards the small bedroom, unable to breathe.

I have to leave him here... in this hell, with a man who could care less about him. Eddie doesn't want him like we do. He doesn't care for him like we do.

I set Charles down into the crib and he barely stirs, turning onto his side. I rub his back, for a bit, staring at him. I'll be back soon. This isn't forever. I leave the bedroom and shutting the door quietly, a movement catches my eye. I become distracted by the long, lanky, entirely naked woman sprawled out on a bed in the other room across the hall.

I can't help but stare in shock. She looks up, probably feeling my gaze and moves to cover herself up. I stride down the hallway, fists clenched at my sides.

"Ready?" Matteo asks when I reach the door. I nod, probably bright red.

"See ya'll in two weeks," Eddie says, leaning back against the counter. Matteo nods.

"Um, I know you mentioned the bed, which we are happy to give you. We also have some of his, you know, favorite toys. A changing station. A high-top chair too. We'd be happy to bring them over sometime this week?"

Eddie rests his hands on the counter beside him. "You heard the court order."

Matteo nods, unfazed. "Yeah, I did hear it."

Eddie purses his lips. "Yeah, I mean, I guess you could stop by on Thursday or somethin'."

"Thursday is good. Until then," Matteo says, ushering me to walk out now. I do, taking his outstretched hand.

"What was that?" I whisper without moving my lips when we're by the car. I sit down, glancing back at the man watching us from the doorway. When I look back at Matteo, there's a gleam in his eye that wasn't there before, a gleam that resembles hope.

"We're going to get Charles back."